Are Olive Garden Breadsticks Vegan? 


Following a vegan lifestyle and going out to eat don’t typically go hand in hand. It can be very difficult to enjoy eating at a restaurant while being vegan. 

Many restaurants’ vegan options are just salad or side dishes of vegetables. This can end up not being a very filling meal and almost feels like a waste of money. 

At Olive Garden, are there good dinner options for vegans? Are their breadsticks vegan? 

Olive Garden offers quite a few different vegan options, including their breadsticks. According to Olive Garden, all their breadsticks are 100% vegan. 

Olive Garden does an excellent job of making sure all dietary needs are taken care of and met with delicious meals. You can enjoy the endless breadsticks and salad while still following a vegan lifestyle. 

What Menu Items At Olive Garden Are Vegan? 

Olive Garden does a great job at accommodating all dietary lifestyles. They promote that you are in control of your meal and you can personalize almost any dish. 

You can modify the dishes to match exactly what you need. Olive Garden also uses canola oil in their fryers rather than any other non-vegan-friendly option. 

Olive Garden is committed to doing their best to make sure that there are no hidden meat or dairy products in the dishes they have made vegan. 

Olive Garden defines vegan as not including animal meat, stock, gelatin, rennet, or any ingredients that come from animals including egg and dairy. Vegetarian is defined as not including meat, stock, gelatin, or any part of an animal. 

Here is the list of options on the menu that are considered vegan. 

Create Your Own Pasta

You can choose from any of Olive Garden’s pasta, except the gluten-free. The gluten-free option of pasta does contain eggs. 

You can choose from spaghetti, rigatoni, or angel hair. You can then choose your sauce. The vegan sauce options are creamy mushroom or traditional marinara.

Minestrone Soup

This option is great to go along with your endless breadsticks. It is made with fresh vegetables, beans, and pasta in a tomato broth. 

Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti is a classic Italian dinner. You can enjoy the long noodles with marinara sauce all while following your vegan dietary lifestyle. 

While it may not feel that there are many vegan options, you do get to enjoy the endless breadsticks and minestrone soup before your entree of whatever pasta you have created. 

If you follow a vegetarian diet, there are other options of sauces that are available to eat. 

Does Olive Garden Serve Gluten-Free Options? 

Gluten sensitivity and intolerance is a medical condition that has recently come to light. As science and medicine advance, so does the diagnosing of patients. 

People previously thought it was natural that every time they ate bread they would feel bloated and tired. Thankfully, doctors have realized that the cause for bloating, fatigue, and discomfort comes from gluten. 

Unfortunately, gluten is in a lot of foods. It can seem almost impossible to find gluten-free options when getting groceries and going out to eat. Though you have a medical condition, it does not mean that you shouldn’t still enjoy a night out to eat without hurting yourself.

Many restaurants are realizing that to keep their customers, they need to accommodate for food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities. Many restaurants now offer gluten-free options for meals. 

Olive Garden has several dishes that are acceptable to eat when following a gluten-free lifestyle. 

Here are a few of the dishes you can choose from when dining off the gluten-free menu at Olive Garden. 

Zuppa Toscana

You can enjoy a never-ending bowl of Zuppa Toscana for your “appetizer” at Olive Garden even if you are gluten free. While the never-ending breadsticks may not be gluten-free, you still have the option to enjoy this delicious soup for your never-ending dish. 

House Salad (No Croutons)

Be sure to let the server know that you are following a gluten-free lifestyle to ensure that no croutons will be a part of your salad. You can enjoy all the other ingredients that make up this delicious salad. 

Grilled Chicken Parmigiana

This dish is designed specifically for those following a gluten-free lifestyle and who also love their pasta. You will receive grilled chicken breasts topped with marinara and Italian Cheeses. 

This dish is served with a side of gluten-free rotini noodles. 

Herb-Grilled Salmon

This dish does not include any pasta. You will receive a grilled filet that is topped with garlic herb butter. You will also receive a side of broccoli. 

6 oz Sirloin

This six ounce sirloin is served to your desired preparation preference. The sirloin is topped with garlic herb butter and served with a side of broccoli.

Any Rotini Pasta

All the rotini noodles at Olive Garden are gluten-free. You can also ask to switch out almost any pasta for the gluten-free rotini. It is not guaranteed that the kitchen will be accommodating with all pasta. 

For example, it would be very difficult to make a stuffed shell dinner with rotini noodles. 

Olive Garden also has gluten-free kid’s options as well. Everyone can find something gluten-free that they can enjoy on Olive Garden’s menu. 

Does Olive Garden’s Gluten-Free Pasta Contain Eggs? 

Many people are discovering that the discomfort they have felt after almost every meal is in direct correlation with gluten. Every person’s dietary needs are specific to them. Not everyone needs to be gluten-free. 

There are some whose bodies simply cannot handle sugar. Some people prefer not to eat meat and avoid any food product that is not entirely plant-based. Whatever dietary lifestyle you follow, it is important to know what exactly are the ingredients in the foods that you are eating. 

With this in mind, does the gluten-free pasta at Olive Garden contain eggs? 

The gluten-free pasta from Olive Garden does contain eggs. While there are a lot of options on their menu that are vegan-friendly, gluten-free pasta is not one of them. 

So unfortunately if you are gluten free and also vegan you cannot have the gluten free pasta at Olive Garden. 

Final Thoughts

Olive Garden does its very best to ensure that each and every customer’s dietary needs are cared for. If you are following a vegan diet, you can create your own dishes to ensure you follow your dietary needs. 

If you prefer a vegetarian lifestyle, there are plenty of options that you can enjoy while dining out. If you have medical needs and follow a gluten-free lifestyle, then you too can enjoy a delicious meal while dining at Olive Garden. 

Hannah R.

Hey, I'm Hannah and I'm the founder of Get Eatin'.

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