Do Pop Tarts Have Dairy? (Read This First)
Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 05:18 pm
We have been eating pop tarts for over decades, and it seems we know almost everything about this snack.
However, there’s still certain knowledge that is glaring, seeing that pop tarts come in various flavors.
Because of certain ingredients in some pop tarts, not every consumer can consume them.
Based on some dietary restrictions, this article seeks to answer the question, “Do pop tarts have dairy”?
Cheese and whey are two favorite ingredients in pop tarts snacks, so yes, pop tarts have dairy. However, other pop tarts flavors do not contain any trace of dairy food. Dairy is simply a by-product of processed milk in any form, be it whey, yogurt, fortified soy milk, lactose-free milk, or cheese.
Do Pop Tarts Contain Milk?
The main ingredient in many pop tarts flavors is milk. The basic confusion here is that the milk doesn’t appear literally as farm milk.
In most pop tarts flavors, you will find the milk in a processed form collectively known as dairy. Often, this dairy in pop tarts snacks comes as whey.
Also, we have processed milk into cheese and whey, which are ingredients for various snacks.
Whatever the case, processed milk is still milk regardless of its appearance.
Therefore, you see milk in disguise whenever you find any dairy in pop tarts or other snacks.
For instance, whey is one of the obvious ingredients in every frosted pop tart. It means that all frosted pop tarts, regardless of the flavor, contain milk.
However, even though most frosted pop tarts contain milk or dairy, most unfrosted pop tarts flavors are dairy-free. For certainty, always double-check the make-up ingredients.
Due to the numerous reasons that result in dietary restrictions, frosted pop tarts flavors are not consumable.
For instance, milk allergic people should not have pop tarts flavors that have milk or traces of it in other forms.
Below is a table containing different pop tarts with the form of milk that appears as an ingredient.
| Pop Tarts Flavors | Milky Ingredient |
|---|---|
| Strawberry Milkshake | Cream milk |
| Gone Nutty Peanut Butter | Milk |
| S’mores | Whey, cream milk |
| Chocolate chip | Whey, milk |
| Vanilla Milkshake | Cream, whey |
Do Chocolate Pop Tarts Have Dairy?
All frosted pop tarts have dairy, including the chocolate pop tarts flavors. Chocolate pop tarts fall under the category of frosted pop tarts. Hence it contains dairy.
Generally, processed farm milk by-products are collectively dairy food groups with only a few exceptions.
As mentioned, processed farm milk products such as yogurt, cheese, whey, and fortified soy milk are all in the dairy group.
However, the few exceptions processed from farm milk that is not dairy are gelatin, butter, and sour cream.
The by-product of cheesemaking results in a dairy end product called whey.
Cheese, whey, and other dairy products are primary ingredients in producing some pop flavors.
Whey is a protein obtained from cheese which is dairy that is one of the primary ingredients for chocolate pop tarts.
Other chocolate pop tarts flavors do not have whey but contain other dairy products like milk cream.
Dairy is whatever is milky in taste or directly derived from farm milk. If that is the case, it means that all chocolate pop tarts have dairy of some sort.
Also, although the chocolate Fudge is dairy-free, a careful taste will review that they have milk-derived natural flavors.
Are Pop Tarts Vegan?
All dairy-free and unfrosted pop tarts flavors are generally vegan. Generally, three pop tarts flavors are vegan or, let’s say, close to being vegan.
All unfrosted pop tarts are vegan-friendly. Palm oil, artificial colors, and natural flavors, which are the ingredients in the above-unfrosted pop tarts, are vegan-friendly.
Not to mention with absolute certainty, I will say that they are somewhat vegan, depending on how strict you are.
It all depends on how skeptical a vegan is and your opinion on the controversial ingredients.
The pop mentioned above tarts flavors from another end may not be vegan from the perspective of ethical vegans.
Ethical vegan considers all pop tarts as non-vegan. In contrast, if palm oil and artificial coloring isn’t a turn-off for you as a vegan, you equally eat unfrosted pop tarts.
Aside from the aforementioned vegan-friendly pop tarts, the majority of pop tarts in the market are not vegan, not even close.
Generally, most pop tarts have milk of some processed form, which falls under dairy foods unsuitable for vegans.
The make-up ingredient for most pop tarts contains milk of some sort, or the other, and others have egg whites and honey.
All the ingredients above are a turn-off for vegetarians. For instance, in frosted pop tarts, for the frosting to stick to the pop tarts pastries, you will need gelatin.
Even though gelatin is dairy-free, it is non-vegan. Unfortunately, gelatin and whey are two of the favorite ingredients in most pop tarts in the market or store.
In conclusion, only three pop tarts are vegan-friendly, although not completely vegan. Always double-check the ingredient of every pop tart to be sure.
Do Pop Tarts Have Eggs?
Eggs and egg scraps, such as the egg white, are primary ingredients in most pop tarts, especially frosted ones. Few frosted pop tarts flavors do not have eggs or their sensation.
In some pop tarts flavor labels, you will find egg white as part of the make-up ingredient for that flavor.
It is worth noting at this point that pop tarts with eggs are generally non-vegan.
The presence of eggs or egg white in a pop tart indicates that such a flavor is non-vegan.
Examples of pop tarts flavors that have eggs include S’mores, chocolate chip, and chocolate fudge.
The importance of eggs in snacks and daily meals cannot be over-emphasized.
For starters, eggs are a good source of protein and an excellent natural source of vitamin A. Therefore, you can surely gain some nutritional value from egg pop tarts.
Many pop tarts in the market today have eggs added to the list of other primary ingredients.
However, as mentioned earlier, not all pop tarts have eggs or traces of egg scraps as an ingredient in their flavor.
If you are allergic to eggs or, for some reason, do not eat eggs, you can opt for the unfrosted pop tarts.
Also, you can scan through the ingredient list of some frosted pop tarts, as not all have eggs.
Are Pop Tarts Gluten Free?
Most dairy products are naturally gluten-free; hence, if the pop tarts contain dairy food groups, they are most likely gluten-free.
However, the above case is not an assurance as it is not always the case.
Some additives and flavors which are part of the ingredient can change the outcome of the pop tart.
With every other added ingredient, the gluten-free confidence score of such pop tarts would be more or less reduced.
It all depends on the particular pop tarts and the make-up ingredients. For most pop tarts, Wheat flour is primarily the base ingredient in pop tarts.
Hence, they are not gluten-free. However, as mentioned, it all depends on the ingredient that appears on the list.
While many pop tarts are not gluten-free, the Blueberry pop tart flavor is adult-friendly and gluten-free.
Unlike frosted pop tarts, the blueberry pop tart uses almond flour as the base crust.
Carefully going through the list of pop tart ingredients will save you the risk of getting a pop tart with lots of gluten additives.
Conclusion
Dairy group foods are primarily by-products of processed farm milk that appear in other forms. Pop tarts are among the areas where such food groups serve as ingredients.
However, as much as dairy food is non-vegan, there are still some vegan-friendly pop tarts.
