Updated February 2024! Hardee’s is the Southern and Midwestern United States cousin of Carl’s Junior. They are owned by the same company, and sport a similar look and menu, but have some regional differences. In recent years, they’ve phased out their burrito side, but have incorporated wraps into their burger and sandwich-heavy menu. We’ve outlined the current dairy-free options at Hardee’s below.
Hardee’s Dairy-Free Menu Guide with Vegan, Custom & Allergen Notes
This menu guide includes dairy-free menu options first, followed by custom order components. Be aware of special order requirements in parentheses () next to the menu items, and see the Heads Up notes to help fill in the blanks.
Butter Note: Some Hardee’s locations use a “Whirl” to butter the buns, which does contain milk. This is different from the Liquid Margarine, which is made without milk. The margarine is typically the “butter” they use for cooking, but always verify that they aren’t using the Whirl or real butter for cooking at your location.
Fryer Note: Hardee’s might use shared fryers for their French fries, hash rounds, and other fried items with items that contain milk, like their Onion Rings. Verify at your location if you are concerned about potential cross-contamination in the fryer.
Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: All items listed below are made without egg, peanut, and tree nuts, unless otherwise noted. Several burgers can also be ordered gluten-free with the lettuce wrap option, but the Charbroiled Chicken does contain wheat. Inquire if you want to custom order without gluten. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.
Breakfast Items
- Frisco Breakfast Sandwich (no cheese, no whirl) (contains egg)
- Hash Rounds
Heads Up! Most Hardee’s use the Liquid Margarine to cook eggs, which is made without milk. Some might use the whirl, which doesn’t contain milk. Verify when ordering. The French Toast Sticks and Grits do contain milk.
Burgers
- Small Hamburger
Heads Up! Hardee’s lists their small hamburger as dairy-free, but make sure they don’t use the Whirl on the bun when you order. Several of the burgers can be made dairy-free with a lettuce wrap and no cheese.
Other Sandwiches & Mains
- Jumbo Chili Dog
- Lettuce Wrap Low Carb Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich (no cheese)
Heads Up! Hardee’s serves fried chicken in select regions, but it does contain dairy.
Kids
- Hamburger Kids Meal
- Hot Dog Kids Meal
Sides & Sweets
- Natural-Cut Fries
- Crispy Curls
- Hash Rounds
Heads Up! Hardee’s Onion Rings, Turnovers, and Cinnamon Rolls do contain milk. They do not offer any vegan shakes at this time.
Dipping Sauces
- Buffalo Sauce
- Honey Mustard Sauce (contains egg)
- Honey Q Sauce (contains egg)
- Smoky BBQ Sauce
Bread Products
- Flour Tortilla
- Small Seeded Bun
- Sourdough Bread
Proteins
- Angus Patty
- Applewood Smoked Bacon
- Beef Patty
- Charbroiled Chicken
- Country Ham
- Eggs (no whirl)
- Pork Sausage Patty
- Roast Beef
- Sliced Ham
- Smoked Sausage
Heads Up! The Big Chicken Filet and Beef Fritter at Hardee’s were made without milk, but we believe their Hand-Breaded Chicken now contains milk and don’t have current verification on the fried beef. We are verifying the ingredients.
Toppings
- Tomato Slices
- Lettuce
- Dill Pickle Chips
- Red Onions
- Diced Yellow Onions
Other Condiments
- Mushroom Sauce
- Barbeque Sauce
- Honey
- Hot Sauce
- Strawberry Jam
- Grape Jelly
- Ketchup
- Lemon Juice
- Mayonnaise (contains egg)
- Mustard
- Picante Sauce
- Tartar Sauce (contains egg)
- Liquid Margarine
Heads Up! Again, the Liquid Margarine is made without milk, but the “Whirl” sometimes used for buttering buns contains milk. They are different.
Hardee’s Vegan Menu Guide
- Hash Rounds
- Natural-Cut Fries
- Crispy Curls
- Buffalo Sauce
- Smoky BBQ Sauce
Heads Up! The Small Seeded Bun, Sourdough Bread, and the regular egg-free sandwich condiments listed in the post above are also vegan-friendly. But there aren’t any vegan protein sandwich options. It would just be lettuce and tomato on a bun.
This Post is for Informational Purposes Only
Menus, ingredients, kitchen procedures, management, food sourcing, and restaurant protocols are subject to change at any time. Always read the menu and discuss your dietary needs with the staff before ordering. Make sure they can accommodate your situation. This post is for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as advice.
There is always a risk for potential cross-contamination of allergens in any commercial kitchen. If cross-contamination is an issue for you, always speak with the manager to ensure that your meal can be safely prepared. Listings here do not guarantee that a restaurant is safe enough for your individual needs. Only you can make that decision.
Each location of a chain restaurant has different management and staff, and some might have different owners. This means differences in processes, ingredients used, menu options, and food sourcing can occur. Always verify the safety of your order for your needs at your current location.
Where to Find Hardee’s
There are over 1600 Hardee’s restaurants in the U.S. See their website below for addresses, hours, and online ordering.
Website: www.hardees.com
Butter!
They put butter on the frisco burger bread! Ask for no butter.
3 Comments
Does Hardee’s taco shell have milk in them?
Ok, I checked on their ingredient listing and found Turkey Burger, looks good on Wheat bun. Curley fries also look ok, with no milk in them. Must have checked the wrong box on the Allergen list. Thanks again!
Thank you for your research! I looked at the Hardee’s link listed above to see if I could get an ingredients listing for the Turkey Burger, but couldn’t find it; will check somewhere else. But did notice that they have Curley fries checked for having milk in them in their allergen list. Might consider removing from “No dairy” category. thanks!