Shake Shack Just Launched a Vegan Cheeseburger in UK

International chain Shake Shack is adding the Vegan Crispy Shallot Burger to all of its locations in the United Kingdom. The new vegan burger features a housemade mushroom-based vegan patty topped with a smoky vegan cheddar cheese, beer-marinated fried shallots, lettuce, Dijonaise sauce, and comes on a potato bun. The burger is available for a limited time for pick up and delivery. 

The new vegan burger was developed by UK chef Neil Rankin (known for his barbecue meats) in partnership with Jim Frisch, Shake Shack Director of Culinary and Product Development. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring this delicious burger to our Shack fans and vegan friends,” Frisch said. “Working with Chef Neil Rankin, we developed a one-of-a-kind vegan patty that delivers on everything we love about a great burger—decadent, juicy, satisfying, and packed full of umami flavour. Our Crispy Shallot Burger is a new, plant-based twist, on some of our Shack classics … We can’t wait for you to try it.” 

In 2020, UK Shake Shack locations also offered The Vegan Shackburger for a limited time. That burger featured a plant-based patty made with vegetables, grains, and herbs such as kale, quinoa, and sweet potato, and is topped with vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, and vegan ShackSauce, all served on a toasted bun.

Vegan at Shake Shack

Shake Shack has yet to add a vegan burger to its permanent menu in the United States. In 2018, the chain tested the Veggie Shack, its first vegan-friendly burger, for a limited time at select locations in New York City. In 2020, the chain expanded the test of a new iteration of the Veggie Shack—featuring a patty made with greens, grains, and herbs, which came topped with avocado, roasted tomato, shredded lettuce, and non-vegan lemon mayonnaise—again for a limited time, to locations in New York, California, Kentucky, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. On its permanent menu, Shake Shack offers a meatless ‘Shroom Burger, which cannot be ordered vegan as the portobello mushroom patty is stuffed with cheese. 

Earlier this month, Shake Shack did add a fully vegan burger to its menu through a collaboration with Pinky Cole, owner of Atlanta-based vegan chain Slutty Vegan. The SluttyShack burger featured a Shake Shack veggie patty topped with Cole’s secret Slut Dust, lemon ginger kale, caramelized onions, vegan ranch, and vegan mayo on Slutty Vegan’s signature toasted Hawaiian bun. This vegan burger was offered as part of Shake Shack’s “Now Serving” series at the Old Fourth Ward Shake Shack in Atlanta for one day. The vegan burger was also scheduled to be on the menu at Shake Shack’s Harlem location in NYC for two days in April but this launch was postponed for later this year after a team member at that location tested positive for COVID-19.