Any new vegan will be dying to know if they can still enjoy an English muffin. The truth is, English Muffins can be made vegan, but the traditional recipe is not.
Due to the inclusion of milk and butter, a vegan will need to find a suitable brand, or make their own. We’re going to take a closer look at the options.
Ingredients List
The most common ingredients in the small sourdough breakfast muffins include a combination of wheat flour, milk, butter, sugar, salt, egg, and yeast.
Several culprits make them non-vegan. The milk and butter are problematic because of the way dairy cows are treated. They are injected with steroids and forcefully impregnated just to encourage milk production.
This raises multiple questions of animal cruelty that no vegan can excuse. The inclusion of eggs is also problematic. Because hens are used for their reproductive systems and kept in terrible conditions, eggs are not vegan.
Furthermore, once their egg-laying numbers decrease naturally with age, hens are often killed as they cost more to keep than they are worth.
So, English Muffins that contain these ingredients are not suitable.
How They’re Made
The homemade way is probably the easiest to explain. Different brands will have their methods. The following indicates how traditional English Muffins are made at home.
Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large mixing bowl, then all the wet ingredients are added. They are then mixed until a dough is formed. Kneading for 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and stretchy is next.
Then, the dough should be placed in an oiled bowl, covered, and left to prove. This takes about an hour, or when it has doubled in size.
On a surface dusted with flour, the dough is rolled until it is approximately 2.5 cm thick. Polenta is often used to dust a baking tray, or two if necessary.
9cm circular muffins are then cut from the dough and placed on the baking tray, giving them plenty of space from one another.
After this, they will be left to prove for 30 minutes. Then, a hot plate or frying pan is used on low heat to griddle the muffins for 5-6 minutes on either side.
The process is simple, but the inclusion of milk, butter, and eggs remains an issue.
FAQ
Are Thomas Original English Muffins Vegan?
Unfortunately, they are not. The following ingredients list will shed some light as to why:
Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Reduced Iron, Niacin, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid], Water, Farina, Yeast, Salt, Sugar, Calcium Propionate And Sorbic Acid (to Preserve Freshness), Soybean Oil, Wheat Gluten, Grain Vinegar, Soy Lecithin, Soy, Whey.
The ingredients were doing so well until we got to the whey. This is made from the liquid leftover after milk has been curdled and strained. No animal-derived products can be vegan, so whey is the reason Thomas Original English Muffins are off the menu.
Are Wolferman’s English muffins Vegan?
Although there are more ingredients that you may like to see in a simple recipe, it is again the final ingredient that makes it non-vegan. Whey is still present.
ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR [FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, REDUCED IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID], WATER, FARINA, YEAST, SALT, SUGAR, CALCIUM PROPIONATE, AND SORBIC ACID (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), SOYBEAN OIL, WHEAT GLUTEN, GRAIN VINEGAR, SOY LECITHIN, SOY, WHEY (MILK).
Are Trader Joe’s English Muffins Vegan?
This is a difficult one because the recipe can differ depending on where you find it. Sometimes it is made with whey, which makes it a no-go.
As a brand, Trader Joe’s has started to make some impressive vegan options for mealtime, but this might not be one of them. The ingredients from their website are promising snd read as follows:
UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, YEAST, SUGAR, VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EXPELLER PRESSED CORN OIL, CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR (TO PRESERVE), DISTILLED VINEGAR, SEA SALT, CORNMEAL, ENZYMES.
Are Dave’s Killer Bread English Muffins vegan?
A very vegan-friendly English Muffin. Not only this, but both their flavors Killer Classic and Rockin Grains are non-GMO, certified organic, and Kosher certified. Their website confirms that although they are not certified vegan, all but two of their products are.
Organic flours (organic wheat flour, organic whole wheat flour, organic barley flour, organic rye flour, organic spelt flour, organic millet flour, organic quinoa flour), water, yeast, contains 2% or less of each of the following: organic cane sugar, organic wheat gluten, organic whole grain cornmeal, sea salt, organic malted barley extract, organic vinegar, organic cultured wheat flour, organic expeller pressed canola oil, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic acerola cherry powder, organic yellow cornmeal, enzymes, organic coarse farina.
Do English Muffins Have Dairy?
Not always, but that is how they are typically made. Unfortunately, a lot of brands replace some of the common dairy ingredients with whey. This is another unsuitable ingredient for a vegan.
Vegan Options
Food For Life English Muffins
With a plethora of flavors available, these make for a great vegan option. Look out for the following as they are all vegan, and some are even gluten-free:
- 7 Sprouted Grains
- Sprouted Grain Flax
- Sprouted Whole Grain
- Cinnamon Raisin Sprouted Whole Grains
- Brown Rice (GF)
- Multi-Seed (GF)
Final Word
Whilst dairy is ever-present in the traditional recipe, it is easy to swap it out to make homemade English Muffins. Thanks to the handful of companies making vegan English Muffins, it is also possible to grab some in-store, and toast them at home.
