Are Prawn Cocktail Crisps in the UK Vegan?

It can be really difficult to know what crisps are suitable for vegans and what crisps aren’t.

So many mainstream crisps have meat flavourings in them, but the key is to look on the packet and see whether animal derived ingredients have been used in the product or are tested on animals. 

Some crisps do contain milk which isn’t suitable for people following a vegan diet. 

Walkers prawn cocktail crisps are suitable for vegans as they do not contain any animal meat or products. But home baked style crisps do contain milk so would be suitable for vegetarians, but not vegans. 

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What are the ingredients in prawn cocktail crisps? 

• Potatoes
• Vegetable oils
• Prawn cocktail seasoning 
• Corn
• Starch
• Sugar 
• Salt
• Potassium Chloride
• Citric Acid
• Dried Yeast
• Dried onion 
• Tomato powder 
• Paprika
• Sweetener 

What ingredients are in walkers oven baked crisps? 

• Potato flakes
• Starch
• Rapeseed oil
• Cheese and onion seasoning 
• Whey permeate (derived from milk)
• Salt, sugar flavouring (contains milk)
• Rice flour
• Onion powder 
• Acidity regulator 
• Citric acid
• Malic acid 
• Whey protein (derived from milk)
• Garlic powder
• Dried cheese (0.1%) (derived from milk)
• Whey powder (derived from milk)
• Colour (paprika extract)
• Sugar emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) 
• Sunflower oil 
• Colour annato 

Are KP Skips Vegan?

Skips are a crisp that fizzes on your tongue and was launched in 1974. They are suitable for vegans as they do not contain any animal products.

They are however, made in a factory that does handle animal products so their potentially could be some cross contamination. It is something to bear in mind when buying KP Skips. 

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Why are walkers crisps not certified by the vegan society?

Whilst pretty much all walkers crisps are suitable for vegetarians because they have no animal products in them, the may not be suitable for vegans as they are made in a factory that handles milk.

Therefore, the company can not guarantee that no traces of milk are found in the crisps. Some varieties, such as the home baked crisps, do contain milk so would not be suitable for vegans. 

The warning of containing milk in products is aimed more at people with allergies to milk or dairy products. Most vegans are happy to accept some element of cross contamination as long as it contains no animal products. 

Are Walkers sensations crisps vegan?

Interestingly, there is only one flavour that is vegan, that is the balsamic vinegar and caramelised onion flavour. The flavours Thai sweet chilli, Hickory smoked cheddar and bacon and rosemary and thyme chicken flavour are not vegan as they contain milk.

It is a good idea to check the pack as flavours that seem innocuous such as Thai sweet chilli actually aren’t vegan. 

Are monster munch crisps vegan? 

Again, interestingly, no monster munch crisp flavours are vegan as they all contain milk 

Are prawn cocktail quavers vegan? 

Prawn cocktail quavers and salt and vinegar flavour quavers are vegan friendly as they contain no animal meats or products in them. Cheese flavoured quavers, however, are not vegan friendly as they contain milk. 

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What vegan friendly crisps to supermarkets offer? 

Tesco:

• Finest lightly salted crisps
• Finest crinkle cut lightly salted crisps
• Finest sea salt and cider vinegar crisps
• Finest crinkle cut sea salt and cider vinegar crisps 
• Bunny bites snack
• Bacon rashers snack
• Finest sea salt and black pepper
• Salt and vinegar sticks 
• Finest root vegetable crisps with sea salt
• Finest crinkle cut sweet chilli crisps 
• Shake to salt crisps 
• Potato chip snack
• Lentil curls
• Reduced fat ready salted crinkle cut crisps
• Lightly salted tortilla chips
• Mini poppadoms 
• Salt and vinegar crisps 
• Ready salted crisps 

Morrisons:

• Ready salted flavour crisps 
• Salt and vinegar twirls 
• Spicy BBQ popped chips 
• Eat smart apple crisps
• Eat smart beetroot crisps 

Asda:

• Ready salted flavour crisps
• Salt and vinegar flavoured crisps 
• Cheeky money potato snacks
• Bacon bites
• Onion rings
• Potato loops
• Ridge cut crisps 

Sainsburys:

• Flame grilled steak ridge cut crisps 
• Ready salted crisps
• Taste the difference vegetable crisps 
• Prawn cocktail crisps
• Salt and vinegar crisps 
• Taste the difference gourmet sea salt and cider vinegar crisps 
• Taste the difference sweet chilli crisps 
• Taste the difference sea salt and peppercorn crisps 
• Onion rings 
• Tortilla chips salted
• Tortilla chips chilli
• Bacon crispies 
• Salted potato twirls 
• Salt crunchy sticks 
• Salted popped potato chips 
• Mini poppadoms 

Waitrose:

• Essential ready salted crisps 
• Essential salt and malt vinegar crisps 
• Essential salt and malt vinegar sticks 
• Essential salted tortilla chips 
• Prawn cocktail flavoured shells 
• Paprika mix
• Crisp and crunchy mini poppadoms 
• Love life your count ready salted crinkle reduced fat 
• Habas fritas 

Do any prawn cocktail crisps actually contain prawns?

No. No prawn cocktail crisps actually contain prawns.

In the same way as meat flavoured crisps don’t actually contain meat. Chicken flavoured crisps do not actually contain chicken either. It is all just flavourings. 

I’m just starting my vegan journey, can I still eat crisps?

Here, in the UK, we very comfortably consume around 6 billion packets of crisps a year. It’s fair to say we absolutely love them!

The good news is that most crisps are suitable for vegans. It is very likely you can continue to eat your favourite flavours of crisps.

Some varieties do contain milk, or some companies can’t guarantee that some traces of milk are present. It depends how strict you want to be with your diet.

Most vegans are happy to accept that cross contamination can happen and will still eat the products as only a trace element present. 

Are McCoy’s crisps vegan? 

Not all varieties of McCoys crisps are vegan. The salt and malt vinegar crisps are one of the most popular flavours as they offer such a sharp flavour, and are vegan friendly.

The salted McCoy’s, hot Mexican chilli and paprika flavours are also vegan. 

Are Pringles vegan? 

Pringles are best known for their saying of ‘once you pop you just can’t stop’. The vegan friendly Pringle products are original, sweet chilli, paprika, Smokey bacon and Texas bbq sauce. 

Are Doritos vegan?

Doritos actually have a very limited selection for people following a vegan diet.

Only 3 flavours are considered vegan friendly and that is mild salsa,  hot salsa and lightly salted. The reasoning for this is because a lot of Doritos products contain milk.

The main ingredients in the Doritos that are vegan friendly are corn (maize), vegetable oils and salt. Doritos are also available in the US and Australia and they are made slightly differently from country to country.

For example, in the US, the only vegan friendly flavour is spicy sweet chilli, all of the other flavours contain milk.

It is something to bear in mind if you are travelling that what may not contain milk in the UK, may do in other countries. Especially if you have allergies. 

Are there any independent vegan crisp brands available?

Yes, there are lots of independent vegan crisp brands available on the market. They are more commonly bought online on vegan food sites or in local health shops.

Below is a list of independent vegan crisps and the odd brand you may recognise from a supermarket:

Mackies:

• Turkey and stuffing 
• Crispy Bacon
• Paprika Ridge Cut
• Prawn Cocktail
• Sea salt and vinegar 

Eat Real

• Cheezie straws 
• Jalapeño and cheddar quinoa puffs 
• Sour cream and chive puffs
• Mango and mint lentil chips 

Emily

• Rainbow roots with sweet potato, carrot and beetroot
• Chipotle BBQ Veg thins
• Sea Salt veg thins 
• Thai chilli with sweet potato

Ten Acre

• Cheese and onion
• BBQ
• Salt and vinegar
• Sweet chilli 

Deliciously Ella

• Sea salt and black pepper
• Beetroot and multi seed 
• Chickpea and paprika 
• Sweet potato and rosemary

Torres 

• Beetroot, parsnip and sweet potato
• Black truffle
• Smoked paprika 
• Extra virgin olive oil 

Giving Tree 

• Peach
• Strawberry
• Broccoli 

Pipers 

• Arreton tomato 
• Sea salt
• Thyme and rosemary 
• Black pepper 

Growers garden 

• Broccoli and chilli 
• Sour cream and chive

Trafo 

• Salted 
• Paprika
• Chilli
• Rosemary and Himalayan Salt
• Coconut Oil Baked 

Are vegan crisps healthier than normal crisps? 

They are healthier, but they also contain salt, saturated fats and sugar, therefore, they don’t contribute to a healthier diet.

It is easy to be misled by packaging that just because something is vegan, doesn’t necessarily mean it is healthy. There are many crisps that are made healthier such as whole grain crisps and baked crisps.

What are the ingredients I should be careful of eating? 

• Meat extracts 
• Egg
• Milk 
• Whey – this protein comes from dairy products such as milk which isn’t eaten on a vegan diet.
• Buttermilk and milk based natural flavourings 
• E numbers 120. 441, 542, 901, 904, 913, 966 and 1105. These ingredients come from animals. 

Are lentil crisps healthy? 

Not necessarily. While it is advised to eat more beans and pulses in your diet, if they’ve been turned in to crisps, they are likely to have been deep fried which will then increase the amount of fat and salt you are eating. 

Are root vegetable crisps healthy? 

Unfortunately not. Whilst root vegetable crisps sound healthy and like you are increasing your vegetable intake, you’re not and they are also full of salt and fat.

The calorie content of these crisps aren’t really any different to normal crisps. 

Are prawn cocktail discos vegan? 

Discos do not identify their prawn cocktail crisps as vegan, but instead, suitable for vegetarians. This is because milk is one of the ingredients in their crisps.

They are also free from artificial colouring, artificial flavouring and MSG. Discos are made by KP Snacks.

KP also make skips which are not classified as suitable for vegans, but suitable for vegetarians for the same reason. 

Are McCoys sizzling king prawn crisps vegan? 

Quite a few varieties of McCoys crisps are vegan and listed above. The sizzling king prawn variety are classed as suitable for vegetarians due to containing milk.

The main reason why most crisps are not suitable for vegans isn’t because the crisps actually contain any animal meat, very few actually do, it is usually animal derived ingredients used in making the crisps that make the item not suitable for vegans. 

Summary

To summarise, most prawn cocktail crisps are vegan as they do not contain any actual prawn and are not made from ingredients that come from animals either such as milk. However, some varieties of prawn cocktail crisps, such as oven baked versions do contain ingredients that come from animals.

No mainstream crisps are 100% vegan as they are often made in factories that also handle milk, eggs or whey so some trace amounts could be present in your crisps. Most vegans are happy to ignore trace amounts, but if you have allergies, it is always wise to check the packaging.

If you want to eat purely vegan crisps, you may be better buying an independent brand, that will be just that little bit more expensive. Not all crisps are vegan, including those that don’t have any meat flavouring to them, which can catch you out by surprise.

Lots of different ingredients are used and listed by their scientific name, rather than there generic name, so often ingredients that actually aren’t vegan friendly are hiding in plain sight. It is important to do your research on what the actual name for some ingredients are.

And whilst, lentil crisps and root vegetable crisps may sound really healthy and make you feel better about eating them, they actually have just as much salt and fat contained in them than any other crisp.

Unfortunately, they’re not quite the healthy snack you may think they are.