Pei Wei Asian Kitchen is an American restaurant chain that primarily serves Pan Asian cousins across the States. The chain started operating back in 2000 and now has over one hundred restaurants. The most important question is, Does Pei Wei offer anything vegan? In short, yes. It is much better than other Asian-style restaurants such as Panda Express. But let’s see the longer version since it is a great place for vegans!
What is vegan at Pei Wei?
The Asian Kitchen is one of the few casual restaurant chains that offer really good main dishes that are vegan without any modification.
Entrées
Luckily, pretty great options are waiting for us!
- Honey-seared tofu: Despite its name, honey-seared tofu doesn’t contain honey at all. It is tempura-battered tofu tossed in their signature honey garlic sauce. It is served over crispy rice sticks and topped with red bell peppers and scallions.
- Teriyaki tofu: Crispy tofu with red bell peppers and onions tossed in a sweet soy glaze and topped with scallions.
- Firecracker tofu: Crispy tofu tossed in a sweet and spicy Firecracker Sauce. Topped with scallions.
- Thai dynamite tofu: Crispy tofu with red bell peppers, onions, scallions, and basil tossed in Sriracha chili soy sauce and topped with a fresh lime wedge.
Unfortunately, Thai coconut tofu and Spicy General TSO’s tofu aren’t even vegetarian since they contain fish and seafood. How sad. But at least they are also gluten-free.
Sides
While there are many vegan entrées at Pei Wei, the sides are disappointing.
- Edamame: Tender, steamed edamame soybeans served with kosher salt.
It may be a surprise, but Mongolian Green Beans aren’t vegan since they contain seafood. It is less surprising that the Vegetable Spring Rolls aren’t plant-based either since they contain eggs.
Grains
- Brown Rice
- White rice
Somehow, Fried rice contains eggs, according to the allergen information.
Greens
- Lettuce Cups
- Mixes Salad Greens
- Asian Chopped Chicken Salad: This salad does not contain chicken but contains carrots, red bell peppers, cilantro, scallions, and crispy wontons. It is served over a bed of mixed greens and tossed in a sesame ginger vinaigrette.
Furthermore, there are other plant-based dressings available: White Miso Ginger Dressing, Wasabi Vinaigrette, Chili Paste, and Lime Vinaigrette.
Noodles
Luckily, Pei Wei’s noodles don’t contain eggs.
Desserts
Well, this is the most disappointing part of the guide since there is no sweetness without dairy or eggs.
Okay, but are Pei Wei fortune cookies vegan, at least? Unfortunately, no. They contain eggs.