Blake’s Lotaburger is known for many things—their assortment of burgers, burritos, limited-time shakes, and let’s not forget about their award-winning Green Chile Cheeseburgers. Of course, from its name alone, one would expect that Blake’s Lotaburger isn’t the best option for vegans, but you mustn’t forget that the restaurant is vegan-friendly, so there should be vegan options, right?
Much like most restaurants, there are vegan options in Blake’s Lotaburger, but the list is pretty short as most of their products contain animal byproducts. However, some don’t, including their fries, onion rings, and a handful of their beverages.
If you’re vegan and you want to enjoy your stay at Blake’s, and you happen to find one of their branches nearby, here are the vegan options you can order:
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Seasoned And Regular Fries
As one might expect, Blake’s fries consist mainly of potatoes, so it’s completely vegan. It may not be an entree, but these side dishes are pretty enjoyable for vegans and non-vegans alike.
Furthermore, this side dish comes in a variety of options. For one, the size can either be medium or large sizes. You can also choose between regular, seasoned, and chili, and each has its charm. It also has a chili cheese variety, but seeing as how it consists of an animal byproduct, you may want to steer clear from this particular variety.
Onion Rings
The restaurant’s onion rings are yet another side dish that’s a little bit vegan. Of course, the onions themselves are vegan, but there’s a good chance Blake’s Lotaburger makes use of egg or milk for their batter.
Unfortunately, their website doesn’t contain details on the ingredients of this particular side dish, so the best you can do is ask the waiters once you’re actually in the restaurant.
Drinks
Among the beverages offered in Blake’s Lotaburger, Pumpkin Spice Coffee stands out from the rest. However, note that it’s not entirely vegan as they use milk as part of the recipe.
While it should be possible to swap out cow’s milk with plant-based milk, it’d be challenging to find a branch that’s willing to oblige to such a request. In that regard, if you want to play safe, you might want to stick with the following 100% vegan drinks:
- Coffee
- Orange Juice
- Bottled Water
Yes, these are the only beverages offered by Blake’s that are entirely vegan. Some of their other options include shake and chocolate milk, but these all contain animal byproducts like milk and eggs. Though ordering these shouldn’t be an issue If you’re not necessarily a strict vegan.
Add To Anything
There aren’t many options available for vegans as eager as you may be to eat out at Blake’s. If the side dishes are too “boring” for you, you can always spice them up with their “Add to Anything” menu, which includes the following:
- Hatch Valley Green Chile
- Jalapeno
- Blake’s Chili Con Carne
It may not be as exciting as the restaurant’s entrees, but these should add a bit more flavor to their already vegan options. Plus, they’re also 100% vegan, so you’re not compromising your diet by adding these to your onion rings or fries.
Blake’s Lotaburger’s Signature Hatch Green Chile
Hatch Green Chile is a term used by New Mexico citizens to refer to a specific type of chile pepper grown exclusively in their region. It’s known for many things, one of which is that it’s the signature ingredient of Blake’s Lotaburgers for its sauces.
In fact, according to their official website, their most recent sauce, Green Chile Tartar Sauce, consists mainly of this chile pepper, which, as you may have guessed, is entirely vegan.
In short, unlike other restaurants like Panda Express, Blake’s doesn’t put non-vegan liquids or sauces on your order without your awareness, which is admittedly quite commendable.
Will Blake’s Lotaburger Ever Add A Vegan Option?
There are several reasons why restaurant owners are hesitant to add vegan options to their menu. Examples include:
- Hassle to add a new dish to the menu
- Company culture
- Perceived lack of demand
While it’s true that the demand was not as high back then as it is today, veganism is currently on the rise as more people understand the environmental impact of animal byproducts.
The moment restaurants realize this would also be when they consider adding vegan menu options. Fortunately, some restaurants and fast-food chains like Panda Express and Freshii have already seen the potential profitability in the vegan market.
According to Vegetarian Journal’s Guide to Vegetarian and Vegan Dishes in the US and Canada, the number of vegan restaurants jumped from 55 in 1993 to 970 in 2019.
It’s only a matter of time before Blake’s Lotaburger follows suit.
You must also remember that Blake’s Lotaburger has been around since 1952. Since then, there have been several changes to their menu, and another change won’t hurt.
Considering the long history of Blake’s Lotaburgers, there’s a good chance they’re willing to take measures to ensure the business stays running for several more decades.
Petition To Add A Vegan Burger To Blake’s Menu
If you were once an avid enjoyer of Blake’s, it could be heartbreaking to know that the restaurant does not offer a vegan entree. The burgers and burritos all contain eggs, beef, and the like.
However, there are ongoing attempts to encourage restaurants to add vegan and plant-based foods. If this seems like something you would do, you might want to hop into this petition and contribute by adding your signature.
Is Blake’s Lotaburger An Excellent Option For Vegans?
Blake’s makes customers know that they don’t have an allergen-free environment. On their website, they clearly state that all of their products are prepared in the same kitchen, meaning utensils used to prepare burritos may also be used to prepare the fries or onion rings.
In that regard, while there are some vegan options in Blake’s Lotaburger, there’s no guarantee that what you’re getting does not contain the allergens that you’d expect from non-vegan foods.
Alternatives To Blake’s Lotaburgers For Vegans
A few months ago, PETA assessed burger chains across Canada and the US to determine their vegan-friendliness. They use a grading system with A for the best chains that offer vegan options and F for burger chains that do not provide a vegan burger option.
- A&W Canada offers Beyond Burger, a plant-based burger that only uses animal-free ingredients like lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and a vegan bun. PETA has given this restaurant an A grade. A&W US offers the same product, but the branch is C grade as it’s not clear which of their offerings use a vegan bun.
- Ruby Tuesday is currently testing a plant-based burger called Sweet Earth Awesome Burger. It consists of plant-based ingredients and a pea protein-based patty. The restaurant is a B grade, and it may become an A grade if the initial tests do well.
- MOOYAH is one of the few restaurants that talked with PETA about their menu. This led to the restaurant offering Dr. Praeger’s burger patty, featuring pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a multigrain wheat bun. This burger chain is graded with an A by PETA.
- Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard is another A-grade burger chain with their 100% vegan Southwestern Black Bean Burger. This burger consists of onion, lettuce, tomato, and of course, a vegan burger.
- Let’s not forget about Burger King, which has recently added an animal-free Whopper sandwich to its menu. The sandwich includes onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, and a sesame seed bun combined to make a completely vegan burger. Burger King is also an A grade in terms of vegan-friendliness.
Make sure you exclude mayo and cheese from your orders if you ever get to one of these chains to keep your diet dairy- and egg-free. You can look into this list for more options.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret that the customer base of Blake’s Lotaburger consists mainly of people that enjoy burgers. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Blake’s only has a few vegan options.
But as disappointing as it may be, you must remember that most restaurants weren’t vegan-friendly from the start. Take Panda Express, for example. Only a few years ago, they stopped adding chicken broth to their dishes. Considering Blake’s sauce is already vegan, there’s a good chance they’re willing to add vegan options to their menu soon. After all, not only will it be beneficial for vegans, it’s also profitable for the restaurant.
