Are Fruit Roll-Ups Vegan? (2023 Updated)

Are Fruit Roll-ups vegan? Fruit Roll-Ups are the sweet, chewy, fruit snack that kids love to eat. They began appearing in grocery stores in the United States back in 1983. They're manufactured by General Mills and part of the Betty Crocker brand. But are they vegan?

You might be surprised to learn that yes, they are vegan. They do not contain any animal products, not even gelatin which is a common offender in chewy treats. But what exactly is in them? Let's check out the ingredients which can also be found on the Betty Crocker website.

Fruit Roll-Ups Ingredients

All the different flavors of Fruit Roll-Ups have similar ingredients. Let's check out the ingredients for the Flavor Mixers.

Fruit Roll-Ups Flavor Mixers Ingredient List: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Pear Puree Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Palm Oil. Contains 2 % or less of: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Monoglycerides, Fruit Pectin, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Acetylated Monoglycerides, Natural Flavors, Color (red 40, yellows 5 & 6, blue 1.).

While there are some questionable ingredients such as sugar, artificial colors, and palm oil, they do not contain any animal ingredients.

Flavors of Fruit Roll-Ups

Fruit Roll-Ups come in several different flavors that can all fit in with a vegan diet as they have extremely similar ingredients.

Strawberry Sensation
Flavor Mixers
Jolly Rancher
Sour
Tropical Tie-Dye
Blastin' Berry Hot Colors

Healthier Organic Fruit Roll-Ups

The good news is that there are other options out there that are healthier. Most of them are more like fruit leather which has a different consistency than regular Fruit Roll-Ups. They are heartier but still have a great fruity taste. Let's check out the ingredients (found here) for Stretch Island Fruit Leather - Strawberry Flavor.

Stretch Island Original Strawberry Fruit Leather: Apple Puree Concentrate, Pear Puree Concentrate, Strawberry Puree, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Strawberry Juice Concentrate with other Natural Flavors.

These are much healthier ingredients from real fruit and free of artificial flavors and artificial colors. They fit in a vegan lifestyle much better than regular Fruit Roll-Ups.

Aside from Stretch Island, there are other options.

Trader Joe's Organic Fruit Wraps - made from dried fruit with no added sugar
Annie's Organic Really Peely Fruit Tape - no artificial flavors or corn syrup
Good and Gather Organic Fruit Strips - made from fruit concentrates with no artificial colors

These are all better options than regular Fruit Roll-Ups.

Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

Another option is to make your own fruit roll-ups! There are many recipes online for easy fruit roll-ups that only need 3 ingredients: fruit, lemon juice and a sweetener. Parchment paper and a food processor also comes in handy! Check out 3 Ingredient Fruit Roll-Ups by Live Eat Learn. If you aren't a fan of cane sugar, you can also use Stevia in this recipe.

Note: While this recipe is easy, it does take hours for the fruit mixture to dehydrate in the oven at its lowest temperature. If you make your own fruit roll-ups, they'll still have the fruit flavor and chewy texture but you'll be able to control what's in them and how much added sugar is used.

Fruit Roll-Ups Flowers

Sure Fruit Roll-Ups are fun to eat. But what about using them to decorate? In the post Fantastical Fruit Roll-Ups Flowers by She Knows, the author shows exactly how to create beautiful edible flowers out of Fruit Roll-Ups. These edible flowers can be used as a topper for cupcakes, cookies and chocolate candy. The recipe calls for a peanut m&m in the center of the flower, but you can substitute it for a vegan jelly bean.

Questions:

Are Fruit Roll-Ups made of gelatin?

Unlike many kinds of chewy, fruity treats, Fruit Roll-ups do not contain any gelatin!

Is sugar vegan?

While sugar comes from sugar cane, which is a natural plant, the production process of some brands of white sugar uses bone char. According to Peta.org, "Bone char—often referred to as natural carbon—is widely used by the sugar industry as a decolorizing filter, which allows the sugar cane to achieve its desirable white color."

So cane sugar doesn't technically contain any animal products. Some vegans choose to stay away from it because of how it's processed.

Are Fruit Roll-Ups gluten-free?

Yes, Fruit Roll-Ups are gluten-free!

Are Fruit Roll-Ups healthy?

No, Fruit Roll-Ups are not healthy. On the Fruit Roll-ups website, there is the line "WHOLESOME: A sweet snack you can feel great about." I definitely would not agree with that. As the first two ingredients are corn syrup and white sugar, I have no idea how they can claim Fruit Roll-Ups are wholesome.

Do Fruit Roll-Ups contain dairy?

No, they do not contain any dairy products.

Are Fruit Roll-Ups Kosher?

Yes, all Fruit Roll-Ups flavors are Kosher.

Summary

Betty Crocker brand Fruit Roll-Ups are a sweet chewy treat that do not contain any animal ingredients. Unfortunately, they also contain a lot of sugar and no fresh fruit. For a healthier yet similar snack, there are many more natural brands that have similar products such as fruit leathers. You can also make your own! But if you are in the mood for the original snack, you'll be happy to know Fruit Roll-Ups are vegan.