Looking for some delicious, 100% vegan tortillas? If you are then Trader Joe’s is an excellent place to get them. We’ve been asked often, are Trader Joe’s tortillas vegan, so today we’re going to give you the scoop.
As far as Trader Joe’s tortillas go, their Trader Joe’s Flour tortillas are definitely 100% vegan. These tortillas are made with no animal byproducts or sneaky ingredients which are animal derived, so that you can purchase and consume them with confidence. These are definitely vegan tortillas!
Today we’re going to explore the question in a little more detail, so that you’ll know we are looking out for our vegan readers, and we’ll go into details such as ingredients, alternative products you can look for, and more. Are trader Joe’s tortillas really vegan? Let’s look and you can see for yourself!
What is Veganism?
Veganism is similar to vegetarianism, except that vegans do not consume any products or ingredients that are part of or come from animals.
Some examples include milk, eggs, and some ingredients such as gelatins or other suspensions that are made from animal parts.
To put it most simply, vegans live on a natural diet of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Anything beyond this is suspect and typically requires a little research, as many animal byproducts are present in an enormous amount of products.
Thankfully, U.S. law states that if a product is vegan, you’ll know it’s safe, but a little due-diligence is still a good idea to make sure that you are getting the real deal, rather than something that hits the ‘bare minimum’ of compliance standards to pass for the label.
Overview of Trader Joe’s Tortillas
Trader Joe’s flour tortillas are delicious tortillas you can buy which are 100% vegan. Perfect for making burritos, enchiladas, or simply wrapping up your favorite veggies with a delicious sauce for homemade wraps.
As tortillas are a staple in many American’s diets, this brand has proven quite popular. They are tasty and inexpensive and due to the demand, you’ll almost always see them on the shelves ready to be taken home and used as you like!
Ingredients in Trader Joe’s Tortillas
In order to be thorough, in this section we’ll take a look at the actual ingredients of Trader Joe’s flour tortillas so that you can see for yourself that they are definitely vegan.
Trader Joe’s Flour tortillas include the following ingredients:
- Enriched flour
- Water
- Organic expeller pressed palm oil
- Aluminum-free baking powder
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Cornstarch
- Monocalcium phosphate
- Wheat
- Sea Salt
- Riboflavin
- Folic acid
- Reduced iron
- Thiamin Mononitrate
Analysis of these ingredients shows us that there are no dairy products and no animal byproducts, such as eggs or suspect ingredients derived from parts of animals.
Grains, salt, and wheat are present, so these are definitely not suitable if you want something gluten free, but as a vegan food these are 100% safe.
Comparison with Other Brands
There are a number of popular vegan options available if you are unable to find your Trader Joe’s flour tortillas in stock. Here is a sampling to give you an idea:
- Rudi’s gluten-free tortillas
- Whole Foods 365 brand tortillas
- Old El Paso tortillas
- Tesco Own Dran tortillas
- Amaizin Organic tortillas
All of these brand are certified to be 100% vegan, so that you may consume them with confidence. On analysis, none of these brands contained eggs, milk, or other animal byproducts that would make them non-compliant with vegan dietary standards.
In all cases, only grains were used and any oils involved are strictly vegetable derived. So, the official scoop is that like Trader Joe’s flour tortillas, these brands are all considered 100% vegan and safe to consume with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind of Tortillas Are Vegan?
In most cases, tortillas at the store will generally fall into the vegan category, but it is a good practice to doublecheck. For instance, flour and corn tortillas almost always are going to be 100% vegan.
Checking the label, you should see that there are no eggs or milk in the ingredients, but if you aren’t sure then it’s best not to buy it unless you see a ‘vegan’ labelling on the package.
If you see that label, then it’s a regulated product and should be 100% free of animal products and byproducts.
What Tortillas Are Not Vegan?
Tortillas, by nature, are typically vegan, but prior to the 1990’s this was not always the case. Back then, a popular ingredient in making tortillas was lard, typically derived from animals.
While lard is sometimes used in tortilla recipes today, this is more of a danger in restaurants, rather than with mass-produced tortillas.
Even so, it’s a good idea to add lard to the list of ingredients that you look for when you are hunting for vegan tortillas. W
hile it’s uncommon these days in commercial tortillas, it only takes a second to check and this can help you to avoid taking home tortillas that are definitely NOT vegan.
Are Taco Bell Tortillas Vegan?
Actually, yes! Taco Bell beans, tortillas, guacamole, and potatoes are all made animal-free. No animal products or byproducts are present in these Taco Bell offerings, which is good to know if you like to treat yourself to the occasional fast food burrito or veggie soft taco!
Final Thoughts
Today we’ve taken a closer look at Trader Joe’s flour tortillas in order to determine if they are compliant with the vegan diet. As you can see, a detailed ingredient analysis shows us that they are indeed vegan tortillas, with no animal byproducts such as milk, eggs, or suspensions made from animal parts.
If you aren’t able to find them in stock, then don’t worry. There are multiple vegan brands available and if you see ‘vegan’ on the label, then you’ll know that the product is also held to strict U.S. standards to ensure that the product is completely free of animal products and byproducts.
That said, as far as Trader Joe’s flour tortillas, we can definitely recommend them for vegans as a vegan-friendly product that also just-so-happens to be delicious!