Are Oreos Vegan? The history of this iconic cookie

Milk’s favorite cookie happens to be vegan. Well, at least some are. The classic Oreo and its many flavor iterations are completely devoid of animal ingredients, which leads to a natural follow-up question: What is the cream filling made of? Well, it’s made of several ingredients, but none of them are dairy-based milk or cream. Take that as you will, but despite its less-than-clean ingredients, few can deny the Oreo cookie its comforting and nostalgic taste and texture profile. Oreos are familiar, accessible and good with or without a tall glass of cold oat milk. Curious about the vegetarian nature of this 111-year-old cookie, we delve into the history (and ingredients) of the iconic Oreo.

Oreo

Are Oreos Vegan?

In the days before vegan cookies were readily available on supermarket shelves, newly converted plant-based eaters relied on Oreos for sweet treats. It’s a best-known secret in the vegan community—who would have thought a cream-filled sandwich cookie would forgo dairy? But Oreos weren’t always vegetarian-friendly. Until 1998, Oreo fillings contained lard. The move to swap lard for a plant-based fat was partly due to a decades-long dispute with the Hydrox cookie.

Technically the original chocolate-and-cream sandwich cookie, Hydrox did not contain lard and therefore could claim a kosher label. Although Oreos have steadily outsold Hydrox since their debut in 1912, the original Hydrox brand remained popular among the Jewish community and occasionally experienced a resurgence in sales. Once the Oreo cookie could claim to be kosher and vegan, Hydrox lived on for a few more years, officially shutting down in 2003.

Oreo

However, if you’re interested in Oreo-inspired cookies (inspired is a loose term—National Biscuit Company, now Nabisco basically stole the idea), you can buy a box of Hydrox on Amazon. Leaf Brands revived Hydrox in 2015 and claims it’s a less-sweet version of the Oreo that’s crisper when dipped in milk and is made without hydrogenated oils, high-quality cocoa, and high fructose or corn syrup. A six-pack of Hydrox costs $23.99, and we’re intrigued enough to try the first plant-based iteration of Oreo that never gave up the fight. Indeed, the name was its death.

We can say for sure that as of 1998, the Classic Oreo is vegan. So is Double-Stuff (which is actually only 1.8 times more stuff, but who’s counting?), Mega Stuff, Gluten-Free and Gluten-Free Double Stuff, Golden and Golden Double Stuff, and The Most Oreo Oreo. Any fudge-covered Oreo is not vegan, as the chocolate coating contains dairy. Oreo Cakesters aren’t vegan either. But then there are 85-plus Oreo flavors to consider. Not all of these flavors are available now or even in the US, but between Thins and Flavors and Classics, the average US consumer is currently faced with a choice of more than 25 variations. Before you reach for that novelty or limited-edition flavor, be sure to check the ingredients, as some of these options contain animal-based ingredients.

Vegan Oreo Flavor

There are flavored Oreos and Oreo Thins that Nabisco calls the classics—Classic Oreos, Golden Oreos, Gluten-Free Oreos, and stuffed variations of those flavors. The latter claims to be a “lighter, crispier” version of the original Oreo. In fact, a single Oreo Thin has just seven fewer calories than a single Classic Oreo (35 compared to 42) and is four millimeters thinner. Perhaps a bit ironically, Thins also come in an Extra Stuf variety. If you like the filling and can do without the cookie part, this might be the Oreo spin-off for you. The thins come in several flavors that mimic the current rotating line of Oreo varieties, including mint, golden, lemon and dark chocolate. All these options are vegetarian.

OREO

The current line-up of thin, vegan Oreo flavors includes Mint, Lemon, Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Hazelnut, Java Chip, Chocolate, Birthday Cake, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie, Peanut Butter and Caramel Coconut. This flavor contains no dairy, egg, gelatin or honey; However, if you avoid processed cane sugar or artificial flavors that aren’t clearly labeled vegan, these cookies don’t meet those food standards.

How to Make Vegan Oreos

Despite wild variations on the original Oreo, the ingredients are fairly consistent. All cookies contain sugar, bleached enriched flour, palm and/or canola oil, artificial flavors, cocoa, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, salt, soy lecithin and various food colors. The flavor differences mostly come from artificial flavors and colors, though the mint contains some peppermint extract and the chocolate cream rendition has a bit more cocoa.

Homemade Oreos are much less complicated. Yes, they won’t be crispy or perfectly embossed, but if Yellow 5 Lake or palm oil aren’t your jam, it’s possible to make Oreo-adjacent cookies at home.

Best Vegan Oreo Recipes

Chocolate Covered Katie

1 Healthy Vegan Oreos

Don’t be put off by this recipe because of the “healthy” qualifier—it’s just to say that the ingredients don’t call for the artificial flavors or palm oil found in real Oreo cookies. There’s still plenty of sugar to make these cookies as addictive as their masterpiece. We like to drizzle peanut butter on these dishes (a trick we learned from The parent trap Decades ago — thanks, Lindsay Lohan).
Get the recipe

Gretchen’s Vegan Bakery

2 Vegan Oreo Cookies

The beauty of making your own vegan Oreos is that you control the cookie thickness and filling. Want extra cream? Pour it on. Love a cakier cookie? Make them thicker and bake for another minute. You can also use a large cookie cutter and make super-sized Oreos. Because who doesn’t love a giant, five-inch-wide cookie?
Get the recipe

3 OMG peanut butter brownies

Tag “Oreo” on any dessert and it becomes at least 50-percent more appealing. This is a fact that we have no data to support, but the anecdotal evidence is strong. These triple-layer brownie bars feature a gooey chocolate chip cookie base, an Oreo and peanut butter middle, and a fudgy brownie top layer. They’re all you need for any celebration, breakup, or situation that calls for a major dopamine hit.
Get the recipe

Gibbs Smith Publishing

4 Creamy Chocolate Almond Butter Pudding Pie

Pre-made Oreo crusts are naturally vegan, but it’s not difficult to make your own. In fact, it can give off some aggression. Simply crush and melt Oreo cookies and mix with vegan butter or coconut oil. Press the mixture into a pie pan, bake it, then fill it with this decadent chocolate almond butter mixture. The result is a cross between super-indulgent cheesecake, almond butter filling, and deep chocolate torte. In one word: heavenly.
Get the recipe

Mary Kate’s Vegan Cake

5 Copycat Vegan Cookies and Cream Crumble Cookies

Only recently have we heard about the phenomenon of Crumble Cookies—a national chain with a cult following. Stores don’t offer a vegan version, so we were kept in the dark until Mary-Kate of Vegan Cakes started posting copycat renditions of giant, soft—and crumbly—cookies. These Oreo-studded delights feature large chunks of Oreo cookies spread throughout the batter and baked into the topping as well. They’re the perfect mashup between gooey chocolate chips and crispy Oreos. Given their girth, one is certainly enough, but we’ve definitely polished off two in a single sitting.
Get the recipe