Generally speaking, fast food has massively dropped the ball on plant-based and vegetarian food options. Pre-pandemic it seemed like brands were rushing to corner a new market and capture changing tastes, but most of what’s left across the fast food landscape… isn’t great. For every deliciously juicy, taste-bud tantalizing plant-based burger — looking at you, Umami Burger — there are three that are straight up not worth ordering. The Impossible Whopper, The McPlant, and the Beyond Fiery Famous Star all make that list.
Instead of making the case for why you should eat plant-based or veggie burgers by offering great flavor combinations, fast food as a whole is instead making the case why you should just chill on the whole concept and get some vegan fries or something. There are many reasons why someone would want great vegetarian options on fast food menus, maybe they’re, you know, vegetarian, maybe they’re concerned about their carbon footprint, maybe they have issues with factory farming hell, maybe they just want variety.
Some fast food brands are doing this well (shout out Taco Bell and Chipotle) but most aren’t even trying, and the ones that do don’t seem too concerned about the quality of what they put out. That’s why I was excited to hear that Shake Shack had launched a new veggie burger, the Veggie Shack, and a non-dairy version of their famous chocolate shake.
Shake Shack does everything excellently (except the fries), so we have high expectations for both new menu items. Let’s talk about them!
Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake
Thoughts and Tasting Notes:
I’m blown away by the quality of this milkshake. Shake Shack’s Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake is supremely thick and luxurious in texture, even more so than its dairy shakes. The flavor matches the OG with a rich and natural chocolate flavor that is earthy with a slightly roasted quality. The only major difference between the dairy version and this non-dairy version is the subtle plant-y aftertaste you get here.
I’m not sure that you’d immediately clock this as being non-dairy if you didn’t know what you were drinking ahead of time, but it’s clear in the way the flavor immediately dissipates that something is not quite “normal” about this milkshake. It’s not a bad thing, but it doesn’t really provide the indulgent decadent quality that a real milkshake gives off, but if all you’re after is flavor and texture and don’t want a lingering aftertaste, this exceeds expectations.
It’s without a doubt the best non-dairy chocolate shake I’ve ever had. The Shake Shack Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake is made with NotMilk brand, a sunflower oil and pea protein-based milk alternative that is soy, gluten, cholesterol, and GMO-free.
The Veggie Shack
On to the real star of the show. The Veggie Shack is not Shake Shack’s only veggie burger. The Shroom Burger, which is made with a fried portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese, is also a delicious option, but it’s fried and crispy. That burger doesn’t really mimic what an actual burger does, it’s a purposefully different experience, but the Veggie Shack manages to actually capture some of the magic of a real burger.
Instead of opting for plant-based fake meat like Impossible or Beyond, Shake Shack instead offers up a proprietary patty made from mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots, farro, and quinoa. The patty has savory umami elements, a hint of sweetness, a soft and tender texture, and even manages to exhibit some of that Maillard crust that makes Shake Shack’s real burgers so delicious. That sure sounds like a burger!
Most veggie and meat alternative burger patties are dense and a chore to chew through, but Shake Shack’s veggie patty melts in your mouth like real meat and is surprisingly juicy. It doesn’t try to mimic the experience of a burger one-to-one, it doesn’t taste like it’s trying to fool you, but it tastes delicious and captures some of the same sensations that a delicious burger patty offers.
But that’s just the patty, we haven’t even talked about the rest of the burger build. The Veggie Shack is topped with American Cheese, fried onions, pickles and ShackSauce, and the combination of these ingredients add even more flavor to an already delicious patty. The cheese brings in a salty component, while the fried onions add some savory crunch and a burst of sweet spice, while the pickles counterbalance that with some tang.
Altogether it comes across as a burger that isn’t making any compromises, it’s just a delicious experience that happens to be vegetarian. If you ditch the cheese and ShackSauce, now you have the best vegan burger on the market and it’ll still result in a burger bursting with flavor on each bite.
The Bottom Line:
Shake Shack’s Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake and Veggie Shack aren’t just good substitutes for the real thing, they’re delicious, full stop. The Veggie Shack might even be the best burger Shake Shack has launched all year and is an obvious choice for the best veggie burger in all of fast food.
Find your nearest Shake Shack here.