Vegan McNuggets could soon be available at a McDonald’s near you! Well, maybe. The vegetarian-friendly dish is currently available at certain restaurants in Norway in an effort to give customers who don’t eat meat more options to choose from.
These veggie-filled nuggets are actually made with a mashed potato base with a mixture of chickpeas, onions, carrots and corn, a rep for the golden arches told Today Food. The chicken-free nuggets are then coated in breadcrumbs and fried until they’re crispy.
While McDonald’s, which is the largest fast-food chain in the world, once focused on a myriad of meat-centric menu items such as the Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets and the Sausage McMuffin, the vegan nibbles are another sign that the Chicago-based company is making changes to many of its menus in the hopes of enticing vegetarian and vegan diners.
For example, in January, McDonald’s announced via Instagram that it had added a vegan McFalafel to its menu in Sweden. That item then became part of the first vegan Happy Meal in the Nordic country, where an estimated one in ten people now identify as vegetarian or vegan.
Also in January, the chain debuted a vegan Happy Meal in the U.K., consisting of a tortilla-wrapped vegetable patty (known as a goujon) made with yellow peas, tomato, breadcrumbs, rice, and herbs.
Stateside, the vegetarian and vegan options, which include Donut Sticks, a side salad and the fruit and maple oatmeal, are decidedly less impressive. Though the chain did roll out a vegan burger known as the McAloo Tikki at its Chicago headquarters in December 2018. It is not available anywhere else in America.
Speaking of the Chicago headquarters, the midwestern McDonald’s restaurant serves as a testing ground for the brand to roll out popular international menu items in America. In the past, that establishment has sold wasabi fries, which are typically available in Hong Kong, and bulgogi burgers from South Korea.
Though there’s no word yet on whether or not Sweden’s Vegan McNuggets will make an appearance in the U.S., diners shouldn’t be too hopeful, McDonald’s outposts in America are certainly slower to adapt to changing diet trends.
