Although nobody is going to advise you to open a bag of Pita chips at every opportunity, most of the time, they are vegan.
That’s right, the crunchy dippable snack is fine to eat as part of a plant-based life, but not every brand is ok to consume. We’re going to take a closer look at what makes the good brands ok to eat, and the ingredients that will raise a red flag for a vegan.
Ingredients
Ritz is one of the most popular brands making bag after bag of Pita crackers, and here is their recipe:
Enriched Bleached Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), Whole Grain Wheat Flour, Canola Oil, Salt, Yeast, Annatto Extract (For Color).
Thankfully, there is nothing in there that we would consider animal-derived, making them vegan.
Ritz Toasted Pita Crackers on Amazon.
Do They Have Dairy?
No, there is no need for Pita Chips to be made with dairy. They are savory, salted to the max sometimes, but do not contain milk or butter to achieve their texture. Some brands may choose to use these ingredients, but you are not going to find it difficult to find vegan alternatives.
How They’re Made
Because of their crunchy texture, you may be less concerned about gelatin, but of course, there is always a risk of butter being used as part of the cooking and flavoring process.
They are made in a similar way to PIta bread. Thankfully, most Pita Chips are made using a simple process of combining the ingredients into a dough, then flattening them into thin, circular pockets, and baked at high temperatures.
The high temperature and moisture in the dough ensure that they cook fast, as the air causes them to rise in the middle. This takes less than a minute before they are cut into smaller pieces to make chips.
Popular Brands
The following is a list of the most popular brands on the shelves. The more vegan options the better, but it is all down to the ingredients list:
Stacy’s
Twice-baked and with a sprinkle of sea salt, Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips are vegan. Not only do they use non-animal-derived ingredients, but the cane sugar is organic. This is great since a lot of companies use bone char to decolorize their sugar, yes, this means using charred animal bones.
Thankfully this is not the case here meaning anyone following a plant-based diet can enjoy Stacy’s Pita Chips.
Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Sea Salt, Whole Wheat Flour and less than 2% of the following: Organic Cane Sugar, Oat Fiber, Yeast, Malted Barley Flour, Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant), and Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant).
Ritz
After our previous look at the ingredients, it is clear that this is another vegan option that can be enjoyed.
Cava
In an interview with The Vegetarian Resource Group, Cava confirmed that their Pita does not contain dairy, but couldn’t go any deeper when asked about the sugar used in their PIta concerning bone char.
It is difficult to find an up-to-date ingredients list for this Pita Chip so it is best to ask for confirmation at the nearest restaurant.
Cedars
Cedars Pita Chips are one of the simplest recipes going, who doesn’t like to see fewer ingredients in their food? Another plus point is that these are vegan. Of course, the tricky business of sugar will be a problem for some, but we cannot confirm whether or not bone char is used once again.
The ingredients include:
Unenriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour), Water, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Sugar, Oat Fiber, Vinegar, Yeast.
Their entire range of Pita Chips is vegan, so you can enjoy Whole Wheat, Garlic, Ranch, and Sesame.
365 (Whole Foods)
365 Pita Chips do have cane sugar, but these are confirmed as being vegan. Here is the ingredient list for the Garlic and Herb flavor:
Pita Bread (unbleached Wheat Flour, Vital Wheat Gluten, Cane Sugar, Salt, Yeast, Barley Malt Flour), Expeller Pressed Sunflower Seed Oil (mixed Tocopherols And Rosemary Extract [added To Maintain Freshness]), Dried Garlic, Salt, Dried Onion, Cane Sugar, Dried Parsley.
Vegan Brands
Although this does provide plenty of vegan options, brands are making their products specifically for the vegan market. Here is the pick of the bunch:
Nature’s Promise
Nature’s Promise Pita Chips have a simple ingredient profile makes these delicious savory snacks vegan.
Pita bread (enriched wheat flour [wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate {b1}, riboflavin {b2}, folic acid], yeast), sunflower, and/or canola oil, sea salt.
Final Word
The closer you look into snacks, the more surprising they can be. As a vegan, there are plenty of Pita Chip options to please the savory palate.
