The foods you NEVER knew were vegan at McDonald’s and Burger King revealed

Take a glance at the menu in a McDonald’s or Burger King and it’s clear the fast food titans are no havens for vegetarians or vegans.

But though there aren’t many dairy or egg-free products at the junk food chains, there are more vegan options than you may realise.

And while some are obvious, others may surprise you.

FEMAIL can now reveal the free-from foods that are safe for vegans on meat-heavy menus at two of the UK’s biggest fast food chains.

MCDONALD’S

McDonald’s Apple Pie doesn’t use a traditional shortcrust pastry, and its batter is dairy and egg free, meaning it’s safe for vegans to eat

Apple Pie: Traditionally, apple pie is made with shortcrust pastry, which contains eggs.

But the apple pie pocket at McDonald’s is surprisingly vegan-friendly, as it is dairy and egg free. 

Though the restaurant warns it may contain traces of milk, it is made using vegetable oil and does not contain any animal products.

However, the restaurant does not include it on its vegetarian menu, as there is a very small possibility that the oil used to fry the pie has come into contact with the oil used to cook chicken and fish products.

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In a statement on its website, it explains: ‘Due to the design of the oil filtration system there is a small chance the oil used to fry the Apple Pies can come into contact with oil used to cook chicken and fish products during the oil filtering process. 

‘We therefore cannot guarantee that cross contamination will not occur.’

But if you want to take the risk, the pies themselves are vegan.

Hash browns are often made using an egg to bind the potato together, but the version at McDonald’s is vegan friendly

Hash Brown: If you make hash browns at home, you may well use an egg to bind the potato mix together.

But the egg is absent from the ingredients list for McDonald’s Hash Brown, which means it’s safe for vegans to enjoy.

Though McDonald’s version is safe, don’t buy the hash browns from Burger King if you’re vegan as its mini browns contain milk.

Vegetable Deluxe: McDonald’s pledges that it uses vegetarian-only fryers for its veggie burgers, meaning there’s no chance of cross contamination with animal products.

The burger is topped with ‘sandwich sauce’, which contains egg – but without the sauce, this vegetarian meal is also vegan.

The Vegetable Deluxe and Spicy Vegetable Deluxe at McDonald’s are also safe for vegans – just as long as you hold the mayonnaise on the lettuce

It may be obvious but fries are safe for vegans as McDonald’s as they’re fried in vegetable oil

The patty is made from chickpeas, yellow split peas, breadcrumbs, onion and potato, and is topped with vegan-friendly lettuce and cucumber.

The sesame seed bun is also dairy-free.

Spicy Vegetable Deluxe: The spicy version uses the same patty as the vegetable deluxe – the only difference is the addition of sweet chilli sauce.

Just make sure to hold the mayonnaise if you’re a vegan. 

Fries: It may be obvious, but it’s not unheard of for restaurants to fry their chips in beef dripping, making them unsuitable for vegetarians or vegans.

But McDonald’s fries are fried in vegetable oil and are made from 100 per cent potato. 

BURGER KING  

Burger King’s Apple Pie Sticks are safe for vegans as the batter doesn’t contain egg or dairy products – but they are fried in the same oil as animal products

Apple Pie Sticks: Just like McDonald’s, Burger King’s version of an apple pie is also safe for vegans as the batter that coats the hot apple filling is egg and dairy-free.

However, there is a major catch which makes the sweet treat potentially unsuitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

A note on Burger King’s UK website states that its apple pie sticks are fried in the same oil as its chicken and fish products.

That may be enough to put off some meat eaters too. 

Burger King’s Fries and Shaker Fries are also suitable for vegans as they are not fried in the same oil as animal products

Burger King’s Kids Veggie Burger is suitable for vegans as well as vegetarians, as it doesn’t come with a mayonnaise topping

Shaker Fries: Vegans will be pleased to hear that Burger King’s fries and its special Shaker Fries – which are coated with a BBQ spice – are suitable as they are made from pure potato and fried in vegetable oil. 

Veggie Bean Burger: The patties themselves simply contain breadcrumbs, vegetables and grains, meaning they are safe for vegans.

The bun is also safe, as it doesn’t contain any milk, as some baps do.

But you will have to request your burger without sauce or cheese, which it comes with as standard.

Kids Veggie Burger: The children’s version of the adult’s veggie bean burger doesn’t even come with mayonnaise, so you can order it as it was first intended by the fast food titan, and tuck into a vegan meal.