Are Veggie Straws vegan and what are they made of? Veggie Straws, sometimes called veggie sticks, are a crispy snack food that's advertised as being a "better-for-you snack". While potato starch and flour are the first two ingredients, they also contain different vegetable powders for some added nutrition.
They contain less fat than the leading potato chip brand as well and do not contain any artificial colors. But, are Veggie Straws vegan? The answer is Yes...and No. It all depends on the flavor.
Veggie Straws' owner company, Sensible Portions, displays all of the ingredients and nutritional information on the Sensible Portions website.
Veggie Straws
Veggie Straws come in several flavors: Sea Salt, Screamin' Hot, Zesty Ranch, Cheddar Cheese, BBQ, Sour Cream & Onion, and Cinnamon Apple. The ingredients lists for all flavors are below and any non-vegan ingredients are in bold.
Sea Salt
Sea Salt Flavor Ingredients List: Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Spinach Powder, Tomato Paste, Salt, Cane Sugar, Corn Starch, Potassium Chloride, Turmeric (Color), Beetroot Powder (Color), Sea Salt.
The Sea Salt flavor does not contain any dairy products and can be a great vegan snack.
Screamin' Hot
Screamin' Hot Variety Ingredients: Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Spinach Powder, Tomato Paste, Salt, Cane Sugar, Corn Starch, Potassium Chloride, Turmeric (Color), Beetroot Powder (Color), Seasoning (Salt, Natural Flavors, Dextrose, Yeast Extract, Buttermilk, Beet Powder [Color], Maltodextrin, Nonfat Milk, Onion Powder, Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Salt, Cultures, Enzymes], Whey, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Whey Protein Concentrate, Annatto Extract, Butter [Cream], Extractives of Paprika, Vinegar).
Unfortunately, the Screamin' Hot Variety contains buttermilk, cheddar cheese, whey and butter.
Zesty Ranch
Zesty Ranch Variety Ingredient List: Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Spinach Powder, Tomato Paste, Salt, Cane Sugar, Corn Starch, Potassium Chloride, Turmeric (Color), Beetroot Powder (Color), Seasoning (Salt, Buttermilk, Natural Flavors, Coconut Oil, Maltodextrin, Garlic Powder, Yeast Extract, Sour Cream (Cream, Nonfat Milk, Cultures), Dextrose, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Cream, Citric Acid, Cultured Nonfat Milk, Spices (Including Celery Seed), Paprika, Sugar, Lactic Acid, Malic Acid, Vinegar, Nonfat Milk, Sodium Caseinate.
The Zesty Ranch flavor contains buttermilk, sour cream, cream, cultured nonfat milk, and nonfat milk. These are definitely not vegan.
Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar Cheese Variety Ingredients List: Veggie Straws (Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Corn Starch, Tomato Paste, Spinach Powder, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Sugar, Turmeric, Beetroot Powder [Color]), Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Seasoning (Whey, Salt, Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Buttermilk Solids, Onion Powder, Sour Cream (Cream, Nonfat Milk, Cultures), Natural Flavors, Butter, Yeast Extract, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Extractives of Paprika, Garlic Powder, Extractives of Turmeric)
Unfortunately, the Cheddar Cheese flavor contains whey, cheddar cheese, buttermilk solids, sour cream, cultured nonfat dry milk, and butter.
BBQ
BBQ Ingredients: Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Spinach Powder, Tomato Paste, Salt, Cane Sugar, Corn Starch, Potassium Chloride, Turmeric (Color), Beetroot Powder (Color), Seasoning (Sugar, Tomato Powder, Salt, Maltodextrin, Molasses, Extractives of Paprika Vinegar, Natural Flavors, Paprika, Spices, Garlic Powder, Citric Acid, Sunflower Oil.
There are no ingredients from animal products in the BBQ flavor.
Sour Cream & Onion
Sour Cream & Onion Ingredients: Potato Starch, Potato Flour, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Seasoning (Salt, Onion Powder, Dextrose), Sour Cream (Cream, Nonfat Milk, Cultures), Sugar, Yeast Extract, Lactic Acid, Garlic Powder, Cultured Nonfat Milk, Parsley, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Whey Protein Concentrate, Milk Fat, Cream, Whey, Corn Starch, Spinach Powder, Tomato Paste, Salt, Cane Sugar, Potassium Chloride, Beetroot Powder (Color), Turmeric (Color).
Unfortunately, the Sour Cream & Onion flavor contains milk products and is not vegan.
Cinnamon Apple Straws
Sensible Portions also makes cinnamon flavored Apple Straws. Unfortunately, this product does not contain any veggies. But, it also doesn't contain any dairy and is a vegan product. So if you're in need of a "healthier" treat, these Apple Straws might be a great choice for you. I love that they contain apple puree in them.
Cinnamon Apple Straws Ingredients List: Corn Flour, Rice Flour, Sugar, Potato Fiber, Apple Puree, Salt, Natural Apple Flavor, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and/or Safflower Oil and/or Sunflower Oil, Seasoning (Sugar, Cinnamon, Malic Acid, Natural Flavors).
Veggie Chips
Sensible Portions has several other products that contain powders of different vegetables. There're Garden Veggie Stacked Chips, which is a veggie version of Pringles. There're also Garden Veggie Wavy Chips which are similar to wavy potato chips.
Garden Veggie Stacked Chips come in the following varieties: Sea Salt, Salt and Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, BBQ, and Cheddar Cheese. Are any of these vegan? The great news is that several flavors are vegan!
Vegan Flavors of Garden Veggie Stacked Chips
- Sea salt
- Salt and vinegar
- BBQ
These do not contain any dairy!
Unfortunately, Sour Cream & Onion, and Cheddar Cheese flavors do contain dairy and are therefore not vegan.
Vegan Flavor of Veggie Wavy Chips
Garden Veggie Wavy Chips only come in two flavors: Sea Salt and Cheddar Sour Cream. The Sea Salt Flavor is dairy-free and vegan!
- Sea Salt
Veggie Puffs
New this year are Veggie Puffs They come in Sour Cream & Onion, White Cheddar and Screamin' Hot. Unfortunately, all three flavors contain milk and are not vegan!
Vegan Flavors of Veggie Straws, Chips and Puffs
The following list shows all of the vegan flavors.
- Sea Salt Veggie Straws
- BBQ Veggie Straws
- Cinnamon Apple Veggie Straws
- Sea Salt Veggie Stacked Chips
- Salt & Vinegar Veggie Stacked Chips
- BBQ Veggie Stacked Chips
- Sea Salt Veggie Wavy Chips
Apple Straws As A Topping
Delicious on their own, Cinnamon Apple Straws can also be eaten in other ways. If you crumble up the apple straws, they make a great topping! I highly recommend sprinkling the pieces on top of non-dairy vanilla ice cream or yogurt.
Even better, sauté some apple slices in a little vegan butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Put the apple slices on top of the vegan ice cream and the Apple Straws crumbs on top of that! It's like a healthier apple pie a la mode.
FAQ
Are Veggie Straws healthy?
While I wouldn't say that they are a health food, Veggie Straws are healthier than potato chips. They contain powdered vegetables and have less fat. They also don't contain any artificial flavors or preservatives.
Do vegans eat processed food?
Some people who follow a vegan diet do not eat processed foods. But I find that it's super helpful to have a few snack foods on hand that can be found in a regular grocery store.
Are Veggie Straws gluten free?
Yes! All flavors of Veggie Straws are gluten free! Also, all flavors of Veggie Chips and Veggie Puffs are also gluten free.
Is sugar vegan?
Some vegans worry about white sugar because of the use of 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. But, the desire for sugar to have a pure white color makes some companies use animals bones in the production of it. It's up to you whether or not you consume regular sugar but some strict vegans choose to avoid it.
Summary
Sensible Portions Veggie Straws (Sea Salt or BBQ flavors) can be a healthy snack that can fit in with a vegan lifestyle. While right now many of the other flavors contain animal products (dairy), I'm hopeful that there will be more vegan flavors in the future.
However, their Stacked Chips have more vegan varieties to choose from which include Sea Salt, Salt and Vinegar, and BBQ. Also, Garden Veggie Wavy Chips in Sea Salt do not contain and animal ingredients as well. Their Apple Straws can be a great slightly sweet snack.
Wondering if other snack foods are vegan? Check out:
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