When people think of veganism, they often consider the limited food options or having a diet that consists entirely of vegetables.
However, that’s not true at all!
In fact, there are a lot of food products that you probably consume now which are vegan, but you just don’t know it.
Take a look at the list below of surprising foods you didn’t know were vegan – chances are, you’ve eaten most of them!
Original Fritos
This deliciously salty chip consists of entirely simple ingredients, which you’ll see are all totally vegan!
There are only 3 things to Fritos: corn, corn oil, and salt.
However, due to variations in flavors, not all of the other assortments are vegan.
So when it comes to adding some variety to your chips, be sure to take a look at the ingredients on the other Fritos flavors.
Along with the original Fritos flavor, other vegan Fritos include Fritos scoops and Fritos BBQ.
Jell-O Pudding Mix
Most people tend to think that pudding isn’t vegan because of the dairy involved.
However, if you make Jell-O Pudding with non-dairy milk, then you have nothing to worry about!
It is important to note, the instructions tell you to use full-fat milk, otherwise, your pudding will be runny – which is true.
So when you want to make your pudding vegan friendly, use half as much of your preferred non-dairy milk, and everything will be fine!
Additionally, keep in mind that only certain flavors of the actual Jell-O powder are completely vegan: vanilla, chocolate, lemon, pistachio, and banana.
To make it even better, not only are they vegan, but these flavors are also gluten-free and soy-free.
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
If you have a craving for chocolate, don’t worry because Hershey’s Chocolate syrup is vegan-friendly!
In total, they have 3 syrup flavors: original chocolate, strawberry, and caramel.
Of the 3 flavors, only the original chocolate and strawberry syrup is free of animal dairy products.
Their caramel flavor, however, contains skim milk and therefore is not vegan, of course.
So next time you want some tasty and delicious yet animal-friendly chocolate flavoring, look no further than the classic chocolate brand, Hershey’s!
Ritz Crackers
You might think that due to the buttery taste of Ritz crackers that they must contain dairy or some other form of animal products.
But surprisingly, the outside coating is made from oils and fats that come from soybeans!
Along with the ingredients, there are no animal products used at any time during the production.
Similar to some of the previous products mentioned, they have a variety of flavors that are also vegan, such as roasted vegetable crackers, whole wheat crackers, and bacon crackers.
Yup – the bacon-flavored Ritz has no animal products either!
Bisquick, Betty Crocker, and Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix
Craving pancakes? If you’re to follow the instructions, adding milk and eggs will obviously add animal products.
But if you find substitutes, such as almond milk or replacing the eggs with bananas, these three pancake mixes on their own are totally vegan.
When you break it down to the ingredients, it’s surprisingly simple – these mixes mostly consist of flour, sugar, leavening mixture, and salt.
In general, most pancake mixtures will already have buttermilk, which is what sets these three vegan-friendly mixtures apart from the others.
Dum Dums
Vegans crave lollies too – which is where Dum Dums come in!
There are 16 flavors of Dum Dums, along with the core seven flavors of lemon, lime, orange, coconut-pineapple, cherry, grape, and butterscotch.
But even in the large variety of flavors, they come in, none of them contain animal products.
Most of the ingredients are artificial, as well as sugar and coloring.
Additionally, they contain no wheat or gluten either.
Gluten-free vegan suckers? Count me in!
Cracker Jacks
This classic American snack is a symbol of a millennial’s childhood.
Personally, I was always excited to eat Cracker Jacks specifically for the prize inside! But little did I know, I was eating a vegan snack.
With the outside caramel coating, you might think this crunchy mixture would contain butter – but it’s just sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and soybean oil.
And of course, the popcorn and nut pieces are just that – popcorn and nuts!
Skittles
If you don’t think Skittles are vegan, you’re not entirely wrong.
They used to contain animal products, and there may still be some Skittles products in circulation from the old, non-vegan batches.
Luckily, these days they are now prominently vegan, though you should still check the packaging just in case.
If the packaging says “suitable for vegetarians,” then you should find a different package!
Otherwise, most of the flavors will be safe for you to enjoy the rainbow!
Oreos
This may not be surprising to everyone, but there are still a lot of people out there who don’t know that Oreos are in fact vegan!
You might have thought that the Oreo filling – that creamy white goodness – must have dairy in it.
However, Oreo’s are not allowed by the FDA to call the filling “cream” when in fact there are no dairy products; so they officially call the filling “creme.”
It is made with sugar, canola oil, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, and soy lecithin.
Like Skittles, Oreos originally used animal products in their cookies but have been vegan and kosher since 1997 by using vegetable oils instead.
Sour Patch Kids
This is definitely a surprise on the list.
Gummy candy is typically made by using gelatin, which is definitely not vegan!
But when you look at the ingredients, you’ll be surprised: sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, tartaric acid, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, and food coloring.
Even though they come in a variety of flavors, they all generally have the same ingredients, so there are no worries about filtering which one you buy.
If you want, you can get them all!
Vegan or not, there are certainly a lot of foods that are surprisingly vegan friendly, and therefore enjoyable for all.
Which one of these surprised you the most?
