You may remember Cinnamon Toast Crunch from your childhood and you may still love this popular cinnamon-flavored cereal today. The question is if Cinnamon Toast Crunch is vegan or if you should get your cinnamon cereal fix somewhere else.
To be honest, we were surprised by the amount of conflicting information regarding the cereal and its vegan status. Some websites list Cinnamon Toast Crunch as vegan while others say it is not, so we decided to find out once and for all.
Main image credit: General Mills
Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ingredients - Vegan or Not?
As always in this situation, the quickest solution is to have a look at the ingredients to determine whether the cereal is vegan.
So that’s what we did.
Ingredient List:
Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Rice Flour, Canola Oil, Fructose, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Salt, Cinnamon, Trisodium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Caramel Color. BHT Added to Preserve Freshness. Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
Now, at first glance of the ingredients, you’d probably assume the cereal is vegan-friendly. There is nothing that stands out as blatantly non-vegan such as dairy or eggs. There are also none of the usually non-vegan red flags such as whey, casein, carmine, etc.
Which begs the question, is Cinnamon Toast Crunch vegan?
Unfortunately, the answer is no.
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Why is Cinnamon Toast Crunch Not Vegan?
We understand that it can seem confusing so let us explain.
Unfortunately, in this case, the issue has to do with the last ingredient - the Vitamin D 3 that’s added to the cereal. That type of Vitamin D is derived from lanolin which is found in sheep’s wool. As a result, the cereal is not vegan.
It's a shame because there are vegan versions of Vitamin D available and many companies use this form in vegan products like soy milk. In fact, there is no reason why General Mills can't use a vegan version in their cereal to appeal to more people.
Final Verdict and Other Options
The verdict is that Cinnamon Toast Crunch is not vegan because of one pesky ingredient, Vitamin D3.
That being said, there are vegan options that can satisfy your morning sweet tooth. Some of the most popular vegan cinnamon cereals are:
Cascadian Farms - Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
For example, the company Cascadian Farms offers a vegan Cinnamon Crunch Cereal that taste just like CTC but happens to be much healthier.
Van’s - Gluten Free Cereals - Cinnamon Heaven
Moreover, the brand Van’s has a similar product that tastes amazing and is both vegan and gluten-free. It’s called the Gluten Free Cereals - Cinnamon Heaven and is a favorite among many vegans.
Catalina Crunch Cereal - Cinnamon Taste
Lastly, Catalina Crunch sells a Keto-friendly and vegan verified cereal called the Catalina Crunch Cereal which comes in many flavors, including Cinnamon Taste.
In other words, despite Cinnamon Toast Crunch not being vegan, you still have plenty of options to choose from that not only taste the same, but that are vegan and healthier for you.
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