Eating vegan in Disney World used to be a challenge. But in recent years, the vegan food in Disney World options have really expanded. And I’m not just talking about a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots. I have been coming to Disney World multiple times throughout my life. I have been plant-based for over four years but had not visited Disney World while plant-based until recently.
During a recent week long family vacation to Disney World, I had the pleasure of eating at multiple parks with multiple food options during that trip. While there are many comprehensive lists on the internet of everything vegan in Disney World, this blog post will be more of review style post. I will go through each park and mention the vegan food I’ve eaten and whether. For a comprehensive list of everything vegan in Disney World, I recommend checking out VeganDisneyWorld.com. Enjoy this eating vegan in Disney World guide.
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Table of Contents
Magic Kingdom
When I was first getting ready to come to Disney World, my initial worries about eating plant-based were going to be at the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom is more well known for being typical theme park fare. Think giant turkey legs, hots dogs, hamburgers, and lots of ice cream. If anywhere in Disney World was going to be difficult to find food, Magic Kingdom was going to be it. And although I was definitely able to find options, they were not as expansive as I would hope.
In most parts of the Magic Kingdom, you will find lots of Beyond Burgers and “fake meat” alternatives. But don’t go into it thinking that this is going to be a healthy alternative. I do love a Beyond Burger as much as the next guy. But sometimes that can sit a little heavy in your stomach when at a park all day. But I am still very glad that these options were available. When making your Disney dining reservations, make sure to look at all of the menus beforehand. You may be shocked by just how many of your favorite restaurants have vegan options.
Some of the most popular restaurants in the Magic Kingdom have adopted plant-based options. This is great for people that are traveling with a non-vegan group. You can pretty much go anywhere that the kids or the rest of your group wants to go and be able to find something to eat. Some of the top places in the Magic Kingdom to get some vegan eats are Be Our Guest Restaurant, Casey’s Corner, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Crystal Palace and so many more. For a full list of everything vegan at Magic Kingdom and all about it, check out this great resource.
Be Our Guest-Plant-Based Review
While I originally had my sights set on Cinderella’s Royal Table, it is almost impossible to get a reservation. So instead, we decided to go with Be Our Guest restaurant. Be prepared that if you come here that it is very expensive. They used to have a lunch option that was a la carte and less expensive but ever since the pandemic, they have done away with that.
Be Our Guest restaurant offers a prix fixe menu that is the same price no matter what you get. Sometimes that can seem a little unfortunate that a filet mignon costs the same as my vegan dish. But I guess there is no way around that. Personally, I would not go back to Be Our Guest restaurant just because the experience doesn’t match the cost. It is very expensive and at this time during the pandemic, the character interaction is almost nonexistent. The Beast from Beauty and the Beast comes out a few times during your meal but only walks around the room for a minute. There is no one on one interaction.
Overall, I would say that the plant-based menu at Be Our Guest was good but not great. It started off with a greens salad with a fruit vinaigrette. Good but very simple. The main course was vadouvan spiced vegetables with a crispy corn cake, sautéed seasonal vegetables, and pickled mustard seeds. This entree was particularly delicious, albeit a little salty. The meal finished off with a vanilla cake with lemon curd and fresh berries with a strawberry meringue. The strawberry meringue was somewhat strange to me but overall everything was good.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Eating vegan in Disney World Animal Kingdom is probably the easiest and most enjoyable of the three parks I visited during this trip. Animal Kingdom is without a doubt my favorite park anyway. Not only are there fantastic rides, but you get to see animals too! And the theming at Animal Kingdom is so incredibly immersive. The vegan food in Disney World Animal Kingdom is very expansive. Check out this full list here.
Some of the most popular restaurants in Animal Kingdom that have vegan options are Flame Tree Barbeque, Harambe Market, Tiffins, Yak & Yeti and Tucker House. Since many of these restaurants are themed after Asian and African countries, it is not surprising that there are more vegan options. You will lots of delicious vegan food all over the Animal Kingdom. I only wish I was able to try those Impossible Sliders at Nomad Lounge before I left.
My personal favorite vegan dish that I had in all of Disney World was at the Satu’li Canteen in Pandora World of Avatar. The vegan dish here is a rice bowl with fried tofu and veggies with a charred onion chimichurri. It was super delicious, even my non vegan family said they enjoyed it. The Pandora section of Animal Kingdom is super incredible and so immersive. The food at Satu’li Canteen definitely elevates the immersive experience of being on an alien planet.
Vegan in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom Lodge-Sanaa
Of all of my favorite places to eat vegan in Disney World, the restaurant Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge has to be my favorite. While this isn’t located in any of the parks, Sanaa is located at the Kidani village section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. At this magnificent hotel, you can get a hotel room that overlooks a savanna with real live animals. Think giraffes, zebras, wildebeests and more. At Sanaa, you also can get a table with a view overlooking this savanna. It really is breathtakingly beautiful. Also, everybody gets super excited about the animals.
Sanaa is a traditional African restaurant, and thankfully they have many vegan options. The biggest recommendation for Sanaa is always the bread service as an appetizer. When you specify that you are vegan, they will adjust the bread types and include only the vegan spreads. It is all super delicious. For the main meal, you get chickpea masala of some kind with rice and vegetables. All of which is fantastically delicious. If you can only come get vegan food in Disney World at one place, come to Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Epcot
Epcot is a really fun and interesting park for many reasons but especially the world showcase. I was hopeful that there would be lots of different plant-based options at each country around the world showcase. And I was somewhat correct. Overall Epcot definitely offered some fun vegan food options but nothing spectacular. Just like the Magic Kingdom, Epcot does offer a plant-based option at most restaurants that are sit downs. For a full list of everything vegan at Epcot, check out this great source.
Some of the most popular restaurants in Epcot that have vegan options are the Coral Reef Restaurant, the Biergarten, Le Cellier Steakhouse, and the Rose and Crown dining room. In the Morocco and Japan countries, it is easy to find many veggie options. Even if there is not an item listed as vegan on the menu, sometimes they have an off menu vegan item that they can make an accommodation. Disney is well known for having top notch customer service so never be afraid to ask what the options are.
I just happened to be visiting during the Food and Wine festival which takes place in the fall every year at Epcot. It is a festival that showcases different cuisine from all over the world, but even more than usual. With over 30 booths displaying cuisine from all over the world, the Food and Wine festival offers so many different opportunities to try different food. And then even have a booth that is entirely vegan called Earth Eats. This booth in past years had a more broad range of options. Now it is sponsored by Impossible foods, so everything revolves around Impossible meat. I did not have a chance to try anything but it all looked and smelled amazing.
Vegan in Disney World: Disney Springs
Surprisingly, Disney Springs options for vegans are few and far between. For those who don’t know, Disney Springs is a shopping and dining complex with other 100 shops. You can find pretty much anything at Disney Springs, including one of the largest Disney stores in the company. Another crowd favorite is the Lego store, where you can larger than life sculptures made entirely from Legos. Disney Springs is definitely a fun way to spend the day.
While there are some options for eating vegan in Disney World Disney Springs, most of them seem to only be appetizers. You can find plenty of Beyond Burgers and such at some of the more popular kid friendly restaurants like T-Rex or Rainforest Cafe. But at some of the more refined sit down restaurants, your options are going to be pretty limited. For a full list of everything vegan at Disney Springs, you can find that full list here.
The biggest standout for vegan food at Disney Springs would be the bakery Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC. This fully vegan and gluten free bakery is the only place to eat in Disney Springs that is completely vegan. When I came here, I got their pineapple upside down cake. I wish I could say I loved, but it was way too sweet for my liking. Maybe I just got a bad batch because some people really love this bakery. It may definitely be worth checking out if you happen to be in Disney Springs.
My Conclusive Thoughts on Eating Vegan in Disney World
While the options for eating vegan in Disney World have certainly expanded greatly in recent years, lets not fool ourselves. It is still only vegan food in Disney World, right? Every now and then you can stumble upon something really good at Disney as far as food goes but overall it is pretty lackluster. My experience as an adult at Disney World is far different than I remember it being when I was younger. Obviously that is to be expected though. When compared to many of the other fantastic vegan restaurants I’ve been to in my life, the food at Disney World definitely falls short. But make no mistake, you will still be paying high prices for this lackluster food.
That being said, I still am incredibly grateful to Disney for expanding their menu in such a great way. In years past, I would have been more stressed about visiting the parks with family if I did not whether or not I’d be able to find something to eat. Having plant-based dining options in all of the parks has been a real game changer. Disney obviously has been listening to trends and to what their customers want. I will be excited to see over the years just how many new and exciting vegan dishes show up in the Disney universe. Personally, my favorite Disney park for eating vegan at was Animal Kingdom. With Asian, African, and even alien cuisine, Animal Kingdom definitely offered the greatest diversity in vegan options. You can check out my guide to the best Disney World parks here if interested.
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