Rooted in nostalgia, fried eggs, and meat-laden menus, breakfast chains like Denny’s have remained stubbornly traditional. But Denny’s recently rolled out its first-ever, fully plant-based breakfast entrée to more than 1,300 US locations—no customization needed, no side-eye from the server, just a stack of multigrain pancakes served with hash browns and fruit.

The Plant-Based Pancake Slam is a nationwide move from a legacy brand at a time when many fast-food giants are retreating from plant-based investments. Panda Express ghosted its Beyond Orange Chicken. Dunkin’ all but erased its Beyond Breakfast Sandwich. Carl’s Jr. quietly dropped its Beyond Burger. And yet, in a reversal that no one quite expected, Denny’s doubled down on its 2021 commitment to plant-based progress—and actually followed through.

Vegan Breakfast Finally Hits Denny’s Menu

A surge in health‑ and eco‑aware consumers is behind this momentum, and breakfast is emerging as the next frontier. Between 2020 and 2024, plant‑based claims on breakfast cereals grew 22 percent, outpacing other categories. What makes this move particularly strategic is its timing. While retail plant‑based sales in the US reached $8.1 billion in 2024, the category experienced a four percent decline in dollar sales—signaling a potential plateau in grocery aisles. Meanwhile, vegan fast‑food is on the upswing: projected to balloon from $24.1 billion in 2023 to more than $70 billion by 2033. “As more people become aware of the many health benefits associated with a plant-based diet, there is a growing preference for vegan fast-food options,” reports market research firm Spherical Insights.

Last year, nearly half of Americans indicated intentions to increase plant-based consumption, with 34 percent actively reducing their meat intake. That’s not the fringe: it represents a critical mass of mainstream diners. Importantly, breakfast has become the fastest-growing meal occasion for plant-based experimentation. A 2020 survey found more than 80 percent of respondents were open to trying a vegan breakfast once a week, with over 60 percent frequently purchasing plant-based grocery items—even preferring them to animal-based counterparts. 

Denny’s

Complementing this, consumer segmentation data shows that flexitarians—a group comprising around 25 percent of US consumers—are the most frequent users of plant-based meat alternatives. Additionally, 65 percent of Americans consumed plant-based meat alternatives in the past year, with 40 percent doing so weekly or daily . Public appetite is growing, and it points to a breakfast market primed for more diverse plant-based offerings. Against this backdrop, it makes strategic sense for a legacy breakfast chain like Denny’s to stake a claim. This isn’t a fad, it’s a booming vertical.

So, of course, I had some thoughts when I heard the news.