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Did you know most Duncan Hines cakes are vegan straight out of the box? Most cereals are as well. Oreos and Twizzlers, too. As it turns out, grocery stores nationwide carry a variety of foods familiar to most people, and they happen to be “accidentally vegan.”
“Accidentally vegan” foods weren’t created for vegans. They just happen to be free of animal-derived products. That means there’s no meat, eggs, dairy, honey, or anything else from an animal. Or, as I like to say when someone asks me what I avoid eating: “Nothing with eyes, except for potatoes.” It’s a little more complex than that, but not much.
January is the perfect month to explore questions about vegan foods, accidental or not, because it’s Veganuary! During Veganuary, vegans worldwide encourage each other and support people curious about eating animal-free. So, this month, I’m setting out to demystify vegan food and to make the concept less overwhelming for new vegans and the vegan-curious alike.
To kick things off, I’m starting with foods that might already be in your pantry or fridge. Some are free from animal products straight from the package, while others need an easy tweak or two when adding additional ingredients. I’m not saying these are all healthy choices. I’m merely trying to show that vegan food is food. It comes in all kinds of packages, not just ones with the word “vegan” on the side.
Ready? Grab your grocery list, and let’s roll.
Breakfast
Cereal
There are a whole bunch of cold cereals that are accidentally vegan. It’s what you add to them that keeps them that way. I like flax milk with added protein, but oat and almond milk are also excellent. If you don’t see a cereal you like listed here, scan your favorite cereal’s ingredient list. You may discover it is vegan!
Original Cheerios
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Fruity Pebbles
Grape Nuts
Life
Post Great Grains Raisins, Dates & Pecans
Wheat Chex
Rice Krispies
Hot Cereals
Oatmeal, grits, muesli, and cream of wheat are naturally vegan. People often mix in water to make breakfast out of them. That means that, unless you add an animal-derived ingredient to them, all of these hot cereals are vegan.
If you prefer oatmeal packets, though, finding a vegan version can be a bit trickier. The one I had the last time I visited my family in Texas is Better Oats Maple and Brown Sugar Steel Cut Oatmeal Packets with Flax Seeds. (I love my flax seeds!)
Rather than water, I use plant-based milk to make hot cereal from scratch or a packet. It makes it a little richer that way. My dad adds a pat of butter to his hot cereals. Instead of butter, he can use Country Crock’s original margarine or their plant-based spread. Many margarine brands or “vegetable oil spreads” are accidentally vegan, but some do sneak in buttermilk, so I always check the ingredient list to be sure.
Pop-Tarts
Most Pop-Tarts contain gelatin, which is not vegan. Gelatin is made from animal bones, cartilage, and skin. But the unfrosted strawberry and blueberry Pop-Tarts have no gelatin and are, therefore, vegan! (Pectin is the vegan version of gelatin, typically made from fruit pulp and fruit skins, not animal skin.)
Pancake Mixes
Most dry pancake mixes are vegan-friendly, including the Original Bisquick, Blueberry Krusteaz, and Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten-Free Mix. This makes it a cinch to make classic recipes like pancakes and waffles vegan. Below is the ingredient list for pancakes and waffles on the back of the Bisquick box.
To make pancakes and waffles vegan, I replace the dairy milk with any plant-based milk (I like oat milk for baking) and I replace the 2 eggs with half a cup of applesauce.
Classic Bisquick Biscuits are even easier to make vegan. I simply swap out the dairy milk with plant-based milk. I use oat milk here, but almond, soy, flax—any of them, work well.
Lunch/Dinner
Outside of smoothies and peanut butter and jelly, many familiar lunch and dinner recipes include meat or dairy products. That said, the base ingredients for many meal kits and spiced mixes are vegan. To keep them that way, I just sub in plant-based dairy and meats. I’ll dive deeper into these alternatives in an upcoming post, but I’m happy to report that I found excellent alternatives nationwide. I looked at grocery stores and Walmarts in rural Texas, suburban Phoenix, and my own metro area in Seattle.
Taco Dinner Kits
Old El Paso and Taco Bell both make taco kits that are accidentally vegan. Add plant-based ground “meat” and cheese shreds, and you’re good to go!
Chili and Cornbread
There are gobs of delicious vegan chili recipes out there, but if you just want to open a can and microwave a bowl, check out Hormel’s Vegetarian Chili with Beans or any of Amy’s Kitchen brand chili. Add a side salad and vegan cornbread, and you’ve got a hearty meal.
Jiffy’s Vegetarian Corn Muffin Mix is vegan straight out of the box. They even provide substitution ideas for the egg and milk on the side of the box!
Sloppy Joes:
Sloppy Joes are also easy to make vegan with a recipe, but Manwich and McCormick Sloppy Joes Seasoning Mix make your job even easier. Simply substitute a plant-based ground meat, such as Beyond Meat, or crumbles from Boca, Morningstar Farms, or Gardein. Add sliced pickles and/or Cadry’s vegan cole slaw to take it to the next level.
Bread
A lot of sandwich bread and buns are vegan. For that matter, most fresh breads in the bakery section are vegan. That said, enriched breads, like challah and brioche, are made with eggs unless specifically made with vegan substitutes. Dinner rolls are a toss-up. They can be vegan from the package, or they might have eggs or been smeared with butter before they were baked. The easiest way to tell is to check the ingredients on the package. Often, dairy or eggs are mentioned near the bottom of the ingredient list.
Below are a few bread products in grocery stores nationwide that I know are vegan.
Dave’s Killer Bread, any style, including hamburger buns and bagels
Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread
Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Rolls
Signature Select Artisan French Bread
Signature Select Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns
Mission Soft Flour Tortillas and Corn Tortillas
Thomas’ Plain and Blueberry Bagels
Snacks and Dessert
There are so many snacks that are accidentally vegan that it was hard for me to narrow them down. If your favorite snack isn’t listed below, get curious and check out the ingredient list. There’s a chance it’s already vegan!
Cookies and Candy
Original Oreos
Red Vines and Twizzlers
Cracker Jacks
Nabisco Graham Crackers
Fig Newtons
All varieties of Teddy Grahams, except for the honey version
Nutter Butters Cookies
Lindt Dark Chocolate
Ghiardelli Intense 72% Cacao Twilight Delight squares and bars are completely dairy-free, as are the 72% and 100% Premium Baking Chips.
Ghiardelli Premium Hot Chocolate
Chips, Pretzels, and Popcorn
Dorito’s Spicy Sweet Chili
Original Frito Lay Corn Chips
Original Ritz Crackers
Original Triscuits
Original Ruffle’s Potato Chips
Original Lay’s Classic, BBQ, and Salt & Vinegar Flavored Chips
Pringles
Mini Pretzels (one of my favorite snacks)
Popcorn kernels
Jolly Time Microwave Popcorn Healthy Pop 100 Calorie Kettle Corn Bags
SkinnyPop Microwave Sea Salt Popcorn Microwavable Bags
Ice Cream and Frozen Novelties
There aren’t really any accidentally vegan ice creams, but there are loads of intentionally vegan options out there. Ben and Jerry’s has many of their flavors in plant-based varieties, for example. One of my favorite brands that is widely available is So Delicious. Their Cashew Milk Salted Caramel Cluster is truly So Delicious. But I digress.
Original Popsicles and Talenti Sorbetto are the only two brands I could find on the same shelf as the ice cream and frozen novelties with accidentally vegan options. The popsicles are all vegan. The fruity Talenti Sorbettos, like Roman Raspberry and Alphonso Mango, are also. Even their Cold Brew Coffee Sorbetto is dairy-free!
If you find yourself with a couple of scoops of vegan ice cream—and I highly recommend finding yourself this way—check your fridge for a bottle of Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup and maraschino cherries to make a sundae. They are accidentally vegan!
Frozen Pies, Pie Crusts, and Browne and Cake Mixes
This time of year, I love a good slice of pie. Happily, all of Marie Callender’s and Sara Lee’s fruit pies in the freezer section are vegan—from Dutch Apple to Lattice Peach to Razzleberry. If I want to make my own pie but don’t feel like making the crust, I can use Marie Callender’s premade pie crust. It is vegan!
For brownies, the Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge varieties are vegan. Also, as I said at the top of this article, most cake mixes from Duncan Hines and Pillsbury are plant-based, everything from Devil’s Food to Dolly Parton’s Southern-inspired cakes. It’s easy to replace the eggs called for in these mixes. I simply combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds with three tablespoons of warm water and let it sit for five minutes before adding it to my mix.
Once my cake is made and cooled, I’ll want to frost it. Apart from the cream cheese varieties, most shelf-stable frostings from Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, and Better Crocker are free of animal products. Winner winner cake and dinner!
As you can see, vegan food is just food. You don’t have to give up favorites. Some are vegan right out of the box, while others just need an easy adjustment. In my next post, I’m taking this idea further, creating two favorite family recipes using vegan ingredients. I hope you’ll join me at the table for all the tasty goodness.
One thing before I go. The yoga teacher who led the mindful eating meditation in my Christmas newsletter is hosting a workshop starting in February that focuses on posture! For those of us who spend too much time at our desks or looking at our devices, this six-week workshop will focus on counterbalancing all that slouching and finding relief from painful necks and shoulders. Below is the flyer for the workshop, in case you’re interested in signing up. Use the QR code to link to more information, or click the flyer to go there directly.
Very nice run down. I'm going to share with my co-workers!
I had no idea I was practically vegan... Great info... Now off to buy Oreos...LOL