Are Oreos Vegan? Are Golden Oreos Vegan?
Our reviews of vegan foods are not only limited to fresh veggies, fruits, grains, and the likes. We have already reviewed some popular packaged snacks like Doritos, Lays, Pringles and many more. So, here goes another one: everyone’s favorite Oreo sandwich cookies. Are Oreos Vegan? Are Golden Oreos Vegan?Let us quickly check.
Have you ever wondered that vegan junk foods are actually available? Some of our all-time favorite treats, including cookies, candies, and chips are dairy-free and meat-free products. If so, what are Oreo cookies made of?
Most of us have grown up devouring this delectable cookie and we just cannot resist having them even now. However, following a vegan diet makes you aware of animal-cruelty and a lot of other brutal practices. Whether you want to continue your vegan diet or switch to a vegan diet for the first time, you must know if Oreo cookies are safe for vegans.
Oreo Cookies – Vegan or Not?
About Oreo Cookies – Oreo is one of the most popular and favorite snacks around the world. This sandwich cookie consists of two chocolate wafers with a sweet cream filling. Introduced in 1912, Oreo has been a great success owing to its unique combination of cocoa and cream. Today, there are almost 450 billion Oreos sold throughout the world including the US and UK. In fact, Oreo is the best selling cookie brand in many countries like the US.
The answer is not as simple as the black and white color of an Oreo cookie. It means that the factory where the Oreo cookies are produced makes other products that do contain milk. As a result, dairy comes in close contact with Oreo cookies, making them unsafe for vegans. When the company gives you such a disclaimer, there is a possibility that the Oreo cookies will contain traces of dairy. Yet, if cross-contact is not actually your concern, you may choose to consume it.
Apart from the cross-contact factor, another alarming factor is animal-cruelty. The two important ingredients in Oreo are sugar and palm oil, which are quite controversial among vegans due to their production process. Sugar is produced with bone char and palm oil production is known for causing harm to animals.
In the UK, Oreo is produced by Mondelez International. This factory also produces non-vegan snacks and chocolates. Some of the most popular among others are Cadbury, Toblerone, and TUC. These products contain milk and eggs and therefore, we can assume that Oreo cookies might come to contact with such ingredients.
The National Biscuit Company or Nabisco is the US division of Mondelez International. Even this factory does not advertise Oreo as a vegan cookie due to the same reason. They also agree to the point that the cookie has a chance of cross-contact. In this regard, PETA classifies Oreo as an ‘accidentally vegan’ snack.
Are Golden Oreos Vegan?
The Golden Oreos are produced in the same factory where the original Oreos are produced. These cookies too are free of animal-derived ingredients. The ingredients that the golden Oreo cookies contain are unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate vitamin b1, riboflavin vitamin b2, folic acid, sugar, canola and/or palm oil, high fructose corn syrup, salt, baking soda, soy lecithin, artificial flavor, and natural flavor. Yet, there is a risk of cross-contact since the same factory produces non-vegan products. If cross-contact is something you are concerned about, you should avoid it for the same reason.
What Are Oreos Made From?
Oreo cookies are made of very common ingredients that are found in many biscuits and similar products. One can easily tell that there are cocoa and cream. But, what about the rest? Flour, sugar, oil, raising agents, and flavorings are the main ingredients of Oreo.
Palm oil or canola oil is used in all flavors of Oreo cookies. Palm oil is a controversial ingredient for vegans since its production process causes harm to animals and the environment. Many vegans consider avoiding this ingredient while some are okay with it.
To be more precise, here are some other ingredients that the Oreo cookies contain. Cocoa in Oreo is processed with alkali. Soy lecithin, high fructose corn syrup, salt, sugar, palm oil/canola oil, unbleached enriched flour, vanillin, cornstarch, leavening agent, and chocolate are the ingredients you will find in the packaging label.
Vegan Oreo Alternatives
Here are some vegan Oreo alternatives you can try. You can also prepare these vegan homemade cookies for yourself in just 15 minutes.
Cookie & Biscuit
This UK-based company offers boxes of vegan cookies and brownies that taste absolutely brilliant. The owner supervises the production process and regularly changes the flavors. You can try their Cardamom Snickadoodle and Classic Chocolate Chunk cookies.
Against the Grain Cookies
This Surrey-based biscuit company produces a wide range of vegan cookies. They use sustainably sourced palm oil, which is organically produced and recommended for vegans. You can try their Chocolate Chip & Hazelnut, Chocolate & Orange, and Berry Delicious flavors.
Gato Cookies n Cream
This company produces some really delicious plant-based cookies for vegans. You can try their cookies and cream biscuit, which is available in four different flavors. The variety of Gatos cookies and cream biscuits is as interesting as original Oreo flavors.
Huntley & Palmers Biscuits Bakehouse Classics
The Bakehouse Classics biscuit collection is something very rich and special for vegans. These assorted biscuits taste very good and come in a vintage tin packaging.
Udi’s Gluten-Free Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
The chocolate sandwich cookies from Udi’s make a perfect vegan alternative to Oreo. The added benefit is that the cookies are gluten-free.
Many people prefer having Nutter Butter cookies over Oreos as they are less chocolaty and crispier and flavory. Understand whether Nutter Butter cookies are vegan or not and then decide on whether you want to have them.
Make Your Own Vegan Oreos
Preparing your own vegan version of Oreo is always special and the experience cannot be compared to purchasing cookies. Here are the ingredients you will need.
Ingredients
- Rolled oats: 2 cups
- Baking powder: ½ teaspoon
- Vegan-friendly cocoa powder: ½ cup
- Cornflakes: ½ cup
- Vegan Sugar/Maple Syrup: 5-6 tablespoon (Read Maple Syrup’s Vegan status with us)
- Coconut cream: 1 cup
Direction
Pour all these ingredients except coconut cream in a large bowl and mix them well. The form or consistency should be like a dough.
Then, roll the dough into little balls and press them with your palm to make proper round shaped discs.
When all the balls are shaped and ready, bake them for about 10 minutes at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, remove them and keep in room temperature to let them cool.
Now, it’s time to prepare the filling. Bit together coconut cream with a little bit of vegan sugar or maple syrup until the mixture is super smooth.
Your filling is done and now, all you need to do is sandwich the filling between two cookies to make each vegan Oreo. Refrigerate the vegan Oreo for about an hour and when they are hard and crispy, it’s time to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are Oreo Thins vegan?
No, technically not, since the production company Mondelez International mentions that there could be chances of cross-contact with non-vegan ingredients present in other products.
2. Do Oreos contain milk?
No, Oreo cookies do not contain milk but there are chances of cross-contamination.
3. Do Oreos have palm oil?
Yes, Oreo contains palm oil as mentioned in the packaging label.
4. Do Oreos have dairy?
No, Oreo cookies do not have dairy products but there are chances of cross-contamination.
5. Are peanut butter Oreos vegan?
No, all Oreo flavors including Peanut Butter (check vegan status) are made with vegan-friendly ingredients have chances of cross-contact.
Conclusion
So, can vegans eat Oreos? Well, it all depends upon what an individual believes in. If your concern is only ingredients and are fine with sugar as well as palm oil, you can still enjoy Oreo cookies. If you think cross-contact are animal-cruelty should be avoided, looking for the vegan alternatives should be the right decision.
No worries as following a vegan lifestyle doesn’t mean you need to forget the taste of the Oreo sandwich. All you need is a little effort and time to get your homemade vegan Oreo cookies baked to perfection. If you prefer to shop them instead, do check out the brands we mentioned above and let us know!
Hi Tully
My son is very allergic to Dairy , from the proteins that Dairy contains (Whey and the Casein proteins). As noted in the ingredients, Natural Flavors are included in the Golden Oreos, but Artificial flavors are in the normal Oreos. We were needing to know what is included in the natural flavors. We have found that most of the time there is Butter or some other milk product in there. Finding out the hard way, with trips to the hospitable are not fun. Other food products often contain natural flavors where milk was never disclosed on the packaging. We found that Natural flavoring contains many allergens that people should be aware of.
If you know, could you please inform me. My son took a bite and thought he had a minor reaction, but we would like to be sure.
Natural flavors come from plant or animal sources, like a fruit, vegetable, meat, fish, dairy product, herb, spice, leaf, root, bark or bud that is then processed, fermented or distilled in some way. In short, natural flavors are extracted from plants and animals to create specific flavors for processed foods.
Thank you
Aaron