Are Wheat Thins vegan? – 2023

The baked whole wheat cracker brand has been around for a while. Making Wheat Thins a favorite snack for many. But are whole grain wheat thins vegan? Well, yes! The Original thins for example are fully vegan. As well as most of the other flavors of Wheat Thins. Although, it’s good to be careful as you can find milk products and honey in some of them. So why exactly are Wheat Thins vegan? Let’s find out.

Vegan Wheat Thins

So which of the many Wheat Thins are safe for people following a vegan lifestyle? There seems to be quite a few. Let’s have a look at all the vegan flavors and the ingredients they’ve made of.

• The Original – Whole grain wheat flour, canola oil, sugar, cornstarch, malt syrup (from corn and barley), salt, refiner’s syrup, calcium phosphate and baking soda, BHT.
• Hint of Salt (low sodium) – Whole grain wheat flour, canola oil, sugar, cornstarch, malt syrup (from corn and barley), refiner’s syrup, salt, BHT.
• Sundried Tomato and Basil – Whole grain wheat flour, canola oil, sugar, cornstarch, malt syrup (from corn and barley), refiner’s syrup, salt, leavening (calcium phosphate and baking soda), tomato powder, sundried tomato powder, paprika, garlic powder, spices (includes basil), onion powder, dried red and green bell peppers, yeast extract, natural flavor (contains celery), caramel color, sulfur dioxide (sulfites), BHT.
• Reduced Fat – Whole grain wheat flour, sugar, canola oil, cornstarch, malt syrup (from corn and barley), salt, refiner’s syrup, leavening (calcium phosphate and baking soda), BTH.
• Multigrain – Whole grain wheat flour, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate [vitamin b1], riboflavin (vitamin b2), folic acid), whole grain barley flakes, canola oil, sugar, whole grain rye, whole grain triticale, molasses, whole grain millet, whole grain wheat, salt, whole grain rolled oats, onion powder, soy lecithin, leavening (baking soda and/or calcium phosphate), BTH.
• Spicy Buffalo – Whole grain wheat flour, soybean oil, sugar, cornstarch, maltodextrin, malt syrup (from corn and barley), refiner’s syrup, salt, cayenne pepper sauce (cayenne pepper, vinegar, salt, garlic), leavening (calcium phosphate and/or baking soda), tomato powder, garlic powder, citric acid, natural flavor, yeast extract, vegetable color (paprika extract, turmeric oleoresin, annatto extract), spice, BHT.
• Zesty Salsa – Whole grain wheat flour, soybean oil, sugar, cornstarch, malt syrup (from corn and barley), salt, refiner’s syrup, dried green bell peppers, leavening (calcium phosphate and/or baking soda), spices (includes parsley), onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, distilled vinegar, natural flavor, vegetable color (turmeric oleoresin, annatto extract), BHT.
• Pepper and Olive Oil – Whole grain wheat flour, canola oil, sugar, cornstarch, malt syrup (from corn and barley), salt, refiner’s syrup, black pepper, leavening (calcium phosphate and baking soda), onion powder, garlic powder, olive oil, natural flavor (contains celery), BHT.
• Multigrain Toasted Chips – Whole grain wheat flour, soybean oil, sugar, cornstarch, oatmeal (whole grain oats), malt syrup (from corn and barley), salt, leavening (calcium phosphate and/or baking soda), whole grain barley flakes, whole grain rye, whole grain triticale, whole grain millet, onion powder.

Reading labels can be hard, especially if you’re still new to a vegan diet. And there are a few ingredients listed above that are questionable. Let’s have a look at them. 

• Sugar – While sugar beets and organic cane sugar are safe for vegans, refined cane sugar is often filtered through bone char making it non-vegan. We can’t be sure where Wheat Thins sources their sugar from. But considering PETA has listed Wheat Thins Original as one of their top ¨accidentally vegan foods¨, I think it’s safe to assume we don’t have to worry about this.
• BTH – Butylated Hydroxytoluene has been added to the packaging to preserve freshness. It’s made industrially and doesn’t use any animal-derived procedures. Meaning it’s vegan.
• Natural flavor – Natural flavors aren’t always plant-based and can come from natural sources such as eggs, dairy, fish. But they would have to be listed as allergies in that case. I believe the natural flavors in Wheat Thins are safe for vegans but you can decide for yourself.
• Caramel color – This isn’t actual caramel. Caramel color is made from boiling simple sugars like glucose, fructose, malt syrup, or molasses. Making it suitable for vegans.

So now that we’ve gone over all the ingredients, I think we can consider 9 flavors of Wheat Thins to be vegan. That’s not bad.

Non-vegan Wheat Thins

As we just saw, there is a long list of vegan-friendly Wheat Thins. Unfortunately, there are also a few flavors that aren’t suitable for vegans.

• Ranch – These Wheat Thins contain buttermilk, cheddar cheese powder, sodium caseinate, and whey.
• Chili Cheese – As you can guess from the name, it contains cheddar cheese. As well as sour cream powder, and buttermilk.
• Honey Mustard – Contains honey solids.
• Smokey BBQ – Contains honey.
• Veggie Toasted Chips – The name suggests they would be vegan-friendly. They aren’t. Contains natural flavor from milk.

Are Wheat Thins Vegan? – Quick Summary

We are pleased to find out that, unlike Cheez-It, most of the Wheat Thin crackers are vegan.

The vegan flavors are: Wheat Thins Original, Wheat Thins Hint of Salt, Wheat Thins Sundried Tomato and Basil, Wheat Thins Reduced Fat Wheat Thins Multigrain, Wheat Thins Spicy Buffalo, Wheat Thins Zesty Salsa, Wheat Thins Pepper and Olive Oil, Wheat Thins Multigrain Toasted Chips

Non-vegan flavors to avoid: Wheat Thins Ranch, Wheat Thins Chili Cheese, Wheat Thins Honey Mustard, Wheat Thins Smokey BBQ, Wheat Thins Veggie Toasted Chips.

Frequently Asked Questions