Does KFC Japan serve vegetarian food? Well, check out our article below to find out more!
With countless fast-food restaurants that solely offer non-vegetarian meal options, we have our vegetarian and vegan friends who yearn to snack on food that’s vegetarian-friendly.
Although it’s deemed almost impossible for fast food restaurants to come up with a vegan/vegetarian-friendly menu, there have been recent trends of several restaurants adapting to vegan standards to cater to the needs of the vegan community.
In fact, renowned fast food restaurant brands like McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, etc have introduced new and healthy vegan foods to their menu in most of their outlets in The US, UK, and Europe.
However, does KFC in Japan serve vegetarian food? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out, so hang on and read along.
- Related: KFC In Japan Menu
- Related: Why Is KFC A Christmas Tradition In Japan?
Kentucky Fried Chicken also popularly known as ‘KFC’ is a fast food restaurant chain that originated in Louisville, Kentucky, the United States. It was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1930 and the first franchisee of KFC was opened in 1952.
Colonel Sanders came up with a fried chicken recipe that would lead him to open up Kentucky Fried Chicken after franchising his brand name and original recipe.
As we all are aware, KFC specializes in making crispy fried chicken and it’s one of the leading fast-food restaurant brands in the world with over 22000 outlets in over 100 countries.
Presently, KFC has built on its menu by introducing more meal options like french fries, coleslaw, Mac n Cheese, desserts, drinks, etc. There are diverse meals available in KFC outlets operating in most countries.
KFC began operations in Japan in 1970 after Mitsubishi Corporation reached a joint venture deal with KFC in America. There are over 100 KFC outlets running in Japan, making Japan the third largest market for KFC.
Ordering fried chicken from KFC is also a popular Christmas tradition in Japan. In fact, most of the sales made by KFC in Japan have been recorded to occur during Christmas week.
Does KFC Japan Serve Vegetarian Food?
Are There Any Vegetarian Foods In KFC Japan?
Since Japan is a country that’s home to several Buddhist followers, a significant proportion of Japan’s population is vegetarian or vegan.
This means vegetarians in Japan only eat vegetables and dairy food while vegans in Japan rely only on vegetables and plant-based substitutes for meat and dairy products such as oat milk, soy milk, etc.
Vegan and vegetarian Japanese people replace meat with protein-rich tofu and other plant-based contents. Some Japanese people also rely on fish for protein rather than beef, mutton, and pork.
Hence, vegetarians and vegans in Japan as well as vegetarians and vegans from other countries who visit Japan are intrigued to know if KFC in Japan serves vegetarian food.
Now let’s get to the most significant question of the day, the question most vegetarians and vegans who’re in or traveling to Japan want to be answered.
Does KFC Japan serve vegetarian food? The short answer to the question is yes. This might sound very alarming but KFC in Japan does offer a few vegetarian meals.
Although most of the meals available at KFC restaurants in Japan are made from chicken, there are a few countable meal options served at KFC Japan that can be considered vegetarian and these meals come under the category of side dishes.
What Vegetarian-Friendly Foods Can I Get From KFC Japan?
Vegetarians and vegans who’re eager to know if vegetarian foods are served at KFC restaurants in Japan should know that there are only a few vegetarian meal options on the KFC menu.
And as most of us know, french fries are in fact one of the vegetarian-friendly snacks we could think of. It’s also the go-to side dish most vegetarians and vegans choose whenever stopping by at any restaurant.
The french fries served at KFC Japan are made only out of 100% vegetarian ingredients including potato, vegetable starch, salt, etc. They’re made on request and hence they tend to be hot and fresh and are a must-have side dish.
However, unfortunately, french fries served at KFC aren’t vegetarian-friendly. This is because french fries at KFC are fried using the same oil that was used to fry chicken and other non-veg products.
Other side dishes at KFC Japan like coleslaw and corn salad are solely made out of fresh vegetables and if you don’t want any sauce or mayo added (which may contain non-veg ingredients) to them you could request the staff not to add them.
Furthermore, desserts at KFC are unfortunately not vegetarian or vegan-friendly. Desserts like Biscuits with Honey Maple Syrup, Chocolate Pie, and Mini Apple Pie contain egg as an ingredient.
Why Aren’t There Many Vegetarian Foods In KFC Japan?
Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC, as the name implies is a fast food restaurant that was begun with the prominent objective of selling crispy fried chicken. Colonel Sanders developed the secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices for fried chicken.
Once his recipe was praised by several people he decided to franchise KFC so that he could share the fried chicken meal with other people.
Since KFC is a fast food restaurant that’s known for serving chicken meals, there was no need for the fast food giant to serve any vegetarian meals as they weren’t part of the menu.
In addition, the original and intended target customer base for KFC in the US or Japan is not vegetarians but rather those who love to eat chicken and non-vegetarians.
Furthermore, vegetarian meals are widely available in most restaurants in Japan, and KFC restaurants in Japan wouldn’t be able to compete with them if they were to introduce vegetarian meals.
Moreover, KFC is not known for being an ideal vegetarian-friendly restaurant in Japan thus not many vegetarians and vegans in Japan would want to takeout or dine in even if there are vegetarian meals.
Since most Japanese customers are familiar with KFC being a non-veg restaurant, KFC restaurants in Japan only cater to the already existing customer base.
Will KFC Japan Introduce Vegetarian And Vegan Meals?
The call for more nutritious and healthy eating habits has overtaken several youngsters nowadays and many people across the world have switched to vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.
In addition, animal rights activists have highlighted the cruelty animals have to endure just to be an end product at our tables.
Not to mention the environmental activists who have also portrayed the dangers of greenhouse gases that are emitted by procedures that involve slaughtering animals for food.
All of these public recognition facts have made corporate companies including fast food giants like McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, etc adapt to vegan and environmentally friendly production methods.
As a result, in 2019 KFC and other fast food restaurant brands in the US introduced new vegan meals on their menu such as KFC Vegan Burger, KFC Vegan Nuggets, etc.
Since these vegan meals are a favorite among Americans, the odds of them being introduced in Japan are probably high.
In addition, such vegan meals would undoubtedly be praised by Japanese customers as there are many vegetarians in Japan who would prefer to have a vegan meal at KFC.
What Else Is Available On KFC Menu In Japan?
A popular opinion among fast food lovers, especially from the US is that they prefer the food served at KFC Japan to the food served in KFC restaurants in the US. Hence, let’s take a look at what’s served in KFC Japan.
KFC in Japan of course serves crispy fried chicken in singles, 4 pieces, 6 pieces, 8 pieces, and in buckets. Apart from fried chicken, KFC restaurants in Japan also provide side dishes like french fries, chicken tenders, biscuits, chicken nuggets, and coleslaw.
The burgers served at KFC Japan are a treat, especially the Japanese Style Chicken Cutlet Burger, Double Chicken Filet Burger, and Cheese Chicken Filet Burger.
If you’re not a fan of burgers, you could find a few options of wraps which are named Twister by KFC. The favorite KFC Twister wraps by Japanese customers are Teriyaki Twister and Basil Lemon Twister both of which contain fried chicken.
In addition, when it comes to desserts, KFC in Japan lacks them. The only dessert options at KFC Japan are Chocolate Pie and Biscuits topped with Honey Maple Syrup.
The drinks and beverages menu at KFC Japan consists of a few options like bottled water, orange juice packs, Coca-Cola, fresh coffee, and Lipton tea (hot).
