Are Voortman Wafers Vegan? Can Vegans Eat Voortman Wafers?

  • By: Daniel B.
  • Date: November 3, 2022
  • Time to read: 7 min.

Answer: It depends.

Depends

Voortman Bakery is a world-famous brand of cookies and wafers, and most of its key products are available worldwide at fairly affordable prices. A Canadian-based company that began in 1951 by Dutch immigrant brothers, William and Harry Voortman, Voortman Cookies produce over 60 varieties of cookies such as creme-flavored wafers, sugar-free cookies, and other seasonal variants.

Today, Voortman Cookies belong to Hostess Brands since January 2020 and has also overturned their original recipe to remove artificial flavors and coloring, transfat, as well as the notorious sweetening ingredient, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Voortman Bakery is committed to only the healthiest and most natural way of making delicious cookies.

Voortman Cookies are certified by credible and noteworthy organizations such as HACCP, Sial D’or Award, and Women’s Choice Award for Wafer Cookie. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and it’s an international standard defining the requirements for effective control of food safety.

According to their FAQs, some of their cookie varieties aren’t vegan, but while cross-contamination with whey powder, milk chocolate chips, and eggs is possible due to shared processing equipment, they do their best to prevent such events. Therefore, they also attest that their facility isn’t vegan-friendly due to their milk and egg-based ingredients.

However, what we want to look into is if they do have cookies that are vegan-friendly, and which are these?

Vegan Voortman Cookies

Unfortunately, none of Voortman’s original cookies are vegan, as they all contain eggs, and sometimes milk. However, some of their wafer cookies are vegan, and they have plenty of natural flavors too.

Vanilla Wafers

Ingredients include sugar, vegetable oil (soybean, palm, palm kernel, canola), enriched flour (wheat, malted barley, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cornstarch, natural flavor, salt, soy lecithin, baking soda, and vanilla extract.

Specially baked wafers with a double layer of vanilla cream, and smell good too. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 150 cal, 7 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 22 g total carbs (15 g total sugars), 1 g protein, and 35 mg sodium. Allergens include soy and wheat; milk and tree nuts are possible contaminations.

Mega Size Vanilla Wafers are also available which feature a triple-layer creme per stick, but this version isn’t vegan as it contains milk and eggs, so stick to the original Vanilla Wafers.

Strawberry Wafers

Ingredients include sugar, vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm, palm kernel), enriched flour (wheat, malted barley, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cornstarch, strawberry powder, natural flavor, salt, soy lecithin, and baking soda.

Specially baked wafers with a double layer of strawberry cream, and have a sweet, tangy taste. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 150 cal, 7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 22 g total carbs (15 g total sugars), 1 g protein, and 35 mg sodium. Allergens include soy and wheat; milk and coconut are possible contaminations.

Once again, Mega Size is also available but isn’t vegan due to the presence of milk and eggs.

Raspberry Lemonade Wafers (Seasonal)

Ingredients include sugar, vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm, palm kernel), enriched flour (wheat, malted barley, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cornstarch, lemon peel powder, raspberry powder (raspberry, maltodextrin, cornstarch, sunflower lecithin), natural flavor, salt, soy lecithin, baking soda, and citric acid.

Specially baked wafers with a double split layer of real fruits raspberry and lemon creme, the perfect marriage between the sweetness of raspberries and the tartness of lemons. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 150 cal, 7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 22 g total carbs (15 g total sugars), 1 g protein, and 35 mg sodium. Allergens include soy and wheat; milk and coconut are possible contaminations.

Tropical Fruit Wafers (Seasonal)

Ingredients include sugar, vegetable oil (soybean oil, canola oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil), enriched flour (wheat, malted barley, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cornstarch, coconut, pineapple powder, salt, soy lecithin, natural flavors, baking soda, and annatto (color).

Specially baked wafers with a double split layer of tropical fruits pineapple and coconut creme, a unique combination of the sweet and tart pineapple and the nutty, sugary sweet coconut will take you to a paradise of pure, tropical bliss. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 160 cal, 7 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 22 g total carbs (15 g total sugars), 1 g protein, 35 mg sodium, and 2% of your diet’s daily iron intake. Allergens include soy and wheat; milk and coconut are possible contaminations.

Chocolate & Raspberry Wafers

Ingredients include sugar, vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm, palm kernel), enriched flour (wheat, malted barley, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), corn starch, cocoa processed with alkali, raspberry powder (raspberry, maltodextrin, corn starch, sunflower lecithin), natural flavor, salt, soy lecithin, and baking soda.

Specially baked wafers with a double split layer of chocolate and raspberry, a romantic duo that allows you to indulge in the soothing flavors of creamy chocolate and raspberry fruit goodness. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 150 cal, 7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 22 g total carbs (15 g total sugars), 1 g protein, 35 mg sodium, and 4% of your diet’s daily iron intake. Allergens include soy and wheat; milk and coconut are possible contaminations.

Peanut Butter Wafers

Ingredients include sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, peanut butter (roasted peanuts), maltodextrin, soy lecithin, salt, and sodium bicarbonate.

Specially baked wafers with a double layer of creamy peanut butter. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 160 cal, 6 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 20 g total carbs (16 g total sugars and 1 g dietary fiber), 2 g protein, 60 mg sodium, and 2% of your diet’s daily iron intake. Allergens include peanuts; soy and wheat are possible contaminations.

Raspberry Wafers

Ingredients include sugar, vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm, palm kernel), enriched flour (wheat, malted barley, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), cornstarch, raspberry powder, natural flavor, salt, soy lecithin, and baking soda.

Specially baked wafers with a double layer of sweet raspberry creme. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 150 cal, 7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat), 22 g total carbs (11 g total sugars), 1 g protein, and 35 mg sodium. Allergens include soy and wheat; coconut and milk are possible contaminants.

Vegan Voortman Sugar-Free Wafer Cookies

Sugar-Free Pecan Shortbread

Ingredients include enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm, and palm kernel), maltitol, pecans, salt, natural flavors, and acesulfame potassium.

Specially baked cookies with a rich pecan taste and nutty texture. One pack contains 12 cookies.

One cookie serves 100 cal, 5 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 13 g total carbs (less than 1 g dietary fiber, 5 g maltitol sweetener), 1 g protein, 45 mg sodium, and 2% of the DV of iron. Allergens include pecans, soy, and wheat; peanuts, tree nuts, milk, and eggs are possible contaminations.

Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Wafers

Ingredients include enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), palm oil, sorbitol, peanut butter (dry roasted peanuts), maltodextrin, cornstarch, salt, soy lecithin, sodium bicarbonate, and aspartame (phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanine).

Specially baked wafers with a double layer of sugar-free peanut butter. One pack contains 10 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 130 cal, 8 g total fat (3 g saturated fat), 16 g total carbs, 1 g protein, 50 mg sodium, and 2% of your diet’s daily iron intake. Allergens include peanuts, soy, and wheat.

Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine

Phenylketonurics serves as a warning on food labels for people with the rare inherited disorder known as Phenylketonuria (PKU), which limits people from their consumption of foods containing phenylalanine. According to MayoClinic, individuals with this genetic disorder must limit or abstain from consuming artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, because the phenylalanine in aspartame would build up in the body and cause major health concerns.

Phenylalanine isn’t harmful by itself, as it’s a necessary amino acid that forms important neurotransmitters from the brain and throughout the body, but a buildup of phenylalanine is just as dangerous to the nervous system as a buildup of cholesterol is to the blood vessels. According to another medical article, Phenylalanine can cause intellectual disabilities, brain damage, seizures, and other problems in people with PKU.

Sugar-Free Coconut Cream Wafers

Ingredients include vegetable oil (canola, soybean, palm, and palm kernel), sorbitol, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), maltodextrin, dried coconut, corn starch, soy lecithin, salt, natural flavor, baking soda, aspartame (Phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanine), and ammonium bicarbonate.

Specially baked wafers with a double layer of real, shredded coconut cream. One pack contains 9 servings and a serving size is equal to 3 short wafers (about 30 g).

One serving contains 140 cal, 8 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 16 g total carbs (less than 1 g of dietary fiber and 7 g sorbitol sweetener), less than 1 g protein, 30 mg sodium, and 2% of your diet’s daily iron intake. Allergens include coconut, wheat, and soy; peanuts, tree nuts, and milk are possible contaminants. Voortman Bakery disclaimer: Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect in sensitive persons.

Conclusion

Most of Voortman’s wafer cookies range between $5 to $7 per pack of 10 oz, and the sugar-free ones have become the best sellers so far.

To my surprise, I’m actually very glad to see that Voortman Cookies have so many vegan options, even from the sugar-free line. What’s more is that these wafers can also be used in quick, ref cake recipes and other cold desserts. The cookies can also be used for crumbs or can be dipped in warm, vegan milk or chocolate.

Voortman cookie wafers are delicious and versatile, but what truly sets them apart is their commitment to healthy and natural ingredients that are adored by their customers.