Is The Subway Veggie Patty Vegan? The 2023 Mystery Revealed

Many fast food restaurant chains have added vegetarian menu options, including sandwich maker Subway & its Veggie Delight.

But is the Subway Veggie Patty vegan?

This article takes a close look at the ingredients & nutritional content of the Subway Veggie Patty and its rarely-seen cousin, the Subway Malibu Vegan Patty.

 

Is the Subway Veggie Patty vegan?

The Subway Veggie Patty is finally vegan after years of its original recipe containing egg & milk products (egg whites & calcium caseinate, respectively).

The switch to a vegan recipe for the Veggie Patty wasn’t publicly announced, but there were a couple of clues to confirm the change had occurred.

First, in November 2021 they updated their US Allergen chart which showed that egg & milk allergens were no longer listed as being in the Veggie Patty.

Then in July 2022 Subway released an update to their U.S. Product Ingredient Guide, along with a brand-wide menu overhaul.

That document showed that many of Subway’s sandwiches had their ingredients changed, including the Veggie Patty.

 

What’s next

Up ahead I’ll provide the ingredients and Nutrition Facts for the new Subway Veggie Patty, and we’ll explore how healthy it really is or isn’t.

I’ll also include the same for the previous Veggie Patty since it was replaced fairly recently & I suspect some Subway franchises may be still selling off their frozen inventory of it.

And I’ll share as much useful nutritional information as I could get my hands on regarding the Subway Malibu Vegan Patty.

This is actually the first vegan patty they ever had, but Subway Corporate didn’t stick with it & unfortunately it is extremely rare to stumble on these days.

Science resources included

As is my custom here on heydayDo, I will provide links to all of the relevant sports science & medical resources, clinical studies, and nutritional data used in this article.

 

The new Subway Veggie Patty ingredients

Here’s what’s used in the recipe for the newly-rebooted Subway Veggie Patty.

(This list excludes the bread & toppings.)

Note: The ingredients are ranked in descending order from most to least, according to weight.

• carrots
• onions
• green beans
• oat bran
• canola oil
• zucchini
• soybeans
• peas
• broccoli
• corn
• soy flour
• spinach
• bell peppers
• arrowroot powder
• garlic
• corn starch
• corn meal
• salt
• methyl cellulose
• parsley
• black pepper

This ingredients info is from the document below I found on Subway’s website, and that link will auto-download their PDF for you:

Subway US Ingredients List, July 2022

The new vegan Subway Veggie Patty Nutrition Facts

First I list the nutrient breakdown of just the new vegan Veggie Patty by itself (no bread or toppings), and then I provide the numbers when it’s served on Subway’s 6″ Artisan Italian bread.

This information is also available on Subway’s website through a PDF download, and here’s the document link:

Subway US Nutrition Data PDF, July 2022

• Serving Size: 3 oz.
• Calories: 170
• Total Fat: 9 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 1 gram
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Cholesterol: 0
• Carbohydrates: 17 grams
• Protein: 6 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 8 grams
• Sugar: 2 grams
• Sodium: 320 mg

 

Subway Veggie Patty Sandwich with 6” Italian Roll

• Serving Size: 8.8 oz.
• Calories: 380
• Total Fat: 11 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 1 gram
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Cholesterol: 0
• Carbohydrates: 56 grams
• Protein: 14 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 12 grams
• Sugar: 7 grams
• Sodium: 640 mg

 

Listed allergens in the new vegan Subway Veggie Patty

The Subway website provides a downloadable list of allergens that are used in each of their foods:

Subway US Allergens List, July 2022

According to Subway, the new vegan Veggie Patty contains just one possible allergen:

• soybeans

Is the Subway Veggie Patty healthy?

Subway’s latest Veggie Patty version can be considered healthy when comparing it to the sandwiches made by the other big fast food chains (Subway’s main competitors). The new Veggie Patty is vegan & mainly made of vegetables.  

The things I don’t like about the Subway Veggie Patty may not bother you, since we each have our ideas about what is healthy & what isn’t, but figured I’d share my thoughts anyways.

* It’s made with the synthetic ingredient methyl cellulose, which is created when harsh man-made chemicals are applied to plant cellulose. Methyl cellulose is sold as both a laxative & as a thickener for processed foods.

* Almost half of the Veggie Patty’s calories come from fat, and most of those are from canola oil. I don’t eat canola oil because of how canola oil is processed & the chemicals used to process it.

* The Veggie Patty is low in protein and therefore doesn’t provide a decent meal, yet it costs as much as Subway’s high-protein sandwiches.

* Sodium content in the Veggie Patty is too high for me, considering how small it is & how few calories it provides.

 

The original Subway Veggie Patty Ingredients

This is the list of ingredients that were in the original Veggie Patty sold for years up until Subway’s menu change.

Below explains why I’m sharing its nutritional info with you.

Since:

1. Veggie Patty’s are stored in the freezer (possibly for months);
2. Subway’s Veggie Patty recipe change wasn’t that long ago, &
3. every Subway restaurant is independently owned,

there’s a possibility a Subway you visit might sell you the older version of the patty.

 

(This list excludes the bread & toppings.)

Note: The ingredients are ranked in descending order from most to least, according to weight.

• water
• water chestnuts (water chestnuts, water, citric acid)
• onions
• carrots
• cooked brown rice (water, brown rice)
• whole grain oats
• mushrooms
• egg whites
• wheat gluten
• soy flour
• corn oil
• calcium caseinate (from milk)
• green peppers
• soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt, wheat),
• red bell peppers

Contains two percent or less of:

soy protein concentrate, cornstarch, onion powder, salt, black olives, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (corn, wheat, and soy protein), sugar, soy protein isolate, spices, yeast extract, garlic powder, dried jalapeño peppers, natural flavors, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, dextrose.

Due to alternate product availability may also contain: zucchini, leek, celery, herbs, spices, potato starch and palm fat.

Contains soy, wheat, egg, milk.

 

The information above is found on Subway’s own U.S. Ingredient Guide,  updated April 2020 & here’s its link .

That link automatically downloads a PDF file from their subway.com website. 

 

Subway’s Original Veggie Patty Nutrition Facts

Here’s the nutritional breakdown of the Subway Veggie Patty by itself, and also when it’s served plain on their Italian white bread.

This information is available on Subway’s website through a PDF download of their U.S. products’ nutritional values PDF dated November 2021. (2)

• Serving Size: 3 oz.
• Calories: 160
• Total Fat: 8 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 2 grams
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Cholesterol: 0
• Carbohydrates: 8 grams
• Protein: 13 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 3 grams
• Sugar: 2 grams
• Sodium: 520 mg

 

Subway Veggie Patty Sandwich with 6” Italian Roll

• Serving Size: 8.8 oz.
• Calories: 360
• Total Fat: 10 grams
  • Saturated Fat: 2.5 grams
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Cholesterol: 0
• Carbohydrates: 47 grams
• Protein: 22 grams
• Dietary Fiber: 8 grams
• Sugar: 7 grams
• Sodium: 800 mg

 

Listed allergens in the original Subway Veggie Patty

The Subway website provides a downloadable list of allergens that are used in each of their foods:

Subway US Allergens List, November 2021

According to Subway, the older Veggie Patty contains the following known allergens:

• • Egg
  • Milk/Lactose
  • Soybeans
  • Wheat/Gluten

Is the original Subway Veggie Patty healthy?

Overall, the Subway Veggie Patty is one of the healthier fast food sandwich options available in the U.S. & Canada when you compare it to the other big fast food chains with their burger, chicken, & processed meat sandwiches.

On the positive side of things, Subway’s 3 oz. Veggie Patty has only 160 calories, has no cholesterol, has very little (2 grams) of sugar, and only 2 of its 8 grams of fat are saturated fats.

It also has 3 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein in it, which is roughly the same as two large eggs.

There’s a lot of sodium though…

On the not-so-great side of the ledger, Subway puts about a quarter teaspoon of salt (520 mg of sodium) in its little 3 oz. patty.

By itself, this isn’t too bad.

It’s just that the typical American diet has too much salt in it already, according to the American Heart Association (4).

And the AHA’s optimal recommended limit for adults is 1500 mg, so Subway’s fairly small Veggie Patty uses up a little over a third of your daily ideal amount of salt.

And when you have it on one of Subway’s 6” rolls – like the Italian white bread for example – the sandwich has 800 mg of sodium.

So that one midsize sandwich has over half  the amount of your recommended daily amount of salt in it. (5)

 

It’s vegetarian, but…

There are a few other ingredient choices used to make the Subway Veggie Patty that are not that healthy for you.

* It’s a very processed food product that also has a few artificial ingredients in it;

* It has saturated fat in it. It seems a bit surprising that a vegetarian food product would have any saturated fat in it at all, since most dietary saturated fats are found in animal products like dairy fat, fatty animal meats, chicken skin, lard, and tropical oils;

* Vegetarian, but without a single organic ingredient in it;

* The Subway Veggie Patty also has that unknown processed additive, natural flavors.

 

About soy protein concentrate & soy protein isolate

A number of people have issues with soy products, so I thought I’d mention that both of these similar Subway patty ingredients are from the defatted protein flour of soybeans.

Vegan protein powders like Orgain, Garden of Life, & Vega do the same type of protein isolation as this, though they don’t use soybeans but rather chia, pea, & rice as their protein sources.

 

Malibu: The Real Subway Vegan Patty

Even though it’s impossible to find in many areas, I thought I’d include the ingredients & nutritional information for the original vegan patty that some Subway restaurants still carry, the Malibu Vegan Patty.

 

Subway’s Vegan Malibu Patty is made by Kellogg’s

I couldn’t find any information on Subway’s website as to who or how the Malibu Patty is made.

But I did come across the Kosher certification for the Malibu Patty you see below on a website owned by breakfast cereal giant, Kellogg’s (7).

They own the brand name Gardenburger, and on Kellogg’s Kosher certificate there’s the Gardenburger Subway Malibu Vegan Patty:

Go figure.

I’m guessing Subway doesn’t disclose this because they feel that a known association with a food manufacturing behemoth like Kellogg’s kind of kills the vegan purity buzz.

In any event, here are the Subway Vegan Patty’s ingredients & Nutrition Facts, AKA the Kellogg’s Gardenburger® (Malibu Organic Vegan):

 

Subway Malibu Patty Ingredients

• • • cooked brown rice (water, organic brown rice)
    • water
    • organic corn
    • organic carrots
    • organic onions
    • organic green peppers
    • organic rolled oats
    • organic canola oil
    • organic high oleic sunflower oil
    • organic red bell peppers
    • organic soy protein flour

Contains two percent or less of:

Gum Blend (carrageenan, konjac flour), organic soy sauce (water, organic soybeans, salt, organic wheat), organic onion powder, broccoli, sea salt, organic garlic powder, organic black pepper.

Allergens: soy & wheat

The ingredients list can be found on Kellogg’s Gardenburger® Malibu Burger Organic Vegan product page.

 

Here are the Subway Malibu Vegan’s Nutrition Facts:

• • • Serving Size: 3 oz.
    • Calories: 150
    • Total Fat: 7 grams
      • Saturated Fat: 1 grams
      • Trans Fat: 0
      • Cholesterol: 0
    • Carbohydrates: 20 grams
    • Protein: 5 grams
    • Dietary Fiber: 4 grams
    • Sugar: 2 grams
    • Sodium:500 mg

 

And here’s the nutrition info for the Malibu Patty with 6” 9-Grain Bread:

• • • Serving Size: 8.8 oz.
    • Calories: 350
    • Total Fat: 9 grams
      • Saturated Fat: 1.5 grams
      • Trans Fat: 0
      • Cholesterol: 0
    • Carbohydrates: 59 grams
    • Protein: 14 grams
    • Dietary Fiber: 9 grams
    • Sugar: 7 grams
    • Sodium: 780 mg

Allergens: Sesame, Wheat/Gluten, Soybeans

 

The nutrition facts information I just provided was available as a download from Subway’s website that was last updated January 2020, since I couldn’t find anything on their site about the vegan Malibu Gardenburger.

 

 

Is the Subway Malibu Vegan Patty healthy?

The patty used in Subway’s Malibu Vegan is definitely a healthy fast food option, if you’re fortunate enough to be near a Subway restaurant that’s carrying it.

It is/was a waaay better healthy choice than the original Veggie Patty.

For one thing, the majority of the patty’s ingredients are organic.

And compared to Subway’s Veggie Patty, the Malibu Vegan has far fewer artificially-made ingredients; in fact it has none.

It has half the saturated fat as the Subway Veggie Patty, only one gram.

It’s sodium is on the high side at 500 mg, but that’s the only issue with the Malibu Vegan Patty’s ingredients.

 

Subway Veggie Patty FAQs

Here are answers to a few of the commonly asked questions regarding Subway’s vegetarian & vegan options.

 

 

What else is vegan at Subway?

The following additional vegan items should be available at most Subway locations:

* Veggie Delite Salad

* All their veggies of course

• • • Shredded lettuce
    • Tomatoes
    • Green peppers
    • Red onions
    • Cucumbers
    • Spinach
    • Olives
    • Pickles
    • Jalapeños
    • Guacamole/avocado

* Vegan condiments

• • • Yellow mustard
    • Deli brown mustard
    • Mustard seed spread
    • Oil
    • Vinegar and Subway vinaigrette
    • Sweet onion sauce
    • Fat-free Italian dressing

* Side Orders

• • • Apple Sauce
    • Lay’s Classic potato chips
    • Oven Baked Lay’s
    • SunChips Original

Subway’s vegan food list provided by PETA.org

 

* Vegan Sandwiches

These vegan sandwiches are unfortunately only available at a very select few Subway restaurants:

• • • Beyond Meat Meatball Marinara
    • the Malibu Patty we looked at earlier
    • Vegan Falafel Sandwich

 

Subway Gluten-free Menu Items

Subway doesn’t have a published gluten-free menu at this time.

But an extensive list of Subway’s gluten-free foods can be found on the gluten-related website, Love to Know. (16)

It bears repeating what LTK says about Subway’s gluten-free items: they’re prepared for you using the same equipment (& people) that work with their gluten products, namely all of the bread used in Subway’s sandwiches.

 

DIY Subway Veggie Patty

Here’s a video on how someone created their own veggie patty, modeled (somewhat) after the new vegan recipe Subway is now using.

 

 

Wrapping Up

Related articles here on heydayDo

Is Stevia Vegan? Is Stevia Natural? How Is Stevia Made?

My Best Vegan Mass Gainers Review

Top 24 Protein Bars Without Artificial Sweeteners

Best Protein Powders Without Artificial Sweeteners

I hope that my article covering the ingredients & nutritional content of Subway’s Veggie Patty & Malibu Vegan Patty is useful to you, and I wish you well on your fitness journey.

– greg