Looking for vegan options at Noodles & Company?
Here's everything that can be prepared vegan at this nationwide chain in 2025, including the popular Japanese pan noodles.
Noodles & Company is a fast food restaurant chain that started in Denver, Colorado. They now have hundreds of locations scattered across the U.S.
When you're looking for a quick vegan lunch on the road, Noodles & Company has a handful of plant-based options.
Current (2025) vegan options
Whether you’re looking for an Italian style pasta, gluten-free options, or Japanese flavors, there’s something for a variety of palates at this fast casual chain.
There is one fully vegan item on the menu. The rest require some substitutions.
Here are the current vegan options at Noodles & Company:
Japanese pan noodles: These tasty noodles in a Japanese pan sauce are vegan without substitutions. (Shown above) It's also my favorite thing to order.
It comes with broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and udon noodles in a sticky sweet soy sauce. It's finished with black sesame seeds.
Pasta Fresca: This noodle dish is made with rigatoni, red onion, tomato, and spinach. It’s tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, olive oil, and roasted garlic. Order without Parmesan cheese to make it vegan.
Spaghetti & meatballs: Spaghetti noodles are tossed with tomato marinara sauce. Order without cheese and meatballs for a vegan dish.
Spicy Korean steak noodles: Lo mein noodles are served in a gochujang Korean BBQ sauce with cabbage and spinach. It’s topped with cucumber, green onions, and cilantro. Order without steak for a vegan dish.
Baguette: If you’d like a plain baguette on the side of your spaghetti, it’s vegan.
Vegan noodle options
One thing that’s nice about Noodles & Company is that you can personalize your order by varying the noodles and protein, and omitting certain ingredients. (You used to be able to swap out sauces too, but that’s no longer an option.)
Penne was removed from the Noodles & Company menu in 2025. It has been replaced by rigatoni.
Here are the vegan noodle options:
- Lo mein noodles
- Rigatoni noodles
- Spaghetti noodles
- Rice noodles
- Gluten-free pippette shells
- Cavatappi noodles
- Elbow noodles
- Udon noodles
Here are the non-vegan noodles to avoid:
- Cheese tortelloni
- Egg noodles
Vegan protein options
Bump up the protein in your meal with organic seasoned tofu. It can be added to any dish for an additional cost.
Impossible panko chicken used to be available at Noodles & Company for an additional charge. However, it has been discontinued, unfortunately.
When I messaged the company on Facebook about it they said, “We sadly did stop carrying the Impossible chicken in our restaurants. We hope to have a meat alternative available again at some point in the future.”
Vegetable options
Fill out your meal by adding more vegetables for an additional charge.
Heads up: If you’re ordering online, the available vegetable options will vary, depending on the dish you’re getting.
Here are the veggie options at Noodles & Company:
- Artichoke hearts
- Broccoli
- Napa & red cabbage
- Carrots
- Green onion
- Mushrooms
- Red onions
- Roasted cherry tomatoes
- Roasted corn
- Roasted red peppers
- Spinach
- Cucumber
- Cilantro
Other customizations:
- Peanuts
- Sesame seeds
- Crushed red pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Soy sauce
Menu guide
Noodles & Company has a handy online menu guide on their website.
Simply mark the box for vegan. It will show you which items can be prepared vegan, as well as which modifications to request.
(If it’s still showing any items with dairy, mark the dairy-free box as well.)
If you have specific allergies, you can mark the ingredients you need to avoid. They have boxes for the following allergies: soy, dairy, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, wine, and gluten.
They also have all of their nutrition information available at the restaurant. Just ask at the counter.
For more on-the-go plant-based meals, check out these vegan fast food options.
Disclosure: I received two free meals from Noodles & Company, but the thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
Content updated March 31, 2025. Originally posted August 24, 2012.
JJM
OMG the SODIUM! Too bad there isnt a way to request lower sodium, no sodium for the Japanese pan noodles.
As a CKD vegan, NO WAY would I be ABLE to eat at this place.
Cadry Nelson
Yes, that is too bad! Maybe you could send them an email, so that they know there’s demand for low sodium options. I imagine eating at restaurants, and especially fast food, is very challenging as a CKD vegan.
JJM
Cadry:
It is indeed. Normally, I do not eat in restaurants. We are moving from Maine to Michigan, so I will share with you and your readers what I ate on the road once we get settled.
I have learned long ago to pack lunches; hummus, Low Na bread that I make, fresh veggies and fruit. And hubby is vegan too, so I have to keep his needs in mind too! Anything that is fast food is usually off the menu simply because of sodium and potassium and hidden phosphates in EVERYTHING.
I have attempted to write a vegan kidney friendly cookbook, but it became a nightmare with all the different permutations of what to limit or what to add. Do NOT even get me started on protein!! (Laughs)
Cadry Nelson
I can definitely see how packing meals is essential. That’s what my husband and I do most of the time too when we’re traveling. Plus, it’s a good way to save money. Best of luck on your move!
Priya
I love noodles, especially the pasta fresca!!
When was this post updated? I’m wondering if their new gnocchi are vegan?
Cadry
The cauliflower gnocchi isn’t vegan, sadly. It includes milk & eggs.
Will
Good review, who down the list yet. Have not been back to the place to eat since turning plant-based last spring. So the million dollar question I have is the food prepared on the team rooftop or walk-sauté pan
Cadry
Hi, Will! I personally don’t worry about cross contamination at restaurants. My reasons for being vegan are ethical ones, and no additional animals are harmed if my noodles are cooked in the same wok or fryer. If you are concerned, you could ask at the register that they take the added step of wiping down the wok before you order.
Will Mahler
Let me first apologize for my initial comment… voice to text and no proof-reading was not kind to me, while traveling.
Yes, that’s a great idea to ask them to wipe out the wok. Thanks for the recommendation!
Alison Doak
Thanks so much for making this!!!
Sam
The pad Thai is not vegan. Maybe they have change the menu but be sure to request no egg!! I made this mistake and it came with egg.
Cadry
Hi Sam,
I didn’t say the pad Thai was vegan. In this post I said, “There are six options for vegans (some that require modification) – Indonesian peanut sauté, Japanese pan noodles, pasta fresca, penne rosa, spaghetti, and whole grain Tuscan linguine.” Since the time of this post, there are now even fewer options at Noodles & Company. You can read about them here: http://cadryskitchen.com/2016/09/30/vegan-fast-food/
According to the Noodles & Company website, it appears that the pad Thai isn’t even vegetarian. It includes both egg & fish in the listed allergens. (Nutritional info here: http://www.noodles.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/WEB-NUTRITIONALS-1016-1.pdf)
Christian
I used to work at Noodles and Company and I stopped eating there because they cooked the Tofu in the same pan as the steak and would only wipe the pan down wits a dirty dry rag full of steak residues.
DX
Well, this is an occupational hazard associated with eating at restaurants as a vegan. Unless you are eating at a dedicated vegan restaurant, there will always be some cross-contamination. I have elected not to worry about it so I can live a semi-normal life in this meat-eating world. No animals were injured or killed due to my menu choice and I have taken reasonable care to eat vegan–that is enough for me.
Jennifer
Just tried the Japanese Pan Noodles today for lunch and added the tofu. It was delicious! The tofu was nice and crisp and the sauce was a nice mixture of sweet/spicy without being too much of either. I ordered the small and it was a very generous serving, definitely could be a dinner portion.
Cadry
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jennifer! I don’t go to Noodles and Company very often, but when I do I usually order the peanut noodles or Japanese pan noodles. I agree that the portion size is very generous, and I’m totally satisfied with the small.
Rev. Patty
Interesting…other websites and the local store near me indicates that the Bangkok Curry IS vegan
Cadry
That is interesting! I checked the Noodles & Company website again and their nutrition information just to be sure, and they indicate that there’s milk in it. There’s a V next to it indicating it’s vegetarian, though.
Christy Morgan (@TheBlissfulChef)
Thank you so much for posting about this place. I’ve been eyeing it since I moved to Austin wondering if they had anything vegan!
Cadry
You’re welcome! It’s always good to have more options. Although, it sounds like you’re not suffering for options in a vegan-friendly town like Austin! 🙂 If you try it, let me know what you think!
Kristy
Sometimes it’s even greater to find a restaurant that is both vegan and omnivore friendly, than it is to find a vegan restaurant. It can be so tough to find a place that will have options for everyone. I’ll have to check around to see where their locations are.
I appreciate your honesty too. I like knowing that though it wasn’t mind-blowing and it’s not the healthiest of meals, it’s a good option. Thank you! 🙂
Cadry
I don’t know, Kristy. We only have one vegan restaurant in the entire state, and so I’d be pretty happy finding another one! 😉
Claire Weiss
My daughter LOVES Noodles and Co, and when she lived here that was our default lunch spot. Of course I had my favorite dishes there as well. However, now I am on a gluten-free diet. I looked at their options, and the Pad Thai is gluten free. Unfortunately, it isn’t vegan! BUT I asked the nice counter person if I could just have my Japanese pan-fried noodles made with the rice noodles from the Pad Thai. They said, “Of course,” and it was all good. AND it made me very happy. (If there is wheat in their tamari I don’t want to know about it…..)
Cadry
It’s great that they were so accommodating! Very cool!
Ashlae | Oh, ladycakes
I live two blocks away from a Noodles & Co, but never bothered to go in because I assumed they wouldn’t have any vegan/gluten free options. I WANT THAT PEANUT SAUTE!!!!!
Cadry
Excellent! If you try it out, let me know what you think!
luminousvegans
I used to eat at Noodles and Co. all the time when I lived in Boulder. I loved that place because they had good vegan options that were reasonably priced. Your pics make me want one here in the ATL. Actually, never bothered to check if we have one…maybe I should! 🙂
Cadry
Good luck! 🙂
Richa
great to see that they have the options and the nutrition information. the sodium throws me off but hey i am not eating there everyday.
Cadry
Yeah, I always appreciate nutrition information, especially specific notations about certain items being vegan. It’s very helpful when ordering.
Abby Bean
So nice when chains are approachable and transparent about their ingredients. And extra points for the sriracha!
Cadry
Definitely! I only noticed the Sriracha when I was getting my takeout box, but I was wishing I’d seen it earlier!
Bobbie {the vegan crew}
I love Noodles & Company (as I think you know)! The Japanese Pan Noodles are by far my favorite. All their noodle dishes are high in sodium and calories, but that doesn’t bother me enough to stop me from dropping by a few times a year. I thoroughly enjoyed the pasta fresca when I had it, and it was a nice change up from my “usual,” but I agree that it isn’t going to blow anyone away. I’m glad you at least enjoyed your meals enough 🙂
Cadry
I’ll have to try the Japanese pan noodles the next time I happen to be there. Since it is a chain, of course, the quality can vary. Perhaps your version of the pasta fresca was just better than David’s!
While I wasn’t blown away, I am glad to have another option for when my nieces and nephews come into town or my in law’s come up for the afternoon.
peggy wastart
I order the japanese pan noodle dish whithout the noodles! add tofu and it is just as delicious without all the calories! Also love the pene rosa vegan style! I love noodles and co.!
Cheerfully Vegan
It’s always good to know about vegan options at restaurants ~ especially if you are traveling and you are starving, but don’t know where to go! Thanks.
I’ve posted a link to this review on my page and encouraged my blog-followers to read it.
Cadry
I agree! It’s good to have some travel options in your back pocket, just in case. Plus, this is certainly a step up from the basic fast food chains.
Thanks for mentioning my post on your blog!