Olive Garden Dairy-Free & Vegan Menu Guide (Gluten-Free Options) (2024)

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By Alisa Fleming onFebruary 7, 2024Dining Out, Suggested Restaurants, U.S. Restaurants

Updated February 2024! Years ago, we added dozens of chain restaurants, beyond fast food, to Go Dairy Free. But I didn’t post about Olive Garden because their dairy-free options were so paltry. Over time, they’ve added just enough choices (mostly due to recipe changes) to pique our interest. So we’ve added this dairy-free menu guide, which also includes the vegan choices and gluten-free picks. Yes, the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks deal is on limits! And you can sidestep all that butter, cream, and cheese with the menu selections below.

Olive GardenDairy-Free Menu Guide with Vegan & Gluten-Free Options

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. Please note that this guide is for the U.S. locations. Options may vary in other countries.

Other Allergen & Dietary Notes: There are no peanuts or tree nuts used in the menu items below. We have noted which items contain egg or soy. We have labeled all items made without gluten below as “gluten-free” for reading ease. But keep in mind they do use a lot of gluten at Olive Garden, so there is risk for cross contamination. For vegan options, see the Vegan Menu Guide at the bottom of this post.

Soup, Salad & Breadsticks

• Breadstick with Garlic Topping(contains soy)
• Minestrone Soup (contains soy)
• Pasta fa*gioli Soup (contains soy)
• Salad with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar (no croutons, no dressing) (gluten-free)

Heads Up! The Signature Italian Dressing at Olive Garden does contain milk. But they do offer olive oil and vinegar for dressing your salad. And yes, those Olive Garden breadsticks are dairy free! They use a vegan margarine for the coating, not butter!

Appetizers

Heads Up! All appetizers at Olive Garden do contain milk.

Create our Own Pasta

Choose Plain Pasta:

• Angel Hair
• Fettuccine
• Rigatoni
• Small Shells
• Spaghetti
• Gluten-Free Rotini(contains egg)

Choose Sauce:

• Marinara (contains soy; gluten-free)
• Meat Sauce (contains soy; gluten-free)
• Tomato Sauce (gluten-free)

Choose Protein:

• Grilled Chicken (gluten-free)
• Italian Sausage (gluten-free)
• Sautéed Shrimp (gluten-free)

Heads Up! Their Crispy Chicken Frita and Meatballs contain dairy. Their Meat Sauce, which is dairy-free, is made with ground beef and their Italian sausage.

Entrees

• Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce (contains soy)
• Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (contains soy)
• Gluten Sensitive Rotini Pasta with Marinara Sauce (contains egg, soy; gluten-free)
• Gluten Sensitive Rotini Pasta with Meat Sauce (contains egg, soy; gluten-free)

Heads Up! You can add Shrimp, Grilled Chicken, or Italian Sausage to any of these entrees. It’s essentially the same as the create-your-own pasta options. Their Grilled Salmon and Sirloin are prepared with garlic herb butter. Depending on the location, you can request these without dairy, served with simple steamed broccoli, and cooked in a separate fry pan, if needed.

Kids Entrees

• Kids Chicken Fingers (sub dairy-free drink, choose dairy-free sides)
• Kids Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce (contains soy)
• Kids Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (contains soy)
• Kids Rotini Pasta with Marinara Sauce (contains egg, soy; gluten-free)
• Kids Rotini Pasta with Meat Sauce (contains egg, soy; gluten-free)
• Kids Grilled Chicken with Rotini Pasta with Marinara Sauce (contains egg, soy; gluten-free)

Heads Up! You can ask about a cheese-free pepperoni pizza. Their pepperoni is dairy-free, their tomato sauce is dairy-free, and their pizza crust is likely the same as the breadstick dough.

Fryer Note: The Chicken Fingers are likely cooked in a shared fryer. Ask at your location if you are concerned about potential cross-contamination. They use canola oil for frying at Olive Garden.

Sides

• Broccoli (no butter, no cheese)
• French Fries
• Grapes
• Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Fryer Note: The French Fries are likely cooked in a shared fryer. Ask at your location if you are concerned about potential cross-contamination. They use canola oil for frying at Olive Garden.

Desserts

• Peach Smoothie
• Strawberry Smoothie

Heads Up! Unfortunately, the only other dairy-free dessert item on the Olive Garden menu is raspberry sauce topping!

Olive Garden Vegan Menu Guide

Vegan Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks

• Breadstick with Garlic Topping
• Famous House Salad with Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar (no croutons, no dressing)
• Minestrone Soup

Vegan Mains

• Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce

Vegan Create Your Own Pasta

• Pasta, Angel Hair
• Pasta, Fettuccine
• Pasta, Rigatoni
• Pasta, Small Shells
• Pasta, Spaghetti
• Marinara Sauce
• Tomato Sauce

Vegan Sweets

• Raspberry Sauce
• Peach Smoothie
• Strawberry Smoothie

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 Olive Garden

Olive Garden operates nearly 900 restaurants around the world, but most of their locations are in the U.S. You can also find them in Canada, Brazil, El Salvador, UAE, Kuwait, Mexico, and Panama. See their website below for addresses, hours, allergen menus, and contact information.

Website: www.olivegarden.com

For More Dairy-Free Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!