Are Club Crackers Vegan?

Club Crackers are often described as “buttery” in taste. But what if I told you they contained no butter whatsoever? Well, as it happens, this is not just a hypothetical question! Club Crackers are in fact dairy-free. And there’s more good news.

Club Crackers are generally considered vegan. They contain no dairy, no eggs, no meat, and no honey. The only controversial ingredient is the sugar, which may have been filtered using animal bone char.

Below, I’ll share the specific ingredients in each flavor of Club Crackers. I’ll share some of my view when it comes to the vegan controversy around sugar. Then I’ll take a quick look at whether Club Crackers are healthy!

Club Crackers Ingredients

Let’s start by taking a look at the ingredients in Original Club Crackers:

Kellogg’s Club Crackers (Original) Ingredients: “Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), soybean oil (with TBHQ for freshness), sugar. Contains 2% or less of salt, high fructose corn syrup, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), corn syrup, soy lecithin.” (source)

The only ingredient here that is controversial to vegans is the sugar. Non-organic cane sugar is often filtered with animal bone char to make it whiter. So it’s certainly possible that this happened with the sugar in Club Crackers.

However, most vegans are not that picky about avoiding sugar. Personally, I don’t worry about it. From reading the package, we don’t even know if bone char was used—it’s just possible.

My advice to vegans—especially new vegans—is not to obsess over 100% strict veganism, but aim for about 97%. Avoid the main animal ingredients, while also not depriving yourself or obsessing over minor issues that won’t make a difference in practice.

Do Club Crackers Have Dairy?

Club Crackers do not contain butter or any other form of dairy. However, Kellogg’s Club Crisps do contain dairy ingredients like nonfat milk, butter, and buttermilk. Club Crisps should be avoided by vegans.

You might assume that normal Kellogg’s Club Crackers would contain butter. After all, one of the main ways to describe them would be to call them “buttery.” But alas, lucky for us, they are “accidentally vegan.”

Do Club Crackers Have Eggs?

Club Crackers do not contain eggs in any form. This is not too surprising, as it is not common for crackers to contain egg.

Are Multigrain Club Crackers Vegan?

Multigrain Club Crackers are generally considered vegan. They contain no dairy, egg, meat, or honey ingredients. The only controversial ingredient would be the sugar, which may have been filtered with bone char.

Here are the full ingredients:

Multigrain Club Crackers Ingredients: “Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), soybean oil (with TBHQ for freshness), sugar, whole wheat flour, defatted wheat germ, oat bran. Contains 2% or less of leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), salt, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, whole wheat, degerminated yellow corn flour, soy lecithin.” (source)

Are Reduced Fat Club Crackers Vegan?

Reduced Fat Club Crackers are generally considered vegan. They contain no dairy, egg, meat, or honey ingredients. The only controversial ingredient would be the sugar, which may have been filtered with bone char.

Here are the full ingredients:

Reduced Fat Club Crackers Ingredients: “Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), soybean oil (with TBHQ for freshness), sugar, salt. Contains 2% or less of leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sodium stearoyl lactylate, soy lecithin.” (source)

Some people may be worried to see “sodium stearoyl lactylate,” but this is considered a pretty safe ingredient by most vegans. Read more in my blog post about this ingredient here.

Are Club Crackers Healthy?

Club Crackers are not very healthy. The top three ingredients in Original Club Crackers are processed wheat flour, soybean oil, and sugar. These are three processed ingredients that each add calories without many vitamins, minerals, or other micronutrients.

Club Crackers might not be quite as bad for you as a sugar-heavy dessert or anything… But they are certainly heavily processed. I would count them as “empty calories.”

Two More Recommendations for Your Plant-Based Journey

1. This is the best free video training I’ve found on plant-based nutrition. You’ll learn how to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and obesity—all with plant-based food. Watch the free “Food for Health Masterclass” here.

2. This is the best vegan multivitamin I’ve found in my 14 years of being vegan. It has vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3—and nothing else. Translation: It only has the nutrients vegans are actually low in. Read my full review of Future Kind’s multivitamin here (with 10% discount).