Are Oreos Vegan: Cookie Mystery Explained
Going vegan doesn’t mean giving up all your favorite treats and start eating vegetable meals only. You can find chips, candy, and other tasty joys with no animal or dairy components. But what about Oreos? How can a vegan-friendly company’s slogan is “milk’s favorite cookie”? This little cookie has sparked heated controversy.
There’s little dispute about the biscuit’s popularity, but the more relevant issue is: are Oreos vegan? It seems so, but let’s take some time. We’ll discuss this below, and you’ll be able to make your judgment.
Vegan vs. Vegetarian Lifestyle: What Is the Difference?
A vegan diet is one in which a person avoids products derived from animals. Vegans only eat plant-based fruits, cereals, nuts, and seeds. Vegetarian meals are similar to plant-based diet meals. However, they may eat dairy products, honey, or eggs.
Vegetarian diets, like vegan diets, don’t particularly exclude processed components as long as they don’t come from an animal. Nevertheless, they’re acceptable if they come from a plant or a dairy source. On the other hand, a vegan diet doesn’t particularly exclude the use of processed foods. So long as the processed materials are generated from plants rather than animals.
Oreo Ingredients
The main contents of classic Oreos are as follows: traces of wheat flour, sugar, palm and canola oil, cocoa, corn syrup and starch, leavening, salt, soy lecithin, the artificial flavor of vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate. Its ingredients’ description doesn’t mention milk, eggs, or butter, making it appear to be a vegan-friendly delicacy. But that’s not entirely true. Looking at the Oreo FAQ, you’ll understand that vegans should avoid these cookies. “As a result of milk cross-contact, they’re not good for vegans,” it says.
As a result, none of the Oreo varieties are genuinely vegan. They all include sugar treated with bone char and are not processed on a separate production line that does not have any cross-contamination with traces of milk. So, it’s better to avoid all Oreo cookie flavors.
It all boils down to your definition of veganism. If you define it as a diet that excludes consuming meat, eggs, milk, and any other product derived from animals, then the answer “Are Oreos vegan or not?” is a technical yes.
For many people, it’s a much larger spectrum that includes animal products and the impact on animals and the environment in which they exist. In that case, you may have grounds to complain about cookies, which strangely contain no dairy milk at all. Many vegans eat Oreos. However, many others don’t consider Oreo biscuits to be vegan foods. That’s where the majority of the problems and arguments arise.
Cross-Contact in Oreos Products
There’s the issue of cross-contamination with milk, which often occurs in the plants that make cookies. Nabisco says that there’s a possibility that Oreos contain trace quantities or even what would be termed slight traces of milk or dairy products.
While it may be a modest percentage, combined with the other issues that Oreos might offer, it’s enough to make many people avoid eating these chocolate treats. There have also been traces of whey discovered because it’s derived from dairy.
Are Gluten-Free Oreos a Real Thing?
The company producing pre-packaged Oreo products changed its recipe in the 1990s to exclude lard (pig fat) from its filling to provide more healthy Oreo varieties. They first replaced it with hydrogenated vegetable oil and then non-hydrogenated one. In 2013, they decided not to include whey protein in their cookies to free them from animal-based ingredients.
Golden, Carrot Cake, Gluten-Free, Thins, Caramel Coconut Cream, Cinnamon Bun, Double Stuff, Mint, Chocolate Hazelnut, and limited edition varieties have been famous lately. Because there are no evident non-vegan components in the Golden version, it’s legit to consume it. However, like all the other variants, these contain sugar that was most likely treated with animal bone char, at least in part. Nevertheless, not every one of these options is gluten-free.
Vegan Oreo Alternatives
Just because you desire to live a plant-based diet doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good cookie now and again. Here are some of the best vegan-friendly cookies and biscuits to imitate vegan Oreos:
- Against The Grain Cookies. This Surrey-based cookie company makes cookies suitable for a plant-based diet in flavors including Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut, Chocolate & Orange, and Berry Delicious. They do include palm oil. However, it’s sourced sustainably.
- Back to Nature Classic Crème Cookies. These are plant-based snacks. The product is non-GMO, contains no high fruit sugar corn syrup, and doesn’t include hydrogenated oils. They’re a crunchy chocolate wafer with a creamy frosting with vanilla flavor, and they’re excellent for dipping in almond milk.
- Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Crème Cookies. These are suitable for a plant-based diet. Gluten-free and non-GMO cookies are also non-GMO. While they are not labeled as vegan, there is no mention of cross-contamination, and they don’t include any animal-derived components.
- Catalina Crunch Chocolate Vanilla Sandwich Cookies. Plant-based diet ingredients are used to make sandwich cookies. They have a low level of carbs, including plant protein, contain no artificial chemicals, are rich in fiber, have a low sugar level, and are 100% plant-based products.
While you may have hoped that famous cookies were suitable for your plant-based diet, you’re likely disappointed! But don’t get upset too fast! There are vegan Oreo flavors and other suitable treats on the market that are healthier and just as good as classic sweets.
Key Takeaways
Though Oreos are a famous cookie, they’re not suitable for a plant-based diet as a dessert and are not vegetarian. They’re a sort of “junk food” that can negatively influence your children if ingested because of the artificial tastes and processed components.
So, are Oreos vegan? As surprising as it may sound, only you decide. They may be on your plant-based diet list if you define vegan as absent from milk and animal products. If you consider veganism to be something more than milk or animal products and more about the ethical choices that go into it, then Oreos might not be for you. Alternatively, biscuits may not be your best pick if even trace amounts of milk or animal byproducts don’t fit into your plant-based lifestyle.
Eventually, you need to understand what you’re eating, and with famous cookies, this can still be a little of a mystery, “Are Oreos vegan?” In general, dipped biscuits are the most likely to include animal products. Many people prefer to avoid Oreos and their chocolate cookie versions with so many Oreos vegan friendly alternatives that are healthful, cross-contact-free, and morally sound treats. To ensure a plant-based treat, read the label.
FAQ
While sticking to a healthy lifestyle and starting a plant-based diet, you may wonder what sweets you can eat, not depriving yourself of joy. We’ve already determined the Oreo case. What about other popular treats?
Are Skittles Vegan?
Skittles were produced with gelatin until around 2010, derived from animal collagen, a protein found in connective tissues. Gelatin is responsible for the chewy, gel-like feel of the candy. And it’s not suitable for a plant-based diet because it’s derived from animals. Now, it doesn’t appear in the sweets’ content. Skittles’ organic and inorganic flavor enhancers, coloring, thickeners, sweeteners, and other chemicals are synthesized or sourced from plants. That implies that, by definition, the basic types of Skittles are vegan-friendly.
Are Sour Patch Kids Vegan?
It depends on the country you buy it from. In the United Kingdom, Sour Patch Kids are not vegan since the ingredients still include gelatin. However, in the United States, these sweets don’t contain gelatin, so check the ingredients label on each pack to be sure. In addition, the sugar in the product (at least a portion of it) has been filtered using a non-vegan decolorizing chemical known as bone char.
Is Takis Vegan?
The majority of Takis are suitable for a plant-based diet. At least five of the most popular flavors are free of animal substances or byproducts. By far, the most popular option is Fuego Takis. They have a spicy taste with a delightful tinge of lime. These Takis are Vegan since they don’t include any eggs, milk, or animal products. However, not all of the components are devoid of cruelty. As mentioned in the box, some flavors include milk and egg products.
