10 Snacks You Didn't Know Were Vegan

Veganism is a philosophy and way of life that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation, be it food, clothing, toiletries, entertainment, you name it. While there are gray areas in veganism, one thing all vegans have in common is an entirely plant-based diet, excluding all animal products, including meat, (including fish, shellfish, and insects), dairy, eggs, honey, and gelatin. You may already be familiar with veganism. You may wonder why we vegans tend to read the ingredients list on everything we buy - after all, if something is vegan, won't it just have a label saying "vegan" slapped on it? But the fact is, not all vegan products are open about their veganism. Here are 10 snacks you probably didn't realize were vegan.

1. Sweet Spicy Chili Doritos

That's right — vegans eat Doritos, too! This one is a staple favorite of 'junk food vegans' (vegans whose diet consists mostly or entirely of junk food). Currently, this is the only vegan variety of Doritos, but hopefully, they will develop more vegan flavors in the future.

2. Chewy Chippers Chocolate Chip Cookies

Try saying that five times fast! I personally love to dip them in warm soy milk. How do you like yours?

3. Oreos

It's funny that there are knock-offs of Oreos that label themselves as "plant based", considering that Oreos are already plant-based to begin with! While the classic sandwich cookies may contain traces of milk due to being processed in a factory that uses milk, that doesn't make them not suitable for a vegan, as veganism isn't so much about perfection as it is about not contributing to animal exploitation.

4. CLIF bars

Who says vegans can't be healthy? CLIF bars are plant-based and packed with nutrition.

5.Pillsbury crescent rolls

There's nothing like carbs to keep you cozy. This may come as a surprise, but this snack is eaten by vegans! Despite its buttery crust, this snack does not actually contain any butter.

6. Swedish Fish

This is the only kind of fish that a vegan will eat. Unlike a lot of gummy candies, these don't have gelatin.

7. Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix

Most Jell-O products are a no-no for vegans due to their gelatin, but this one doesn't actually have any gelatin since they aren't meant to be cooked.

8. Nature's Bakery Fig Bars

Since Fig Newtons aren't vegan, it may come as a surprise that Fig Bars are. Not only are these bars kinder to animals than Fig Newtons, they have more nutrition packed in.

9. Cocoa Pebbles

I would not have even thought of including this on the list had it not been for my friend, Kira, who was surprised to see me eating this, straight up saying "Wait, Cocoa Pebbles are vegan?" So thank you, Kira. No, vegans don't eat it dry, silly (well, maybe some do. Who knows?). We have it with a plant-based milk of our choice.

10. Ritz crackers

After all these sweet snacks, I figured it might be nice to end with something savory again. Ritz crackers are grain-based. They're vegan as long as you don't dip them in cream cheese, or top them with cheese, or whatever the hell other weird stuff you non-vegans do with crackers.

I hope you enjoyed this list as much as you enjoy these snacks. Did anything on this list surprise you? If so, which one surprised you the most? Are you a vegan yourself, in which case probably nothing on this list surprised you? Do you have any items to add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!