Is Wendy’s Frosty Vegan?

When I was a kid, long before going vegan, I loved Wendy’s Frostys. A Large Frosty would come in the medium-sized drink cup, but I would order them specifically in the large cup. I have no idea what I used to pay for those 32oz Frostys but it was worth every penny.

(Jen has even reminisced on dipping Wendy’s fries in the Frosty… anyone else?)

Now that I’m an adult (and vegan), Wendy’s seems to be coming out with new varieties of Frosty all of the time. Vanilla Frostys, Strawberry Frostys and even Frosty-ccinos.

The question gets asked, Are Wendy’s Frostys Vegan?

Normally I would automatically assume no way, but remembering back, Wendy’s Frostys are kind-of like ice cream, but not really ice cream so maybe there’s a chance?

Wendy’s Frosty – Vegan?

The short answer here is, no, the Frostys at Wendy’s are not vegan. Literally, the first ingredient in a Frosty is milk. There’s also Nonfat Dry Milk in a Frosty as well.

If you want to dig a little deeper with me I’m going to list out the ingredients for each variety of Frosty and also take a close look at whether the Frosty-ccino is vegan (ya know, just in case). Finally, I’ll mention a few vegan-friendly menu items that you actually can get at a Wendy’s.

Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty Ingredients

Chocolate Frosty®: Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cream, Whey, Nonfat Dry Milk, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Guar Gum, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Carrageenan, Calcium Sulfate, Sodium Citrate, Dextrose, Vitamin A Palmitate. CONTAINS: MILK (ALL OF UNITED STATES) AND SOY (ALASKA AND HAWAII ONLY).

Wendy’s Strawberry Frosty Ingredients

Strawberry Frosty: Vanilla Frosty (Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cream, Nonfat Milk, Whey, Contains Less than 1% of Guar Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Calcium Sulfate, Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Molasses, Annatto Extract [Color], Vitamin A Palmitate), Strawberry Syrup (Sugar, Strawberry Puree, Water, Malic Acid, Pectin, Potassium Sorbate [Preservative], Natural Flavor, Red 40). CONTAINS: MILK (ALL OF UNITED STATES) AND SOY (ALASKA AND HAWAII ONLY).

Is Wendy’s Frosty-ccino Vegan?

Considering the Frosty at Wendy’s isn’t vegan, this shouldn’t come as a shock but, no, the Frosty-ccino is not vegan either. Looking at the Ingredients it appears that the Frosty-ccino is literally Ice, Frosty and Coffee.

Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty-ccino Ingredients

Vanilla Frosty-Ccino®: Ice, Vanilla Frosty® (Milk, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Cream, Non Fat Dry Milk, Whey, Contains Less than 1% of Guar Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Carrageenan, Calcium Sulfate, Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Molasses, Annatto Extract [Color], Vitamin A Palmitate. CONTAINS: MILK [ALL OF UNITED STATES] AND SOY [ALASKA AND HAWAII ONLY]), Water, Coffee Extract (Filtered Water, Coffee).

What Is Vegan at Wendy’s

Wendy's Fries and Baked Potato — Pick your Potato

Since Frostys are definitely not an option, is there anything that is vegan-friendly at Wendy’s?

The easiest items to order at Wendy’s are all potatoes. The Natural Cut Fries*, Baked Potato and (at breakfast time) the Seasoned Potatoes* are all vegan.

*The Fries and Seasoned Potatoes will have cross-contamination. You choose your level of comfort with shared fryers.

Wendy’s also has a few salads that can be ordered vegan with some modifications. I recommend checking out our Wendy’s Vegan Guide if you’d like more info on those (or to learn how to make a ‘Fry Sandwich’)