Are Burger King Onion Rings Vegan? | Find Out Here

With its famous flame-grilled burgers, Burger King is known for their incredible sides and onion rings. However, vegans have been having doubts about whether Burger King’s onion rings are vegan-friendly or not. Let’s have a look at this in detail. 

Burger King’s onion rings are not fit for vegans to consume. They have only one animal-based product added to them for flavor: whey. As whey is a milk derivative, these onion rings are not vegan-friendly. They cost $ 3.79 for a small portion. 

Burger King has been popularly known for offering a bunch of lovely sides on their vast menu. While most of their burgers and sandwiches are meat and chicken based, they have quite a few sides vegetarians can enjoy.

However, for vegans, the rules are much stricter about food consumption. So, although fit for vegetarians, vegans have had their share of doubts about Burger King’s non-animal-based sides. This article will examine what makes these onion rings unsuitable for vegans and why Burger King adds certain flavors. So, let’s begin exploring! 

Why Are Burger King Onion Rings Not Vegan? 

The main reason why Burger King’s onion rings cannot qualify as vegan is that they have added whey derived from milk. Since vegans don’t consume milk or its derivatives, these onion rings disqualify as a vegan-friendly side. 

However, there are a few other reasons why these onion rings cannot be qualified as vegan. Unlike their fries, Burger King does not use separate fryers for onion rings. The chances of cross-contamination with animal products are high. 

For this reason, the onion rings from Burger King are also not vegan. Lastly, Burger King also uses the same oil filtration system for all their fryers, which could cause cross-contamination. So, for all these reasons, vegans should steer clear of these onion rings. 

Do Burger King Onion Rings Have Dairy? 

Yes, Burger King onion rings do have dairy. The batter has minimal whey added to it for flavor, a milk derivative. 

Moreover, since they use the same fryers, cross-contamination may be caused by other Burger King products containing milk. A few countries claim not to add whey to their onion rings. 

However, in the United States, whey is one of the base ingredients in onion rings. Moreover, even in countries where they might not be added to the onion rings, don’t guarantee they may be free from dairy. 

Burger King Onion Rings Ingredients

So, now you all know that this one ingredient mainly makes Burger King’s onion rings unsuitable for vegans. But are the rest of the ingredients also not vegan-friendly? Let us take a look at the elements that are used to make these onion rings. 

Onion Rings Ingredients: 

1. Water 
2. Bleached wheat flour, 
3. Dehydrated onion, 
4. Modified corn starch, 
5. Yellow corn flour, 
6. Sugar,
7. Gelatinized wheat starch, 
8. Salt, 
9.  Guar gum,
10. Methylcellulose, 
11. Fructose, 
12. Onion powder, 
13. Food starch-modified, 
14. Sodium alginate, 
15. Sunflower oil, natural flavors, grill flavor (from sunflower oil), canola oil
16. Wheat gluten, 
17. Modified palm oil, 
18. Sodium tripolyphosphate, 
19. Whey, 
20. Dextrose, 
21. Garlic powder, 
22. Leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), 
23. Spice, 
24. Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, 
25. Yeast extract, 
26. Corn starch, 
27. Sorbitol, 
28. Dried yeast
29. Calcium chloride

As you can see, quite a few ingredients are used to make up these onion rings. However, only one ingredient in this whole list, whey, is the only ingredient that makes these onion rings not vegan. 

Burger King Onion Rings Making Process

Making onion rings is one of the simplest tasks ever. If making them at home, most of us know that rings of onions are dipped in batter and then deep-fried. However, this may surprise quite a few of you, but that differs from how Burger King makes their onion rings! 

Burger King instead uses a paste made with diced onions! Quite intriguing. Here is how Burger King’s onion rings differ, even in their making process. 

Onion Ring-Making Process At Burger King: 

1. A diced onion paste uses chopped white onions, breadcrumbs, milk, all-purpose flour, garlic powder, salt, and vegetable oil. 
2. Once the paste is ready, rings are formed from the same. 
3. These rings are placed on a foil-lined baking sheet and then frozen. 
4. Once frozen and ready to fry, the oil is preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
5. The rings are coated with bread before frying. 
6. They are dipped in flour and milk, then coated with breadcrumbs and garlic powder. 
7. Once coated, they are fried in the preheated deep fryer for about 3 minutes until crispy and golden brown. 
8. After they are cooked, the excess oil is drained and seasoned with salt, which is about it! 

What Is Vegan On The Burger King Menu? 

Burger King does have a few options on their menu which are vegan-friendly.

Burger King Vegan Options: 

1. French Fries
2. Hash Browns
3. French Toast Sticks
4. Beverages
5. Impossible Burger 
6. Impossible Whopper
7. BK Cafe Decaf
8. Applesauce

So, if you are a vegan planning a visit to Burger King, there is no need to worry! There are a few options for vegans to explore. Other than the ones mentioned above, you can look at some other lovely vegan options at Burger King with this link for Burger King’s Vegan Menu! 

Conclusion

Burger King makes onion rings quite different from the usual method. Their onion rings are made with a diced onion paste containing whey. As whey is derived from milk, an animal product, Burger King’s onion rings cannot be classified as a vegan option. 

Moreover, Burger King does not use separate fryers for onion rings, which can cause cross-contamination with animal products. This makes these onion rings not fit for vegans at all.

If you are vegan and planning to visit Burger King, you should also look at if Burger King’s fries, French Toast Sticks, and Impossible Whopper are vegan for better clarity. 

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