Are Pop Tarts Vegan? 3 Flavors You Can Eat & Easy Recipe

Are Pop-Tarts Vegan? To get to the bottom of this question, it's important to understand the controversial link between pop tarts and animal products. The reality is more complex than you might think. Let’s dig in.

It all started with just four flavors, but now pop tarts are available in a dizzying array of flavors, each of which has a dedicated fan base. But are Pop-Tarts vegan? Sadly, the answer is mostly not. Some may be troublesome depending on your veganism and your opinions on controversial additives.  

As a vegan, you may want to avoid some of the most popular pop tarts on the market since they include non-vegan ingredients. This article will cover all non-vegan ingredients in Pop-Tarts and offer vegan alternatives that you can buy or bake at home. 

Problematic Pop-Tart Ingredients for Vegans 

To get to the heart of whether or not Pop-Tarts are vegan, we first must cast a glance at the ingredients that are used to make them. Most of the Pop-Tart flavors that you’ll see on the supermarket shelves contain at least one of four ingredients that are never vegan.  

These four ingredients can be found in the following Pop-Tart flavors:

• Gelatine – Cherry, S’mores, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Cinnamon Roll, Blueberry, Strawberry Milkshake, Vanilla Milkshake, Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Hot Fudge Sundae, Strawberry 
• Milk – S’mores, Gone Nutty Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 
• Whey (which comes from milk) – S’mores, Vanilla Milkshake, Chocolate Fudge 
• Egg whites – S’mores, Chocolate Fudge Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough 

Gelatine is a key ingredient in the icing of supermarket Pop-Tarts. To make gelatine, animal bones, cartilage, and skin are heated for an extended period to extract the gelatinous material. As a by-product of cheese production, whey protein is also commonly used across the food industry and can be found in pop tarts.  

Both dairy products and eggs are never a part of a strict vegan diet. With the dairy industry, in particular, there has been growing controversy in recent years. Many consumers object to the fact that female cows are repeatedly impregnated through artificial insemination so they will produce milk regularly. Their newborn calves are often taken away at birth. 

It Gets Even More Complicated 

Surprisingly, several ingredients in both vegan and non-vegan pop-tarts may be more problematic to stricter vegans once you look a little deeper. The presence of these ingredients in Pop-Tarts is sometimes a source of contention among stricter vegans.  

These include:  

• Palm Oil – Many vegans avoid palm oil owing to the industry’s impact on animals and the environment. Palm oil is a contentious substance due to the ethical, environmental, and social issues it raises.  The destruction of rainforests threatens the existence of wild animals. Palm cultivation involves the exploitation of poor bonded laborers, who toil ceaselessly with little to no human rights. 
• Artificial Colors – While they’re entirely synthetic, artificial colors in pop tarts are problematic. Testing artificial colors on animals is troublesome since it is necessary to do so periodically. In addition, they must be evaluated regularly since they may have major effects on human health. For this reason, many vegans decide to exclude them from their diets. 
• Natural Flavors – These are almost exclusively seen in unfrosted blueberry Pop-Tarts. Natural flavors span a wide range of flavoring compounds, most of which are vegan. Some natural tastes come from plants, but others are derived from animal products. This makes it difficult to know for sure whether or not certain Pop-Tarts are vegan.

Vegan Pop-Tart Varieties and Brands 

There aren’t many vegan Pop-Tart-like pastries on the market right now, but this can change in the future to meet growing demands by consumers. However, there is one strictly vegan variety: Bobo’s. Bobo’s sells vegan toaster pastries in a variety of flavors that may be purchased online or in select shops, although they can be rather tricky to find. 

To a certain degree, Kellogg’s Unfrosted Strawberry, Unfrosted Blueberry, and Unfrosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts could be considered vegan, depending on the strictness of your veganism and your views on the contentious additives we highlighted. 

Making Vegan Pop Tarts at Home : Simple Step-By-Step Recipe

While the inclusion of certain ingredients is a deal-breaker for many vegans with a disciplined code of ethics, others may find it not as big of a deal. 

You may feel a little dismayed by the lack of abundance of vegan Pop-Tart flavors across the market, but don’t despair! You can always make your own vegan Pop-Tarts at home the way you like them.

They are not only cruelty-free, but they are also environmentally friendly, and incredibly simple to make. Let’s get started. 

Ingredients: 

These ingredients combined, make six pop tarts in total. If you want to make more for your vegan friends or family, simply double the recipe.  

• 2 cups of flour (unbleached, all-purpose / or whole-wheat is fine)  
• A pinch of salt 
• 2/3 cup of a vegan butter substitute 
• 2-5 tbsp. of cold, filtered water 
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries 
• 1 tbsp. of raw sugar for glazing (optional for extra sweet filling also) 
• Vanilla Glaze 

Ingredients for the Vanilla Glaze (optional): 

• 2 cups of powdered sugar 
• 2 tbsp. of non-dairy milk 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• A pinch of salt  

Instructions: 

1. First things first, grab some baking paper and cover a baking sheet.  
2. Throw your cup of mixed berries in a pan and cook for 5-8 minutes on medium-low heat until the berries are soft and mushy. To expedite this, you can crush the berries with a spoon. Add a few tablespoons of raw sugar to sweeten. Afterward, set them aside and let them cool 
3. Place your vegan butter substitute into a mixing bowl with your flour and salt and mix thoroughly 
4. Gently pour the cold, filtered water into the mixture and whisk vigorously until a dough forms. We advise adding anywhere between 2-5 tablespoons of cold water, just make sure the ball of dough isn’t too sticky. If it gets too wet, add more dough. 
5. Take your dough out and flatten it using a pinch of flour and a rolling pin. Keep rolling over it until the texture is smooth and the dough is rectangular. 
6. Next, cut this dough into a dozen equal-sized squares and place them on your baking sheet. 
7. With each square, spread a tablespoon of your now cooled berry mixture over half of the square. Leave plenty of space around the edges of the squares, as you’ll need to seal them later. 
8. Gently add a second square and place it on top, running your fingers over the edges to bind them together. A fork can also be used to seal squares and for decoration. 
9. Make a little hole on the top of your pop tart and brush it with a bit of vegan butter or sprinkle it with some raw sugar. 
10. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the crusts are a golden brown color. Afterward, let them cool.
11. Whisk together the powdered sugar, non-dairy milk, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to make the glaze. Use a brush to apply to your Pop-Tarts. Bon appetit! 

Read more:

• Is Beer Vegan? What Vegans Need to Know
• Is Ketchup Vegan? Here’s Everything You Need to Know
• Is Brown Sugar Vegan? The Truth & Vegan Sugar Brands

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Tags: Green Living Guide Vegan