Vegan Microwave Popcorn
For someone new to the vegan lifestyle, it can be challenging to find vegan-friendly sources of their favorite snacks. Popcorn, for instance, is a beloved snack enjoyed by many, no movie night is complete without a bowl of popcorn. The very mention of the word can make you feel hungry. And with the added convenience of microwave popcorn, life just got easier and more fun too. But not all microwave popcorn brands are vegan.
In this article, we have curated a list of vegan-friendly microwave popcorn brands to help you satisfy your craving for this beloved snack without compromising your ethical or dietary values.
Microwave Popcorn – Vegan or Not?
Just pop the bag into the microwave; let it heat up and ta-da! There’s your hot and yummy popcorn all ready to dig in, just before movie time! There’s only one hitch though. Is movie popcorn vegan? If you’re a vegan, this would require extra effort to research and pick the right vegan microwave popcorn brand. So we thought of simplifying things, in this article, we have listed some of the best vegan microwave popcorn packets that are available in the market.
Is Microwave Popcorn Vegan?
?
Yes, Plain Popcorn are vegan. Some brands do have vegan varieties in popcorn, while some do not have. The following vegan popcorn brands are completely vegan-friendly and are made from kernels that only contain corn.
Before we jump right over to the brands, let’s begin by answering this important question that hovers in most vegans’ minds – can vegans eat popcorn? The answer is Yes and for this we need to understand how popcorn comes into its final yummy shape that we just pop into our mouth and forget the world.
Simple plain popcorn, i.e., without any butter or seasonings, is made from kernels which only contain corn. So these corn kernels on their own are vegan. But, these popcorn do go bad, and you need to know how store them to maintain its freshness for long.
The problem arises only when certain brands start enhancing the original popcorn for better taste value to their customers. That’s when questionable ingredients like butter and other animal-derived by-products come into play, making the popcorn fall into the non-vegan category. So how to know which popcorn is vegan and which one isn’t?
Well, as explained above, plain popcorn made from only corn kernels is definitely vegan. Besides that, when looking for microwave popcorn to pick at the store, make sure you check each label carefully. Specially look out for dairy stuff added as seasoning to most popcorn brands – the most common being butter. Besides this, white cheddar is also added to some to make the popcorn cheesy. Though they don’t use real cheddar cheese despite the claim, a dried powdered seasoning of the same is also unacceptable as a vegan.
The same goes for butter too. Most brands used artificial butter flavoring initially in their popcorn until people began shouting out health concerns. Now several companies opt to use real butter instead, which is even worse vegan-wise. So even if the artificial butter seasoning would’ve been vegan, with the switch to butter, those brands have opted out of the vegan list. Make sure to keep an eye out though by checking each of their individual labels.
Vegan Microwave Popcorn Brands
| Rank | PRODUCT NAME | SCORE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
1st Place |
|
Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn By Orville Redenbacher’s |
4.8
|
Check Price |
|
2
Best Value |
|
Angie’s Vegan Salted Caramel Popcorn By Angie’s |
4.7
|
Check Price |
| 3 |
|
Proper Corn Popcorn By Proper Corn |
4.7
|
Check Price |
| 4 |
|
Jolly Time Popcorn By Jolly Time |
4.6
|
Check Price |
| 5 |
|
Pop Secret Popcorn By Pop Secret |
4.5
|
Check Price |
So now we know that most microwave popcorn brands out there include dairy in their product. Ideally, this popcorn should be clearly labelled as “contains dairy” but in case they aren’t, the best way to be doubly sure is to check each label carefully for each of the ingredients present. Then again, there might be some ingredients that may sound confusing or never heard of! What to do in that case? Does that mean you as a vegan can never enjoy hot microwave popcorn? No. It simply means that you should check out the following vegan popcorn brands.
1. Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn
TV’s popcorn king grew his exclusive kernel and devoted his life to making lighter and fluffier popcorn. The vegan popcorn brand is known for its evenly coated butter popcorn.
Is Orville Redenbacher popcorn vegan? Smartpop is its only closely vegan offering. Containing wholegrain popping corn, palm oil, salt, sucrose, and vitamin E, palm oil is the only questionable ingredient (oil extraction causes deforestation and threat to animals). It’s present in small amounts so vegans don’t mind it much.
“It’s very buttery and full of flavor, I have them enough for quite awhile, this is a large box! I will buy this way again and will never run out, I love popcorn it’s so delicious! I gave a few packages to my new neighbors too, they love it, a very delicious snack!”
PROS —
- High Quality Yellow Kernels
- Oil-free & Seasoning -free kernels
- 100% whole grain, non-GMO, organic and Gluten-free
- Easy Cooking instructions
CONS —
- No Oil and Seasoning is provided with kernels
- Kernels here aren’t premeasured
2. Angie’s Vegan Salted Caramel Popcorn
Started by Angie Bastian and her husband in a garage, Angie’s Popcorn has come a long way from being sold at festivals and fairs to grocery chains across the country. With a mildly sweet kettle corn flavor, the popcorn is irresistible.
Its vegan product – Angie’s Vegan Salted Caramel Popcorn – is perfect for sweet and savory taste buds. Feel a tinge of salt with the caramel delight. Also try their Sweet and Salty vegan option.
“I’m on a calorie counting diet and still need a good snack. This popcorn fits my needs perfectly as it is a good crunch snack with only 35 calories per cup. They’re incredibly LOW sodium, taste like fresh popped, and they’re really easy on the digestion. Plus, the bags are the perfect size for snacking.”
PROS —
- 11 vegan popcorn flavors
- Non-GMO & Gluten-free
- Low in sodium
- Can be pop cooked
CONS —
- Plain and Sea Salt flavor more flavorful as compared to others
3. Proper Corn
Like its name, this brand aims to do things the proper way. It’s certified B-Corp, part of the like-minded business community that acts in sustainable and transparent ways, meeting high standards of social and environmental performance.
The brand’s ProperCorn provides unique deep flavors in every popped kernel. Its microwaveable variety comes in cinnamon, salted, and sweet flavors. The vegan options are Peanut Butter & Almond, Sweet & Salty, Perfectly Sweet, Sun-Dried Tomato & Chilly, and Lightly Sea Salted.
“Didn’t expect the vegan salty plus sweet flavor so tasty and delicious. Magic of popping corn is here!”
PROS —
- Brown sugar coated popcorn
- Dairy-free and Gluten-Free
- Contains Natural Seasoning
CONS —
- Available in Basic flavor only
4. Jolly Time
One of the oldest popcorn-makers (100 years precisely), it’s a known name in the market for buttery popcorn and other natural flavours too. Whether you like sugary or spice, you’ll find your options here.
Its Simply Popped Sea Salt flavor is almost vegan, for it contains palm oil (like that of licorice. Know whether palm oil is vegan in ‘Is Licorice Vegan‘ article), but all the other ingredients are simple and safe for vegans – non-GMO popcorn, sea salt, and rosemary extract.Another vegan option is the 100 Calorie Healthy Pop Kettle Corn.
“Some of the best & healthiest vegan popcorn I have ever tasted. Not too salty or buttery. Perfect for those who are watching what they eat!”
PROS —
- Non-GMO and Gluten-free
- Available in white, yellow and organic kernels
- Can be eaten while on any diet
- Whole Grain popcorn, high in Fiber and low in cholesterol
CONS —
- Some find it less flavorful
5. Pop Secret
Produced by Snyder’s-Lance, a subsidiary of Campbell Soup Company, Pop Secret was known for selling colored popcorn Pop Qwizin the 90s. Yellow, blue and green, and a mystery bag with a surprise color. The popcorn is butter-drenched which makes it popular.
Is pop secret vegan? – Its vegan options include Sweet ‘n Crunchy Kettle Corn which contains palm oil but isn’t explicitly non-vegan. There’s also vegan Sea Salt with whole grain popcorn, palm oil, and sea salt.
“This my favorite microwave vegan popcorn. I received my box of popcorn very quickly and in perfect shape. It’s not stale and popped just fine. One more thing to snack on while hiding out at home. I recommend.”
PROS —
- Available in number of flavors
- Low in Fat and Calories
- Kosher certified
- Non-GMO
CONS —
- Little Expensive
6. Pipcorn Sea Salt
Made with unique and most delicious heirloom popcorn kernels, Pipcorn offers something unique to the popcorn industry. Heirloom seeds have a distinct crunch and flavor and this is what makes this brand stand out. This is why its popcorn too has a different earthy taste to it which you can’t stop popping.
The brand’s Sea Salt flavor is pleasantly vegan. Among the dairy free popcorn brands, it contains olive oil and sea salt with non-GMO popcorn.
“Delicious Taste! Took us awhile to get in the mail but it really is great vegan popcorn. Our kids love it and it is a great and healthy snack!- rush in to make your purchase today, you definitely won’t be disappointed – it’s addicting.”
PROS —
- Has Mini Popcorn Packs
- Easier to chew out compared to other popcorn
- Non-GMO
- Good Salty Taste
CONS —
- Quite Expensive
7. Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Popcorn
Founded by Bob Moore, the company aims to provide best-quality all-natural foods. Its vegan popcorn promises to deliver the same. Made with wholegrain and no added oil or salt, these raw corn kernels are just perfect to have pure popcorn your way.
Their Yellow Popcorn kernels have only one ingredient – wholegrain yellow corn. It can be placed in the microwave and made tasty with your favorite seasoning in seconds. Besides that, it’s absolutely vegan too.
“Bob’s products are the best as per us. The company has very high standards and I have never had a bad purchase, or even mediocre product from them. Bob’s vegan popcorn consistently pops better and tastes fresher than any other we have tried. We also use Bob’s Red Mill, oatmeal, flour and other products.”
PROS —
- Package size is good to stock up
- Whole grain white popcorn
- Oil-free and are high in fiber
- Preparing them is super easy
CONS —
- Must be stored in an airtight container once opened
8. Just The Caramel Corn Popcorn
Another great snack brand that promises to provide full natural flavors without using corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oils. Besides, the vegan popcorn is gluten-free, nut-free, and uses certified non-GMO wholegrain.
Its Caramel flavor is vegan-safe with only popcorn, brown sugar, sunflower oil, salt, and soy lecithin (emulsifier). For some vegans, sugar may be a problem though, but again this is subjective. You might want to check the label of other flavors to know which is non-vegan.
“Absolutely have no complaints. Not to forget that this is nut-free (and gluten-free), and with such severe allergies it’s really hard to find such yummy snack food. Usually you’re stuck with something that tastes like Styrofoam.”
PROS —
- Non-GMO
- No Artificial Flavors
- Certified gluten free and kosher
CONS —
- A bit costly
Conclusion
Try these vegan popcorn brands at your favorite grocery store and enjoy them the way you like them. They come in a sealed microwaveable bag that can be placed as it is in the appliance and within minutes, you’d have your popped corn kernels without any non-vegan additions to them.
However, if you are looking for even more snack options to enjoy during a movie night or just a regular day, there are plenty of vegan-friendly snacks available in the market. From chips like Sunchips, Lays, fritos, to fruit snacks like Laffy Taffy, Sour Patch Kids, Airheads, and energy bars, the options are endless. So, don’t hesitate to explore the many other options available and continue to enjoy all your favorite snacks while staying true to your vegan lifestyle.
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