A lot of people make the assumption that being vegan means you pretty much have to give up junk food. They assume this, well, because they think junk foods are inherently not vegan. The good news for vegans (depending on which way you look at it) is that this couldn’t be any further from the truth! Vegan junk food is vast and abundant. Once you know what foods to look for, you’ll be packing on the weight you lost from going vegan in no time at all!
Vegan Junk Food List
Oreos
Yep. As hard as it is to believe, Oreos are vegan. I’m sure you’re wondering about the creamy center. No worries; it’s not actually cream. Turns out it’s mostly syrups and oils and other stuff that’s probably horrible for you.
Potato Chips
Not all, but a good variety of potato chips are vegan. Plain and Salt & Vinegar are almost always a safe bet, as well as the kettle cooked variety. Plain Pringles are good to go, as well. It’s always a good idea to check the label, though, because sometimes you’ll spot whey in them (even some of the plain ones).
French Fries
Same deal as potato chips.
Cake Frosting
Always check the labels, but a lot of cake frostings are vegan. Seriously.
Swedish Fish
For those of you missing gummy bears (they contain gelatin), you can rejoice! Swedish Fish are basically like gummy bears, but even better because they have more sugar in them. And they’re fish… from Sweden.
Fritos
Original and Barbecue flavored Fritos are vegan. You’re welcome.
Dark Chocolate
Whaaaaaaaa???? True dark chocolate is vegan. It’s nothing but cocoa powder, cocoa butter (not actually butter), and sugar. However, a lot of popular name brand dark chocolate candies still add milk, so be on the lookout.
Ritz Crackers
Ritz regular and whole wheat crackers are vegan despite the buttery taste.
Soy and Coconut Milk Ice Cream
You can find a wide variety of soy and coconut milk ice creams at just about any grocery store these days. They’re all pretty much delicious, but I recommend the coconut milk over the soy. They’re arguably healthier than the real thing, but they’re still junk food.
Vegan Ice Cream Sandwiches
They’re called Toffuti Cuties. Check ’em out.
Vegan Cookies and Baked Goods
Apart from Oreos, you can find a ton of other vegan cookies and baked goods. Honestly, just do a quick Google search and you’ll be inundated. Uncle Eddies looks pretty good. Whole Foods and other health food stores are also typically stocked with them.
Pizza and Other Rich Italian Foods
Vegan pizza is really easy; you just hold the cheese. Surprisingly, a lot of other Italian dishes are vegan even you just leave out the cheese: vegetable pasta, lasagna, spaghetti, garlic bread (can be made with margarine instead of butter).
Burgers
Perhaps most obviously, we can add burgers to the list. Instinctively, veggie burgers might seem like health food — and they can be — but let’s face it, most of them fall into the junk food category, especially the ones that come out of frozen packages and are served to you on a white bun slathered in ketchup.
The Mega List
Below is a list of “accidentally vegan” foods, comprised by PETA, which I am calling “the mega list.” “Accidentally vegan” foods are food products that were never intended to be vegan, but just happen to be. As you might imagine, you could consider many of the foods on this list to be junk foods. The list is rather extensive, so you may want to grab a snack.
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