A leavened batter is cooked between two heated plates to make waffles, a common breakfast food. Simply put one in the toaster, and a hot, steaming waffle will be ready in a few minutes.
Are Eggo Waffles vegan? The majority of traditional waffle recipes aren’t vegan. Most have egg white in them to help with certain textural qualities.
Eggo Waffles
The first Eggo waffles were created in 1935 in the mother’s kitchen by Frank Dorsa and his brothers.
Due to customers nicknaming them Eggos because of the egg flavor, the name was finally changed in 1955.
The Dorsa brothers tried to diversify their business over the years, but the waffles were the only thing that endured.
When Eggo was acquired by Kellogg’s in 1968, the brand’s recognition increased. Eggo Pancakes, French Toast, French Toast Sticks, and Stuffed Pancake Bites are currently also produced by Kellogg’s.
The majority of items on supermarket shelves today are Eggo products. Their website offers original recipes that will encourage your children to eat their waffles and fruit in the morning. They still promise to make your mornings simpler.
Ingredients Of Eggo Waffles
- Enriched Wheat Flour & Water
Like most bread products, waffles begin their life as a straightforward dough made of wheat flour and water.
Wheat flour (and all other forms of flour) is always vegan. It is a natural baking powder made from dried wheat that is completely plant-based.
- Vegetable Oil
Butter, a component derived from dairy, is frequently used in traditional waffle recipes. Eggos, however, are produced using vegetable oil.
Palm oil is not vegan-friendly or sourced sustainably like the majority of those cooking oils. Palm oil is very destructive to our rainforests and has nearly driven orangutans to extinction.
Despite technically being a plant-based product, palm oil is not regarded as a vegan.
- Sugar
Both commercially prepared and homemade waffles typically contain sugar. White sugar is produced by refining natural cane sugar, which isn’t entirely vegan even though sugar is initially a vegan-friendly sweetener.
Animal bone char, a special kind of charcoal used to process sugar, must first be used to filter the raw sugar to remove the brown color and malt flavor.
- Leavening Agents
To make waffle dough more robust and firm, leavening agents like baking soda are added.
Because of this, the dough won’t rise excessively or resemble a cake. It goes without saying that leavening agents are vegan because they are created from natural minerals and organic compounds.
- Salt
On the other hand, salt is always vegan and only becomes unhealthy when consumed in large, excess amounts. However, most waffle recipes only call for a tiny bit of salt, so there’s no need to worry!
- Dextrose
Usually derived from corn or potatoes, dextrose is a type of simple starch. This straightforward starch can occasionally be used as a light sweetener. To keep the waffles dry and free of moisture, it is employed here as a mild preservative.
- Spice
To create a distinctive and recognizable flavor for its frozen waffles, Eggo uses a special combination of natural spices. Nobody really knows which spices are used because this is a trade secret, which is unfortunate.
- Whey
Whey is powdered milk protein, which is why vegans don’t consume whey protein powder. The waffles become even more non-vegan as a result, but this gives them additional texture and flavor.
- Eggs
Eggo waffles, like the majority of traditional waffle recipes, contain real eggs, making them non-vegan because eggs are a byproduct of animal cruelty.
- Soy Lecithin
Eggos are preserved with soy lecithin, a soy-based ingredient, to extend shelf life and preserve flavor and consistency.
- Added Vitamins & Minerals
Eggo waffles contain a combination of additional vitamins and minerals, just like many other breakfast kinds of cereal. As a result, they can advertise their goods as a “healthy” breakfast option.
Are Eggos Vegan
The most well-known frozen waffle brand is probably Eggo. It is owned by Kellogg’s and offered for sale in North America.
Homestyle, miniature, buttermilk, vanilla bliss, brown sugar and cinnamon, chocolate chip, and several fruit flavors like cherry, blueberry, and strawberry are just a few of the many varieties they now offer.
Are they vegan? Eggo waffles are not vegan. They all contain eggs in some capacity (hence the name Eggo), and the majority also include milk.
Customers began referring to them as “Eggos” because they were well-known for having an egg flavor, and eventually, the term came to be considered synonymous with the food item.
All of the Eggo waffle varieties we could find, including:
- Blueberry Eggo Waffles
- Chocolate Eggo Waffles
- Homestyle Eggo Waffles
- Cinnamon Eggo Waffles
- Whole Grain Eggo Waffles
Why Most Waffles Are Not Considered Vegan
Not all waffles are non-vegan, however. They do not, however, come standard as vegan bread, unlike traditional bread. In most cases, you can assume that a restaurant’s warm yeast bread that the server brings to the table is suitable for vegans.
You cannot, however, extend the same courtesy when it comes to waffles. Contrary to popular belief, any waffles you find in restaurants are not suitable for vegan consumption.
Waffles Are A Type Of Quick Bread
Bread products known as quick bread are those that are made without the use of yeast as a leavener. As soon as the batter or dough is combined, it is cooked, and it is leavened using a combination of water (via steam) and chemical leaveners like baking soda and baking powder.
Most Waffles Contain Egg
In general, quick batters therefore frequently contain eggs. But an egg is used to create the desired texture in waffles (specifically). To increase the lightness and crispiness of waffle batter, it is frequently advised to fold in beaten egg whites.
In baked goods, eggs are employed for a variety of purposes. In addition to thickening, emulsifying, and stabilizing ingredients, they also help with flavor and color.
Many Waffles Contain Milk Derivatives
Many people are curious as to what distinguishes waffles from pancakes on a fundamental level aside from the distinctive waffle pattern produced by the waffle iron. The use of specific ingredients is what makes the biggest difference.
- Butter
Although they share many of the same ingredients and are both categorized as a quick bread, waffles are made from a batter that contains more fat. This is why butter is frequently used when making waffles.
Therefore, the waffle is no longer vegan when real butter (as opposed to margarine) is used.
- Buttermilk
Even though buttermilk doesn’t actually contain butter, it is still milk. It’s a favorite for both pancakes and waffles because of its tangy aftertaste.
- Milk Derivatives
Additionally, when looking for vegan-friendly waffles, you must take into account the milk additives. These are ubiquitous in processed food goods.