How to Eat Vegan at Disneyland

When it comes to the variety of dining options at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park, scoring a healthy vegan food seems like a stretch—at best.

Cookie dough snacks? Hamburgers and hot dogs? Yes. Cauliflower sandwiches…not so much.

MORE Entertainment

SeaWorld Entertainment Announces New Leadership Changes

Traveling With Denella Ri’chard Now on TravelPulse,...

New Restaurant at Disney’s Toy Story Land to Open...

But think again.

Vegans everywhere will be pleased to know that “the happiest place on Earth,” offers happy eating for all diets, even those who prefer animal-free options. The key is to know where to look.

Peta2, PETA’s youth division, recently released a video featuring 16-year-old Disney star Aubrey Miller touring the park and identifying its top vegan stops.

"I have been a vegan since birth, and not only do I do it for my own health, but I do it for my love of animals," says Miller. "And I think it's really cool to say that no animals were harmed in the making of my meal."

In the video, which is available on the Peta2 website, the Just Add Magic and Austin & Ally actor shows off such choices as Mickey pretzels and vegan Mickey waffles. And then there’s the aforementioned cauliflower sandwich, as well as gumbo, penne pasta, a vegan BBQ jackfruit sandwich.

Ready for desert? The parks offer vegan sorbet dipped in dark chocolate, and more.

"That was just a glimpse of all the vegan magic they have at Disneyland and California Adventure. It's a vegan world after all!," says Miller in the video.

Peta2 has also created a text version of its guide to vegan eating at Disney, Ashley Byrne, PETA’s associate director told TravelPulse. The extensive webpage lists vegan options restaurant by restaurant at the parks and indicates which part of the park to look in for vegan food, said Byrne.

The vegan options available at Disney are likely part of a larger movement among restaurants to meet the demands of consumers, said Byrne.

“People want these options and that’s why we’re seeing Beyond Burgers getting added to menus of major restaurant chains and it’s almost unheard for coffee chains not to carry almond milk or coconut milk,” said Byrne.

Peta2—whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to eat"—notes that everyone who goes vegan saves nearly 200 animals a year from being part of the meat, egg, and dairy industries. Vegans also have a dramatically smaller carbon footprint, as animal agriculture is a leading producer of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Disney is not the only park that offers vegan options, said Byrne. Knotts Berry Farm also offers quite a few options, including dishes made with vegan chicken.

“We like to show people that it’s never been easier to eat vegan wherever you are - at an amusement park or a mall or on a road trip, there are so many options available,” said Byrne.