The Cheesecake Factory: 19 Vegan Options

The Cheesecake Factory is an extremely popular restaurant chain in the U.S. Contrary to the title, they serve lots of different desserts, as well as a selection of incredible cheesecakes.

It may be disappointing to learn that vegan cheesecake is not one of the vegan options that The Cheesecake Factory offers (see also ‘24 Best Cheesecake Factory Menu Items‘).

In spite of this, there are plenty of different vegan options on the menu. Vegans do have plenty of choice when it comes to The Cheesecake Factory. 

Some of the items on this list are vegan from the get go, whereas some items can be made to be great vegan options with a few small changes.

Let’s take a look at the vegan options that The Cheesecake Factory has to offer!

1. Sourdough Bread 

Cheesecake Factory serves free bread to the table while you are waiting for your order to arrive. This bread is vegan-friendly sourdough which is great for the vegans among us.

You can enjoy this bread before you start your meal alongside any of your non-vegan friends. 

2. Little House Salad 

The salad is made up of lettuce, carrots and tomato. This is a great side to add to your order that is not just vegan-friendly, but also healthy.

You can order this side with a vegan dressing which is available at the Cheesecake Factory. Make sure to ask for this dressing so that you don’t end up with any other non-vegan dressings on your salad. 

3. Edamame 

Edamame is traditionally a Japanese supplement made of salted green soybeans that are boiled in their pods.

They are served in The Cheesecake Factory as either a snack or an appetizer. It is a great addition to the vegan options. This is one of the cheaper vegan options available if you are eating on a budget. 

4. Avocado Toast 

The avocado toast is a vegan option that you can choose at The Cheesecake Factory. It is made  using fresh avocado, tomato, radish, red onion and arugula.

These ingredients are all suitable for vegans. It is drizzled with some olive oil and lemon for some extra flavor. This is more of a meal than things like edamame, and is a great choice for vegans. 

5. Thai Lettuce Wraps With Avocado 

This dish is a perfect choice for vegans. It is made with carrots, coconut curry noodles and lettuce. It usually also comes with bean sprouts.

You can opt for a few different sauces which are vegan options. These are peanuts, sweet red chili and tamarind-cashew.

You should double check that their tamarind-cashew sauce doesn’t contain any honey. You can choose to take away any ingredients listed here if it suits your taste and you don’t have to have all of the sauces. 

6. Guacamole And Chips 

This is a great thing that The Cheesecake Factory offers. It is not a dish you will find everywhere, making it quite unique to this company.

Make sure you ask for no sour cream with this choice, though, as sour cream is not vegan friendly! 

7. Tossed Green Salad 

The tossed green salad is a great choice for vegans as long as you ask for no croutons and ensure that you choose a vegan dressing.

We will look at the vegan dressing choices below. This salad is a great choice for vegans and it is very healthy, too. 

8. Greek Salad 

Order the Greek salad with no feta. It comes with lettuce, tomato, olives, red onion and cucumber. This salad is served with vinaigrette dressing, which is what makes this salad a Greek salad (see also ‘17 Greatest Greek Restaurants In The USA‘). 

9. Vegan Cobb Salad 

This salad is served with crisp lettuce, grilled asparagus, roasted beetroots, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, quinoa, almonds, pepitas and avocado.

This is a great salad as it comes with a range of different ingredients and is quite different to the other salads offered by The Cheesecake Factory. This salad is served with the house vinaigrette.

10. The Impossible Burger

This burger is perfect for a vegan and is the most ordered dish for vegans. It is served with vegan cheese, tomato, lettuce and pickles.

This is served on a toasted vegan brioche bun. This dish is very popular and it is super tasty. The Cheesecake Factory serves this dish with the vegan 1000 island dressing sauce. 

11. Skinny Impossible Burger 

This is very similar to the burger above, but you will have to make sure that you order this burger without any mayo and replace this with a vegan dressing.

This ‘Skinny’ impossible burger is served with a mayo that is dairy based in contrast to the impossible burger above which is served with a non-dairy mayo.

The burger also comes with a different toasted bun to the regular one. This dish comes with a green salad and mustard vinaigrette which is also ‘skinny’. 

12. Evelyn Favorite Pasta 

This dish is great and can be made vegan by asking for it with no parmesan, lemon sauce or basil oil. If you choose angel hair, pennem bow tie or spaghetti pasta, these are suitable for a vegan diet.

The gluten-free pasta is also vegan. You will get your choice of pasta served alongside zucchini, eggplant, peppers, olives, onions, garlic, broccoli and herbs. 

13. Skinny Asian Chicken Lettuce Wrap Tacos 

If you like the sound of this dish, simply order it without chicken. You have the option to add grilled avocado to replace the chicken in this dish.

You will enjoy this dish which comes with lettuce, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, rice noodles and cilantro. You can get it with spicy peanut sauces and cashew sauce. 

14. French Fries 

This is a great side and is very commonly ordered among everyone, not just vegans. Fries are known as a comfort food across the world and they are one comfort food that the vegans can enjoy, too.

You will need to make sure that you tell your waiter that you are vegan to ensure that they prepare your french fries in a separate fryer that is not cross-contaminated. 

15. Fire-Roasted Artichoke Hearts 

These artichokes are fire roasted and served with balsamic vinaigrette. They are a vegan favorite.

Lots of people like these served with a creamy garlic sauce, but it is a good idea to replace this with a balsamic vinaigrette to ensure that it is vegan friendly.

You don’t want to end up with a sauce that is not suitable for vegans. 

16. Crispy Brussel Sprouts 

The crispy brussel sprouts are served with bacon, but if you order this without bacon, then it works as a great vegan side.

This is one great thing about the Cheesecake Factory – the fact that they allow you to customize your orders.

This is great for vegans as they can have their favorite dishes even if they wouldn’t be vegan friendly without the customization. 

17. Sautéed Spinach 

This dish is vegan if it is ordered with no butter. Make sure that your waiter is aware that you are vegan to ensure that there is no cross contamination.

This is a great side to add to your order and it is very popular among vegans. It is also very good for you. 

18. Steamed Broccoli 

This dish is also vegan friendly if you order it without butter. The broccoli is a great addition to any meal and it adds some veggie goodness to your dish.

You can’t go wrong with ordering a vegetable side like this! 

19. Steamed Asparagus

Just like the above, this dish is vegan if you order it without butter.

This is also great as it adds some vitamins and minerals to your meal. It is very important to ensure that you are eating a varied and well-rounded diet. 

Vegan Sauces 

The Cheesecake Factory has a wide range of sauces available that can be added to all of your dishes. You usually get to pick which sauce you would like on your dish.

You have the option to change the recommended sauce if you would prefer a different one, or if the sauce that they have advertised is not vegan friendly. 

There are many sauces at The Cheesecake Factory that are vegan friendly. These include: 

• Balsamic vinaigrette
• Chinese plum vinaigrette
• Honey dressing 
• Shallot vinaigrette
• The skinny mustard vinaigrette and the skinny sesame soy dressing
• Spicy peanut vinaigrette

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Impossible Burger At The Cheesecake Factory Vegan? 

There are two versions of the impossible burger available at The Cheesecake factory.

One is vegan as it is on the menu – this version is served with a special sauce which is a vegan-friendly 1000 island dressing. It is also served on a brioche bun. 

The skinny impossible burger, however, is not vegan as it is on the menu. If you want this dish as a vegan option, you will have to order it with no mayonnaise.

This is because the skinny burger is served with an animal-based mayo. The other differences are the bun and the salad that is served alongside the burger. 

Is The Veggie Burger At The Cheesecake Factory Vegan?

No, this burger is made using heavy cream. This burger used to be vegan, but it has recently been adapted to include the heavy cream option.

Is The Korean Cauliflower Vegan? 

Whether or not the Korean cauliflower dish is vegan depends on where you are in the country. In some places, the batter is made from just flour and water.

However, in certain locations the cauliflower is dipped in egg before it is battered. This means that this version of the dish is not vegan friendly.

You should ensure that you ask the waiter before you order the dish to avoid this. Sometimes, the sauce contains honey, too. 

Despite these facts, certain versions of this dish are vegan friendly, so make sure that you ask before ordering! 

Are There Any Vegan Cheesecakes Available At The Cheesecake Factory? 

There are no vegan cheesecake options available on the menu at The Cheesecake Factory (If you’re curious about any gluten-free options at The Cheesecake Factory, read here). This is very frustrating for those who follow a vegan diet, as there are not any dessert options for vegans.

However, while vegan customers may not be able to get cheesecakes, there are plenty of other vegan options available to them.

Some of these options require you to remove certain ingredients from the recipe, but they are delicious when this is done. These options are listed above. 

You can’t get any of the other desserts on the menu as a vegan option, either. This is a shame, however, you can opt to get the strawberries and cream dessert but hold off on the cream.

This is a good way to finish off with something sweet at the end of your meal.

How Many Cheesecake Factories Are There?

There are over 220 Cheesecake Factory stores around the world. These are full service restaurants. They can be found all over the U.S and around the world.

This company has built itself up slowly over the years, starting out with 1 store.

What Is A Vegan Diet?

A vegan is the name for a person who does not eat meat, or consume dairy, eggs or any other product that comes from animals.

What Vegan Desserts Are Available At The Cheesecake Factory?

There are no deserts on the menu at The Cheesecake Factory that are suitable for vegans. There are plenty of mains, sides and appetizers, though.

It is a shame that none of the cheesecakes or other desserts are vegan. You can opt to purchase a bowl of strawberries and cream and ask the waiter to not serve the cream with the dish.

This is a good way to get something sweet after your meal that is still vegan friendly. 

What Is The History Of Veganism?

The term was originally started by a group of vegetarians who formed a vegan society in 1944. 

The term was chosen because it is a combination of the letters in the word ‘vegetarian’, and in 1949 the term became an official word. While the meaning has changed slightly from then, the principle remains the same. 

In today’s society, veganism refers to a philosophy and way of living which does not include any exploitation of animals or cruelty to animals for any reason.

For instance, vegans would not wear clothing that would have caused any harm to animals – such as fir – or eat any food related to animals. 

Most people consider the term to refer only to the diet, but this is not necessarily the case. Veganism is a lot more than just a diet.

Those who identify as vegan reject any animal exploitation. They will consider the clothes they wear and the cosmetics that they use. 

What Is The History Of The Cheesecake Factory? 

The Cheesecake Factory began in 1972. It was opened by Evelyn and Oscar Overton who opened up the first bakery. They sold cheesecakes and other, similar desserts.

They named their company the Cheesecake Factory Bakery and they sold desserts to lots of the restaurants in the area.

After this, in 1978, their son opened the first Cheesecake Factory store in Beverly Hills. This shop served salads, sandwiches and cheesecakes. They beacon opened up more branches when this was a success.

There are now 220 restaurants around the world. They have opened up branches in Canada, Mexico, UAE, Qatar, China and Hong Kong. 

Why Do People Follow A Vegan Diet?

There are lots of reasons why people choose to follow a vegan diet. These reasons include: 

Ethical Reasons

People who are vegan for ethical reasons believe that all creatures have a right to be treated well, just like humans, and to not have to experience pain. 

Ethical vegans are against killing animals to eat or wear, because of this. They believe that animals who are part of the modern farming process are not treated well and should not be kept in those conditions. 

Health 

Vegan diets are often chosen for their health benefits. Vegan diets are said to be very healthy. Eating a lot of red meat has been linked to cancers and heart disease.

Environment 

Some people become vegan because they are concerned about the environment. The mass production of meat and dairy products contribute a lot to the concerning levels of emissions.

The meat industry is a huge part of the risk and concern with the environment.

Not eating meat and dairy products means that you are removing yourself from the people who fuel this industry. If enough people did this, then there would be a lot less risk for things like this. 

Final Thoughts 

Now you have a detailed list of all of the vegan options that are available at The Cheesecake Factory.

There are plenty of options, and, although there may not be lots on the menu, you can make lots of customizations that will allow you to turn those delicious dishes into vegan dishes. 

It is a shame that there are no vegan cheesecake options on the menu at The Cheesecake Factory, in fact, there are no desserts available at all.

Despite this, though, they do have a lot of different options when it comes to mains, sides and appetizers.