Are Pringles Vegan?

Pringles, your favorite chips in the market.

Pringles, the world-famous potato snack developed by the food industry P&G in 1967, has taken the world on a storm with its cute saddle-like shape. These crazy munchy potato chips are popular snacks and are available almost everywhere. It has gained popularity because of the shape and the packaging tube that enables its transportation keeping the chips stacked up well. But, for all the healthy vegans out there, there is an eternal burning question- Are my favorite pringle chips vegan? Are there any particular Pringles flavors that I can eat?

Are there any vegan Pringles flavors?

If you happen to look at your supermarket aisle, you will be shocked to see an array of vividly colored Pringle canisters with different flavor profiles. In fact, depending on the geographical area and flavor profile, Pringles has managed to identify the popular tastebuds of a region and create a new flavor for that region. While the Pringles Rice Fusion Malayasian Red Curry is a popular flavor in Malaysia, there is a Pringles Rice Fusion Indian Tandoori Chicken Masala for the Indian subcontinent. Among all these potato chips, I think the original Pringles is my favorite Pringles to munch. Looking at all these Pringles flavors, let us dive into which Pringles flavors are vegan and which ones are not.

How to read a nutritional label and spot Pringles for vegans?

Look at the food label and search to see if you find any ingredient that is related to dairy or meat. Anything that says milk, or buttermilk, or even powdered milk is considered a big no for vegans. It can often be difficult to comprehend if ingredients like lactose or vinegar or even enhancers like MSG are safe for vegans to consume. There are many flavors of Pringles, and each packet has to be looked at carefully before sorting them out.

A look at its ingredients

The famous red tube of the Pringles family is the first flavor launched by this giant company. The following ingredients make these potato crisps yummy to eat. Let’s look and see if there are any plant-based ingredients or not.

1. The first ingredient is dehydrated potatoes, which are definitely vegan.
2. Next up on the list is vegetable oils (could be either corn oil or sunflower oil), which is vegan again (1).
3. Apart from potatoes, they even use rice flour, which is vegan, wheat starch, vegan again, and yellow color cornflour, which is vegan too.
4. Coming to the other ingredients like emulsifiers which are fatty acids that could be from animal-derived ingredients, you will be happy to know that in Pringles, vegetarian sources of emulsifiers are used (1).
5. Apart from these, salt, maltodextrin, and food coloring are also used, which are vegan ingredients(1).

These Pringles are vegan: Original Pringles and many more

So what are the other vegan-friendly flavors in these potato crisps? As we discovered earlier, the original Pringles potato crisps are vegan. Apart from the original Pringles flavor, the following varieties are also vegan.

The Salt & Vinegar is a good vegan flavor that I enjoy too. And sometimes, I even go for the Pringles Grab & Go Original flavor. To my surprise, they have even launched the Reduced Fat Original flavor and a twist to the salted flavor called the Wavy Classic Salted.

Pringles are vegan: A look at other popular flavors

As for the other varieties, the Pringles Sweet Chilli and the Pringles Paprika are vegan-friendly. For those who like bacon, you will be happy to know that their Smokey Bacon flavor is, in fact, purely vegan.

The company smartly makes use of a combination of onion and garlic powders, spices, salt other flavorings to get a bacon-like taste. The other packet that vegans can go for is the most loved Pringles Original Tortilla Chips. In fact, there are so many flavors of Pringles for the vegan-friendly community.

Are BBQ Pringles vegan?

Barbeque lovers should worry not, for their bbq Pringles, i.e., the Pringles Texas BBQ Sauce is a vegan-friendly option too (1). Another option in this category of bbq flavor is the Pringles Xtra Saucy BBQ, but it isn’t a vegan option, so vegans must read the labels carefully.

Vegan Pringles chicken flavors

Also, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that among their vegan Pringles flavors is their Kickin’ Chicken Taco. If you don’t believe me, let me show you the list of ingredients, and you can double-check to see if you can spot any animal-derived ingredients. It contains dehydrated potatoes, vegetable oil, cornstarch, rice flour, and wheat starch, yellow corn flour, maltodextrin, Mono and Diglycerides, spices, salt and sugar, tomato powder, and paprika extract, MSG and sodium diacetate, onion powder, Yeast extract, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors. There you go, no animal products, making this a vegan Pringles chip for you.

Which are non-vegan Pringles?

Some Pringles chips contain dairy (mostly contain lactose), e.g., their Salt & Vinegar Pringles, and is a non-vegan option ². The Xtra crisps in the Pringles family are also unsuitable for vegans, as there are milk-derived ingredients. These include the cheese-filled Pringles Xtra Cheesy Nacho Cheese, the Pringles Xtra Kickin Sour Cream and Onion, the extra hot one, i.e., Pringles Xtra Spicy Chilli Sauce and the other bbq one, i.e., Pringles Xtra Saucy BBQ.

The ones that contain milk-derived ingredients, like Pringles Cheddar Cheese, Pringles Cheddar and Sour Cream, Pringles Sour Cream and Onion, Pringles Lightly Salted Cheddar Cheese, Pringles Reduced Fat Sour Cream & Onion are definitely non-vegan. Even if you skip these flavors, you can choose to eat a lot of other options.

Conclusion

So, can you say Pringles are not vegan? No, I can conclude that Pringles are, in fact, very much vegan, and all vegans can safely enjoy some of these varieties for a snack. But I wonder if eating vegan Pringles can contribute to meeting your nutritional requirement? Loaded with salt, oil, and potato, Pringles, or even vegan Pringles, for that matter, must be a scarce snack option. But the problem lies in the can. Once it is opened, the whole box gets consumed, and before we know it, we have overeaten. This is because they are loaded with flavor enhancers and mood boosters that entice our brains to pick one more crisp. The packet doesn’t even contain real potatoes; it is added in its dehydrated form. Whether they contain milk or cheese, vinegar or not, or are made with vegetarian ingredients, the underlining fact is that Pringles must be consumed within limits, whether you are a vegan or not.

Good news for Pringles

Pringles has done a commendable job in enlisting its ingredients so that many of its vegan consumers can go and still opt for a packet. They even have a particular label system to show if the particular crisp is vegan or vegetarian-friendly. These potato-based chips are sure to lure the hearts of many vegans after reading this post. My favorite flavor is the original Pringles; what about you?

FAQs

References

1. Pringles the Original, Accessed Online: pringles.com, Retrieved 09-04-2021.
2. Vegan vs Dairy-Free: What’s the Difference, Accessed Online: healthline.com, Retrieved 18-04-2021
3. Do vegetarians Eat Cheese, Accessed Online: healthline.com, Retrieved 18-04-2021