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Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls are a classic favorite that have been enjoyed by families for generations. These fluffy, sweet rolls are an easy and delicious way to start your day or snack throughout the day. Not only do they taste great, but they are also convenient and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. But, are Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls vegan?
Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls are not vegan because they contain milk.
Below is a table showing Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnabon Cream Cheese Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Extra Rich Butter Cream Icin | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Grands! Flaky Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Reduced Fat Cinnamon Rolls with Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Flaky Cinnamon Rolls with Butter Cream Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Orange Rolls with Orange Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cinnamon Rolls | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Mini Cinni Stix | No, contains Milk. |
| Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Strawberry & Cream Flavored Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Limited Edition Pillsbury Grands! Hot Cocoa Rolls with Marshmallow Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Limited Edition Pillsbury Grands! Pumpkin Spice Rolls with Pumpkin Spice Icing | No, contains Milk. |
| Limited Edition Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Peaches & Cream Flavored Icing | No, contains Milk. |
Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Annatto Extract (For Color)
- Baking Powder
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Corn Starch
- Corn Syrup
- Corn Syrup Solids
- Dextrose
- Enriched Flour Bleached
- Ferrous Sulfate
- Folic Acid
- Fractionated Palm Oil
- Hydrogenated Palm Oil
- L-Cysteine Hydrochloride
- Modified Whey
- Molasses
- Mono- & Diglycerides
- Monoglycerides
- Natural And Artificial Flavor
- Niacin
- Polysorbate 60
- Potassium Chloride
- Potassium Sorbate (Preservative)
- Red 40
- Riboflavin
- Salt
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
- Sodium Alginate
- Sodium Aluminum Phosphate
- Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
- Soybean Oil
- Sugar
- Sunflower Lecithin
- Thiamin Mononitrate
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Water
- Xanthan Gum
- Yellow 5
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk
Milk comes from cows and eating ingredients from animals does not align with veganism.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar is a tricky ingredient for vegans because there is an instance where sugar could be classified as non-vegan. The most common sugar types are beet sugar and cane sugar, with the latter being more often used in the candy and sweets industry.
Beet sugar is always vegan and so is raw cane sugar, but the cane sugar is often refined to fit the product and in this process the sugar is also bleached. A common method to bleach cane sugar is to use bone char from dead cows and this does not align with veganism.
A problem for vegans is that there is no way of knowing the source of the sugar or if it’s been bleached with bone char unless you contact the company.
Natural Flavors
Natural flavors is an umbrella term, meaning that it often consists of several ingredients and the source of these ingredients are not disclosed on the ingredients label. This means that the ingredients could be non-vegan and just by reading the ingredients label, it would look like it’s vegan-friendly.
Palm Oil
Palm oil is a very controversial ingredient, not only by vegans, but also by people all around the world. A lot of deforestation is taking place to make room for the palm oil plantations and this leaves a lot of animals such as orangutans and rhinos without a home.
This awareness has started a movement, where vegans and non-vegan always look for products that has RSPO Certified palm oil. It’s a non-profit organization that helps companies produce and buy sustainable palm oil. This would make the palm oil more vegan-friendly because it would have a minimal impact on the environment.
Artificial Colors
Artificial colors has the vegan community split into two groups, ethical vegans and dietary vegans. Ethical vegans tend to stay away from these colors due to animal testing that is still being conducted.
On the other hand, dietary vegans make a choice to consume artificial colors regardless. There are also health issues connected to some of these colors such as hyperactivity in children.
Soy & Corn
Corn and soy are two of the most common GMO crops in the US and many vegans will stay away from these. The reason for this is the high amount of herbicide that is needed in order for the crop to grow. This can pollute the surrounding ecosystem and damage it severely.
Mono- & Diglycerides and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
This ingredient can be sourced from both plants and animals.
Conclusion
It’s too bad that all flavors of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls contains milk, making the unsuitable for vegans. But many of their crescent rolls are vegan so be sure to check them out instead. Remember to always check the ingredients label, because companies can change their recipes.
Thanks for reading, take care!
