Baking is not everyone's forte, but baked dishes are certainly something to crave for. From pies and savories to pastries and desserts - the selection is limitless. For instance, I adore using puff pastry in my recipes!
While most contain dairy products, there are quite a few vegan puff pastry brands available in the market.
Are All Puff Pastry Brands Vegan?
Our favorite pastries and pies rely greatly on the puff pastries that we use. However, we do not have a lot of time in our hands to prepare them from scratch.
The question is, are all puff pastry vegan? You can be sure that the one you make on your own is really a vegan puff pastry, but what about those puff pastry sheets sold in grocery stores?
There are vegan puff pastry brands that you can find in stores, but you have to check them thoroughly because some have non-vegan ingredients. Keep away from the brand's butter puff variety since they use ingredients that have an animal origin.
What Is A Puff Pastry?
Puff pastries are made of enriched wheat flour made into dough, and shortening (like Crisco) is added inside and folded to create a Paton. Commonly, manufacturers use butter which contains dairy, while others add milk to enhance the buttery richness of the finished product.
To extend its shelf life, it is not unusual to have additives such as potassium sorbate or thiamine mononitrate in varying proportions. Vegan puff pastries also have these ingredients, so feel free to check them out before trying them on your next recipe.
What It's Made Of
The puff pastry normally sold in stores contains milk, but confirmed vegan products only use plant-based ingredients. They use yellow pea flour for the dough and sometimes substitute it with maize starch or rice bran. Instead of butter, they use vegetable oils or vegetable oil-based margarine.
Depending on your preference, there are various flours that you can use if you are looking for a specific texture. You can also mix it with an all-purpose pastry mix that is free from animal products and, of course, dairy-free as well.
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4 Puff Pastry Brands That Are Vegan
1. Pepperidge Farm
Pepperidge farm is a considered vegan product. The vegan puff pastry sheets of Pepperidge Farm contains the following ingredients;
Enriched wheat flour, malted barley flour, hydrogenated cottonseed, high fructose corn syrup, salt, folic acid, mono and diglycerides (1), soy lecithin, and annatto extracts to add color.
Some question Pepperidge farm because of the mono and diglycerides content, but Pepperidge Farm assured the public that these are not animal products. You will possibly have flaky but very tasty results on your tried recipe.
2. Pillsbury
This is another puff pastry brand that is absolutely dairy-free and is considered a vegan puff pastry brand. However, it contains palm oil which, to a strict vegan, is considered a non-vegan component because of its unethical production method. Many frozen pastry sheets contain palm oil instead of the traditional butter content, but these products are not included in their diet for those who embraced veganism completely.
3. Orgran
Orgran is the absolute vegan puff pastry sold in the market. It is also gluten-free, apart from using only buckwheat flour and salt as their ingredients. It is also kosher certified, which is common in most vegan pie and pastry recipes. Your pastries will not have a flaky content with this gluten-free puff pastry.
4. Schär
One of the vegan options in the market is Schar which uses starch rice flour and fructose corn syrup, food acid, salt, and vegetable monoglycerides. It also uses vegetable gums, particularly agar. Like Pepperidge Farm, they are also questioned about the potential use of non-vegan ingredients, but they say that their products do not contain any of those, which is why it is safe to use in any vegan recipe.
FAQs
Some puff pastries have eggs, but the regular manufactured dough does not contain eggs. Manufactured puff pastries contain additives like calcium carbonate, reduced iron, vitamin C, and mono and diglycerides to extend their shelf life.
Yes, you can make puff pastry at home. All you need are basic ingredients for the dough and look for fatty acids that can be plant-based if you prefer to go vegan. The typical Parisian croissant uses pampas shortcrust, which is vegan, and that is something you can try out.
In Summary
Being vegan does not mean you will no longer be able to eat tasty food. You can still have delicious pies using vegan puff pastry brands. Aren't all puff pastry vegan? No, not all of them are, but there are many vegan choices like Jus Rol and Wewalka puff pastry. These frozen pastry sheets ditch non-vegan contents.
Other vegan puff pastry brands use unbleached wheat flour and tapioca flour or potato starch and mix it with lemon juice and non-dairy almond milk to add flavor. These are the best bet of strict vegans who create their own recipes.
Reference:
- https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/monoglycerides#food-labels
About Author
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Laurie B
Thought you'd like to know that Pep Farm is now using genetically modified food in their puff pastry. It was my go-to until recently, when I saw that note on the box.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Laurie, thanks so much for letting me know. I appreciate it.
Kate Timm
Haven't made it yet. Will try it for Xmas!
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Kate, let me know what you make for Christmas!