We’re talking about crinkle-cut chips that are irresistible to so many, but are ruffles vegan? Well, the original flavor is. However, the same can’t be said for all the different options they offer.
To make sure you can enjoy a savory snack, we are going to look at how they are made, and what flavors are vegan.
Ingredients
We should start by saying that most Ruffles flavors are not vegan and their reliance on milk and even cheese is a testament to this.
The basic ingredients consist of Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn, and/or Canola Oil), and Salt.
Vegan, yes but you might be thinking there isn’t a lot to their recipe. This is also right, but it doesn’t tell the full story.
How They’re Made
It all centers around potatoes, and they are brought into the plant before going through a peeling process.
Then, they go through several inspection systems before being sliced by a serrated blade to give them their ridges. After this, they go into a fryer where they are fried in hot oil.
Then, they are passed through a system that detects anomalies in the chips and only keeps the ones worth using. From there, it goes into a salted or seasoned section to add flavor. Finally, they travel along a conveyor before being packaged and shipped.
Which Flavors Are Vegan?
Unfortunately, most Ruffles flavors are non-vegan, but there is a handful that are. Here are the plant-based options:
All Dressed Potato Chips
A Canadian flavor that usually contains sour cream, but for some reason, Ruffles has decided to leave it out. You are left with a vegan-friendly BBQ chip combined with the likes of paprika and other flavors.
Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn, and/or Canola Oil), All Dressed Seasoning (Maltodextrin [Made from Corn], Sugar, Sodium Diacetate, Salt, Dextrose, Torula Yeast, Monosodium Glutamate, Spices, Sodium Acetate, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Sunflower Oil, Malic Acid, Paprika Extracts, and Natural Flavors).
Tapiato Limon Potato Chips
Another vegan option, these have a bit of artificial color, but not the type that usually concerns a vegan diet.
Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn, and/or Canola Oil), Tapatio Limon Seasoning (Maltodextrin [Made from Corn], Sodium Diacetate, Spices, Salt, Natural Flavors [Including Natural Lime Flavor], Modified Corn Starch, Monosodium Glutamate, Garlic Powder, and Artificial Color [Including Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake]).
Non-Vegan Flavors
The list is a lot longer, unfortunately. Here is a rundown of the Ruffles to avoid as they are non-vegan:
Lime and Jalapeno
With an ingredient profile that contains buttermilk, sour cream, and whey, there is enough dairy to make you want to avoid this product.
Flamin Hot
There are plenty of culprits here. Namely cheddar cheese, whey, buttermilk, and romano cheese, and even whey protein concentrate make this a product to avoid as a vegan.
Sour Cream & Onion
A combination of whey, buttermilk, sour cream, and skim milk makes this a bad idea for any vegan. The name does make it sound like an obvious one.
Queso Cheese
Whey, whey protein concentrate, cheddar cheese, blue cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, butter, and skim milk make this about as full of dairy as a potato chip can be.
Jalapeno Ranch
Another culprit for using whey powder, and of course as the name suggests, sour cream. Also included in the ingredients list are skim milk and buttermilk.
Cheddar & Sour Cream
It’s difficult to know where to start here with so much dairy included. Whey and cheddar cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, lactose, butter, skim milk, blue cheese, the artificial color yellow 5, whey protein concentrate, and milk protein concentrate complete the list of reasons to avoid this one.
You may be wondering why Yellow 5 is included, Because it has been tested on animals, and as recently as 2020, it is another ingredient to stay away from.
The alternative range of Ruffles might be double in their crunch, but don’t have a single vegan option, Here is why:
Double Crunch Hot Wings Chips
It all starts with chicken fat and doesn’t get any better. These chips also contain butter, chicken broth, chicken powder, and skim milk.
Double Crunch Zesty Cheddar
The same story of skim milk, cheddar cheese, buttermilk, whey, and sour cream make these non-plant-based.
Final Thoughts
Besides the Sea Salt and Tapiato Limon Potato Chips, we found the best vegan crinkle chips to be Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Chips.
They are made without any dairy or animal by-products, and contain the following ingredients:
Veggie Chips (Potato Flour, Potato Starch, Tomato Paste, Spinach Powder, Salt, Sugar, Potassium Chloride, Beetroot Powder (Color), Turmeric), Canola Oil And/Or Safflower Oil And/Or Safflower Oil And/Or Safflower Oil, Sea Salt.
Whilst there are a couple of options from Ruffles, the bulk of their products are heavily flavored with dairy and animal-derived ingredients.
Although vegan crinkle-cut chips are not so readily available, there are some options out there.
