A Guide to Vegan Takeaway in the UK

There has never been as many vegan takeaway options in the UK as now, and they’re extremely varied too!

A survey in 2021 revealed that a quarter of Brits are aiming to be meat-free by the end of the year, so the consumer demand is certainly there, and many restaurants have taken this into consideration when developing their menus. The study provided an overview of the most popular chains, but there are also lots more local takeaways, offering new and exciting vegan options! With a strong commitment to vegan labelling, menus are now much more transparent, which makes chosing a meal for your night in easier all round!

Now, with no further ado, let’s dig in to what’s out there:

Pizza

Dominos clearly labels options as ‘vegan-friendly’, with a dedicated vegan section. There are currently 3 vegan pizzas to choose from, including a Vegan ‘PeperoNAY’, Margerita and Vegi Supreme, as well as vegan nuggets and a vegan-friendly garlic & herb dip.
Pizza Express mark their vegan options with a ‘VE’ sign, pointing diners to a choice of a whopping 9 different pizzas, and items such as Calzone Verdure, Melanzane (grilled aubergine bake) and a Nourish Bowl. Sides include two sets of Dough Balls (original and hot jalapeno), and a Orange & Carrot Cake.
Pizza Hut currently only have vegan options available in their restaurants, which include a vegan Veggie Pizza, Hot ‘N’ Spicy Veg Pizza, and Margherita Pizza. There’s also The Little Flamin’ Buffalo Flatbread, the Virtuous Veg Flatbread, Southern fried nuggets, a vegan cheesecake and raspberry sorbet available.
Papa Johns is another well-labeled takeaway parlour with a separate vegan menu for extra-ease, offering five vegan pizza options including Vegan Cheese and Tomato, Vegan Garden Party, Jackfruit “Pepperoni”, The Vegan Works, and Vegan Sausage & “Pepperoni”. Don’t forget to add vegan stuffed crust for extra indulgence! Vegan sides feature vegan Cheese & Marmite Scrolls, vegan Cheese Potato Tots (optional with Jalapeno). Furthermore, there’s two choices of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream as well as vegan-friendly Cinnamon Scrolls for dessert.

Other Italian

ASK Italian featuring a wide range of vegan foods with highlights such as vegan Folded Garlic Bread with Mozzarisella, vegan Lecca Lecca (chicken-less goujons), No’duja Vegana Pizza, and an excellent Spaghetti Lentil Ragu.
Bella Italia now offer vegan Spaghetti with ‘Meatballs’, vegan Pomodoro con Bufala Pasta, vegan Peperoni Pizza, and a vegan Cheeze Burger.
Frankie & Benny’s have a vast selection of vegan-friendly items including vegan BBQ Wingz, Viva La Vegan Stacker Burger, vegan Arabiatta Pasta, and Vegan Cheese Fries. Their Lemon Tart and Chocolate Fudge Cake is also vegan-friendly!
Zizzi points with creativity by offering vegan-friendly Pasta Crisps, Bruschetta, Rustica Hot & Spicy Jackfruit Pizzas (using MozzaRisella cheese), a vegan Rainbow Lasagne, and a decadent Zillionaire’s Slice for dessert.

Burgers

Gourmet Burger Kitchen currently have four vegan burgers on offer: Classic Vegan, Californian, Cluck Free and The Beyond Cheese Burger. We recommend washing these down with their vegan Chocolate Nut Milkshake!
Honest Burgers have added two burgers – the ‘Plant’ and the ‘Bacon Plant’ to their menu which feature all the good stuff: vegan smoked gouda, plant-based bacon ketchup, and vegan chipotle mayo.
Oowee Vegan has now several locations across the UK, and is growing fast in popularity. All food served is vegan, and the menu features culinary delights such as vegan BBQ Smokestack Burgers, Flamin’ Hot Clucker Burgers, Popcorn Chick’n, Jalapeno Cheese Waffle Fries, vegan Mac ‘n Cheese, and Churros!

Asian

Wagamama recently made 50% of their menu plant-based in aid to ‘create a positive change in our world’, and have a seperate vegan menu available. Their vegan showstoppers feature Sticky Vegan ‘Ribs’s, vegan Chilli ‘Squid’, Vegatsu, a No Duck Donbury with vegan ‘Egg’, and Miso Caramel Ice Cream.
Itsu vegan options are plenty! In fact, most of the veggie options here are vegan. Dig in to delcious japanese dishes such as the Veggie Meatballs Teriyaki Rice Pot, Veggie Gyoza Noodle Pot, Detox Miso Noodle Soup, and several different vegan Sushi Platters.
Yo! Sushi hosts a whole seperate vegan menu, including dishes such as Inari Tacos, Meatless Farm Chick’n Katsu Curry, Hoisin Mock ‘Duck’ Roll, and Veggie Yakisoba.
Pho have recently teamed up with THIS and transformed more than 40% of their menu into plant-based items. Their extensive vegan menu includes highlights such as Vietnamese Pancakes, Spicy Green Pho, Tofu Curry, THIS isn’t Chicken Rice Bowls, and Prawnless Crackers!

Many local restaurants offering Asian food will have vegan options – after all, many of the dishes will be tofu-based! However make sure to check if they have used oyster or fish sauce within the dishes (sometimes even dishes labelled as vegetarian have fish sauce included!). Also, wheat or rice noodles are a great alternative and often easy to swap for egg noodles.

Mexican

Chiquito have really upped their vegan options, and now offer a range of inventive dishes such as Banana Blossom Croquettes, Banana Blossom Burgers, vegan Paella, Garlic Tortillas and a vegan White Chocolate Tart!
Tortilla have two vegan society approved fillings to chose from: Vegan Chilli made with tempeh, and grilled veggies. Burritos, Tacos, Nachos and Chips are all vegan-friendly, plus their chocolate-hazelnut filled Churros are fully plant-based too!
Taco Bell sadly doesn’t offer any vegan alternatives to cheese or sour cream, but can cater for vegans by removing the non-vegan components. Simply ask to skip the cheese, and sauces like sour cream, creamy chipotle, and avocado ranch sauce when ordering their Bean Burrito, Spicy Tostada, Power Menu Bowl, Spicy Potato Soft Taco, and Taco Salad.

Indian

There should be lots of vegan options at your local Indian restaurants – most of the vegetable curries, vegetable side dishes, samosas, bhajis, and pakora are all vegan or can easily be made vegan. Just make sure to check with the chef whether there have been additions of ghee, butter or dairy yoghurt to make the dish.

Chip Shops

Sometimes, nothing beats a big portion of chip shop chips! Lots of local chippies will also have vegan burgers, sausages (maybe even battered vegan sausages!), falafels, spring rolls, pies, mushy peas, and curry sauce – and if you’re lucky, vegan fish! Most of these products will be bought in, so they can check the packaging to make sure it’s vegan. Also check whether they use beef dripping or not to deep-fry the chips – luckily this isn’t common anymore!

On top of these options, all big supermarkets now provide vegan ready meals. And, if you’re looking for almost instant convenient meals to make at home, take a look at our recipe section here.

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This post was written by VRC Team
Vegan Recipe Club is part of the UK’s leading vegan charity, Viva!. We have hundreds of delicious vegan recipes; from easy weeknight dinners to showstopper desserts, and everything in-between! Keep your eyes peeled for new recipes each month developed by our expert team of foodies and from guest chefs too.