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Vegan Options at PF Chang’s
PF Chang’s has been a casual dining restaurant chain in business since 1993, with over 308 outlets worldwide. This American restaurant chain has a wide selection of American-Chinese dishes and delectable Asian meals.
Despite being an Asian-themed restaurant chain, PF Chang’s has many vegan options to offer you. With over 9.6 million Americans going vegan, they’ve significantly expanded their vegan-friendly menu. From Entrées to Desserts, they serve a pretty great vegan spread.
Now that your favorite restaurant chain is serving vegan meals, why look anywhere else? Read further if you want to explore the scrumptious vegan options at PF Chang’s.
Chili-Garlic Green Beans
Cooked in a fiery red chili sauce, fresh garlic, and Sichuan preserves, this a great vegetarian appetizer. This is a definite go-to if you love spice on your platter. They have medium heat and a deep garlic flavor.
The beans are sauteed before adding garlic and sauce. This makes them tender and gives them a fantastic texture.
Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
Lettuce wraps at PF Chang’s typically have ground chicken as a protein. But they’ve recently added vegetarian lettuce wraps to their menu to cater to vegans. Made with a secret family recipe, they contain wok-seared Tofu, Green Onions, Water Chestnuts, Mint, and crispy rice sticks.
This is also one of the healthiest vegan options at P.F. Chang’s. These wraps have a sweet crunch, accorded by the secret sauce, making them quite popular among diners.
Edamame
This vegan-friendly dish is simple yet addictive. Tossed in kosher salt, these are steamed to order. In addition to being vegan, edamame can be prepared gluten-free upon request.
It’s a light, sweet, and spicy snack that can be an excellent accompaniment to any dish. Calorie-conscious vegans should try this once.
Buddha’s Feast
This entrée is available stir-fried or steamed. Buddha’s feast at PF Chang’s is prepared with five-spiced tofu, asparagus, sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots.
The veggies are tossed in a savory soy sauce, which gives them a distinct, mouth-watering taste. Served with brown rice, it makes for a hearty vegan-friendly option loaded with nutritious veggies. If you’re a lover of colorful platters, this is a must-try.
Stir-Fried Eggplant
PF Chang’s also serves stir-fried Chinese eggplant covered in a chili soy glaze. This vegetarian dish contains green onion and garlic. It’s a favorite amongst regulars due to its delicious, sweet, and spicy flavor. This dish proves that eggplants can be quite addictive.
Ma Po Tofu
Ma Po Tofu is a traditional Chinese dish from the Sichuan province. It’s a thin and oily dish that’s soaked in hot sauce. While traditional meat typically contains minced meat, PF Chang’s version can be made with just tofu.
For vegetarians and vegans, they toss crispy tofu and steamed broccoli in garlic-chili sauce, which gives it a spicy flavor. This makes for one of the tastiest vegan options at PF Chang’s.
Thai Harvest Curry
Since the appetizers here have been made inclusive of vegan options, the Asian curries could not be left out. A part of the main entrées is a spicy, sweet, and tangy curry.
The Thai Harvest Curry at PF Chang’s contains five-spice tofu, butternut squash, rustic vegetables, and Asian mushrooms. To give it a kick of spice, it’s topped with Fresno peppers. It has a red curry broth and an excellent presentation, which makes it quite tasty.
Sichuan-Style Asparagus
Like any other Asian menu, vegan options at PF Chang’s also have Sichuan dishes.
This dish has replaced another vegan-friendly option, the coconut curry tofu, which used to be quite popular. Sichuan-style asparagus is made using Sichuan preserves and sliced onion. Garlic, their signature flavor enhancer, is added along with red chili paste. If you’re a fan of their chili-garlic green beans, you should try this dish.
Brown and White Rice – Steamed
When talking about vegan options anywhere, rice cannot be left out. PF Chang’s serves their brown and white rice steamed, owing to their Asian orientation. It makes for a healthy and vegan-friendly side dish.
They also serve fried brown and white rice containing eggs, shellfish, and milk.
Vegetable Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are popular fried snacks, typically prepared with a filling of stir-fried meat and vegetables. Vegan options at PF Chang’s include spring rolls containing only vegetables tossed in their authentic East-Asian seasoning.
Other Side Dishes
- Fresh fruit bowl
- Steamed snap peas
- Steamed carrots
- Steamed broccoli
- Mandarin crunch salad (seasoned with orange-flavored vinaigrette)
- Shanghai cucumbers
- Asian tomato-cucumber Salad
Another vegan-friendly side dish, sauteed spinach (in garlic), has been removed from the menu.
Their Spicy Miso, which contains noodles and a broth, can be prepared vegan upon request, but only at specific locations. Even their Chicken Thai Pad, for that matter, can be made vegan by requesting them not to add any animal protein. So, you need to confirm with your local PF Chang’s outlet before placing an order.
Beverages
They offer a range of newly added beverages that can be spiked with alcohol upon request. Their non-alcoholic drinks, along with their choice of alcohol, have been listed below:
| Non-Alcohol Beverage | Ingredients | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|
| House-made ginger Beer | Juiced ginger root, lemon juice, and pure can sugar | Suntori TOKI Japanese whiskey |
| Chang’s coconut cooler | Coconut milk, coconut water, nutmeg, and pure cane sugar | Pyrat rum |
| Peach boba breeze | Black tea, boba pearls, peach, and lemon juice | Knob Creek bourbon |
| Strawberry cucumber limeade | Strawberries, cucumbers, lime juice, and pure cane sugar | Hendriks gin |
| Pomegranate lemonade | Lemonade, pomegranate seeds, and juice | Absolut vodka |
Other Beverages
- Lime soda
- Salted caramel cold brew (only with vegan milk and caramel)
- Mango iced tea
- Black iced tea
- Odwalla lemonade
- Odwalla strawberry lemonade
- Vitamin water
- Regular soft drinks
Desserts
- Fresh fruit
- Fortune cookie
They offer an excellent dessert spread, but most contain milk and other dairy products. Their banana spring rolls are popular, but they are a vegetarian dessert.
Why Did They Expand Their Vegan Menu?
PF Chang’s has always been a popular, trendy, and upbeat restaurant chain. It’s usually bustling with diners. A significant portion of Americans have gone vegan and are choosing to cut down on their animal-based food consumption.
Hence, in a bid to not lose out on this significant bunch, they have included some delectable vegan options in their menu. Some non-vegan dishes can also be vegan-friendly by asking your server to exclude animal-based protein.
Plant-based options have increased to cater to the demand for meat-free cuisine. You may have noticed that many of their new entrees have veggies and tofu, which can be swapped for chicken, beef, or seafood by meat lovers.
Why Go Vegan?
Since you’re here, reading this, it’s fair to assume that either you’re actively vegan or thinking about it. Giving up animal-based food and products has a host of benefits. It’s not just beneficial for the planet but also for your physical and mental health.
Switching to a vegan diet aids weight loss, reduces the risk of heart disease, and helps manage diabetes, among other benefits. You can always start by becoming a vegetarian first.
Chefs have started getting creative with their vegan food recipes. From proteins to sauce, they are capable of discovering substitutes for everything. What’s more? These options are just as mouth-watering, if not more.
Other Restaurants With Vegan Options
- Subway– Vegan bread options and vegetarian proteins
- IHOP- Baked potato, hash browns, and fruits, among other options
- Panda Express- Chowmein and spring rolls among starters
- Del Taco- Avocado tacos, vegetarian nachos, and other options
- Auntie Anne’s Pretzels- Jalapeno, raisin, and other awesome flavors
- Burger King- Hash browns, oatmeal, and veg protein
- White Castle- Veggie slider and vegan fries, among other options
- BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse – Just started with their vegan crust and marinara sauce, and numerous others
Thanks to PETA, these restaurants have ventured into vegan food options. Although they are not fully vegan, they can now cater to vegan diners. Vegans can now go to these giants and eat a part of their spread.
Wrap Up
While vegan options at PF Chang’s are limited, they are delicious and have received rave reviews from most customers. If Chinese cuisine can be made to serve vegans, so can any other cuisine.
The only word of caution here is to be alert. Always inform your server that you are a vegan. Sometimes the dishes that are labeled as vegetarian may not be vegan. Often dishes that are essentially vegetarian or vegan may not be marked so. It is because they are prepared with the same equipment as animal-based food.
