Are Doritos Vegan? (3 Flavours You Can Have)

There is a wide range to choose from, catering for everyone’s tastes. Whether you like them hot, and so go for chilli heatwave, or you’re more of a Cool Original sort of person, the range is pretty impressive.

However, if you’re a vegan, your options are potentially more limited. Are Doritos truly vegan? Well, that depends on the flavour.

What Are Doritos?

Doritos are popular the world over. Made by Frito-Lay, part of the PepsiCo organisation, they are the most popular flavoured tortilla chips. Often accompanied by dips, the range of flavours sets them apart, with numerous limited-edition flavours also being released.

The key part for vegans is the ingredients that are used to make Doritos. The base crisp is made from ground corn, plus vegetable oil, salt. Individual flavourings are then subsequently added to create the diverse range. This is where some flavours, such as Tangy Cheese and Flame Grilled Steak are classed as non-vegan, as they use whey from milk, cheese powder, milk powder and other non-vegan ingredients.

What Dorito Flavours Are Vegan Friendly?

There are only 3 flavours that don’t use these types of ingredients in their flavourings.

• Chilli Heatwave.
• BBQ and Chilli.
• Lightly Salted.

However, the story doesn’t end there.

Whilst the three flavours above do not use non-vegan products, the process of the Dorito manufacturing may sit unease with some stricter vegans. The factory that Doritos are made in also handles Milk, meaning there is a chance of cross-contamination.

Whilst Doritos will do everything they can to ensure this won’t happen, it cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, the most stringent vegan will probably discard Doritos as a snack that they can’t indulge in, due to this risk.

Due to the cross-contamination risk, Doritos will never be declared or certified as Vegan friendly. So it really is up to your perception. Do you just ensure that the product you are eating has no animal products in?

If this is the case, then the three flavours of Chilli Heatwave, Lightly Salted and BBQ and Chilli will be fine, as these only include Vegan friendly ingredients, as disclosed on the packaging of each flavour.

However, if you’re truly sticking to veganism, then its likely you’ll be put off from Doritos due to the fact they’re made in a factory that handles milk.

If this is the case, and Doritos are completely off the shopping list, why not try some alternatives? Tesco’s own lightly salted Tortilla Chips are completely vegan friendly. Ok, they may not taste quite as great as Doritos, but they’re not far from the real thing!

Don’t forget the dip either! Doritos mild and hot salsa are both completely vegan friendly, with no mention of being made in the same milk handling factory.

So even the most stringent vegan can still have Doritos dip. Just stay away from Nacho Cheese and Cool Sour Cream and Chives, for obvious reasons!