Maintaining a plant-based lifestyle should be simple, right? While the stereotypically vegan “fruits and vegetables” diet will certainly keep a vegan diet satisfied, we all deserve to dive into bakery goods and other heavier foods. Unfortunately for folks who stick with a vegan diet, judging a food’s ingredients list is not always an easy task, as some foods hide animal products under a plant-based label, while other foods don’t broadcast their vegan status. Consider this brief list of surprisingly vegan or non-vegan foods: 

Bagels - Yes! The morning favorites are generally vegan. While a vegan diet will have to navigate which spreads can safely be applied to a vegan’s bagel, the breakfast base itself should be vegan. It may be worth checking with the bakers if you’re purchasing fresh bagels from a shop if you have any concerns about eggs, honey, or butter being added to the recipe. When purchasing for home, most mass-produced bagels include the basic ingredients of flour, water, yeast, sugar, salt, and occasionally a vegetable-based shortening. Enjoy!

Sorbet - Need to beat the heat, but don’t want to compromise your vegan diet? Sorbet will give you what you need. Unlike ice cream, sherbet, and gelato, sorbets do not generally contain any animal products. The typical ingredients in sorbet are a shortlist of water, sugar, and fruit juice. As with most foods, some makers will include non-vegan ingredients (most commonly honey or milk, but sometimes egg yolks), so be sure to double check if you’re trying a new brand or restaurant.

Hot Chocolate Mixes - Be sure to read the label, but many brands of hot chocolate powders are vegan! Although many recipes will call for milk as the liquid base, water and/or non-dairy milks work just as well as dairy does. Oftentimes if the hot chocolate powder isn’t vegan, the packaging will plainly say “milk chocolate”, making it pretty easy to ethically indulge in a winter-time favorite. Unfortunately, when dining out things get a little less clear. If drinks are made to order, such as at a cafe, the staff should be able to tell you whether or not their hot chocolate is vegan or not, but at restaurants, the front-of-house staff may not be sure of the contents of the hot chocolate. 

Veggie Burgers - Handle with care. Some veggie burgers do contain eggs as a binding agent or cheeses to add an umami characteristic to the flavor profile. While shopping for home consumption, most brands will clearly label vegan or not-vegan derivatives or vegetable burgers on store shelves. Unfortunately, when eating out, the contents of vegetable and black bean burgers can be hard to determine, especially at restaurants that do not make their plant-based options in house. Always be sure to carefully read menus and labels, many vegetarian foods are not vegan.

As you navigate a vegan diet, sometimes you’re sure to be met with surprises about what you can and cannot eat. Commonly overlooked are minor ingredients such as Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies) and whey (a dairy byproduct), which disqualify certain foods from being vegan. Thankfully, there are plenty of foods that are vegan that you can enjoy that will fill the gap left by foods that are not!