Are Veggie Straws Vegan?

Sensible Portion’s Veggie Straws are popular alternative chips, with less fat and more healthy ingredients.

With the popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets increasing at a rapid rate, more and more snacks are being released onto the market made from vegetables. 

You wouldn’t be able to imagine all of the veggie snacks that are now available at your local supermarket! While Veggie Straws are vegetarian friendly, are they vegan?

Can everyone eat Veggie Straws, or are people that follow a vegan diet excluded again? Let’s find out. 

Garden Veggie Straws

Garden Veggie Straws come in five different flavors: Sea Salt, Cheddar, Sea Salt & Sweet Potato, Zesty Ranch, and Sweet Potato. 

The ingredients for these Garden Veggie Straws are as follows: 

Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Corn Starch, Tomato Paste, Spinach Powder, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Sugar, Beetroot Powder (color), Turmeric, Canola/Safflower/Sunflower Oil, and Flavoring (Sea Salt/Cheddar/Sea Salt & Sweet Potato/Zesty Ranch/Sweet Potato).

The sweet potato variants also include Flour and Beta Carotene (coloring) in the ingredients list. 

The basic Garden Veggie Straws have no animal-derived ingredients and are therefore vegan. These flavors are Sea Salt, Sweet Potato, and Sea Salt & Sweet Potato. 

However, Cheddar and Zesty Ranch flavors of Garden Veggie Straws are not vegan. This is because the ingredients list includes ingredients of animal origin. Cheddar Garden Veggie Straws includes Why, Cheddar Cheese, and Sour Cream. 

Zesty Ranch Garden Veggie Straws contains Buttermilk and Sour Cream. Therefore, both the Cheddar and Zesty Ranch variants of Garden Veggie Straws are not to be considered vegan. 

The Garden Veggie Straws are all gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, and free of artificial preservatives or flavors. 

Garden Veggie Chips

Garden Veggie Chips are another variant of the Garden Veggie Straws, and they are only available in one flavor - Sea Salt. The ingredients are as follows for the Garden Veggie Chips:

Potato Flour, Potato Starch, Tomato Paste, Spinach Powder, Salt, Sugar, Potassium Chloride, Beetroot Powder (color), Turmeric, Canola/Safflower/Sunflower Oil, and Sea Salt. 

The ingredients list for the Garden Veggie Chips is also vegan as there are no animal-derived products within it. Just like the Garden Veggie Straws, the Garden Veggie Chips are gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, and free of artificial preservatives or flavors. 

Apple Straws

You can also opt for Apple Straws, which are similar to Garden Veggie Straws. However, they only come in one flavor, which is Cinnamon. The Apple Straws contain the ingredients which are detailed below. 

Corn Flour, Rice Flour, Sugar, Potato Fiber, Apple Puree, Salt, Natural Apple Flavor, and Seasoning (Sugar, Spice, Malic Acid, Salt, and Natural Flavors). 

Whether the Apple Straws are vegan or not is not as simple as whether the prior two chips were. This is because the ingredients list simply states Natural Flavors, without expanding on what these are. 

However, Apple Straws are also considered cholesterol-free, making it very unlikely that animal byproducts have been used within the formula. So, many people consider Apple Straws to also be vegan. 

Just like the Garden Veggie Straws and Garden Veggie Chips, the Apple Straws are also gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, and free of artificial preservatives or flavors. 

Summary

To conclude, the majority of Garden Veggie Straws and alternative variants are indeed vegan. The Cheddar and Zesty Ranch flavors are the only flavors that cannot be considered vegan. 

However, the rest of the Garden Veggie Straws flavors along with the Garden Veggie Chips and Apple Straws are considered vegan. 

All of the products from Sensible Portions are gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, and free of artificial preservatives or flavors, making them some of the healthiest chips on the market.

Are spicy veggie straws vegan?

Unfortunately, spicy Veggie straws, or the Screamin’ Hot flavor as they are known, are not vegan. The new flavor from Sensible Portion contains milk, buttermilk, cheddar cheese, and butter, which all contain dairy-based products. These ingredients, unfortunately, make them unsuitable for anyone following a vegan lifestyle or are lactose intolerant. 

They are, however, suitable for vegetarians and are gluten-free, as well as containing no trans fat, artificial flavors, or preservatives. For those after vegan veggie straws, there are other flavors suitable for vegans that are sure to tickle your tastebuds! The sea salt flavors are vegan and delicious! 

Are veggie straws made of veggies?

Veggie straws do not necessarily contain any veggies. Veggie straws are made up of potato starch, dried potato, tomato powder, kale powder, spinach powder, beetroot powder, salt, turmeric, and rapeseed oil. These powdered ingredients are on average listed at about 2% on chips packaging. 

They have come under fire in recent years for not actually including vegetables in their chips despite their marketing suggesting otherwise. Instead, they contain the powder and roughly 40% of dried potato. While they still offer less fat than other chips on the market, they might not be the healthy snack you think they are! 

What chips are vegan?

There are lots of chips that are vegan! The following list will include vegan chips for you to sink your teeth into!

• Doritos, Spicy Sweet Chili flavor
• Enjoy Life Plentils: all six flavors 
• Original Salsitas Spicy Salsa flavored Tortilla chips.
• Kettle Chips: maple bacon, backyard barbeque, and sea salt and vinegar flavors
• Indian Life chips: Samosa, Palak, and Masala flavors. 
• Sun Chips Original flavor
• Earth balance vegan sour cream and onion, and vegan cheddar kettle chips flavors
• Pringles: Tangy Buffalo Wing, and Salted flavors 
• Popchips sea salt and sweet potato pie flavors
• Taco Bell Tortilla Chips
• Fritos Original Corn Chips
• Ruffles All Dressed
•  Flamin’ Hot Munchos Potato Crisps
• Boulder Canyon Avocado Oil  Canyon Cut Jalapeno Chips
• Chile & Lime Flavor Sabritones Puffed Wheat Snacks 
• Zapp’s Voodoo Potato Chips 
• 7-Eleven Select Wasabi Soy Flavored Potato Chips

Remember, this is not an exhaustive list! These days salted, flavored crisps tend to be vegan across a wide range of brands. Be sure to check the ingredients list on the back of the packaging! 

Do veggie sticks have dairy?

Unfortunately, certain flavors of veggie sticks do have dairy in them!  The Cheddar Cheese, Screamin’ Hot, and Zesty Ranch flavors contain cow-based dairy products, making them unsuitable for anyone with lactose intolerance or following a vegan lifestyle.

The milk included in these do not make them vegan-friendly; however, they are suitable for you to consume for vegetarians in the room! 

Other brands of veggie sticks will be similar too. It is best to avoid any Cheddar, Sour Cream, or Ranch flavors as they most commonly contain milk, making them unsuitable for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant.