You’ll see natural butter flavor mostly in baked goods like muffins and cakes. Considering it’s supposed to be used when butter isn’t an option, that suggests that it might be vegan-friendly. What Is Natural Butter Flavor? While it depends on the brand, most natural butter flavor seems to contain: Alcohol, water & natural flavors For example, this butter extract on Amazon is made...
If you see a recipe that needs agar powder, can you use agar flakes instead? You can, but you’ll need to convert the amount. I’m going to quickly go over everything you’ll ever need to know about agar agar in this short post. What is Agar Agar? Agar agar is a mix of carbohydrates derived from Red Sea algae (seaweed) that are considered fiber, so it is extremely low...
It’s pretty obvious that sodium caseinate is not vegan-friendly when you hear its other name – milk powder. On ingredients list, milk powder is the more common term, but sodium caseinate is sometimes listed. It’s often used in powdered coffee mixes, lactose-free milks, and even in the cream versions of instant oatmeal. If you buy coffee (and related products), you need to be read...
The short answer for this question is that some monoglycerides and diglycerides are vegan, and some are not. Sorry to say, there’s no easy answer that always applies. Sometimes on packages it will say something like “vegetable monoglycerides,” but in most cases you’ll need to contact the manufacturer for more details. What Monoglycerides and Diglycerides Are Made From...
Plain sugar doesn’t have any obvious animal product in it, yet still might not be vegan. That’s because bone char is often used during the refining process. Maybe you’ve heard this, but want the full story, and that’s what I’m here for. I’ve done the research so you don’t have to. This post will walk you through the facts so that you can make your own decision about whether or not...
Amylase is in a whole bunch of food products, but most vegans come across it in bread. It’s a type of enzyme that converts starches into sugars, which can be useful in bread-making to speed up the rising process. But amylase is found in both animal and plant sources, and can be cultivated with bacteria or fungi. How Is Amylase Made Commercially If you read a little bit about amylase...
You see them on many ingredients lists: “Natural Flavors” This is a catch-all term for many ingredients that are added for flavoring purposes. Some of those flavors come from vegan sources, and some do not. So this puts us in a bind. It’s NOT safe in most cases to assume that natural flavors are vegan-friendly. Where Do Natural Flavors Come From? In the United States (and similar in most other...
You’ll find lactase in medicine, multivitamins, and certain types of food. It’s a pretty common instinct to think that it’s not vegan, because it sounds like lactose, and we associate lactose with milk. However, most lactase is indeed vegan; let me explain. What Is Lactase? Lactase is an enzyme that organisms (not just animals) produce in order to break down lactose, which is sugar...
To some vegans, shellac is a bit of a grey area. Most vegans who have read up on it try to avoid it, but don’t consider it the end of the world if they accidentally eat some. To understand why, let’s look at the argument from both sides. The Argument Against Shellac Being Vegan Technically, shellac is an animal product, so by a strict definition of veganism, it already...
Self rising flour is not the same as bread flour. They are very different types of flours that are used to bake different types of breads and other foods. In short, self rising flour is a mixture of all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, and is used for cakes and non-yeast breads. On the other hand, bread flour is just flour that has a high protein content, making it ideal for...