From charcuterie boards to soups, saltine crackers are known for their simplicity and their ability to go well with a wide range of dishes. But are saltines vegan, or are they not compatible with a vegan diet?
I use saltines for everything from palate cleansers while I’m wine tasting to a simple food to eat when I have an upset stomach. Their versatility is one reason they’re a pantry staple in many households. But do they fit with a vegan lifestyle?
Yes, most saltine cracker brands are vegan. None of the items on their ingredients list are derived from animals, so this popular snack is considered safe for vegans to eat.
In this article, I’ll cover what’s actually in a saltine cracker, and I’ll provide a rundown of popular vegan saltine brands.
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What are Saltines?
The precursor to saltines, or soda crackers, were invented in the 19th century by a bakery in Massachusetts. The original recipe used simple ingredients like wheat flour and baking salt to create the cracker, which had a light and crispy texture.
By the latter half of the 19th century, a manufacturer that would eventually become the Nabisco company began making their version of the cracker, which included a dusting of salt on top. That’s how the name “saltine” was born. Other companies followed suit to create their own saltine crackers, all with similar ingredients and baking methods.
Today, saltine crackers typically include white flour, yeast or baking soda, and coarse salt.
They’re made by mixing the ingredients into a dough, then letting it rise for several hours. Next, it’s rolled out and perforated, then cut into raw cracker shapes, usually in squares. Then they’re baked for a few minutes until lightly brown.
What do saltines taste like?
Saltines are known — and admired — for their mild, salty taste and dry, crunchy texture. The salt adds a slightly savory quality to the crackers, but the somewhat bland taste won’t overpower other foods. These features make them a great pairing for a range of foods, and an excellent ingredient in some dishes.
How are saltines used?
Saltine crackers have a variety of uses. Their saltiness makes them an ideal complement to salty, cured meats on a charcuterie board. And the mild, clean flavor of the crackers means they can also act as an effective palate cleanser when wine tasting.
They also go great when crumbled into soups and stews for a bit of extra saltiness and crunchy texture.
Plus, they’ve long been used to help with nausea or an upset stomach, as the lighter flavor makes them easy to eat and stay down.
Saltine cracker ingredients
Most saltine varieties are made with a base of wheat flour and leaveners, along with salt. But many manufacturers will include extra ingredients to add both nutrients and to help them bake properly. Here’s the ingredients list for Nabisco Original Premium Saltine crackers.
- Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid)
- Soybean And/Or Canola Oil
- Palm Oil
- Sea Salt
- Salt
- Malted Barley Flour
- Baking Soda
- Yeast
Are saltine crackers vegan?
Given that none of the ingredients in typical saltines are derived from animal products, saltines are considered vegan-friendly and ok to eat if you’re on a plant-based diet. Though it’s important to check the product label of specific brands of saltine crackers to make sure there aren’t any non-vegan ingredients.
Vegan saltine cracker brands
Here are some different brands of vegan saltine crackers that are readily available at your local grocery store and via online retailers.
Nabisco Premium Saltine Crackers
These are considered by many as one of the original makers of saltines. These classic crackers are thin and crunchy with a sprinkling of sea salt on top. The ingredients are listed above.
365 Whole Foods Saltine Crackers
According to the product packaging, these crackers are vegan and kosher.
Ingredients include unbleached enriched flour, safflower seed oil, salt, baking soda, microbial enzyme, yeast, and malted barley flour.
Kellogg’s Zesta Original Crackers
These saltine crackers make a great snack on the go or as an accompaniment to soups, stews, and chilis.
They contain enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin b1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin b2 [riboflavin], folic acid), soybean oil, salt, corn syrup, baking soda, yeast, soy lecithin.
Back to Nature Organic Saltines
This brand makes saltines that are USDA-certified organic and kosher and do not contain high fructose corn syrup or hydrogenated oils.
Ingredients include organic unbleached enriched wheat flour (organic wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid), organic safflower oil, sea salt, baking soda, organic barley malt extract, organic brown rice syrup, enzymes, organic yeast, organic malted barley flour.
Safeway Signature Select Saltines
Like many other saltine brands, these vegan crackers contain no animal-derived ingredients.
Here’s what’s in them: wheat flour, vegetable oils, and salt, and they are vegan. Here’s the full ingredient list: enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin B11, riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), vegetable oil (palm, canola, and/or soybean with TBHQ for freshness), enzymes, yeast, malted barley flour, sodium sulfite, salt, baking soda.
Lance Saltine Crackers
These crackers come individually wrapped, making them a great option for taking on trips as snacks.
They contain enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil (canola oil, corn oil, palm oil, and/or soybean oil), salt, sodium bicarbonate, yeast, and malted barley flour.
Sunshine Krispy saltine crackers
Another vegan saltine option is Sunshine Kripsy.
These crackers include enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced Iion, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, corn syrup, Salt, malt extract, baking soda, dextrose, yeast.
FAQ
Store-bought saltines usually have a best-by date of about 6-8 months from purchase. So they should keep for at least that long if unopened. Once opened, they have a shelf life of about 1 month. The best way to store them is in an airtight container at room temperature out of direct sunlight in a pantry or kitchen cupboard.
Both saltines and club crackers have similar basic ingredients, but club crackers are rectangular in shape and have a more buttery flavor. That’s partly due to a higher amount of fat. Saltines have about half the amount of fat as club crackers and fewer calories per serving.
Since one of the main ingredients in most saltines is wheat flour, they are not gluten free. That means they contain gluten levels above the limit that’s considered safe for those with Celiac disease or people who have another gluten intolerance.
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