Tortilla chips are usually vegan when made with traditional ingredients like corn flour, vegetable oil, and salt. However, some tortilla chips are fried in animal fat, such as lard, or seasoned with dairy or meat products, making them non-vegan. Popular brands like Doritos and Takis offer a limited number of vegan-friendly flavors, while other brands like Trader Joe's, Xochitl, and Taco Bell offer a wider range of vegan options. Pringles' Kickin' Chicken Taco chips are also surprisingly vegan-friendly, despite their meaty name.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Type of food | Chips |
Diet | Vegan |
Flavours | Classic, Mild, Fire |
Brand | Taco Bell |
Ingredients | Corn flour, vegetable oil, salt |
Other brands | Doritos, Takis, Fritos, Kettle Brand, Ruffles, Zapp's, Beanfields, Late July, Munchos, Siete, Vegan Rob's, Boulder Canyon, Popchips |
What You'll Learn
Taco Bell Tortilla Chips are vegan-friendly
Taco Bell has been catering to vegans for some time. In 2016, it launched an extensive "How to Eat Vegan at Taco Bell" guide, and in 2017, it reformulated its rice to be vegan-certified. The chain has also tested vegan meat options in select markets, including a Naked Chicken Chalupa with a shell made from pea protein-based vegan chicken, and its own proprietary vegan beef.
Taco Bell's menu also features several vegan-friendly options, including Crunchwraps, burritos, and tacos. Many of its standard options are easy to order without animal products. For example, the Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme can be made vegan by ordering it fresco style, which replaces the sour cream and nacho cheese sauce with pico de gallo. Similarly, the Spicy Potato Soft Taco can be made vegan by requesting it without cheese and creamy chipotle sauce.
Taco Bell's soft and crunchy tortillas are also vegan, as are the chalupa shell and Gordita Flatbread. The black beans, refried beans, and seasoned rice are all vegan as well.
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Flavored tortilla chips are often not vegan
Tortilla chips are usually vegan when made with traditional ingredients like corn flour, vegetable oil, and salt. However, many flavored tortilla chips are full of animal products.
Doritos
Doritos are the biggest brand for vegan tortilla chips. However, most of their flavored tortilla chips are not vegan. The only two flavors that are vegan are their toasted corn tortilla chips and spicy sweet chili.
Takis
Takis is another well-known brand of tortilla chips that offers a larger selection of vegan-friendly flavors.
Other Vegan-Friendly Brands
There are several other brands that offer vegan tortilla chips with a variety of flavors:
- Organic blue corn tortilla chips
- Fritos original corn tortilla chips
- Life plentils tortilla chips
Dips
While most salted tortilla chips are vegan-friendly, it can be more challenging to find dips that are compatible with a vegan diet. Thankfully, Doritos dips are all vegan-friendly. There are also many other dips made from plant-based ingredients, such as salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
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Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili flavor is vegan
It can be tricky to find vegan-friendly snacks, especially when it comes to tortilla chips, as many are flavoured using animal products. However, Spicy Sweet Chili flavour Doritos are vegan! This flavour is one of the few tortilla chips that are suitable for vegans, along with the Toasted Corn variety, which is no longer in production.
Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are free from animal-derived ingredients, which are often found in tortilla chips. These include dairy products such as cheese, milk, butter, and buttermilk, as well as animal-derived flavours like chicken or bee flavouring.
Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are made by one of the biggest brands for vegan tortilla chips, and they are a tasty, satisfying combination of sweet, savoury, and spicy flavours. They are great for making nachos or can be paired with guacamole.
So, if you're looking for a vegan-friendly snack, Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are a fantastic option!
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Fritos Original Corn Chips are vegan
Fritos are a great example of "accidentally vegan" food, which is when a product that is not explicitly marketed as vegan ends up containing no animal products. Accidentally vegan foods show that it is becoming easier to follow a vegan diet, as there are so many delicious plant-based options readily available.
Fritos Original Corn Chips are a great snack on their own, or as part of a vegan meal. For example, a bag of classic Fritos is the perfect base for a walking taco. Fritos Scoops! can be used to turn a bowl of vegan chili into a monster of a meal.
Fritos are not the only accidentally vegan chips out there. Other examples include Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos, Kettle Brand Backyard Barbeque Potato Chips, and Taco Bell Tortilla Chips. So, if you're craving something crunchy, it's good to know that there are plenty of vegan-friendly options to choose from!
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Many dips are vegan-friendly
If you're looking for a dip to go with your tortilla chips, salsa is a great option. You can also make your own vegan dips, such as salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. If you're looking for a cheese sauce to go with your taco chips, you can try a vegan option like cashew queso or a potato, carrot, onion, and nutritional yeast blend.
Some popular brands also offer vegan dips. For example, Doritos, which has a limited selection of vegan-friendly tortilla chips, offers a range of vegan dips.
When choosing dips, it's important to be cautious of animal-derived ingredients like cheese, whey, and lard. It's always a good idea to check the ingredients list or look for vegan certifications to ensure that your chosen dip is suitable for your dietary needs.
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Frequently asked questions
Plain tortilla chips are usually vegan, as they are typically made from corn flour, vegetable oil, and salt. However, some flavoured varieties may contain dairy or meat products, and those served in restaurants may be fried in animal fat or cooked in the same oil as animal products.
Yes, there are several vegan-friendly tortilla chip brands available in supermarkets, including:
- Trader Joe's Salted Tortilla Chips
- Xochitl Mexican Style Tortilla Chips
- Whole Foods 365 Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
- Siete Lime Tortilla Chips
- Mi Nina White Corn Tortilla Chips
- Garden of Eatin' Organic Blue Corn Redhot Tortilla Chips
- Original Salsitas Spicy Flavored Tortilla Rounds
- Santitas Totopos De Maiz Tortilla Chips
- Tostitos Tortilla Chips
- Taco Bell Tortilla Chips
- Late July Tortilla Chips
- Fritos Original Corn Tortilla Chips
- Life Plentils Tortilla Chips
- Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
Yes, Taco Bell offers a line of vegan tortilla chips in their iconic hot sauce flavours, including Classic, Mild, and Fire.