Best Guide to eating Vegan at BJ's in 2023

by Laura
February 6, 2020

Is there anything Vegan at BJ's at all in the first place?

First of all, BJ’s restaurant at first glance doesn’t appear to be a vegan-friendly restaurant, but if you look closer they have quite good vegan options just like in Cheesecake Factory, and while it wouldn’t be my #1 choice to eat at, I wouldn’t have an issue having a meal there with family if everyone was going to bj’s Restaurant & Brewhouse.

With that being said, don’t expect some vegan paradise; or even anything too good — they haven’t added a vegan burger or vegan-specific entries or anything like that to the menu yet. However, still better than most of the fast-food chain.

But hey, you can get some pasta, a pretty good lotta-topping pizza (albeit kinda expensive), and many delicious sides and appetizers, as well as some more standard things you’d expect to be vegan at a restaurant like this such as Baked Potatoes.

Let’s see what’s vegan at Bj’s brewhouse!

Appetizers

Nothing much to offer in short. Just some typical fast food quick bites.

Chips & Guacamole
Chips & Fire Roasted Salsa
French Fry Basket
Turmeric-Roasted Cauliflower
Sweet Potato Fries

Really those are the only vegan-friendly shareable appetizers they offer; although you can always order a salad as an appetizer as well, it just won’t really be shareable with others like people usually do with appetizers. If you do this make sure you check the salad section of this article for which dressings and salads are vegan-friendly.

At least the fries are vegan unlike McDonald’s which contains dairy and the tortilla is naturally plant-based.

Vegan-friendly Primary Meal Options at BJ's

While there are countless entrée on Bj’s menu, there are quite a few that is vegan or can be veganized.

Vegan Pizzas (Order without Cheese, ask for no butter on Crust)
Vegan Lentil Ancient Grains Soup (More of a side to be paired with a Salad or Baked Potato since it’s quite small)
Peruvian Quinoa Bowl (Not on all locations menu, but generally able to be ordered)
Boiled Pasta with Mariana Sauce (Confirm, off-menu but available at most locations)
Many Salad Options (See next section)

Build your own Pizza

I know I didn’t list the toppings for the pizzas like I normally do, and that’s for a few reasons. Namely it varies slightly by locations, and also there’s really no need to do so as they have pretty much every vegetable-topping imaginable short of a vegan-meat topping, and everything you’d expect to be vegan as a topping is plant-based. So, just skip the non vegan toppings in short.
Secondly, if you are in trouble with decision-making, you can go along with the vegetarian pizza. Just make sure that you order it without cheese!

Pastas

For the Pasta at Bj’s, the menu-options aren’t vegan-friendly, but if you ask if you can just get a big spaghetti with Mariana Sauce meal they’ll usually be able to do it and that should be vegan-friendly. Often it’s not an option, although it used to be on the kids menu it isn’t always anymore. Do not except too much, not even close to Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta.

Vegan Lentil Ancient Grains Soup

This is the only certified vegan item on the menu. It isn’t only free from animal ingredients, but healthy and delicious. However, the portion is quite tiny, so you should order one (or more) the side next to it.

Vegan Salad Options at BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant:

House Salad (Specify no Croutons or Cheese)
The Superfoods Salad
Santa Fe Salad (No chicken, nor cheese and swap dressing)

You can also try to build-your-own vegan salad, but sometimes they aren’t okay with that at the restaurant, so you’d have to see if it’s possible at your local BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery, but generally it’s possible in my experience. You’ll just be charged for a more expensive entree salad generally, but it does make a meal all in it’s own if they’ll actually do it.

Enlightened kale and roasted brussels sprouts salad aka the Superfoods salad

Now, this is something! Everything that you need in one salad and only one ingredient have to go. The Superfoods salad comes with Baby Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Blueberries, Red Grapes, Cranberries, Toasted Pepitas, Red Onions, Cucumber, Candied pecan, and Goat cheese. Obviously, you have to remove the last one and your fresh and healthy plant-based salad is ready.

Dressings and Vinaigrattes

According to BJ’s allergen guide, the following dressings and vinaigrettes are free from animal ingredients:

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Strawberry Vinaigrette
Rice Wine Vinaigrette
Olive oil & Vinegar
Italian Dressing
Avocado/Guacamole
Chimichurri Sauce

Everything else contains dairy, eggs, or even worse things for sure.

All of the sides

Baked Potato (No Cheese/Butter/Sour-Cream)
Sauteed Asparagus
Broccoli
Regular French Fries
Quinoa and Brown Rice Blend
Rice Pilaf (Rice, red bell pepper, green onion)
Sauteed Green Beans
Guacamole & Chips (Appetizer)
Garlic Bread Knots
Turmeric-Roasted Cauliflower (Small Bites Side)
Sweet Potato Fries (Small Bites Side)
Vegan Lentil Ancient Grains Soup
Apple Sauce (Kids Menu)

Honestly the sides at BJ’s are just great — while you can get a vegan pizza at BJ’s or some pasta, both of those kinda feel wrong to order sides with to me, and since the sides are my favorite at BJ’s, so I usually opt for the vegan soup or a salad and get a couple sides.

Anything else to offer?

Nothing much but homemade Rootbeer and tons of typcal sodas and drinks like the following:

Pepsi
Dr. Pepper (It’s vegan for sure)
Iced tea
Hot tea
Green tea
Bunch of limonedes
Coffee
Decaf Coffee
Various Sodas
and so on…

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Vegan-friendly Desserts at BJ's:

Apple Sauce
Apple Juice
Fresh Fruit

Despite the tons of plant-based sides, BJ’s Brewhouse doesn’t offer any “real” vegan-friendly desserts like brownies or cookies, unfortunately, which is a real bummer as I remember they were the best I had at a restaurant before going vegan. Even Burger King has accidentally vegan apple pie. Maybe in 5 years they’ll get with the times and make them vegan-friendly; you can definitely make just as good of brownies that are cruelty-free.

BJ's as a Vegan in Summary

While there is only one certified vegan stuff at the restaurant, you won’t starve to death. There are plenty of vegan friendly options – other than french fries – if you do not bother yourself with cross contamination. However, if you are following a strict vegan diet and cross contamination is a no-go, then you gonna have some trouble, since their kitchen operations involve shared preparation areas, fryer oil, and cooking surfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the veggie burger at BJ's vegan?

Unfortunately, the veggie burger at bj’s contains milk, thus it is not vegan.

What is vegan to eat at BJ's?

Although BJ’s haven’t added a vegan burger yet, there are a tons of stuff we can as vegans:

Appetizers – such as Chips & Guacamole, French Fry Basket, etc

Sides – such as fries, Baked Potatos, Sweet Potato fries, etc.

They also have a fantastic Vegan Lentil Ancient Grains Soup!

About the Author

Laura

A vegan of five years, she has a background in animal-rights activism - having worked with organizations such as Anonymous for the Voiceless and participated at several vegan festivals and events as a volunteer.

Bringing together her passion for creative writing and experience with a plant-based lifestyle, she specializes in creating engaging content for platforms promoting a cruelty-free and sustainable way of life.