Is Crisco Vegan? Crisco vegetable shortening is a common ingredient for baking (especially in pie crusts) that has been around for over 100 years. It is also frequently used to grease baking dishes. But do Crisco's ingredients contain animal products? Read on to find out.
All ingredients and nutritional information can be found on the Crisco website.
Crisco Products
While Crisco is mostly known for its shortening products, there are also Crisco oils, cooking sprays, and coconut oils. The ingredients for their products are listed below.
Shortening
- All-Vegetable Shortening Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Palm Oil, Mono And Diglycerides, TBHQ And Citric Acid (Antioxidants)
- All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Palm Oil, Mono And Diglycerides, TBHQ And Citric Acid (Antioxidants)
- Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Palm Oil, Mono and Diglycerides, TBHQ and Citric Acid (Antioxidants), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Beta-carotene (Pro Vitamin A) Added for Color
- Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening Baking Sticks Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Palm Oil, Mono And Diglycerides, TBHQ And Citric Acid (Antioxidants), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Beta-Carotene (Pro Vitamin A) Added For Color
The good news is that Crisco shortening is in fact vegan! It does not contain any dairy products or other animal ingredients.
Vegetable Oils
Crisco also makes a variety of vegetable oils that are also vegan. Check out the ingredients list for these products below.
- Pure Canola Oil: Canola Oil
- Pure Corn Oil: Corn Oil
- Pure Vegetable Oil Ingredients: Soybean Oil
- Blends Oil Ingredients: Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil, Soybean Oil
- Frying Oil Blend Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Peanut Oil, TBHQ And Citric Acid (Antioxidants), Dimethyl Silicone (For Anti-Foaming)
- Canola Oil and Omega-3 DHA Ingredients: Canola Oil, DHA Algal Oil, Ascorbyl Palmitate And Tocopherols (Antioxidants)
These Crisco vegetable oils can be considered vegan!
Cooking Spray
Using a cooking spray is a great option if you are trying to lower your intake of oil. Crisco makes several varieties which are all alcohol free.
- Original No-Stick Cooking Spray Ingredients: Canola Oil, Soy Lecithin, Dimethyl Silicone (For Anti-Foaming), Propellant
- Butter Flavor No-Stick Cooking Spray Ingredients: Canola Oil, Soy Lecithin, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Dimethyl Silicone (For Anti-Foaming), Beta Carotene (Color), Propellant
- Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray Ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Soy Lecithin, Dimethyl Silicone (For Anti-foaming), Propellant
- Crisco Professional Cooking Pro No-Stick Cooking Spray Ingredients: Canola Oil, Soy Lecithin, Dimethyl Silicone (For Anti-Foaming), Propellant
- Crisco Professional Grill Master No-Stick Cooking Spray Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin, Dimethyl Silicone (For Anti-Foaming), Propellant
All of the cooking sprays do not contain any animal products and are vegan.
Crisco Coconut Oil
Many in the vegan community embrace coconut oil as a healthy option. However, coconut oil still contains plenty of saturated fat. If you are looking for coconut oil, unrefined is a better option than refined coconut oil.
- Crisco Refined Organic Coconut Oil
- Crisco Unrefined Organic Coconut Oil
Crisco Frosting
Crisco shortening is commonly used as cake and cupcake frosting, especially in dairy-free baking. If you are looking for a vegan frosting recipe, check out The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe by From Michigan to the Table. This quick and easy frosting recipe contains the following ingredients:
- Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening
- Powdered Sugar
- Water
- Salt
- Flavoring
Pie Crust Recipe
Crisco is commonly used to make pie crust that's known for being flaky. Haven't tried it before? Check out Classic Crisco Pie Crust Recipe With Deep Dish Adaptation by Unsophisticook. To make this pie crust you only need 4 ingredients.
- Flour
- Salt
- Crisco Shortening
- Ice Cold Water
Other Uses For Crisco
While Crisco is mainly used for baking, there are other uses that have nothing to do with food.
- Use on dry skin or chapped lips
- Crisco can be a substitute for WD40 - think squeaky hinges
- Can be used to treat diaper rash
- Rub some on your snow shovel and the snow will slide off much easier
Healthier Crisco Alternatives
There are other companies that make a healthier alternative to Crisco. The palm oil they use is sustainably sourced and the ingredients are organic. They do not contain hydrogenated fats (good news!) but they still contain saturated fat unfortunately. These vegan-friendly products can be found in most grocery stores.
- Nutiva Organic Shortening Ingredients: Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Unrefined Red Palm Oil.
- Spectrum Organic Shortening Ingredients: Organic Palm Oil
FAQ
What's the difference between Crisco and lard?
Lard is 100% animal fats (usually pork) while Crisco is made from vegetable oils and does not contain ingredients from animal sources.
Is Crisco gluten-free?
Yes, Crisco shortening is gluten-free.
Is Crisco healthy?
No. Crisco is hydrogenated vegetable oil which is basically solid fat. However, Crisco shortening now contains 0 grams of trans fat per serving. There are some definite health reasons to not consume hydrogenated oils, especially concerns over heart disease.
How long does Crisco last?
According to the Crisco website, a can of Crisco shortening can last for 2 years from the manufactured date if unopened and stored at room temperature. If the can is open, it will last about a year. For the shortening sticks, if opened they last for about 6 months. Unopened, they last about 2 years from the manufactured date.
Is Crisco a substitute for vegan butter?
It depends. For cooking or spreading on toast, Crisco can not be used in place of butter (vegan). For something like a pie crust, Crisco can be used but you may have to adjust the amounts as it has a different water content than vegan butter.
Is butter-flavored Crisco vegan?
Surprisingly, yes. Even though it says "Butter" in its name, it does not contain dairy. What is actually giving it a buttery taste is unknown but it's not butter.
Summary
Crisco is a vegetable shortening that can be used in baked goods. While all of the Crisco food products can fit in with a vegan lifestyle, they are not healthy as they are made of fully or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. However, if it's something you love baking with, you'll be happy to know it's vegan.
Wondering if other products are vegan? Check out:
Leave a Reply