I've been eating Ritz crackers since I was in diapers. And even to this day, I've been known to chow down on an entire sleeve of Ritz Roasted Vegetable Crackers in one sitting. But never in my wildest imagination did I ever question if they were vegan. I mean c'mon, were talking about rich, buttery, flaky little vessels of goodness. There's no way that they can taste that irresistible and be vegan-friendly. Well, ladies and gents, it's time to finally answer the burning question: are Ritz crackers vegan?
Ingredients
When in doubt, always check the ingredients list. Ritz Crackers' official website lists the following ingredients for its original crackers: "unbleached enriched flour, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, leavening, high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, malted barley flour, natural flavor." Seems pretty vegan to me.
Some people might be unfamiliar with the ingredient soy lecithin, but there's nothing to worry about — it's completely suitable for vegans. Soy lecithin is a mixture of oils and fats derived from soy beans, and so it's not an animal product, nor are animal products used in its production.
Vegan Ritz Crackers Flavors
So now we know that Ritz Original Crackers are vegan, but what about the brand's other flavors? Ritz Roasted Vegetable Crackers share pretty much the exact same ingredients as Ritz Original Crackers besides the addition of seasonings and a dehydrated vegetable blend of carrots, onions, cabbage, and red and green bell peppers. The only difference between Ritz Original Crackers and Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers is whole wheat grain flour.
Last, but not least are Ritz Bacon Crackers. One would automically rule these crackers out because of the name alone. But I've learned my lesson on not questioning things beforehand (and mama didn't raise no fool). Upon a little research, I discovered some shocking news. America’s favorite cracker is vegan—yep, no animals in this cracker—but plenty of bacon flavor. On the ingredients list are "natural flavor" and "natural smoke." There are no hidden animal products to be found here.
Ritz Crackers Recipes
Now that we've settled that, it's recipe time. Here are a few fabulous vegan recipes that use Ritz crackers.
This "Chicken" Poppy Seed Vegan Casserole features vegan chick'n strips and a creamy sauce layered and then topped with a crumbly Ritz cracker topping.
These Vegan Thin Mints are simply Ritz Crackers dipped in a mixture of semi-sweet chocolate chips, shortening, and peppermint extract.
For an easy weeknight dinner, try this Vegan Broccoli Casserole, which is a mixture of cashew cream, broccoli florets, button mushrooms, and crushed Ritz crackers.
This vegan s'more recipe is a heavenly combo of vegan marshmallows and dark chocolate sandwiched between Ritz Crackers.
Next time a friend asks, "are Ritz Crackers vegan?" tell them darn straight they are. Oreos are vegan too, but that's a story for another time.