Is Jimmy John’s Bread Vegan?

I can still remember, years back, when Jen was first starting to fully adopt a vegan diet and way before I was even considering it, that Jen came across information that Jimmy John’s bread contained milk.

Jimmy John’s was Jen’s favorite sandwich spot and their #6 THE VEGGIE was now no longer going to be an option for her… technically, there is more on the sub that is not vegan but she was hoping she could buy the bread and still create a replicate at home. 

In this article, we’re going to do a deep dive into Jimmy John’s bread and answer the following questions:

Is Jimmy John’s bread vegan? All of them or if not, which ones?

We consider Jimmy John’s French Bread and Sliced Wheat as both being vegan. They are made free of milk, dairy or any other potential animal based products (like L-Cysteine).

Jimmy John’s doesn’t officially label their bread as vegan because of potential issues in the manufacturing process. Now, let’s get into the details.

What Kind of Bread Does Jimmy John’s Have?

It helps to start with knowing what kinds of bread Jimmy John’s offers.

Unlike some other sub and sandwich places, Jimmy John’s keeps their bread selection pretty simple. They offer only two varieties of bread, the classic French Bread and Sliced Wheat.

You can also forego bread completely, which Jimmy John’s calls an ‘Unwich’, but we’re going to stay focused on the bread here.

Jimmy John’s Allergen Guide

Part of our process of figuring out what vegan options are available at restaurants, is trying to hunt down their Allergen Guide. Sometimes this is easier said than done, but Jimmy John’s has a convenient link to their Allergen Guide on their footer.

According to their Allergen Guide, neither the French Bread nor the Sliced Wheat contain any egg or dairy products.

Jimmy John’s Bread Ingredients

Jimmy John’s does not provide an ingredients list on their website so when we reached out to them directly we found out they really guard their menu ingredients.

We were able to get some additional info from them though.

One of there reps confirmed that their French Bread and Sliced Wheat do not contain eggs or dairy (or L-Cysteine which is sometimes an issue in dough conditioners). They also informed us that:

Our manufacturer does not list it as vegetarian/vegan because the facility that processes the bread has eggs in it.

This potential cross-contamination is pretty common and one of the biggest reasons why a lot of potentially vegan items are not labeled vegan.

For more information on why we still consider the bread vegan, we encourage you to check out our VeggL Disclaimers where we discuss where we draw the line between vegan and not.

What Else is Vegan at Jimmy John’s

If you want to keep it simple, you can order the #6 THE VEGGIE, with NO provolone or mayo, on your choice of 8″ or 16″ French Bread or the Thick Sliced Wheat bread. (Or skip the bread entirely and go with a lettuce-wrapped Unwich). The Veggie comes with an avocado spread, fresh-sliced lettuce, tomato and cucumber. 

Or, you can create your own sandwich.

First, choose your bread/lettuce: 

• 8″ or 16″ French Bread
• Thick Sliced Wheat bread
• Lettuce-Wrapped Unwich

Then choose your veggies and sauces to top off your sandwich. A few of the veggies that we personally enjoy on our sandwich are:

• Jimmy Peppers (Hot Peppers)
• Lettuce
• Alfalfa Sprouts
• Tomato
• Pickles

You have multiple sauces to finish off your sub and then don’t forget to grab a bag of chips! We both like the Italian Vinaigrette and for chips – Jimmy’s Jalapeno for Ryan and BBQ Jimmy Chips for Jen. 

And if you were still wondering if you could buy their bread separate like Jen wanted to do, then yes, you absolutely can buy their bread alone and create your own vegan replicate of #6 THE VEGGIE at home!

If you’d like to see everything vegan at Jimmy John’s, you can take a look at our Jimmy John’s Vegan Guide. 

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