Vegan Guide to QDOBA: The Best Menu Options and Swaps

QDOBA Mexican Eats is a leading fast-casual chain with more than 730 locations in North America. Guests can enjoy QDOBA’s fresh, chef-crafted, fully customizable Mexican-inspired burritos, tacos, bowls, salads, and more. 

After successfully introducing an Impossible plant-based protein option, QDOBA added new vegan-friendly menu items. As an added bonus, their entire menu is free from sneakier non-vegan ingredients like lard and l-cysteine. If you’re looking for a vegan meal without sacrificing flavor, QDOBA’s a great place to eat.

Our Top Picks

Since it’s super easy to make a filling and delicious vegan meal at QDOBA, these are a few favorites we can’t stop ordering.

Grilled Fajita Vegan Bowl

Ready to eat exactly as is, the Grilled Fajita Vegan Bowl features sauteed veggies, handmade guacamole, pico de gallo, corn salsa, and salsa verde over black beans and seasoned rice. The naturally sweet yet slightly spicy flavor combined with the complete vegan protein in the beans and rice makes this our top pick.

Create Your Own 3 Tacos

If what’s on the menu doesn’t quite satisfy your craving, QDOBA encourages you to make your dining experience your own with one of their Create Your Own entrees. We love to order our custom 3 Tacos with veggies (or Impossible plant-based protein, if your location offers it) as the base topped street-style with guacamole, pickled red onions, and salsa verde.

Create Your Own Taco Salad

Double your crunch with this custom vegan taco salad. House your salad in a crunchy tortilla shell and begin with a bed of romaine lettuce. Add Impossible plant-based protein, chopped cilantro, freshly-made pico de gallo, guacamole, and dress it with QDOBA's citrus lime vinaigrette. For an added punch, try the pickled jalapeños or one of QDOBA’s spicy vegan salsas.

Vegan Signature Eats

QDOBA offers several vegan options in their Signature Eats section. If you’d like customization beyond your choice of beans and rice, go ahead and Create Your Own entree.

• Impossible Fajita Burrito or Bowl (Your choice of bowl or burrito in a white or whole wheat tortilla, cilantro-lime or seasoned brown rice, and black or pinto beans.)
  

Vegan Vegetarian, Low-Carb & More

Beyond their Signature Eats, QDOBA has other entree offerings with specific dietary and lifestyle needs in mind, including vegans.

• Fajita Vegan Bowl (Vegan perfection exactly as is.)
• Impossible Taco Salad (Order without the cheese.)

Build Your Own Burrito, Bowl, or Salad

Combine your favorite flavors into a custom vegan burrito, bowl, or salad. Take your pick from QDOBA's selection of white and whole wheat tortillas, crunchy and soft corn tortillas, crunchy tortilla shells, and chips—they are all vegan-friendly. (The quesadilla and nachos could be ordered without the cheese, but make sure to ask at your location. Ordering these without cheese can be difficult online.)

Make your QDOBA order all your own by adding any of the following vegan toppings: pickled red onions, hand-crafted guacamole, pickled jalapeños, tortilla strips, fresh cilantro, and romaine lettuce.

Listed from mild to spicy, these vegan salsas will add a serious kick to your QDOBA order: pico de gallo, chile corn salsa, roasted tomato salsa, salsa verde, salsa roja, and habañero salsa.

Vegan Small Bites

Looking for a quick snack? These QDOBA orders are the vegan answers you’ve been seeking.

• Mini Bowl (This smaller bowl can be ordered like a Fajita Vegan Bowl or Impossible Fajita Bowl.)
• Create Your Own Taco (As with all the Create Your Own entrees, you can veganize your single taco with just veggies or Impossible plant-based protein.)
• Guacamole & Chips
• Chips & Salsa
• Apple Sauce (from the Kids Menu)

Vegan Drinks

Wet your whistle with any of QDOBA’s vegan-friendly drinks, including the Mexican soft drink Jarritos.

• Fountain beverages
• Bottled beverages (except milk)

Vegan Breakfast

Some QDOBA locations now offer breakfast, but unfortunately, all of their options include eggs and cannot be customized online to be vegan. Check with your location to see if they can create a vegan-friendly breakfast using the vegan seasoned potatoes and other veggies, or just grab a bottle of Simply Orange juice instead.