Are Oreos Vegan?

When you are a vegan, it can be really difficult to decipher which snack foods are suitable for you, and which are not. The hard part is that many snack manufacturers are not clear with the ingredients they use, and the processes they utilize to produce their products. 

If you lead a vegan diet and lifestyle, then the important thing you have to remember is that you have to check the ingredient list of any food that you buy to verify if it is vegan or not. One of the difficulties of being a vegan is that you will most likely have to give up some of your favorite snack foods, as they may no longer be suitable for your lifestyle.

Popular snack foods that many like to eat are cookies. The only problem is, once you start eating them...you just can’t stop! Our personal favorite cookies to snack on are Oreos.  

Oreos are some of the most popularly enjoyed cookies around the world. The Oreo is a much beloved snack, and is a cookie, with a delicious creamy filling sandwiched between two biscuits. 

These cookies have been manufactured and sold since 1912, with as much as 450 billion Oreos sold in over a hundred countries across the globe. But we already know how popular these cookies are, what we want to know is, are Oreos vegan? 

What are Oreos?

Oreos are an American cookie brand made by food and beverage company Mondelez International. The most common and most popular flavor of Oreo cookies is the regular flavor, which consists of two circular shaped chocolate biscuits with a creme filling sandwiched between them. 

Despite there being descriptions such as cream and chocolate, the original Oreos have no evidence that they may not be vegan friendly. However, there are many questions around what the creme filling is made from, and how these cookies are made, which can lead people to discuss whether Oreos are actually vegan. 

Are Oreos Vegan?

Whilst there are no actual dairy products found in the Original Oreos cookie, using terms such as chocolate and cream to describe the flavor can put any vegan’s nerves on edge. 

Original Oreos

To clear the confusion, there are no non vegan ingredients in the Oreo cookies, but the manufacturer clearly states that there is a risk of cross contact with other milk products. This cross contact would actually mean that Oreos unfortunately cannot be classed as 100% vegan friendly. 

If we consider the list of ingredients, then we can see that there is no mention of milk, as the company specifically states that they use lecithin that is derived from soya, which is completely plant based. 

This is why the filling is referred to as creme rather than cream, as the FDA does not allow food manufacturers to use the word cream to describe any foods that contain no cream at all. As there are no animal or dairy products, this means that Oreos are basically vegan when it comes to their ingredients.

However, to make a product entirely vegan, you cannot just look at what ingredients are used, you will have to consider the processes in which they are made, and how they are made in order to render something 100% vegan. 

If we look at the Oreo cookies website, then we can see that the company states that Oreos are not suitable for vegans as ‘Oreo have milk as cross contact’. This shows that Oreo cookies are at risk of being in contact with dairy products such as milk. With this in mind, unless Oreo makes changes to their production processes, then they may remain unsuitable for a vegan diet and lifestyle. 

What are Oreos made from?

There are many different varieties of Oreos, and so it can be difficult to say wholeheartedly what they are made from, as this will differ from flavor to flavor. That being said, if we consider the original, regular flavor, then we can see what ingredients are included in a normal pack of Oreos. 

Ingredients: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, PALM AND/OR CANOLA OIL, COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT, SOY LECITHIN, CHOCOLATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

If we look at the ingredients above, then there is no evidence to prove that Oreos are not vegan friendly. However, there are some questions surrounding whether the cookies are cross contaminated with milk products or dairy products, which can make them inherently non vegan. 

What does cross contact mean?

You may be wondering what cross contact exactly means, and how this may affect you as a vegan. Cross contact is the process of two or more different foods coming into contact with each other, and mixing together to the point where there may be tiny, small amounts of each food in the other. 

You must pay special attention to foods that are at risk of cross contact if you have an allergy, as small particles of the food can cause severe allergic reactions in many people. This means that if someone has a milk allergy, then they will have to steer clear of Oreos, even if there are no dairy ingredients in the list. 

Cross contact is different from cross contamination, as with cross contamination, the trace elements of another food can be cooked in order to eliminate them. This is why, if there are trace elements of milk in Oreos due to cross contact, then it is best to stay away from them. 

So, can a vegan eat Oreos?

Whether you decide to eat Oreos in spite of this information is really down to how your moral beliefs and your stance on veganism is. For many vegans who veer on the edge or veganism, or are more relaxed about their dietary requirements, the possibility of trace elements of milk in your Oreos may not bother you too much, and may not go against your vegan beliefs. 

However, other more strict vegans who lead a plant based lifestyle, will want to omit all dairy and animal derived products from their diet and their lives, and so will want to leave the Oreos on the shelf! 

Whichever type of vegan you are, it is not all bad news. Luckily, you can purchase vegan friendly alternatives to enjoy, or you can make your own vegan Oreos at home!

How to make your own Vegan Oreos

Don’t worry! You do not have to give up on your favorite cookies forever. You can actually make your own 100% vegan friendly Oreos. The good thing is, is that they are super easy to make, and taste just as good as the original. 

All you need is:

  • 2 cups of rolled oats
  • 1 cup of coconut cream
  • ½ teaspoon of baking powder
  • ½ cup of cornflakes
  • ½ cup of vegan friendly cocoa powder
  • 5-6 tablespoons of vegan sugar or maple syrup

Directions:

Except from the coconut cream, you will first want to pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl, and mix them together well. Keep mixing until the consistency is similar to that of dough.

Next, you will want to roll the dough into small dough balls and press them in your palms to turn them into round shaped discs that look like normal Oreos. 

Then, once your balls are all shaped and ready, you can bake them for about 10 minutes at a temperature of 300 degrees fahrenheit. Once baked, you can remove the biscuits from the oven and leave them cool at room temperature. 

Next, you will need to prepare the filling. With your coconut cream, vegan sugar or maple syrup, you will want to mix them together to create your creme filling. Once your filling is a creamy consistency, you will want to place it between two biscuits, to create your vegan homemade Oreos. Refrigerate for around an hour until they harden, and then you can serve them up, or eat them all yourself! 

Vegan alternatives to Oreos

If Oreos are the one thing that you really struggle to give up, you can find a few different vegan alternatives! Here are just a few of our favorites, but there are a few to choose from, as long as you check the ingredients list and check for vegan processes, then you are good to go!

  • Back To Nature Cookies- Vegan
  • Newman’s Own Organic Cookies

Summary

In conclusion, the ingredients in Original Oreos are actually vegan friendly. However, with all Oreo products and flavors, the company has stated that there is a risk of cross contact with milk products, which can render the cookies non vegan. The answer as to whether a vegan can eat Oreos depends on the person's specific beliefs. 

If they are not following a strict vegan diet, then they may see no issue with eating Oreos despite the warning label of cross contamination, however more strict beliefs would mean that Oreos are not suitable for vegans. 

Adam Smith
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