Vegan Diets: Bread, Yay Or Nay?

The simplest form of bread is vegan, but not all bread is vegan. The core ingredients of bread are flour, water, salt, and yeast — all of which are vegan-friendly. However, some types of bread include additional ingredients like sweeteners or fats, which can be of animal origin. For example, some recipes may use eggs, butter, milk, or honey, which are not vegan.

Bread recipes and their ingredients

Bread is a staple in many diets and can be found in almost every grocery store. The simplest form of bread is vegan, but not all bread is vegan. A basic bread recipe contains flour, water, salt, and yeast—all vegan-friendly ingredients. However, some bread recipes include additional ingredients like eggs, butter, milk, or honey, which are not vegan.

White Bread

This bread is typically made with a combination of white flour, water, yeast, and sometimes preservatives and stabilizers to keep it shelf-stable. It often has a soft and fluffy texture, making it ideal for sandwiches and other light meals. However, some brands of white bread may contain butter or milk, so it's important to check the label if you're looking for a vegan option.

Wheat Bread (Wholemeal Bread)

Wheat bread, also known as wholemeal bread, is a popular alternative to white bread due to its superior nutritional benefits. It contains the same essential ingredients as white bread but uses whole wheat flour instead of refined all-purpose flour. Some brands may add honey for sweetness or eggs for leavening and protein, so it's not always vegan.

Multigrain Bread

Multigrain bread is made with different grains, such as oats, barley, rye, and quinoa, providing a more nutrient-dense option than white or wheat bread. It often includes additional ingredients like eggs or honey, but there are plenty of vegan options available.

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough bread is made by creating a starter culture, a mixture of fermented flour and water with natural yeasts. This starter is added to a basic bread dough along with salt and liquid to create the final loaf. Sourdough is usually vegan-friendly, but some variations may contain eggs, milk, butter, or honey.

Brioche Bread

Brioche is a bread made with eggs, milk, and butter, giving it a rich and fluffy texture. However, these ingredients make it non-vegan-friendly.

Challah Bread

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread made with water, flour, yeast, eggs, and sugar. The eggs give challah its distinctive golden color and slightly sweet flavor. While there are some egg-free versions, they are less common.

Pita Bread

Pita is a type of flatbread commonly used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. It is typically made with water, flour, yeast, and salt, and is usually vegan-friendly. However, some brands may add milk or butter, so checking the label is important.

Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is an Italian flatbread often topped with herbs and olive oil. The dough usually contains water, flour, yeast, and salt, and sometimes olive oil. While focaccia is usually vegan, some versions may include cheese or other animal-derived toppings.

Rye Bread

Rye bread is a hearty and dense bread typically made with rye flour, water, and salt. Some recipes may also include yeast, honey, or molasses for flavor, and seasonings like caraway or cumin. Rye bread may also contain non-vegan ingredients like eggs or dairy, depending on the brand.

Baguettes

Baguettes are French bread made with wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast. While the basic recipe is vegan-friendly, some bakeries may add milk or butter to the dough for extra richness.

Naan Bread

Naan is a leavened flatbread originating from India. It is traditionally made with white flour, yeast, salt, yogurt, and ghee (clarified butter), making it non-vegan-friendly. However, vegan versions of naan can sometimes be found at specialty stores or made at home.

Ciabatta Bread

Ciabatta is an Italian bread with a chewy texture and large holes. The dough typically contains flour, water, yeast, and salt, and sometimes olive oil to create a crispy outer crust. While ciabatta is usually vegan, some recipes may include milk or other animal-derived ingredients.

Cornbread

Cornbread typically includes cornmeal, flour, eggs, and milk, and is sweetened with sugar or honey. It is not usually vegan-friendly, but it can be made vegan by substituting flax or chia seeds for eggs and using plant-based milk.

Soda Bread

Soda bread is an unleavened bread made with baking soda instead of yeast. The classic recipe includes flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk, making it non-vegan. However, it can be made vegan by substituting plant-based milk and adding a little vinegar or lemon juice.

Tortillas

Tortillas are unleavened flatbreads made with wheat or cornflour, water, salt, and fat to create a soft and pliable texture. Most tortillas are vegan, but those containing lard (pig fat) are not.

Buckwheat Bread

Buckwheat flour is a great alternative for those avoiding gluten. This bread typically includes gluten-free all-purpose flour, xanthan gum, buckwheat flour, psyllium husk powder, instant yeast, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, water, and eggs. However, because it contains eggs, it is not suitable for a vegan diet.

Sprouted Grain Bread

Sprouted grain bread is made with a sourdough starter, water, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and sprouted wheat berries. It is a time-consuming process but results in a bread with more nutritional benefits than other types of bread.

Homemade Bread

A basic homemade bread recipe usually includes warm water, active dry yeast, granulated sugar or honey, salt, oil or butter, and bread or all-purpose flour. The exact amount of flour may vary depending on factors like altitude and humidity. This type of bread is usually vegan-friendly, but some recipes may include dairy or eggs.

Bread types and their ingredients

Bread is usually vegan, as it is typically made from flour, water, salt, and yeast—all vegan-friendly ingredients. However, some types of bread contain animal products, such as eggs, milk, butter, or honey. Here is a list of bread types and their ingredients:

Arepas

Arepas are flat and circular breads that originated in Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama. They are typically made from masa (corn flour), water, and salt, and cooked in butter or oil.

Baguettes

Baguettes are long, thin loaves of bread that originated in France. They are made from flour, water, yeast, and salt, resulting in a thin, crispy crust and a soft interior.

Bagels

Bagels are round breads with a hole in the middle, believed to have originated in Poland. They are made from flour, yeast, water, salt, and barley malt syrup, and are cooked by first being boiled and then baked, resulting in a thick and fluffy texture.

Brioche

Brioche is a French bread with a soft, fluffy, and rich interior. It is made from flour, yeast, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and sometimes brandy.

Ciabatta

Ciabatta is an Italian bread that originated in 1982. It is broad, flat, and somewhat collapsed in the middle, with a chewy interior and a rustic, flaky crust. It is made from flour, yeast, salt, and water.

Challah

Challah is a braided bread that is integral to the Jewish faith, typically served on the Sabbath and holidays. It is made from flour, water, yeast, salt, sugar or honey, vegetable oil, and eggs, resulting in a fluffy interior and a dark golden-brown crust.

English Muffins

English muffins are small, round, flat breads that originated in America. They are made with whole wheat flour, water, salt, sugar, butter, cornmeal, and either yeast or sourdough starter, creating large pockets of air inside.

Focaccia

Focaccia is an Italian bread similar in texture and flavor to pizza but thicker. It is made with flour, water, yeast, salt, olive oil, and honey, and is often topped with herbs and spices.

Hokkaido Milk Bread

Hokkaido milk bread is a Japanese bread that uses the tangzhong cooking technique, where part of the flour is pre-cooked with a liquid to form a paste. It is made from flour, sugar, yeast, milk powder or sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and butter, resulting in a pillowy and light texture.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish soda bread is a rounded, domed bread that uses baking soda as the leavening agent instead of yeast. It is made from flour, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, and usually includes raisins and nuts. It has a crumbly and scone-like texture.

Multigrain Bread

Multigrain bread is made from various grains such as barley, whole wheat, oats, quinoa, millet, and flax seeds, as well as pumpkin and sunflower seeds. It also contains flour, yeast, salt, water, and sometimes brown sugar.

Naan

Naan is a leavened flatbread that originated in Western Asia, South Asia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It is soft, chewy, and textured, made from flour, water, sugar, yeast, yogurt, vegetable oil, and salt. It is typically baked in a tandoor, a hot clay oven.

Parathas

Parathas are unleavened flatbreads that originated in South Asia. They are made from whole wheat flour (atta), water, salt, and ghee or oil. They are rolled out, smothered with ghee, sprinkled with flour, rolled into a pinwheel shape, and then rolled out again, creating a buttery and flaky texture.

Pita Bread

Pita bread is a flatbread that is leavened with yeast, originating in the Middle East. It is made from flour, yeast, salt, water, and sometimes sugar. It is cooked at a high temperature, causing it to puff up and create a pocket inside.

Potato Bread

Potato bread is an Irish bread that uses mashed potatoes as one of the main ingredients. It also contains whole wheat flour, yeast, sugar, salt, eggs, and butter, resulting in a fluffy, moist, and fine-textured bread.

Quick Bread

Quick bread is made with baking powder or baking soda as the leavening agent instead of yeast. Examples include muffins, cupcakes, cakes, donuts, banana bread, pumpkin bread, biscuits, scones, and cornbread.

Rye Bread

Rye bread originated in Europe and is commonly used in Northern and Eastern European countries. It is made from rye flour, water, yeast, honey, caraway seeds, and salt, resulting in a dense and flavorful bread.

Sourdough

Sourdough is a type of fermented bread leavened with a sourdough starter, a mixture of flour and water that cultivates natural yeasts. It is typically made from flour, water, sourdough starter, and salt, though some varieties may use milk instead of water.

White Bread

White bread is made from whole wheat flour with the bran and germs removed, resulting in a lighter color, texture, and fewer nutrients than other types of bread. It is made from all-purpose flour, yeast, water, sugar, salt, and butter.

Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat bread is made from whole wheat flour, which uses the entire wheat grain, resulting in a darker, denser bread with more flavor and nutrients than white bread. It is made from whole wheat flour, yeast, water, salt, honey or molasses, and sometimes milk.

Vegan-friendly bread options

At its core, a basic bread recipe contains just four simple ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast — all of which are vegan-friendly. However, some commercially sold breads contain dairy or eggs as fillers or stabilizers, and these are not considered vegan. So, it's always good to check the ingredients list.

Sourdough

A type of fermented bread made from flour, water, salt, and sometimes commercial baker’s yeast. Though uncommon, some varieties use milk instead of water, making them non-vegan. Sourdough is usually vegan-friendly, as there are very few ingredients in the starter culture, and none of them are animal-derived.

Pita

A flatbread made from a simple mixture of flour, water, yeast, and salt. Though pita bread is usually vegan-friendly, it’s important to note that some brands add milk or butter to their recipe. So be sure to check the label before purchasing.

Ezekiel

A bread made from sprouted whole grains and legumes. This type of bread is often vegan and typically richer in protein and other nutrients. Ezekiel bread is less processed and more nutritious compared to other breads. Most of their breads also contain no oils, no sugars, no preservatives, and no artificial ingredients.

Ciabatta

A flat, elongated bread recognizable by its harder crust and soft, airy crumb. Most versions are vegan, though ciabatta al latte replaces water with milk, making it non-vegan. Olive oil is also often added to the dough, which helps to create a crispy outer crust.

Baguette

A popular type of French bread that’s long and thin with a crispy crust and tender crumb. While this basic recipe is vegan-friendly, some bakeries may add milk or butter to their dough for extra richness.

Focaccia

An Italian flatbread topped with herbs and a source of fat, baked in a flat pan. Most recipes call for olive oil as the fat of choice, making this bread vegan, but a few use butter or eggs instead.

Rye bread

A hearty, dense bread typically made with rye flour, water, and salt. Depending on the recipe, other ingredients may be added, such as yeast, honey or molasses for flavor, and seasonings like caraway or cumin. However, rye bread might also contain other non-vegan ingredients like eggs or dairy products, depending on the particular brand.

Tortillas

Tortillas are typically thin and round, and they can be either soft or crispy. While most tortillas are vegan, those containing lard (pig fat) are not.

Spelt bread

A type of whole-grain bread made with spelt flour. Spelt is an ancient grain that is related to wheat. It’s a good source of fiber and protein, and it has a nutty flavor. Like other types of bread, spelt bread can be either vegan or non-vegan, depending on the ingredients used. Some recipes may use honey or other animal-derived products.

Non-vegan bread options

While a simple bread recipe with flour, water, salt, and yeast is vegan, some non-vegan breads contain added ingredients like eggs, milk, butter, or honey.

Naan Bread

Naan bread is a type of leavened flatbread that originates from India. It is traditionally made with white flour, yeast, salt, yogurt, and ghee (clarified butter). While delicious, it is not typically vegan-friendly due to the inclusion of yogurt and ghee. However, you can sometimes find vegan versions of naan at specialty stores or online, or you can make it at home.

Brioche

Brioche is a bread made with eggs, milk, and butter, resulting in a rich and fluffy texture. This bread is not vegan-friendly due to the animal-based ingredients.

Bagels

While plain bagels are usually vegan, flavoured or topped bagels often contain non-vegan ingredients. For example, bagels filled with cream cheese or coated with eggs or ham are not vegan. However, you can still enjoy plain, sesame, and poppy seed bagels.

Challah

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread often made for religious holidays. It is made with water, flour, yeast, eggs, and sugar. The eggs give challah its distinctive golden colour and slightly sweet flavour. While some egg-free versions of challah are available, they are less common than the traditional version.

Cornbread

Cornbread is a quick bread made with cornmeal, flour, eggs, and milk. It is typically sweetened with sugar or honey and flavoured with salt and baking powder. While the classic recipe is not vegan-friendly, it is easy to make a vegan version at home by substituting eggs with flaxseed or chia eggs and using plant-based milk.

Soda Bread

Soda bread is an unleavened bread made with baking soda instead of yeast. The classic recipe includes flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk, making it non-vegan. However, you can easily make a vegan version by substituting the buttermilk with plant-based milk and adding a little vinegar or lemon juice.

Bread ingredients to avoid

The simplest form of bread is vegan. A basic bread recipe contains flour, water, salt, and yeast—all vegan-friendly ingredients. However, some types of bread include additional ingredients of animal origin, such as eggs, dairy, or honey, which are not vegan.

Eggs

Challah, brioche, and egg breads typically contain eggs and are therefore not vegan.

Dairy

Some sweet breads and enriched white breads may contain milk or butter. Some gluten-free breads also use milk or eggs.

Honey

Many breads, especially whole wheat varieties, use honey as a sweetener.

Lard

Some donuts and sweet breads use lard as an ingredient or for frying.

L-cysteine

L-cysteine is an amino acid derived from feathers that is often used in commercial bread as a dough conditioner.

Mono and diglycerides

These emulsifiers are generally vegan but can be derived from animal sources.

Whey

Whey, a byproduct of cheese production, is sometimes added to bread to improve texture.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 is often derived from animal sources such as lanolin or fish oil.

Frequently asked questions