Oreos are one of the most popular snacks in the country, beloved by kids and adults alike. It doesn’t end at cookies: Oreo cakes, ice cream, pudding, and other confections are widely popular.
Given their creamy frosting center, it may be odd to think of Oreos as a potentially vegan snack. That’s why so many new vegans are thrilled to learn that they may be able to continue eating their favorite cookies! But are Oreos actually vegan? Here’s what you need to know:
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. Plant-based cookies and cream lovers rejoice!
There are two caveats, though:
Since Oreos are produced in factories that use animal products, there’s always the chance of cross-contamination (something to consider if you have a severe allergy or dietary restrictions that strictly prohibit dairy, eggs, or animal products).
Some vegans define veganism as more than just the absence of animal products in food and may consider general animal welfare in lifestyle choices. That’s why you may see cosmetics or hygiene products labeled “vegan.” This not only means they don’t contain any animal derivatives, it means they are not tested on animals and no animals were harmed in the making or extraction of the product or ingredients. Some vegans see animal welfare as the most central tenant of veganism. Therefore, they consider ingredients that may harm animals during their production as not vegan.
Here's the official statement from the company: "Many OREO products are suitable for Vegans, but may include cross-contaminants of milk, so please check allergen advice. You can find a complete list of our Vegan certified products onThe Vegan Society Website."
Unbleached enriched flour: This is the standard flour used in processed foods. “Enriched” means it contains added vitamins and minerals like folic acid and B vitamins. This is a plant-derived product and is vegan.
Palm oil: While it is technically derived from plants, many people do not consider palm oil vegan because the harvesting process can be detrimental to the environment. Some vegans may abstain from Oreos because of this.
Sugar: Similarly, white sugar uses the charred bones of animals in the processing from raw sugar cane to table sugar. The bones of livestock are charred to produce carbon, which is used to filter the sugar and remove the color and impurities. While there is no trace of bone or the charred carbon it produces in sugar, some vegans may avoid Oreos because animals have to die to produce this ingredient.
Soybean oil and/or canola oil: Both these oils are made from plants and are vegan.
Oreos also contain small amounts of flavorings and preservatives, including cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, leaveners, salt, soy lecithin, and artificial flavors, all of which are not animal-derived and considered vegan.
What Oreo Flavors Are Vegan?
Most varieties of Oreos are vegan, including the Classic, Double Stuf, Mega Stuf, Golden, and Thins varieties.
More vegan flavors are Peanut Butter Creme, Java Chip, Chocolate Creme, Birthday Cake, Mint Creme, Dark Chocolate Creme, Lemon Golden Oreos, Black and White Cookie, Caramel Coconut, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Marshmallow, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Spice, Halloween Orange Boo, Red White and Blue, Space Dunk, Tiramisu Thins, Mint Thins, Lemon Thins — and likely many more as seasonal flavors are released.
However, always check the ingredients if you're abroad, as different manufacturers use different formulas. For example, some peanut butter flavored Oreos are not vegan in the UK.
What Oreo Flavors Are Not Vegan?
The fudge-coated varieties are not vegan, as the fudge coating contains milk.
Toffee Crunch Oreos contain confectioner’s glaze, which, depending on where you are geographically, can be made with shellac (a product derived from beetles).
Oreo Cakesters are not vegan, as they contain milk and eggs.
If you’re unsure, always check the ingredients list. If you see eggs, milk powder or solids, lactose or lactic acid, whey, casein, carmine, or gelatin, the product is likely not considered vegan.
It asks "Is Oreo suitable for Vegans?" and answers "No, Oreo have milk as cross contact and therefore are not suitable for vegans." Push past the British grammar and vocabulary, and focus: Cross contact means that a food might come into contact with another food during production — maybe two different products are made ...
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. Plant-based cookies and cream lovers rejoice!
The classic Oreo filling is still to this day made with plant-based ingredients, including sugar and soy lecithin. There is often some confusion, however, about whether or not Oreos are vegan-friendly. This is because the ingredients list says they “may contain” milk products.
Yes, original Oreos are vegan and most other flavours are vegan too! They're what is known as 'accidentally vegan biscuits', meaning they weren't specifically targeted towards vegans but are made to a vegan recipe.
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.
The short answer is that not all Pringles are vegan, although the company does make a handful of vegan-friendly chips. For example, Pringles Originals are vegan, and several of the most popular flavors are also suitable for vegans, including one flavor you'd never expect, while the rest tend to contain dairy.
Most types of Skittles are considered vegan, but not all. While Skittles Classic Fruits, Skittles Sour, Skittles Tropical and Wild Berry Skittles are all currently suitable for vegans, some special editions such as the Once in a Blue Moon Skittles are not, as the blue skittles contain animal product derivatives.
Yes, Ritz Crackers are vegan. I don't know if I'd go as far as to say whether they're actually tasty or not but a lot of people do like them and it turns out that you can eat them if you're lactose-intolerant, so go figure. Buy these if you're interested in adhering to a plant-based diet and enjoy Ritz Crackers.
By standard definitions, regular Sour Patch Kids candies are vegan because they don't contain animal products. However, the sugar in all of the Sour Patch Kids candies was likely, at least in part, processed with animal bone char. That may be reason enough for some vigilant vegans to abstain.
As mentioned earlier, while Oreos in the UK are suitable for vegans, in the US they are made from sugar filtered with a charcoal-like substance called bone char. Bone char, a substance used in the production of sugar cane, helps give refined sugar its crystalline white colour.
The creamy filling inside an oreo is not cream because the recipe contains no milk product as such the FDA prohibits Nabisco from labelling the creation as cream. The creme is made from some combination of sugar, high fructose, corn syrup, soy lecithin, artificial flavour and palm or canola oil.
The longer answer. As the Oreo FAQ page states, while Oreos are indeed veggie-friendly, they are not strictly vegan as 'Oreo have milk as cross-contact and therefore they are not suitable for vegans'.
Any fudge-covered Oreo is not vegan, as the chocolate coating contains dairy. Oreo Cakesters are also not vegan. But then there are the 85-plus Oreo flavors to consider.
What About the Refined Sugar in Oreos? While refined sugars do not have any animal products, and are therefore technically "vegan," some refined sugar is processed with the use of animal bone char. The animal bone char is used as a filter to remove any impurities, color, and minerals from the sugar.
Using the process of elimination on the ingredients list on a box of Original Oreos, you can deduce that Oreo filling contains sugar, high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, artificial flavor, and “palm and/or canola oil.” The short ingredient list contains ingredients you've probably already heard of, and at its core, ...
Mondelēz states that it still uses animal testing where required by law, so Oreo receives a bottom rating for Animal Welfare. Find out more about how we rate by exploring our ethical criteria.
Introduction: My name is Kerri Lueilwitz, I am a courageous, gentle, quaint, thankful, outstanding, brave, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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