What’s Vegan at Nando’s? Delicious Plant-Based Mains, Sides, Sauces, and More
Nando’s menu is loaded with delicious animal-free options to delight everyone. From plant-based peri-peri chicken to buttery garlic bread and every hearty side in between, it’s clucking easy to feast kindly. Here are all the wonderful options you’ll find on the Nando’s vegan menu.
Jump to Section:
- What’s For Starters?
- Nando’s Vegan Mains
- Not One, But TEN Sides
- Want Some Extras?
- Vegan Drinks
- Are the Nando’s Sauces Vegan?
- Lastly, Let’s Have Dessert!
What’s for Starters?
You’re off to a great start with these plant powered and shareable dishes:
Houmous With PERi-PERi Drizzle
A vegan classic – upgraded with the addition of the delicious PERi-PERi drizzle that Nando’s is famous for. It’s so moreish, you’ll need to make sure you leave enough room for your main.
Sweet Potato Wedges With Garlic PERinaise
Yep, that delicious-looking creamy PERinaise sauce is entirely plant-based, and you really can’t go wrong with sweet potato wedges.
Spicy Mixed Olives
We’re going to go out on a limb and say the Nando’s Spicy Mixed Olives may just be the most delicious olives we’ve ever tried. And they are, of course, vegan-friendly.
PERi-PERi Nuts
Order the Spicy Mixed Olives and PERi-PERi Nuts, and you’ve got a starter combo made in heaven.
Nando’s Vegan Mains
You can enjoy a full and hearty vegan meal at Nando’s – with several plant-based main options.
The Great Imitator Wrap
PETA were delighted to play a part in Nando’s journey to putting this delicious plant-based chicken on the table. Launched in 2020, the Great Imitator delivers on protein and flavour. The PERi-Plant Fillet is grilled in Nando’s spices, sliced, topped with their PETA award-winning garlic PERinaise, then wrapped in soft bread with lettuce and chilli jam.
Spicy Rice Bowl
Fancy a more veg-focused meal? No problem. Nando’s Spicy Rice is the stuff of legend, and you can get it as part of a main alongside Tenderstem broccoli, rainbow slaw, pickled cauliflower, and houmous alongside PERi-PERi seeds.
Not One, But TEN Sides
Nando’s is famous for its sides – and so many of its most popular options are fully plant-based. Here are all 10 options you can choose from:
Chips & PERi-Salted Chips
It’s not a trip to Nando’s without a delicious portion of PERi-Salted Chips, and you can bet that those – and the plain option – are entirely free from animal secretions.
Hearty Grains
A main in itself, this bowl of warm mixed grains with green chickpeas, butternut squash, and dried cranberries, with a creamy dressing, proves that comfort food can be healthy.
Charred Corn
Charred corn is a soul-food staple, and this dish delivers with smoky, creamy corn topped with fresh spring onions.
Rostinas (With Sauce Swap)
When a craving for crunchy, fluffy potatoes that pack a punch hits, these rostinas are guaranteed to hit the spot. Just make sure to ask to swap the Garlic Aioli for Garlic PERinaise to make them vegan.
Garlic Bread
If you were worried that garlic bread might be off the menu as a vegan, think again. This soft, crusty bread is all vegan, all garlic.
Long Stem Broccoli
If you want to keep things simple, try this delicious long-stem broccoli side, dressed in tangy garlic and lemon oil.
Macho Peas
Peas may just be the most underrated food in the world. They taste amazing, are packed with protein, and go with pretty much any main you like. The Nando’s macho peas are taken to new heights with the addition of mint and chilli, and no Nando’s order is complete without them.
Rainbow Slaw
This tasty side will go down a treat with your Great Imitator Wrap – it features a mix of crunchy veg with a sprinkle of PERi-PERi seeds.
Portuguese Tomato Salad
This tomato salad is as simple as it is tasty – featuring semi-dried tomatoes alongside cucumber and pickled onions in a light dressing.
Spicy Rice
An OG vegan Nando’s side that’s become one of Nando’s’ most popular menu items.
Want Some Extras?
Nando’s offers several small plates to serve alongside your meal, including:
- Herby Pickle Bowl
- Grilled Pineapple
- ½ Avocado
- PERi-PERi Drizzle
- PERi-Plant Strips (made from pea protein)
Vegan Drinks
Surely one of the most exciting bits of Nando’s is a trip to the bottomless drink refill section, and you’ll be pleased to know that all of these are vegan, including:
- Coke Zero
- Sprite Zero
- Fanta Zero
- Diet Coke
- Dr Pepper Zero
While not part of the bottomless offer, you can also purchase a glass of Coca-Cola, which is vegan-friendly.
Other vegan drinks at Nando’s include:
- Cloudy Lemonade
- Karma Drinks Gingerella
- RUBRO Peace Iced Tea
- RUBRO Berry Iced Tea
- RUBRO Lemon Iced Tea
- MOMO Elderflower Kombucha
- Irn Bru (though not with the float)
There’s also a great selection of vegan alcoholic drinks, including:
- BERO Kingston Golden Pils
- Sagres
- Sxollie Cider
- Freedom Pils
- Beavertown Lazer Crush Alcohol Free IPA
- Creative Bloc 2 (South Africa) – wine
- Creative Block 5 (South Africa) – wine
Are Nando’s Sauces Vegan?
There are lots of plant-based sauce options at Nando’s, including:
- Garlic PERinaise
- Churrasco PERinaise
- Chilli Jam
Perhaps the most famous sauces at Nando’s are Extra Hot, Hot, Medium, Lemon & Herb, and Garlic. There has been some confusion over whether these are plant-based, as Nando’s previously warned of a risk of cross-contamination from shellac, which comes from insects.
As shellac is not listed as an ingredient, however, the sauces can be considered vegan-friendly. On its website, Nando’s states that all restaurant and grocery sauces are suitable for vegans.
Lastly, Let’s Have Dessert!
The Nando’s vegan dessert is a delicious Mango Gelado (that’s Portuguese for ice cream).
Not Just Nando’s
Nando’s isn’t the only high-street chain serving animal-free fare. Check out our list!
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