Most types of pasta are vegan, which is great news if you’re following a plant-based or strict vegan diet. But there are some sneaky exceptions – so is ALL pasta vegan?
Most pasta is vegan, except for those made with eggs (or other animal byproducts like cheese or butter). There are usually vegan-friendly alternatives to these non-vegan pastas, but traditionally they aren’t vegan.
We’ll explain which types of pasta are traditionally NOT vegan and why, next!
What is pasta made of?
Pasta is typically made from durum wheat, a type of wheat that is high in protein and gluten. Specifically, pasta is made from durum wheat semolina, a type of coarsely ground flour.
“Regular” pasta is made from enriched and refined durum wheat flour. Refined flour only uses part of the wheat kernel – the innermost part called the endosperm, which is high in starch and lower in fiber.
Because nutrients are lost by stripping the wheat kernel of its outer layers (the bran and germ), nutrients are added back to the flour during processing. This is called refining, thus the term refined flour.
On the other hand, whole wheat pasta uses the entire wheat kernel, so enrichment isn’t necessary because it’s naturally rich in nutrients and is higher in fiber.
The main difference among the types of pasta is the shape! That means that macaroni, penne, and lasagna noodles are typically made from the same ingredients (durum wheat), so they have similar nutrition stats in equal portions – they’re just shaped differently.
What about grain-free pasta?
There are plenty of grain-free pasta choices out there, appealing to people with allergies or who are on special diets (keto, Paleo, etc).
Some of the most popular types of grain-free pastas are:
- Edamame pasta (made from soybeans)
- Lentil pasta
- Chickpea pasta
- Shirataki noodles (low-carb pasta alternative made from the konjac plant)
- Hearts of Palm pasta (not technically pasta as it’s not made from wheat)
(These pastas are vegan-friendly since they don’t typically include eggs.)
Is all pasta vegan?
The majority of pasta doesn’t contain any animal products, which is good news if you’re a vegan. There are a few exceptions, which we’ll list below. The main thing that disqualifies these kinds of pasta from being vegan is that they include eggs (and sometimes cheese and/or butter), which are animal byproducts.
9 kinds of pasta that might not be vegan
Many of these pastas traditionally call for non-vegan ingredients – but there are plenty of vegan-friendly versions of most of them, whether store-bought or homemade!
Bigoli
Bigoli is similar to spaghetti, but it’s usually thicker and longer than spaghetti. Bigoli is usually made with whole wheat or 00 flour, duck eggs, water or milk, butter, and salt. The bolded ingredients are animal products, which disqualifies Bigoli from being vegan.
However, some types of bigoli don’t include eggs and butter, so this will vary depending on the type of pasta (homemade vs. store-bought, etc).
Egg noodles
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise since ‘egg’ is in the name! Egg noodles contain eggs in addition to durum wheat flour, so the regular version of egg noodles isn’t vegan.
There are vegan-friendly versions such as “egg-free ribbons” which have a similar shape to egg noodles but don’t contain any eggs.
Garganelli
This pasta resembles penne, but it’s hand-rolled and has a seam, which sets it apart from penne. The traditional dough contains eggs and parmesan, which means garganelli isn’t a vegan-friendly pasta. However, you can find vegan-friendly versions of garganelli without eggs or cheese.
Gnocchi
Some versions of gnocchi contain eggs while others don’t, so you’ll need to check the ingredients label to ensure you’re choosing a vegan-friendly version.
Laganelle
Laganelle is a long pasta that contains eggs, so it’s not vegan-friendly (unless you find a vegan version).
Pappardelle
Another pasta that traditionally calls for eggs in the dough!
Passatelli
This pasta is made from breadcrumbs, eggs, and grated cheese, so it’s not vegan-friendly.
Spaetzle
This pasta originated in Germany (not Italy!) and contains eggs.
Tagliatelle
Like many types of pasta, you can find vegan-friendly versions of tagliatelle – but traditionally it contains eggs. It’s similar to linguine, but contains eggs (linguine doesn’t).
FAQs:
Many forms of dry pasta are vegan, but some exceptions may contain eggs. Always check the ingredients label to ensure your pasta is vegan if you’re following a vegan lifestyle.
Many types of pasta are vegan-friendly, but you need to watch out for the types that may include eggs or other animal-derived ingredients. For instance, egg noodles typically contain eggs, so you’d need to opt for a vegan-friendly alternative such as egg-free ribbons instead.
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