Are Tortilla Chips Vegan?
Ah, tortilla chips—one of the most delicious and iconic snacks of all time. They’re great on their own, but easily go well with guacamole, sausage, dips, or even in other recipes like casseroles or cheese boards. They can come in a variety of flavors and styles, from circular disks to blue corn triangles to spicy hot squares. They’re healthy too, when made simply and from organic ingredients. They almost seem too good to be true—or are they?
There’s a lot of confusion in the vegan community about whether or not tortilla chips are a safe snack for them to eat. Here’s everything you need to know about vegan tortilla chips.
Are Tortilla Chips Normally Vegan?
Normally, yes. The basic and traditional ingredients used in tortilla chips are usually corn flour, water, oil, and salt. All of these ingredients are naturally animal-free.
How healthy or ethically they are sourced, however, may be another question. Some restaurants have the chips deep-fried in the same fryer used to cook meat, but the oil is usually canola or olive oil, not an oil from animal fat. Corn can contain GMOs (genetically modified organisms), and of course, not every company treats its workers, who harvest the corn husks or olives for use, fairly. And depending on which oil you use, tortilla chips can quickly become an unhealthy guilty pleasure instead of a nutritious snack. While that might have other bearings on your conscience, none of those factors change the nature of the vegan chips.
The status of vegan chips, however, comes into play when companies start to add flavoring to the chips. Many commercial brands use dairy to add a cheese-style flavoring to their products. Anything barbecue-flavored will likely contain meat or other animal products, though they may disguise their ingredients with some big words to hide this fact. And most brands won’t say outright on their packaging whether the chips are vegan or not, even if the ingredients clearly state that they contain dairy or other animal products.
Does Plant Snacks Make Vegan Chips?
Living as a vegan can be tricky, avoiding all animal-derived materials, products, and foods. But we wanted everyone to love eating our snacks while also offering essential nutrients and health benefits. So when we made our tortilla chips and cracker-like “thins” that are 100% vegan, we chose a blend that was entirely plant-based. It’s naturally vegan, non-GMO verified, certified gluten-free, nut-free, has no added sugars, delivers protein and is a good source of fiber and vitamin D.
Even our flavored chips are vegan, using a blend of whole ground corn flour, mushroom powder, and psyllium husk fiber to give great taste without using any animal products. This way, vegans don’t have to skimp out on flavor just to fulfill their lifestyle!
We use sunflower or safflower oil to cook—not fry—the chips. We chose peas as our main source of plant-based protein, and there’s three grams per serving, making our tortilla chips one of the highest vegan, plant-based protein snacks on the market. They’re also a good source of daily fiber and vitamin D.
Try Vegan Snacks with Plant Snacks
It’s never been easier to have a vegan diet and enjoy tortilla chips than with Plant Snacks. We offer a variety of tortilla chips in different flavors so there’s something for everyone to love. Try out one of our vegan chips or our cracker-like “Plant Thins” today so you can add some extra flavor to your vegan lifestyle.