Vegan snacks don’t have to be complicated, and you may find you have the ingredients at home to make something, but there are plenty of cookies and chips that are surprisingly vegan-friendly.
One snack you may be wondering about are Funyuns, and we hate to break the bad news, but no, they aren’t vegan, but perhaps you could try some alternatives as we try to answer some of your vegan snacking questions below.
What About Other Varieties?
The only other variety that is listed on their site is the flamin’ hot variety, and these, alongside the original, contain milk products such as buttermilk.
The flamin’ hot variety also contains whey, cheddar cheese, and skim milk, which are a definite no-go for vegans.
However, there are Lays wavy Funyuns that are vegan and gluten-free, but as these are a limited-time flavor, getting them in some regions might be difficult.
Are There Alternatives?
Yes there are, and you may be surprised to find out that there are many chip snack alternatives out there that you can find at your local grocery store. These are:
- Wise onion rings
- Doritos spicy sweet chili
- Munchos flamin’ hot potato chips
- Original Fritos
- Lays classic potato chips
- Maple bacon kettle chips
What About Other Snacks?
If you’re not a lover of chips, there are many cookie and candy treats that many may not know are vegan, and it wouldn’t be fun not knowing what is available to you, so below, we have listed some you may be familiar with.
- Airheads
- Famous Amos peanut butter sandwich cookies
- Lindt chocolate bars, especially dark chocolate varieties
- Nutter Butter cookies
- Oreos
- Ritz crackers
- Swedish fish
- Oreos
- Thin mints
- Unfrosted Pop Tarts
What About Allergies?
Even though many of these vegan options are delightful, they may be made in a facility where other products that contain allergens are processed, so that is why when you check any label, it may say something like ‘may contain traces of nuts.
This is why checking the label is important, as companies may change their ingredients from time to time, and even though allergy-free products sound great, they might only be free from the top 9-14 allergens.
Below is a list of some of these products, and who knows, perhaps one of these might become your new favorite snack.
- Skinny Pop popcorn
- 88 Acres seed bars
- Made Good granola minis
- Free2b sun cups
- Homefree vanilla mini cookies
- Freedom Foods Tropico’s cereal
- Nuttee Bean Co. fava beans
What Non-Vegan Ingredients Do I Need To Look Out For?
Checking for that vegan certification on a product can give you a sigh of relief, but there may be occasions when you have to look closer at the ingredients to see if there are any specific additions that are derived from the parts of animals.
There are some products that only need to contain a small amount of these derivatives in order to label them as non-vegan, but it can be hard to find out what these are.
Below is a list of what we would call sneaky ingredients that may not even be vegetarian, for that matter.
- Beeswax and honey- You can find this in candies, and with honey, it’s often used as a sweetener in many products, so if you’re following a strict vegan diet, you should avoid these.
- Casein or milk byproducts- Even though we know this is derived from animal milk and is sometimes used in non-dairy products, so make sure to check for this ingredient.
- Confectioner’s glaze on candy and cakes- This starts out as a glaze that comes from the lac insect and is found in candies like candy corn, Mike & Ike’s, Hershey’s good n’ plenty, and sugar babies.
- Gelatin products- This comes from animal gelatin which you can find in candies like gummy bears and processed foods and is also known as hydrolyzed collagen, gelatine hydrolysate, or collagen peptides.
- Whey- This is made from the protein-rich liquid that is expelled from milk that has been churned or curdled then strained, and because of its protein content, is added to nutritional supplements, and protein shakes.
Final Thoughts
With many alternatives to get your head around, now you can check the other snacks in your cupboards and see what ingredients are inside them, and being aware of them makes your vegan diet more successful without having to go too far out of your way.
