13 Surprising Foods You Think Are Vegan But Aren't (2024)

FAQs

What food is surprisingly not vegan? ›

Yes – it turns out that Ritz Crackers are one of those surprising vegan foods! You'd be wise to be sceptical as there's literally an image of cheese on the box, but maybe the designers at Ritz intended it to be interpreted at a nice cashew-cheddar.

The bottom line. Most types of peanut butter are free of animal products and can be enjoyed as part of a vegan diet. However, some varieties are made in facilities that also process animal products or contain refined sugar that was produced using bone char or non-vegan ingredients like honey or fish oil.

Many vegans refer to Oreos as “accidentally vegan,” meaning they don't contain animal products — but they weren't created to be a specifically vegan treat. Oreos do not contain milk, eggs, or any other animal-derived products, so they are technically vegan in that sense.

Fortunately, loads of candies are vegan, so we can indulge our cravings (mostly) guilt-free. Most dark chocolate is vegan, as are popular sweet treats such as Smarties (known as Rockets in Canada), Oreos, Airheads, Jujubes, and Swedish Fish (some Swedish Fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check the label).

Since 1966, Doritos has satisfied customers' snack cravings with their flavored tortilla chips. But unfortunately for vegans, only one variety is vegan-friendly: Spicy Sweet Chili. The other Doritos flavors contain various dairy products and animal-derived flavors, none of which are vegan.

Jif Natural Peanut Butter is widely considered vegan because it contains only peanuts, sugar, palm oil, salt, and molasses. Note, though, that sugar is often made with bone char, an animal ingredient, and that palm oil production drives deforestation, which deters many environmental vegans.

1 Ritter Sport

This German chocolate company has a dedicated vegan category on its website these days, but it's been making dairy-free chocolate for years without the label. The Salted Caramel; Roasted Peanut; Crunchy Whole Hazelnuts; and Vegan Smooth are just a few of its vegan offerings.

What snack foods can vegans eat? ›

Because popcorn is just corn kernels, it is naturally vegan. However, if you're grabbing a bag from the store, make sure to check the ingredients list first. Sometimes, cheese, butter, or milk chocolate are added to liven up the simple snack, for example.

If you are a coffee lover, you're in luck: Coffee is naturally vegan. The processes of harvesting and roasting coffee beans do not involve the use of animals. Because coffee beans come directly from the Coffea plant, you can rest assured your cup of joe in the morning is plant-based.

Yes, absolutely! Rice is a common grain in all cooking and has a significant place in the plant-based world too. Some rice dishes may not be suitable for vegans though, so if you're eating out or following a recipe make sure there are no meat, fish or other animal products being used before you tuck in!

Intake and status of vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium and bone turnover markers were generally lower in plant-based dietary patterns compared to meat-eaters. Vegans had the lowest vitamin B12, calcium and iodine intake, and also lower iodine status and lower bone mineral density.

By the 20th century, however, the gooey mallow plant had been replaced with animal-based products like egg whites and gelatin, making most commercially available marshmallows distinctly non-vegan. This holds for both individual marshmallows and whipped marshmallow creams popular in desserts like fudge.

Yes, generally tomato ketchup is suitable for vegans. Its core ingredients are usually tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, herbs and spices, all of which are vegan friendly. But the ingredients list isn't the only thing we need to look at in order to get to the bottom of this question.