Are Jack in the Box Tacos Vegan?

Jack in the Box has been serving tacos since the 1950s, yet one of the questions we get the most here at VeggL is – are Jack in the Box tacos vegan?

The short answer here is obviously no since the all of the tacos, by default, come with meat and cheese.

However, Jack in the Box serves three different kinds of tacos – Regular Tacos, Monster Tacos and Tiny Tacos. Do any of these varieties have vegan potential or should we give up on the idea of a ‘veganized’ Jack in the Box taco?

In other words, while Jack in the Box’s Tacos are not vegan “as-is”, can a few simple modifications get us something that’s enjoyable?

Can You Modify Jack in the Box Tacos?

So, what if you wanted to order Jack in the Box tacos with NO meat and NO cheese. Would that technically be vegan?

Well, possibly, but that’s not really an option at Jack in the Box.

If you’re like we were, you’re probably visualizing taco shells being fried and then all the ingredients being added to it like you would generally make a taco.

That’s not exactly how it works at Jack in the Box. All the tacos come to store “pre-filled” with the meat inside the taco shell. They are dropped in canola oil to be fried, shell and meat together. Then, toppings are added.

If you were to somehow get a Jack in the Box to agree to give you a shell with just lettuce and taco sauce, they would have to literally scrape all the meat out of the shell. No thank you.

Shared Fryer?

For what it’s worth, the fryer that fries up all these tacos with the meat already inside is a dedicated fryer. So, you don’t have to worry about meat from these tacos floating around with other fried items you may be thinking about ordering from Jack in the Box.

You will have other cross-contamination concerns to be aware of, but this shouldn’t be one of them.

What Is Vegan at Jack In The Box?

Since the tacos are a definite bust, what can you order vegan from Jack in the Box?

Well, not a whole lot to be honest. *The majority of the items are sides and may also share a fryer with meat (not the taco fryer necessarily, but perhaps with chicken tenders–make sure to check with your location if this is a concern).

• Chicken Teriyaki Bowl. Order with NO chicken. Add extra veggies
• Side Salad with Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette
• French Fries*
• Potato Wedges*
• Seasoned Curly Fries*
• Hash Brown* (Breakfast)
• Chiquita Apple Bites. Order with NO caramel (contains dairy).
• Tree Top Applesauce

For a complete list of every vegan options at Jack in the Box, make sure to check out our Jack in the Box Vegan Guide.

Jack in the Box Taco Ingredients

Just for full disclosure, we wanted to include all the ingredients for the Jack in the Box tacos along with their Taco Sauce.

Taco, Tiny: Water, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Stone Ground Corn Masa Flour (With Tace Of Lime), Onions, Tomato Paste, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Modified Food Starch, Seasoning (Salt, Spice, Garlic Powder, Paprika [color]). Cooked in Canola Blend Frying Oil. Contains Wheat

Taco, Regular Beef: Water, Ground Dark Chicken, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color), Defatted Soy Grits, Seasoning [Chili Pepper, Corn Maltodextrin, Spices, Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Contains Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid), Salt, Garlic Powder, Hydrolyzed (Corn, Soy, Wheat) Proteins, Monosodium Glutamate, Onion Powder, Natural Flavors, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Succinic Acid], Salt, Tomato Paste,
Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Spices, Tamarind, Natural Flavor, Sulfiting Agent).

Taco, Monster Filling Ingredients: Meat Ingredients: (Beef, Ground Dark Chicken), Water, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color), Defatted Soy Grits, Seasoning [Chili Pepper, Spices, Salt, Hydrolyzed Protein (Soy, Corn, Wheat Gluten), Oat Fiber, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Natural Flavors, Torula Yeast, Onion Powder, Maltodextrin], Salt, Tomato Paste, Worcestershire Sauce (Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Water, Salt, Caramel Color, Garlic Powder, Sugar, Spices, Tamarind, Natural Flavor, Sulfiting Agent).

Tortilla Ingredients: Ground Corn, Water, Lime. Cooked in Canola Blend Frying Oil. Contains Soy, Wheat

Jack in the Box Taco Sauce Ingredients

Taco Sauce Water, Tomato Paste, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Chili Peppers, Modified Food Starch, Dextrose, Maltodextrin, Spices including Paprika, Xanthan Gum, Dehydrated Garlic, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (added as preservatives), Citric Acid, Monosodium Glutamate, Dehydrated Onion, Beet Powder, Caramel Color

Taco Sauce Packet Water, Tomato Paste, Distilled White Vinegar, Salt, Contains 2% or less of: Spices, Dextrose, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate as preservatives, Xanthan Gum, Dehydrated Garlic, Citric Acid, Paprika, Beet Powder, Dehydrated Onion, Monosodium Glutamate

 

---

---

More Links and Info

More Links and Info

Featured Image Photo Credit: Shadowspeeder / Shutterstock.com