Top "Accidentally" Vegan Foods

If you recently started following a vegan meal plan, grocery shopping can be super intimidating. Trust me. I’ve been there! When before you could breeze through the aisles and grab whatever was on sale or looked too good to resist, there are now labels to read and ingredients to take into consideration. While this can be frustrating on your first couple of trips to the store, selecting foods that align with your vegan meal plan will become effortless in no time at all. Especially if you have Well Vegan’s weekly shopping list to guide you!

While following a detailed vegan meal plan and shopping list is the easiest and most cost effective way to transition to a plant-based diet, there’s nothing wrong with a little improvisation during your weekly trip to the grocery store. In the spirit of impulse buying your favorite salty and sweet snacks, we (with the help of PETA) have compiled a list of "accidentally" vegan foods that may surprise you.

Cereal

Cap’n Crunch Peanut Butter Crunch
Cinnamon Life
Kellogg’s Special K Red Berries

Drinks

Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate (Double Chocolate, Chocolate Mocha, and Chocolate Hazelnut)
Kool-Aid Drink Mix
Nestle Nesquick Syrup (Chocolate, Strawberry, and Very Vanilla)
Red Bull Energy Drink

Snacks and Candy

Clif Bars (all but Mini Blueberry Crisp)
Cracker Jacks
Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Tortilla Chips
Entenmann’s Single Serve Snack Pies (Apple, Cherry, and Lemon)
Famous Amos Sandwich Cookies (Chocolate, Oatmeal Macaroon, Peanut Butter, and Vanilla)
Fritos (Barbecue and Original)
Kellogg’s Unfrosted Pop-Tarts (Brown Sugar, Blueberry, and Strawberry
Lay’s Potato Chips (Natural Country Barbecue, Plain, and Thick Cut Sea Salt)
Nabisco Oreo Cookies
Nabisco Triscuit Crackers Baked Whole Grain Wheat (Fire Roasted Tomato and Rosemary & Olive Oil)
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars (Apple Crisp, Cinnamon, Maple Brown Sugar, Peanut Butter, Pecan Crunch, and Roasted Almond)
Airheads
Sour Patch Kids
Swedish Fish
Wheat Thins (Original, Multi-Grain, and Reduced Fat)
Jell-O Instant Pudding (Pistachio, Banana Crème, Lemon, and Vanilla)

Baked Goods

Thomas New York Style Bagels (Blueberry, Cinnamon Swirl, Everything, and Plain)
Krispy Kreme Fruit Pies (Apple, Cherry, and Peach)

Frozen and Refrigerated Foods

Pillsbury Cornbread Twists
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (Original)
Pillsbury Pizza Dough
Pillsbury Turnover (Apple and Cherry)
Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade Bars
Smart Balance Light Buttery Spread and Organic Whipped Buttery Spread
Smuckers Uncrustables (Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly and Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam)
SuperPretzel Baked Soft Pretzels

Pantry Staples

Healthy Choice Garden Vegetable Soup
Hormel Vegetarian Chili
Kraft Taco Bell Taco Dinner
Mission Foods Corn and Flour Tortillas
Mission Foods Taco Shells and Tostados
Thai Kitchen Noodle Bowls (Thai Peanut and Roasted Garlic)
Near East Original Rice Pilaf Mix
Near East Spanish Rice Pilaf and Toasted Almond Rice Pilaf
Near East Toasted Pine Nut Couscous and Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous

(Here’s the complete Accidentally Vegan Food List via PETA.org)

Is your mouth watering yet? Not so fast! An important thing to keep in mind is that just because something is vegan does not necessarily mean it’s healthy. If you indulge in any of the "accidentally" vegan foods listed above, save them for a special occasion. Switching to a vegan meal plan can do wonderful things for your health and overall well being if you keep the processed foods to a minimum.

Were you surprised by any of these "accidentally" vegan foods?