Are Wheat Thins vegan? Wheat Thins are a salty and slightly sweet snack cracker. These thin crackers are made with 100% whole grains. They are great to snack on, put in soups, or pair with a dip and toppings.
But are Wheat Thins vegan? The good news is that the Original Wheat Thins flavor is vegan as you can see with the ingredients list below. All of the ingredients can be found on the Wheat Thins website.
Original Wheat Thins Ingredients
Original Wheat Thins does not contain any animal products and can fit in with a vegan diet. In addition, there aren't any artificial colors or other questionable ingredients.
Original Wheat Thins Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn And Barley), Salt, Refiner's Syrup, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate And Baking Soda).
But are there other flavors that are made with vegan ingredients? Let's take a closer look at the different varieties and ingredients.
Other Varieties of Wheat Thins
In the United States, Wheat Thins come in 7 other varieties: Reduced Fat, Sundried Tomato and Basil, Big, Ranch, Hint of Salt, Multigrain, and Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil. The ingredients for each variety are listed below. Any non-vegan ingredients are in bold. (These ingredient lists can all be found on the Wheat Thins website.)
Reduced Fat Wheat Thins Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Sugar, Canola Oil, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn And Barley), Salt, Refiner's Syrup, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate And Baking Soda)
Sundried Tomato and Basil Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn And Barley), Refiner's Syrup, Salt, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate And Baking Soda), Tomato Powder, Sundried Tomato Powder, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Spices (Includes Basil), Onion Powder, Dried Red And Green Bell Peppers, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor (Contains Celery), Sulfur Dioxide (Sulfites) To Preserve Freshness.
Big Wheat Thins Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn And Barley), Salt, Refiner's Syrup, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate And Baking Soda).
Ranch Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn and Barley), Refiner's Syrup, Salt, Whey, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate and Baking Soda), Buttermilk, Onion Powder, Tomato Powder, Lactose, Garlic Powder, Yeast Extract, Spices (Includes Parsley), Cheddar Cheese Powder (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Natural Flavor.
*Unfortunately, Ranch flavored Wheat Thins contain dairy and are not vegan.
Hint of Salt Wheat Thins Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn And Barley), Refiner's Syrup, Salt..
Multigrain Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate Vitamin B1, Riboflavin Vitamin B2, Folic Acid), Whole Grain Barley Flakes, Canola Oil, Sugar, Whole Grain Rye, Whole Grain Triticale, Molasses, Whole Grain Millet, Whole Grain Wheat, Salt, Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Onion Powder, Soy Lecithin, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate).
Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Ingredients: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Sugar, Cornstarch, Malt Syrup (From Corn and Barley), Salt, Refiner's Syrup, Black Pepper, Leavening (Calcium Phosphate and Baking Soda), Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Olive Oil, Natural Flavor (Contains Celery).
The great news is that only the Ranch flavor contains animal ingredients so the remaining varieties are vegan! These can be a great snack to have around to eat on their own or have with a bowl of soup provided that you avoid the ranch variety.
Vegan Flavors of Wheat Thins
The following flavors of Wheat Thins are vegan:
- Original
- Reduced Fat
- Sundried Tomato and Basil
- Big
- Hint of Salt
- Multigrain
- Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil
Non-Vegan Flavor of Wheat Thins
The following flavor of Wheat Thins is not vegan:
- Ranch
Toppings for Wheat Thins
Sure you can eat Wheat Thins by the handful. But you can also put toppings on them as well. Some delicious toppings include:
- peanut butter
- guacamole
- hummus
- jam
- vegan cream cheese with a sliced olive
- salsa
- vegan cheese
- caramelized onions - Want a delicious caramelized onion recipe that doesn't require you to stand at the stovetop stirring for an hour? Check out Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions without Dairy.
These little crackers are very versatile and can be paired with almost any dip as well.
Vegan Dips for Wheat Thins
Wheat Thins are also great with a dip. Try out:
- Vegan Spinach Dip by Karissa's Vegan Kitchen
- Dip in hummus.
- Vegan French Onion Dip by The Simple Veganista
- Creamy Vegan Queso by Cookie + Kate
- Easy Vegan Veggie Dip - Yes this dip is for veggies. But it's also great with Wheat Thins.
Recipes Using Wheat Thins
This delicious snack can also be used as an ingredient in other recipes. Check out:
- Spiced Wheat Thins by Delish - Aside from Wheat Thins, this recipe only calls for taco seasoning mix, olive oil, and lime juice and zest.
- If you like to make vegan nachos, you can use wheat thins instead of tortilla chips for a different flavor.
Wheat Thins for Dessert?
Wheat Thins make a great snack food. But what about dessert? If you want a recipe that turns Wheat Thins into a sweet treat, check out No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites from Sweet T Makes Three. It uses only a few simple ingredients.
- peanut butter
- semi-sweet chocolate - Just make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep it vegan. My favorite brand to use is Trader Joe's.
- crisp rice cereal - Check out Are Rice Krispies Vegan to find out vegan brands for crisp rice cereal.
- powdered sugar
- nonpareils for decoration
Or try Three Ingredient Mock Butterfinger Bars by Let's Dish. It only needs Wheat Thins, peanut butter, and chocolate. Make sure you use vegan chocolate in this recipe.
Homemade Wheat Thins Recipe
You can also make your own wheat thins. They only require a few ingredients. Just make sure you use vegan butter. Check out Homemade Wheat Thins by Two Peas & their Pod. The ingredients required are:
- whole wheat flour
- sugar
- salt
- paprika
- butter (use vegan)
- water
- vanilla
FAQ
Are Wheat Thins dairy free?
Which the exception of the Ranch flavor, Wheat Thins are dairy free. Ranch flavor contains several different milk products.
Are Sundried Tomato and Basil Wheat Thins vegan?
Yes! This flavorful cracker is vegan.
Is sugar vegan?
Some vegans choose not to consume 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.
Summary
Wheat Thins are a great vegan option when you're looking for a whole grain snack food. There are 7 vegan flavors to choose from which is better than most "traditional" snack foods. They are great to snack on plain, put toppings on, or eat in soups. And don't forget to try them with your favorite dip!
Wondering if other snack foods are vegan? Check out:
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