Is Schnitzel Vegetarian? (It’s Breaded Meat)

Schnitzel is a pounded, breaded, fried cutlet, and the cutlet is meat. The breading contains egg too, which is why even the coating is not vegan. Here is what makes it non-vegetarian, and the swaps.

Key Takeaways

• Schnitzel is not vegetarian: it is a thin cutlet of veal, pork or chicken.
• The breading contains egg, so the coating is not vegan either.
• A vegetarian “schnitzel” uses breaded cheese, mushroom or plant cutlet.
• A vegan version needs egg-free breading and a plant cutlet.

TL;DR: Schnitzel is not vegetarian: it’s a thin cutlet of veal (Wiener schnitzel), pork or chicken, breaded and fried. A vegetarian “schnitzel” (breaded cheese, mushroom or plant cutlet) is a common substitute.

What schnitzel is

Schnitzel is a pounded meat cutlet coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, then pan-fried. The coating contains egg, and the cutlet itself is meat: so it’s neither vegetarian nor vegan.

• Wiener Schnitzel: veal (Austria).
• Schnitzel / Jägerschnitzel: pork or chicken (Germany).

The vegetarian version

“Vegetarisches Schnitzel” replaces the meat with breaded cheese, mushroom, eggplant, soy or seitan. For a vegan version, the egg in the breading is replaced with plant milk or starch.

The bottom line

• Vegetarian? No for meat schnitzel: order a breaded cheese/veg cutlet.
• Vegan? Only a plant-based cutlet with egg-free breading.

See our Schnitzel dish guide for the full breakdown.

Check before you eat. The Verify Veg app scans a barcode or reads an ingredient list from a photo and flags ingredients against your diet (vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Jain and more). Download on the App Store - Android is coming soon.

Written by Samir Narain, founder of Verify Veg. Verify Veg helps people check packaged food against their diet by scanning barcodes and reading ingredient lists from photos.

Note: Verify Veg provides ingredient-based compatibility checks, not certification. Recipes and preparations vary by restaurant, region and cook, so always confirm with the restaurant, brand or vendor.