Is Fritos Vegan? Shocking Truth About This Popular Snack!

Fritos are tasty corn chips available in a variety of flavors and shapes.

Is Fritos Vegan?

Some Fritos may not be vegan, but others are.

Table of Contents show

What Is Fritos?

Fritos is an American brand for corn chips.

It was founded by Charles Elmer Doolin, who had tried Mexican corn chips.

Only three ingredients are used in these salted chips: corn oil, salt, and corn.

For more than 80 years, Fritos has been in the market and is often the first brand to come to mind when you think of corn chips.

How Are Fritos Made?

Fritos are made from a corn-chip base recipe, including oil and salt.

The ingredients must be precise:

Stone-ground cornmeal or another fine cornmeal
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil and vegetable oil
Optional vegetable oil to be used for frying

It is simple and does not require a lot of effort.

Mix cornmeal with salt in a small bowl.

Use a fork to blend the batter.

Add 1 teaspoon of hot water to make the batter thicker and runnier.

The top sheet of paper can be removed, and the batter can be cut into small rectangles.

MUST READ Is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Vegan Friendly? Learn The Truth!

Finally, bake it until it turns golden brown.

Heat some vegetable oil for about 1 to 2 minutes in a small saucepan.

Finally, fry half the chips.

Drain them on a paper towel with a metal strainer.

Which Flavors Of Fritos Are Vegan?

Fritos Original Corn chips are vegetarian.

They only have three ingredients: corn, corn oil, and salt.

Original Fritos Scoops!

Corn chips can also be made vegan.

They contain the same ingredients but are made of different shapes.

The Lightly Salted Fritos can also be made vegan.

They contain the same three ingredients as the Original but have less salt.

Which Flavors Of Fritos Are Not Vegan?

Non-Vegan Fritos Flavors:

Fritos Scoops! Spicy Jalapeno Corn Chips
Fritos Flavor Twists Honey BBQ Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Chili Cheese Flavored Corn Chips
Fritos Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn Chips

Fritos Ingredients For Non-Vegan Pets

These are non-vegan ingredients found in Fritos’ various flavors:

Milk

Milk is derived from animals, so it’s easy to see why it’s not vegan.

Honey

Honey is made from honey bees, so it’s not vegan.

Natural Flavors

Natural flavors can be vegan- or non-vegan.

Many large companies that produce processed foods don’t reveal the exact source of their natural flavors, making it difficult to know if they are animal-based or plant-based.

Sugar

Sugar can be a problematic ingredient for veganism.

It is often processed with bone charcoal, and large corporations have many sugar suppliers.

This makes it difficult to determine if the sugar in every package is vegan.

Many vegans don’t worry about this, as many vegan treats contain sugar.

MUST READ Is Beeswax Vegan? Shocking Truth Unveiled

It doesn’t even contain animal products.

Instead, it uses animal bones in its processing.

Fritos sugar isn’t organic because it isn’t processed with bone charcoal.

Artificial Colors

Artificial color is used to dye food.

Although they may not contain animal ingredients but are often tested on animals, artificial colors can dye foods.

Below is a list of non-vegan ingredients found in these particular flavors.

Is Fritos Scoops! Spicy Jalapeno Corn Chips Vegan?

They are not vegan as they contain milk ingredients like whey, sour cream, and natural flavors (which may/may not be vegan).

Is Fritos Flavor Twists Honey BBQ Flavored Corn Chips Vegan?

They are not vegan as they contain honey, brown sugar, food dyes (tested on animals), and natural flavor.

Is Chili Cheese-Flavored Corn Chips Vegan?

They are not vegan as they contain whey, which comes from milk, cheese, sugar, buttermilk, butter, and natural flavors.

Is Fritos Flamin’ Hot Flavored Corn Chips Vegan?

They are not vegan as they contain dairy, buttermilk, and whey.

Is Fritos Healthy?

Fritos might seem healthy because they only contain three ingredients.

However, most of their nutritional value has been diminished because they are made from highly processed corn.

They’re one of the most unhealthy snack chips options and can contain 160 calories per portion.

Last Words

So, are Fritos vegan?

Both yes and no.

Although some Fritos are vegan-friendly, most Fritos are made with animal-based ingredients.

There are only two options for those who prefer Fritos Scoops: the Original or Fritos Scoops.

If these chips aren’t your favorite, you can find vegan brands.

MUST READ Are Nerds Vegan Friendly? Here's What You Need to Know

Author

Mary M. Cameron
Mary M. Cameron is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition Science from the University of California, Davis and a Master's degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). With over 8 years of experience in the nutrition field, Mary is an expert in weight management, plant-based nutrition, and overall health and wellness. As an author at FitGAG, she shares her knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics, including nutrition plans, healthy recipes, and overall health and wellness tips. Mary believes that nutrition is the foundation of overall health and wellness, and she strives to inspire her readers to prioritize a balanced and varied diet, while also incorporating physical activity and self-care into their daily routines. Through her articles, Mary aims to empower her readers to make informed decisions about their nutrition and lifestyle choices, and to help them achieve their health and wellness goals.
View all posts