Uncrustables were always popular in school lunches in my day, but to everyone’s shock who has ever known this about me, I have never once had an uncrustable. But boy are/were they popular. I’m not sure if there’s a resurgence in their popularity or something, but lately I’ve been running into them quite often and have wondered about finally giving them a shot.
But judging by processed foods and their rampant obsession with putting milk in just because, I had my doubts if they were vegan.
So are Smucker’s Uncrustables vegan? Kind of. They have a disclaimer in their FAQs on their website that “Uncrustables are not considered vegan”, however there are some flavors that do not explicitly have animal products – like milk – that are listed below. My guess is either the sugar or diglycerides may be using animal biproducts.
My main complaint with Uncrustables is that they’re made with peanut butter, and that’s actually why I never tried one as I never liked peanut butter that much (heresy, I know). I wish they had an almond butter option, but peanut butter is so much more popular and thus cheaper so I doubt that’ll come alone. I guess I’ll give the peanut-butter ones a try just to know how they are.
So what flavors are (maybe) vegan?
- Reduced Sugar Peanut Butter & Strawberry Spread on Whole Wheat
- Reduced Sugar Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly on Whole Wheat
- Peanut Butter & Strawberry Jam
- Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly (both club and normal sizes)
- Peanut Butter Sandwich
What could make it non-vegan?
First, let’s see what ingredients could be animal sourced:
- Honey
- Dairy
- Egg
In short, these are the typical ingredients, that easily mess up a sweetness. Surprisingly, there is no such thing in those flavors as you can see below.
Ingredients altogeher
Secondly, let’s check those vegan ingredients! Here is the whole list:
Bread: Enriched Unbleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Unbleached Whole Wheat Flour, Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% Or Less Of Salt, Dough Conditioners (Distilled Mono And Diglycerides, Datem, Enzymes [With Wheat Starch, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Peroxide]).
Whole wheat bread: Unbleached Whole Wheat Flour, Enriched Unbleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Yeast, Contains 2% or Less of Wheat Gluten, Soybean Oil, Salt, Dough Conditioners (Distilled Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, DATEM, Enzymes [with Wheat Starch, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Peroxide]).
Peanut Butter: Peanuts, Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of Molasses, Fully Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed and Soybean), Mono and Diglycerides, Salt.
Strawberry Jam: Strawberries, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Contains 2% Or Less of Pectin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative).
Grape Jelly: Sugar, Grape Juice, Contains 2% or Less of Pectin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative).
On the other hand, the following flavors are non-vegan for sure since they contain milk:
Concluson
As you can read in the ingredient list, the five flavors above are (probably accidentally) vegan-friendly. However, it isn’t gluten-free, and in addition to this, it isn’t a healthy choice. Nevertheless, the reduced sugar, whole wheat versions may be worth a try.
What flavors aren't vegan?
On the other hand, the following flavors are non-vegan for sure since they contain milk:
- Peanut Butter & Honey Spread on Whole Wheat
- Chocolate Flavored Hazlenut Spread Uncrustable
Furthermore, there are some Uncrustables which are not even vegetarian-friendly.
Uncrustables Taco Bites
Uncrustables Turkey and Colby Jack Roll-Ups
Uncrustables Uncured Ham and Cheddar Roll-Ups
Uncrustables BBQ Chicken Bites
Uncured Ham & Cheddar Bites
Turkey and Colby Jack Bites
I don’t think I had to do anything to it. Their name speaks for them. These Uncrustables contain meat and dairy.
Frequently asked questions
Is there anything missing? Feel free to ask us!
Well, we couldn’t say for sure, but probably yes. According to Smucker’s disclaimer, they aren’t, however they do not contain any animal products. Probably cross-contamination is the main problem.
Still, there are two flavors that are definitely not vegan. The peanut butter & honey spread and the chocolate-flavored hazelnut spread contain skim milk.
Yes, they are vegan for sure.
Unfortunately, a few of them contain skim milk. Chocolate-flavored hazelnut spread is Uncrustable and peanut butter & honey spread on whole wheat are not dairy-free, so they are not considered cruelty-free.
Uncrustables Roll-Ups are flavored and packed with turkey and Colby jack cheese rolled in a soft flatbread. Unfortunately, as you can read It couldn’t be farther from being plant-based. So just forget it.
