This week, Just Salad brought us new seasonal menu items to celebrate the start of spring. Are any of them vegan?
Can I start off by saying I love Just Salad. They have about 70 locations and while they are NOT 100% vegan they offer so many vegan-friendly ingredients, including a plethora of vegan dressings.
You have the option to build your own salad/bowl or choose one that has already been curated for you. New seasonal salads/bowls and 1 soup are what they are bringing us this spring.
These seasonal 2023 spring menu items will be available thru mid-June.
Let’s first go thru what the new options are. Keep in mind, this list will not all be vegan. I will go thru them and let you know if it is vegan as-is or if it can be modified.
What Spring 2023 Menu Items Have Been Added to Just Salad?
- Sesame Ginger Bowl
- The Keto Salad
- The Mezze Salad
- Rancher Bowl
- Wasabi-ish Caesar (Digital Exclusive, April ONLY)
- Organic Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
Which Menu Items are Vegan As-Is?
Just one of Just Salad’s 2023 spring menu items IS vegan as-is and that is their Organic Kale and Sweet Potato Soup.
When ordering they will ask if you want to include bread with your soup. Here’s what’s interesting and you need to pay attention to. According to their allergen guide, they list the bread with 3 locations. The New York and Florida bread is checked as being vegan but the Chicago bread is not.
Due to this being a potential issue, we suggest asking your location if the bread is vegan since Just Salad is in more states than just those three. It is possible that that is a mistake on their end but better to be safe than sorry.
Speaking of three… there are 3 salads/bowls that I will go thru and tell you how to modify to make them vegan.
The ones I’m choosing not to modify have a majority of animal-based ingredients. Those include The Keto Bowl and Wasabi-ish Caesar Salad.
Which Salad/Bowls Can Be Modified?
I have chosen the following 3 bowls to modify and tell you how to order vegan. I’ll share with you their original recipe and what we’re going to change it to.
Sesame Ginger Bowl
The original Sesame Ginger Bowl contains the following ingredients:
Extra Crisp Romaine, Shredded Kale + Shredded Cabbage, Regenerative Organic Quinoa, Fresh Cilantro, Green Onions, Sliced Carrots, Roasted Green Beans, Chopped Almonds, Oven Roasted Chicken, Sesame Ginger Dressing
HOW TO ORDER IT VEGAN
Order the Sesame Ginger Bowl. SUB the chicken with either Sesame Tofu (extra cost) or Beyond Chicken (extra cost). The rest of the ingredients are vegan.
The Mezze Salad
The original Mezze Salad comes with the following ingredients:
Extra Crisp Romaine, Shredded Cabbage + Arugula, Crumbled Feta, Tajin® Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, House-Cooked Chickpeas, Sliced Grape Tomatoes, Overnight Pickled Onions, Sliced Cucumbers, Yogurt Cucumber Dressing
HOW TO ORDER IT VEGAN
Order the Mezze Salad. SUB the feta with Violife Vegan feta (extra cost) and SUB the yogurt cucumber dressing with either Balsamic Vinaigrette or Lemon Basil Vinaigrette… or even your choice of vegan dressing. The rest of the ingredients are vegan.
We have a vegan guide for Just Salad that lists all of their vegan dressing options if you want to choose a different one. I picked ones that seem Mediterranean-friendly.
Rancher Bowl
The original Rancher Bowl comes with the following ingredients:
Regenerative Brown Rice, Baby Spinach, Braised Chicken Thigh, Overnight Pickled Onions, Hass Avocado, Roasted Corn, Roasted Cauliflower, Chipotle Vinaigrette + Buttermilk Ranch Dressings
HOW TO ORDER IT VEGAN
Order the Rancher Bowl with NO ranch dressing and SUB the chicken with Beyond Chicken (extra cost). The Chipotle Vinaigrette is vegan so it’s ok to keep it on there.
If you do want to combine it with another creamy dressing, you could try the Spicy Avocado. No guarantees on taste, but it could be fun to experiment with. Be aware it might be on the spicier side though.
Other Vegan Options at Just Salad
Just Salad offers 5 vegan as-is bowls/salads, a wrap (that was also added this year), avocado toast and plant-based smoothies. Here are a few of them.
- Tokyo Supergreens, Tofu … comes with supergreens blend, organic sesame tofu, carrot, edamame, avocado, shaved broccoli, chopped almonds, furikake shake with miso ginger vinaigrette.
- Earth Bowl … comes with arugula + kale, organic quinoa, creamy vegan feta, beets, roasted sweet potatoes, sliced apples, and chopped almonds with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
- Vegan Chipotle Wrap … comes with brown rice, shredded kale, Beyond chicken, hass avocado, crispy onion, and sliced carrots with chipotle vinaigrette.
- Crunchy Avo Toast … comes with avocado mash, vegan feta, crispy onions and spiced pumpkin seeds.
- PB Protein Smoothie … comes with oat milk, baby spinach, banana, hemp seeds, peanut butter, roasted pumpkin seeds, agave
- Detox Cleanse Smoothie … comes with baby spinach, lemon, apple, pineapple, fresh ginger
And don’t forget you can create your own bowl/salad from a list of ingredients that includes over 10 dressings!
In conclusion, we wish Just Salad had brought us at least one vegan bowl or salad but I can’t help but be thankful for the options they do have, the transparency within their menu/allergy guide and quick answers from their guest services.
To see ALL of Just Salad’s Vegan Options (we include the entire list of ingredients) visit their complete Vegan Guide on VeggL.
Happy Spring to you!
