Having a vegan diet doesn’t mean you cannot indulge in some comfort junk food every once in a while. For example, we know that Doritos have some vegan flavors, and there is always the option to pop some vegan popcorn in the microwave. Nowadays, most people tend to eliminate from their diet several chips, biscuits, and snacks available on the market, not knowing whether the ingredients used by the different companies are one-hundred percent vegan. But this does not have to be the case! More and more snacks are now fully plant-based. But are Fritos one of them?
Fritos are one of the most popular brands of corn chips in the US. They were invented by Charles Elmer Doolin in 1932 and have been on the market for over 80 years. Most people who switch to a vegan diet sooner or later end up wondering whether they can still enjoy this delicious snack or not, and today we’re here to give them some answers. So, without further ado, let’s answer this million-dollar question!
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Are Fritos Vegan Friendly?
As it often happens in the vegan world, the answer is not so straightforward. Some Fritos chips are, in fact, vegan friendly while others aren’t. Here are the ones that you can keep enjoying without worries!
Fritos Original Corn Chips contain only one hundred percent vegan ingredients. These are corn, corn oil, and salt. Another great option for vegans are the Original Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips. They have the same vegan ingredient as the former and differ only by shape. Their look is close to Panera Bread’s chips.
Vegans can also enjoy the Lightly Salted Fritos. Just like the other two flavors mentioned above, they only contain corn, corn oil, and salt. However, as the name suggests, compared to the other two varieties, the salt percentage is lower. On top of this, all of these flavors are completely gluten-free!
Are Chili Cheese Fritos Vegan?
Unfortunately, at the moment not all Fritos flavors are vegan. For instance, Chili Cheese Fritos aren’t. In fact, they contain several ingredients from the dairy industry. One of these is whey, the watery part of milk that remains after the coagulation. Chili Cheese Fritos also contains cheese, butter, and buttermilk.
Are Flavor Twists Honey BBQ Fritos Vegan?
As the name suggests, this flavor is made by using animal products. The most obvious one is honey, but there are other ingredients you should watch out for. For instance, sugar and natural flavors. If you’re not sure why these may not be vegan, keep reading. We are going to discuss the topic soon.
Are Flamin’ Hot Bar-B-Q vegan?
Sadly, no. Even though, at first, they may seem a good vegan option they contain ingredients such as sugar and natural flavors which may have been manufactured using animal products. So, let’s discuss this in more detail.
Non-Vegan Ingredients In Fritos
As we mentioned above, several ingredients in Fritos are obviously not vegan. Some of these include buttermilk, cheese, butter, whey, and honey. However, some Fritos flavors do not contain any of the above but may still not be suitable for vegans, why?
Most Fritos unfortunately contain sugar. Even though you may think that this product is one hundred percent vegan, this may not always be the case. Most sugar is, in fact, processed with bone char. This ingredient is often used in the sugar industry to give the final product its typical white color. Bone char is derived from the bones of cattle and is therefore not vegan.
You may now be freaking out wondering whether this means that you need to avoid all types of sugar in your diet. We got good news for you, the answer is no! For instance, organic sugar doesn’t go through this process and is therefore suitable for vegans. You can also opt for other sweeteners such as maple syrup, coconut sugar, date sugar, or fruit sugar. Unfortunately, at the moment, Fritos do not use organic sugar, meaning that bone char may have been involved in their manufacturing.
Some of the other ingredients you need to watch out for are ‘natural flavors’. These can, in fact, contain animal products. As big industries do not usually disclose what they mean by ‘natural flavors’ it’s impossible to know whether or not the types of Fritos listing these among their ingredients are fully vegan.
Last but not least, we need to discuss artificial colors. These ingredients are controversial among vegans. In fact, some of them are not only not vegan but not even vegetarian. For instance, carmine is often used to give the color red to several foods. This ingredient is made by grinding together cochineal beetles and is therefore not even suitable for vegetarians. Most of the other artificial colors on the market are vegan but are tested on animals meaning that they are not one hundred percent cruelty-free.
Summary
Yes and no. Three main Fritos flavors are one hundred percent suitable for vegans. These are the Fritos Original Corn Chips, the Original Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips, and the Lightly Salted Fritos. So next time you have a party, you can surprise your vegan friend with this delicious snack!
However, nobody can claim with absolute certainty whether or not the other flavors are vegan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Fritos Flavor Twists vegan?
Unfortunately, the Fritos Flavor Twists aren’t vegan. They contain honey and other controversial ingredients such as sugar and artificial flavors.
Are Flamin Hot Fritos vegan?
No, they aren’t. They contain animal products such as buttermilk, cheese, and whey.
Are Fritos Chili Cheese vegan?
Fritos Chili Cheese contains cheese and are therefore not suitable for vegans.
Are BBQ Fritos vegan?
No. They contain honey and other non-vegan ingredients such as artificial flavors and artificial colors.
Are Fritos Honey BBQ Twists vegan?
Fritos Honey BBQ Twists contain honey and cannot be added to a strictly vegan diet.
Are Fritos Scoops vegan?
There are currently two different flavors of Fritos Scoops on the market. The Fritos Scoop! Corn Chips contain only corn, corn oil, and salt and can be enjoyed by all vegans. On the other hand, the Fritos Scoops! Spicy Jalapeño Corn Chips contain dairy ingredients, so you better opt for another flavor.
Are original Fritos vegan?
Original Fritos are one hundred percent vegan. They only contain three ingredients: corn, corn oil, and salt, all of which are suitable for vegans.
