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Grandma’s Cookies are the best cookies in the world. There’s just something about them that makes them so special. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re made with love, or maybe it’s because they’re always fresh and delicious. But, are Grandma’s Cookies vegan?
None of Grandma’s cookies flavors are vegan because they contain milk or whole eggs.
Below is a table showing Grandma’s Cookies flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Grandma’s Chocolate Brownie Cookies | No, contains Milk. |
| Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies | No, contains Milk. |
| Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | No, contains Eggs. |
| Grandma’s Peanut Butter Cookies | No, contains Eggs. |
| Grandma’s Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies | No, contains Milk. |
| Grandma’s Mini Sandwich Cremes Vanilla Flavored Cookies | No, contains Milk. |
| Grandma’s Sandwich Creme Peanut Butter Cookies | No, contains Milk and Eggs. |
| Grandma’s Sandwich Creme Vanilla Flavored Cookies | No, contains Milk and Eggs. |
Vegan Alternative To Grandma’s Cookies
I found a great alternative to Grandma’s Cookies and they are called Lenny & Larrys, which are really tasty and 100% vegan.
Grandma’s Cookies Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Ammonium Bicarbonate
- Anhydrous Dextrose
- Artificial Vanilla Flavor
- BHT
- Calcium Propionate (Preservative)
- Canola Oil
- Caramel Color
- Chocolate Liquor
- Citric Acid
- Cocoa Butter
- Cocoa Powder (Processed with Alkali)
- Corn syrup
- Cottonseed Oil
- Crystalline Fructose
- Dextrose
- Enriched Flour
- Folic Acid
- Fructose
- Gum Acacia
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Leavening (Baking Soda)
- Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- Malt Syrup
- Maltodextrin (Made From Corn)
- Milkfat
- Modified Corn Starch
- Modified Food Starch
- Molasses
- Mono- and Diglycerides
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Niacin
- Oats
- Palm Oil
- Peanut Butter
- Polydextrose
- Propylene Glycol Monoesters of Fats and Fatty Acids
- Raisin Paste
- Raisins
- Reduced Iron
- Riboflavin
- Salt
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Skim Milk
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Soy Lecithin
- Soybean
- Spices
- Sugar
- TBHQ and Citric Acid [to Preserve Freshness])
- Thiamin Mononitrate
- Triglycerides
- Whey
- Wheat Flour
- Whole Eggs
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk
There are several ingredients made from milk such as nonfat milk and whey in most of Grandma’s Cookie flavors. It’s made from cow’s milk and is not vegan.
Whole Eggs
In some flavors are also whole eggs, which comes from chickens and also not a vegan-friendly ingredient.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
The first questionable ingredient on the list is sugar, which has become a debatable ingredient within the vegan community. Beet sugar and cane sugar is widely used in the candy and snacks industry, cane sugar being more popular. Beet sugar is always vegan-friendly but cane sugar might not always be.
The problem with cane sugar is the fact that it is usually refined in order to fit the products better and within this refining process the sugar is also bleached, because in it’s natural form it’s slightly brown.
A common method of bleaching cane sugar is to use bone char from dead cows and this a problem for many vegans, because it’s essentially exploiting animals in the production process. This does not align with veganism and would make the sugar considered non-vegan.
The source of the sugar is mostly not disclosed by companies on the ingredients label so it’s impossible for vegan to know the origin and the production process used. While many vegans tends to consume sugar anyway, some stay away from most products with sugar unless it’s verified as vegan by a trusted organisation such as vegan.org or the vegan society.
Palm Oil
Up next we have palm oil, which has made front news for quite some time now. Palm oil does not contain any animal-derived ingredient, but it’s rather the production of the palm oil that is a problem for many vegans and non-vegans for that matter. A vast deforestation is taking place to make room for the palm plantations, which hurts wildlife.
Effected animals such as orangutans and rhinos are being forced from their homes and environment is taking a hit from the all trees being cut down. Many tends to stay away from products with palm oil, but there is a way where palm oil can be more vegan-friendly and it’s called RSPO.
It’s a non-profit organisation that helps companies produce sustainable palm oil and for companies to purchase it. This way the production has a minimal impact on the environment and the wildlife. Grandma’s Cookies are produced by Frito-Lay, which is a division of PepsiCo. PepsiCo is a RSPO member, which means that the palm oil in Grandma’s Cookies in indeed vegan-friendly.
Natural Flavors
Now natural flavors is a so called umbrella term, which means that companies put many ingredients here and only call it natural flavors. For vegans this is a problem, because animal-derived ingredient could be put here and impossible for vegans to know that, unless disclosed in the ingredients label, which it never is.
The only time something is disclosed in the ingredients label regarding natural flavors is if it contains milk, because of allergies. The only way to be sure is to contact the company and ask.
Soy & Corn
Soy and corn are two of the most common GMO crop in USA. The issue for some vegans in the fact that the amount of herbicide used can damage the surrounding ecosystem severely and this can hurt insects and wildlife.
There is an organisation called non GMO project, that certifies products when not using GMO crops so keep an eye out for that if you want to stay away from GMO’s.
Mono- and Diglycerides, Riboflavin & Niacin
All these three ingredients can be made from animal-derived ingredients as well as plant-based ingredients and the source is not disclosed making them very questionable.
FAQ
Are Grandma’s Cookies Vegetarian?
All flavors of Grandma’s Cookies are suited for vegetarians, because they either contain milk or eggs.
| Flavor | Vegetarian Status |
| Grandma’s Chocolate Brownie Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Chocolate Chip Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Oatmeal Raisin Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Peanut Butter Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Mini Sandwich Cremes Vanilla Flavored Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Sandwich Creme Peanut Butter Cookies | Vegetarian. |
| Grandma’s Sandwich Creme Vanilla Flavored Cookies | Vegetarian. |
Conclusion
It’s too bad that non of the Grandma’s Cookies flavors are vegan, but on the bright side I found a great vegan alternative, which tastes amazing. You should give that a try.
They contain many questionable ingredients, but something good to take from that is the fact that the palm oil is RSPO certified, which is something positive for the environment.
All flavors can be consumed by vegetarians.
Thanks for reading, take care!
