Are Pillsbury Biscuits Vegan?

Are Pillsbury Biscuits vegan? Walk down the refrigerated aisle of any grocery store and you'll see a section dedicated to Pillsbury Biscuits and their other products. The refrigerated biscuit dough comes in a can and is ready to bake. In about 15 minutes, you'll have fresh golden brown biscuits. But are they vegan? Let's check out the ingredient list and nutritional information which can be found on the Pillsbury website.

Varieties of Pillsbury Biscuits and Ingredients

Grands! Refrigerated Biscuits

There are 10 varieties of refrigerated Grands! biscuits. The majority of them contain milk ingredients but a few do contain only vegan ingredients. The ingredients from animal products are in bold. For the biscuits that do not contain any dairy, the packages still say "May contain milk ingredients." If you are allergic to dairy, you may want to stay away from all of the flavors.

• Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Layers Original Biscuits Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Dextrose, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Butter, Color Added, Natural and Artificial Flavor.

• Grands! Flaky Layers Buttermilk Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Dextrose, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Butter, Beta Carotene (for color).

• Grands! Flaky Layers Butter Tastin' Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Dextrose, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Butter, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Annatto Extract and Beta Carotene (for color).

• Grands! Flaky Layers Honey Butter Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Sugar, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Fractionated Palm Oil, Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Butter, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Annatto Extract and Beta Carotene (for color).

• Grands! Southern Homestyle Original Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Palm and Soybean Oil, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum.

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

• Grands! Southern Homestyle Buttermilk Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Palm and Soybean Oil, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Artificial and Natural Flavor.

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives even though they're called "buttermilk".

• Grands! Southern Homestyle Butter Tastin' Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Palm and Soybean Oil, Sugar, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), Palm Kernel Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Turmeric and Annatto (for color).

NOTE: This one is confusing. I do not see any dairy products listed in the ingredients. However, on the package it says "Contains wheat and milk ingredients." So I would not count these as appropriate for a vegan diet.

• Grands! Southern Homestyle Honey Butter Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Palm and Soybean Oil, Sugar, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate), Palm Kernel Oil. Contains 2% or less of: Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Turmeric and Annatto (for color).

NOTE: While these are called honey butter, I don't see any honey or butter listed. These appear to be vegan.

• Grands! Southern Homestyle Southern Recipe Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Palm and Soybean Oil, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2% or less of: Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Natural and Artificial Flavor.

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

• Grands! Flaky Layers Sweet Hawaiian Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Sugar, Soybean and Palm Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate). Contains 2 % or less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Fractionated Palm Oil, Dextrose, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono And Diglycerides, Preservatives (potassium sorbate, TBHQ, citric acid, sodium benzoate), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Annatto Extract and Beta Carotene (for color).

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

Refrigerated Biscuits

• Flaky Layers Buttermilk Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Dextrose, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda). Contains 2% of less of: Hydrogenated palm Oil, Sugar, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Vital Wheat Gluten, Mono and Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Beta Carotene (for color).

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

• Flaky Layers Butter Tastin' Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Dextrose, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda). Contains 2% or less of: Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Sugar, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Vital Wheat Gluten, Mono and Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Annatto Extract and Beta Carotene (for color).

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

• Flaky Layers Honey Butter Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Sugar, Soybean and Palm Oil, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda). Contains 2% or less of: Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Dextrose, Fractionated Palm Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Xanthan Gum, Mono and Diglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Preservatives (TBHQ, citric acid), Annatto Extract and Beta Carotene (for color).

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

• Southern Homestyle Buttermilk Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Soybean and Palm Oil, Dextrose, Baking Powder (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda). Contains 2% or less of: Sugar, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Natural and Artificial Flavor.

NOTE: These do not contain any dairy or dairy derivatives.

Sweet Biscuits with Icing

Unfortunately, both flavors of sweet biscuits contain dairy products.

• Chocolate Chip flavored refrigerated Sweet Biscuits with Icing Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Sugar, Palm and Soybean Oil, Semisweet Chocolate Chips (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter), Wheat Starch. Contains 2% or less of: Baking Powder (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate), Palm Kernel Oil, Salt, Modified Whey, Corn Syrup Solids, Xanthan Gum, Monoglycerides, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Polysorbate 60, Calcium Chloride, Sucralose, Corn Starch.

• Blueberry flavored refrigerated Sweet Biscuits with Icing Ingredients: Enriched Flour Bleached (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Water, Sugar, Palm and Soybean Oil, Blueberry Flavored Cranberries (sugar, dried cranberries, blueberry juice, grape juice concentrate, sunflower oil), Wheat Starch. Contains 2% or less of: Baking Powder (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate), Palm Kernel Oil, Salt, Modified Whey, Corn Syrup Solids, Xanthan Gum, Monoglycerides, Maltodextrin, Potassium Sorbate (preservative), Polysorbate 60, Calcium Chloride, Sucralose, Corn Starch, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Modified Corn Starch, Medium Chain Triglycerides.

Vegan Flavors of Refrigerated Pillsbury Biscuits:

The following are the vegan flavors of refrigerated biscuits. Remember that the packages all say that they "May Contain" dairy.

• Grands! Southern Homestyle Original
• Grands! Southern Homestyle Buttermilk
• Grands! Southern Homestyle Honey Butter
• Grands! Southern Homestyle Southern Recipe
• Grands! Flaky Layers Sweet Hawaiian
• Flaky Layers Buttermilk
• Flaky Layers Butter Tastin'
• Flaky Layers Honey Butter
• Southern Homestyle Buttermilk

Grands! Frozen Biscuits

The frozen biscuits all contain dairy products including buttermilk, nonfat milk, and cream. There are no frozen vegan options.

• Grands! Honey Butter Frozen
• Grands! Buttermilk Frozen
• Grands! Butter Tastin' Frozen
• Grands! Southern Style Frozen
• Grands! Flaky Layers Frozen

Vegan Biscuit brands

Pillsbury isn't the only brand of store biscuits that have some vegan products. The following brands and flavors are also vegan.

• Annie's Organic Flaky Biscuits
• Immaculate Organic Flaky Biscuits
• Great Value Buttermilk Biscuits
• Hy-Vee Buttermilk Biscuits

FAQ

Some of the flavors contain sugar. 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. But this is completely up to you.

If I'm vegan and allergic to dairy, can I eat the vegan-friendly options?

No. For safety’s sake, you should not eat any of the flavors as the packages are also marked "May Contain Dairy".

Summary

Refrigerated Pillsbury’s biscuits can be a great shortcut when you do not have a lot of time but want fresh biscuits. The good news is that there are 9 options of the canned biscuits that can fit in with a vegan lifestyle. These are easy to find in any grocery store and are helpful to have on hand.

Interested in a quick and easy for making your own vegan biscuits? Check out Vegan Herb Drop Biscuits.