Are Pop-Tarts vegan? List of Vegan-Friendly flavors – 2023

At least half of us grew up with Pop-Tarts being one of our favorite snacks. And that for a good reason –  they are luscious, and with so many different flavors, there’s something for everyone.

My favorites were the Frosted Cherry and Frosted S’mores.

Neither of them is vegan friendly – you can find gelatin in the cherry flavor and gelatin, egg whites, and dairy in S’mores. Are any of the flavors safe for people following a plant-based diet?

Are Pop-Tarts vegan?

Yes, and no – depending on the flavor. If you’ve been vegan for a while, you have probably already discovered that most Pop-Tarts are not vegan-friendly. You can find several non-vegan ingredients in most of the flavors. That includes whey, milk, eggs, the infamous gelatin, and even carmine color.

But not all hope is lost – there are a few flavors that we can still snack on! However, even those Pop-Tarts that are technically vegan-friendly contain a few controversial ingredients that some strict vegans prefer to avoid. So which Pop-Tarts to avoid, and which ones to buy?

Non-vegan Pop-Tarts

Most of the toaster pastry flavors are not vegan – like Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs, which are owned by the same parent company as Pop-Tarts. Nearly every Pop-Tart product has some form of animal product in it. What are those non-vegan components that we can find in Pop-Tarts?

They are egg whites, whey, milk, gelatin, carmine color, and cream. The ingredients vary slightly in different flavors – some contain only one animal-based component, some several. Let’s list all the Pop-Tarts that we have to avoid here – and sadly, it’ll be a long list.

• Frosted Blueberry Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Chocolatey Churro Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts – Contain milk, eggs, and gelatin.
• Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pop-Tarts – Contain milk, eggs, and gelatin.
• Frosted Chocolate Chip Pop-Tarts – Contain milk, gelatin, and eggs.
• Frosted Cherry Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin and confectioner’s glaze.
• Frosted Raspberry Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Cookies & Creme Pop-Tarts – Contain milk, eggs, and gelatin.
• Frosted Confetti Cupcake Pop-Tarts – Contain milk, confectioner’s glaze, and gelatin.
• Frosted Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Peach Cobbler Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Lemon Creme Pie Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Wildlicious Wild Berry Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatine and carmine color.
• Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted S’mores Pop-Tarts – Contain milk, eggs, and gelatin.
• Tropical Mango Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Simply Frosted Harvest Strawberry Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Salted Caramel Pretzel Pop-Tarts – Contain milk and gelatin.
• Red Velvet Cupcake Pop-Tarts – Contain milk and gelatin.
• Froot Loops Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Pop-Tarts – Contain milk and gelatin.
• Banana Creme Pie Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Eggo Frosted Maple Pop-Tarts – Contain milk and gelatin.
• Frosted Boston Creme Donut Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.
• Frosted Apple Fritter Pop-Tarts – Contain gelatin.

All Pop-Tart Bites contain gelatin, and the Pop-Tart Crisps have dairy – so neither of those are suitable for vegans.

Vegan Pop-Tarts

The list of vegan-friendly Pop-Tart products is nowhere as long as the list above. However, we do have a few Pop-Tarts that we can still eat! Three, to be exact. Which ones are they?

• Unfrosted Blueberry Pop-Tarts
• Unfrosted Strawberry Pop-Tarts
• Unfrosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts

Those three are free from any components directly derived from animals. But they do contain a few ingredients that are considered a ¨gray area¨ for vegans. So, some vegans choose to not eat these either.

Controversial ingredients in Pop-Tarts

When it comes to some ingredients, it’s hard to label them as vegan or non-vegan. That’s the issue with the so-called vegan Pop-Tarts flavors. The vegan flavors are technically plant-based but are not cruelty-free. Which ingredients raise some concerns?

• Sugar – In the USA, cane sugar is commonly filtered through bone char. Bone char is used to give the sugar its white color. Most companies have several suppliers. So, unfortunately, it’s hard to know whether the sugar in Pop-Tarts has gone through the animal-based natural charcoal in the sugar refining process.
• Natural flavors – Every vegan probably knows that natural flavors aren’t always as innocent as they sound. The chance of them being vegan is as big as them being non-vegan.
• Artificial colors – Artificial colors are technically vegan as they are not derived from animal-based sources. For example, red 40 and blue 1 are made from petroleum. However, these colors are not cruelty-free as they are tested on animals.
• Palm Oil – Palm oil is entirely plant-based. So why do some vegans still avoid it? Palm oil farming is often very unsustainable and causes suffering to different animal species. 

Frequently Asked Questions