Answer: It depends.
Pirate’s Booty products can be vegan or non-vegan — depending on flavor. Classic flavors include Aged White Cheddar, Cheddar Blast, and Smart Puffs. These are non-vegan because of their cheese content. In addition, they contain whey and buttermilk. However, there is a product in Veggie flavor containing vegan ingredients such as spinach, kale, carrots, and parsley, but unfortunately unavailable on Amazon.
Keep on reading to learn why the classic flavors of Pirate’s Booty cheese puffs are not suitable for your vegan diet.
Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs Ingredients
| Vegan Ingredients | Non-Vegan Ingredients |
|---|---|
| Cornmeal | Cheddar cheese |
| Rice flour | Whey |
| Natural flavor | Buttermilk |
| Lactic acid | |
| Organic black pepper | |
| Expeller canola oil | |
| Sea salt | |
| Sunflower oil | |
| Salt | |
| Citric acid |
Nutritional Content Of Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs
A single product consists of four servings with a serving size of 1 oz (28g).
| Contents | Amount Per Serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 159 |
| Total fat | 9g |
| Saturated fat | 1.5g |
| Trans fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 5mg |
| Sodium | 270 mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 15g |
| Dietary fiber | 0g |
| Total sugar | 2g |
| Added sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 3g |
| Vitamin D | 0 mcg |
| Calcium | 48mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
| Potassium | 57g |
Why Is Cheese Non-Vegan?
You might ask why cheese is on the non-vegan ingredients list. This is because it is composed of animal rennet, an important ingredient to watch out for. Rennet, to define it, is an enzyme used in setting the cheese during the manufacturing process.
Vegans avoid the intake of any animal products or animal by-products, as well as dairy and milk. Remember that some cheeses are processed using animal by-products to achieve the desired texture and taste.
Chymosin, a proteolytic enzyme associated with pepsin that is produced by chief cells in some animals’ stomachs, comprises 90% of the enzymes found in rennet, wherein the remaining 10% is made up of lipase and pepsin. These enzymes work together to curdle casein, the protein found in dairy-based cheese. These rennet-containing cheeses might not be suitable for strict vegetarians, but they might be fine for others.
Does cheddar cheese in Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs contain enzymes from animal rennet? Yes!
What Cheese Should I Look For Instead?
It should be noted that some types of rennet are manufactured without the use of animals. Thus, vegans who still want the cheese to be part of their diet offer alternatives.
Vegans can consume cheese from plant-based ingredients such as soybeans, peas, cashews, coconut, or almonds. The most common vegan cheeses are non-dairy versions of cheddar, gouda, parmesan, mozzarella, and cream cheese. Many other common types of cheese can be made vegan by replacing the milk and culture with non-dairy alternatives such as almond, coconut, oat, cashew, and so on.
Alternatives include vegan cheddar, vegan gouda, vegan parmesan, vegan mozzarella, vegan cream cheese, vegan camembert and brie, and vegan blue cheese. Other common vegan cheese ingredients include nutritional yeast, tapioca, coconut oil, spices, rice, and potatoes. To produce similar consistency, texture, flavor, and smells to the cheeses you know and love, use these ingredients as a substitute.
Why Is Whey Non-Vegan?
Whey is not vegan because it is a byproduct of cheese production. Whey is obtained by straining the liquid from curdled milk during cheese-making. This liquid whey is typically dehydrated into powder by food processors.
Whey protein can be isolated from casein in milk or produced as a byproduct of cheese production. Whey protein is a complete protein because it contains all nine essential amino acids. It has a low lactose content.
Benefits Of Consuming Whey
Whey protein is commonly used as a supplement in conjunction with resistance exercise to improve muscle protein synthesis and promote the growth of lean muscle mass. But what are the advantages of using it?
The benefits of consuming whey protein include aiding weight loss, having anti-cancer properties, modulating cholesterol, improving asthma conditions, treating blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases, and reducing weight loss of people with HIV.
Why Is Buttermilk Non-vegan?
Buttermilk is made from dairy-based milk, and it is not vegan. It is most commonly used for its creamy sweet flavor, which can be used to lift desserts or enhance savory dishes, but it can also be used for its reactive properties. Its acidity acts as a strong leavener, reacting with soda and breaking down gluten.
Vegan Alternative To Buttermilk
Since there is no existing vegan buttermilk, there are substitutes that we can use.
These processes include:
- adding a tablespoon of vinegar or lime juice to unsweetened plant milk and allowing it to curdle for 10 minutes;
- whipping up a batch of plant-based yogurt or sour cream (something that already has cultures);
- making your own vegan nut cream with lemon juice or vinegar;
Are There Alternatives To Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs?
The chart below contains a list of pure vegan cheese snack products that you can easily find on Amazon or in your favorite local store.
| Product | Where You Can Buy |
|---|---|
| Amy’s Snacks Vegan Cheese Pizza | Amazon |
| Daiya Cheddar Style Cheezy Mac | Amazon |
| Natcho Nut Cheese | Amazon |
| Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs | Amazon |
| Gardein Pepperoni Pizza Pocket | Amazon |
| Brad’s Veggie Chips (Cheddar) | Amazon |
| Earth Balance Vegan Cheddar Squares | Amazon |
| SkinnyPop White Cheddar Popped Popcorn | Amazon |
| QUE PASA Organic Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips | Amazon |
Here are a few more options:
Earth Balance Puffs, Vegan, Aged White Cheddar Flavor
This vegan snack puff, which is the first-ever produced goods of its kind, has an aged white cheddar flavor but is made entirely of ingredients based on plants. This Mindful® munch is created with navy beans and non-GMO corn, providing a crunch and a momentous flavor. These puffs could be the perfect snack because they are completely vegan and naturally gluten-free.
The snack also contains nutritional content such as vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
Rhythm Superfoods Organic Zesty Nacho Kale Chips
Organic Zesty Nacho Kale Chips will surely please your taste buds with a zest of undeniably cheesy flavor in every bite. This product bursts as different delicious flavors you always wanted to try are all mixed in a single pack. Furthermore, these are mildly dehydrated over lower heat, so important nutrients such as vitamins A and K, minerals, and goodness will be retained.
Ingredients include kale, sunflower seeds, tahini (ground sesame seeds), onion, red bell pepper, apple cider vinegar, cane sugar, carrot, sea salt, garlic, lemon juice, and chipotle powder; all are organic and are placed in a space that makes cashews.
Amy’s Kitchen Pizza, Vegan Margherita
Some nutritional benefits are vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and iron. It has 300 calories per serving and 15 grams of total fat.
Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs Are Not Vegan
Unfortunately, not all Pirate’s Booty products are suitable for vegans. Some of them contain cheese.
However, we have listed products that serve as alternatives for Pirate’s Booty Cheese Puffs. You can try those to satisfy cravings for cheesy snacks without taking non-vegan snacks.