We all love to snack on something light and yummy while on road trips, parties, or simple backyard cookouts. These snacks have become a staple in many events and are popular among people of all ages.
Chex Mix is one brand that you remember as soon as you think of yummy snacks. However, if you are a vegan, you might ask yourself if this is truly vegan.
Read on to learn more about this tasty snack that you love to indulge in.
A Brief On Chex Mix
Chex Mix is a snack mix that consists of breakfast cereal as its primary component. Rice Chex introduced it in 1937. To date, it stands as a popular snack among many individuals and can be found anywhere from gas stations to Target and Walmart.
This recipe can also be tried at home, and cereal boxes usually contain recipes as well.
Chex Mix Flavors
Although Chex Mix started with not many options for flavors, it now has many varieties that you can taste. The following are the flavors available these days.
- Traditional
- Bold
- Ghost Pepper
- Honey BBQ
- Max’d Spicy Dill
- Max’d Buffalo Ranch
- Trail Mix
- Turtle
- Sour Cream & Onion
- Jalapeno Cheddar
- Dark Chocolate
- Honey Nut
- Hot & Spicy
Is This Vegan?
If you are a vegan, you might be concerned about the ingredients in these Chex Mix flavors, so you can enjoy these snacks without feeling guilty.
The truth is that not all This Flavors are vegan. Many of its flavors contain animal ingredients which are problematic for vegans. There are only two flavors that don’t have these problematic ingredients: Traditional Chex Mix and Ghost Pepper Chex Mix.
Chex Mix Ingredients
Depending on the flavor, the ingredients can vary. However, the following are some of the ingredients found in most of the options.
- Whole wheat
- Enriched flour
- Degermed yellow cornmeal
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- Rye flour
- Maltodextrin
- Dextrose
- Spices
- Yeast
- Baking soda
- Yellow corn flour
- Fumaric acid
- Citric acid
- Calcium carbonate
- Barley malt syrup
- Caraway
- Natural flavor
However, there could be additional ingredients in various flavors. For example, the Bold Chex Mix has the following ingredients as well.
- Onion powder
- Dried romano cheese
- Dried parmesan cheese
- Molasses powder
Ingredients To Avoid As A Vegan
If you are a vegan, you should avoid the following ingredients found in certain Chex Mix flavors.
Refined sugar
Sugar is one of the most controversial ingredients that vegans love to avoid. This is because the sugar manufacturing process could use animal bone char.
Natural flavoring
Although it says ‘natural’, these flavors may not always be vegan. So unless a product is labeled as ‘vegan’, don’t expect it to be due to many natural flavors being driven from animal sources.
Artificial flavoring
You might think that artificial coloring has nothing to do with animals since they are made by people themselves. However, these coloring components are usually tested on animals which is animal cruelty, and, as a vegan, you don’t want this to happen.
Let’s look in detail at the two vegan flavors of Chex Mix.
Traditional:
Traditional Chex Mix is from where This started. It has a classic flavor that can satisfy your cravings. It contains the following ingredients, which are not an issue for vegans.
- Whole wheat
- Enriched flour
- Yellow corn flour
- Degermed yellow cornmeal
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Salt
- Spices
- Yeast
- Baking soda
- Rye flour
- Barley malt syrup
- Dextrose
- Maltodextrin
- Citric acid
- Fumaric acid
- Caraway
- Calcium carbonate
- Natural flavor
Traditional Chex Mix contains 130 calories per serving.
Ghost Pepper Chex Mix
If you want to move away from the classic option and try another flavor, then Ghost Pepper Chex Mix should be your first choice. It is one of the tastiest flavors available, and the best part is that it is vegan.
Here are the ingredients found in Ghost Pepper Chex Mix.
- Whole wheat
- Degermed yellow cornmeal
- Enriched flour
- Yellow corn flour
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Salt
- Spices
- Rye flour
- Natural flavor
- Baking soda
- Barley malt syrup
- Dextrose
- Maltodextrin
- Citric acid
- Fumaric acid
- Calcium carbonate
- Caraway
- Distilled monoglycerides
- Hydrolyzed soy protein
- Paprika extract
Ghost Pepper Chex Mix provides 130 calories for a serving.
Should You Opt For Chex Mix As A Vegan?
With a mix of vegan and non-vegan options, you might wonder if this is a snack you should try. It depends on how much you appreciate yourself being vegan. If you love the taste of this, then you can always try the two vegan options given above.
However, if you still feel guilty about having one of these two flavors because the brand has non-vegan options, you can steer clear of any of these options. Instead, you can try many other healthy and convenient snack options.
Vegan meal replacement shakes are popular because they are healthy and convenient. In addition, these shakes provide excellent nutritional value, with some options being dairy and soy-free.
These meal replacement shakes are made of quality ingredients that are based on natural components. They consist of healthy vitamins that can boost your immune system. Some shakes also have antioxidants that protect your body cells against free radicals.
All the better, these meal replacement shakes come in convenient packaging. Therefore, these shakes work as excellent snacks to carry along with you on those long road trips.
Conclusion
You now have an idea of which Chex Mix flavors are vegan and which are not. You know what’s included in these flavors and can stay away from the ones that have non-vegan ingredients. Therefore, you can make the final call on whether you should consume This or not.
Meanwhile, if you feel guilty, there are so many healthy meals in the market that specifically cater to vegans. Try these out and let us know what you think about them.
FAQs
Is Chex Mix Dairy Free?
Only Traditional of this and Ghost Pepper Chex Mix are dairy-free. Some other flavors have dairy-based ingredients like cheese powder which will not be ideal snacks if you’re intolerant to dairy products.
Is This Halal?
Most of the flavors are halal, and this information can be found on the back of the cereal box.
How Can I Prepare Vegan Chex Mix On My Own?
You can customize your This by adding Chex cereal, popcorn, pretzels, and any other vegan ingredient according to your preference.
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