Are Funyuns Vegan Friendly? (No, Here's Why)

Funyuns are onion-flavored rings that feature a crisp texture and a zesty onion flavor. Funyuns come in two flavors – original and flamin’ hot – both of which are a deliciously different snack that is fun to eat. There are approximately 20 million people in the United States and approximately 79 million people in the world who follow a vegan diet. Can all of those people enjoy Funyuns, too?

Funyuns are not vegan. In order for a product to be considered vegan, there cannot be any trace of animal products of any kind (i.e. meat and dairy). Both original and flamin’ hot Funyuns contain milk ingredients that are not vegan-friendly. The best vegan and healthier alternative to Funyuns is IWON Organics Organic Protein Puffs Caramelized Onion.

In this article we will discuss the two Funyuns varieties, the ingredients within them that make them non-vegan, as well as vegan-friendly alternatives. Let’s dig in!

Funyuns Nutritional Information by Product

Funyuns Original Flavored Rings

In each serving, which is about 13 pieces, Funyuns Original Flavored Rings contains:

Calories: 140
Total fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 280mg
Total carbs: 19g
Total sugars: <1g
Protein: 2g

The ingredients found in Funyuns Original Flavored Rings are:

Enriched corn meal
Vegetable oil (corn oil, canola and/or sunflower oil)
Salt
Corn starch
Sugar
Corn flour
Buttermilk
Maltodextrin (made from corn)
Onion powder
Monosodium glutamate
Hydrolyzed corn protein
Dextrose
Garlic powder
Natural flavors
Gum Arabic

Non-Vegan Ingredients:

The ingredients found in Funyuns Original Flavored Rings that are not vegan-friendly are:

Buttermilk powder

Funyuns Flamin’ Hot Flavored Onion Flavored Rings

In each serving, which is about 13 pieces, Funyuns Flamin’ Hot Flavored Onion Flavored Rings contains:

Calories: 140
Total fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 290mg
Total carbs: 19g
Total sugars: <1g
Protein: 2g

The Ingredients found in Funyuns Flamin’ Hot Flavored Onion Flavored Rings are:

Enriched corn meal
Vegetable oil (corn oil, canola and/or sunflower oil)
Salt
Corn starch
Sugar
Corn flour
Buttermilk
Monosodium glutamate
Yeast extract
Cheddar cheese
Milk
Cheese cultures
Enzymes
Artificial color (Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake)
Citric acid
Whey
Onion Powder
Maltodextrin
Lactose
Garlic powder
Natural and artificial flavor
Skim milk
Sodium diacetate
Gum Arabic
Onion extracts

Non-Vegan Ingredients:

The ingredients found in Funyuns Flamin’ Hot Flavored Onion Flavored Rings that are not vegan-friendly are:

Buttermilk
Cheddar cheese
Whey
Skim milk
Lactose
Cheese cultures
Enzymes

Healthier Vegan-Friendly Alternatives to Funyuns

IWON Organics Organic Protein Puffs Caramelized Onion

These caramelized onion protein puffs pack a zesty flavor and high-quality vegan ingredients.

Ingredients:

IWON Organic Protein Blend (green peas, brown rice flour, pea protein)
Sunflower oil and/or Safflower oil
Caramelized onion seasoning (tapioca, maltodextrin, cane sugar, sea salt, onion powder, yeast extract, lactic acid, cayenne chili pepper, citric acid, no more than 2% sunflower oil added as a processing aid)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 180
Total fat: 7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 250mg
Total carbs: 21g
Total sugars: 2g
Protein: 10g

Snacklins Nacho Plant Crisps

Satisfy your craving for cheddar cheese with these vegan-friendly, cheddar cheese-flavored plant crisps.

Ingredients:

Yuca
Mushroom
Sunflower oil
Nacho (nutritional yeast, garlic powder, tomato powder, organic flavor, lactic acid)
Spice
Onion
Sea salt

Nutritional Information (for a 0.9oz bag):

Calories: 90
Total fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 110mg
Total carbs: 15g
Total sugar: 0g
Protein: 1g

Other Vegan-Friendly Alternatives

So you know that if you follow a vegan diet you cannot enjoy either flavor of Funyuns. However, that does not mean that you cannot enjoy a vegan version of a similar snack. Here are a few vegan-friendly Funyuns alternatives for you to try:

Wise Onion Rings

If you are looking for the perfect vegan alternative to satisfy your need for crunchy, onion-flavored rings, look no further. Wise Onion Rings are just the snack you are looking for.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Wise Onion Rings:

Calories: 140
Total fat: 6g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 360mg
Total carbs: 20g
Total sugars: 0g
Protein: 0g

These are the ingredients found in Wise Onion Rings:

Modified Corn Starch
Tapioca Starch
Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following: Corn, Cottonseed, Soybean, Sunflower, Or Canola Oil)
Onion Powder
Potato Flour
Salt
Sugar
Torula Yeast
Hydrolyzed Torula Yeast Proteins
Hydrolyzed Brewers Yeast Proteins
Monosodium Glutamate (Flavor Enhancer)
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Spice Extractive Flavorings
Yellow 5
Yellow 6
Red 3
Blue 1.

Munchos Flamin’ Hot Potato Crisps

It can be difficult to satisfy your craving for flamin’ hot snacks on a vegan diet because most flamin’ hot products contain milk or cheese-based ingredients. Luckily, Munchos has you covered with their flamin’ hot potato crisps.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Munchos Flamin’ Hot Potato Crisps:

Calories: 160
Total fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 210mg
Total carbs: 16g
Sugar: 0g
Protein: 1g

These are the ingredients found in Munchos Flamin’ Hot Potato Crisps:

Modified Corn Starch
Tapioca Starch
Vegetable Oil (Contains one or more of the Following: Corn, Cottonseed, Soybean, or Sunflower Oil)
Onion Powder
Potato Flour
Salt
Sugar
Torula Yeast
Hydrolyzed Torula Yeast Proteins
Hydrolyzed Brewers Yeast Proteins
Monosodium Glutamate (Flavor Enhancer)
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Spice Extractive Flavorings
Yellow No. 5
Yellow No. 6
Red No. 3
Blue Number 1.

All of these ingredients come from plant-based origins. Therefore, they are vegan-friendly.

Chomperz

Chomperz are light and crispy seasoned seaweed curls wrapped in rice flour.

While these might not look exactly like real Funyuns, they sure do taste similar. They also come in original, barbeque, and jalapeno flavors. But onion is the way to go if you are looking to get your Funyuns fix.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Chomperz:

Calories: 40
Total fat: 2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 85mg
Total carbs: 6g
Total sugars: <1g
Protein: 4g

These are the ingredients found in Chomperz:

Seaweed
Glutinous rice flour
Rice bran oil
Tapioca starch
Sea salt
Onion

Lay’s Classic Potato Chips

Sometimes you just want a good, old-fashioned potato chip. Luckily, the classic Lay’s potato chips are vegan-friendly.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Lay’s Classic Potato Chips:

Calories: 160
Total fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 170mg
Total carbs: 15g
Total sugar: <1g
Protein: 2g

These are the ingredients found in Lay’s Classic Potato Chips:

Potatoes
Vegetable oil (Sunflower, corn and/or canola oil)
Salt

Fritos Original Corn Chips

If you are looking for that satisfying crunch that you get from Funyuns, look no further. Fritos Original Corn Chips are all you need.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Fritos Original Corn Chips:

Calories: 160
Total fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 170mg
Total carbs: 16g
Total sugars: 0g
Protein: 2g

These are the ingredients found in Fritos Original Corn Chips:

Corn
Corn oil
Salt

Sabritones Chile & Lime Puffed Wheat Snacks

As far as I am concerned, there are few better flavor combos than chili and lime.

Sabritones Puffed Wheat snack combines that flavor with an airy chip that features a hard on flavor and a satisfying mouthfeel, while also offering a more forgiving nutritional profile than some other chips.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Sabritones Chile & Lime Puffed Wheat snacks:

Calories: 140
Total fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 640mg
Total carbs: 16g
Total sugars: 0g
Protein: 1g

These are the ingredients found in Sabritones Chile & Lime Puffed Wheat snacks:

Enriched flour
Bleached wheat flour
Niacin
Reduced iron
Thiamin mononitrate
Riboflavin
Folic acid
Cottonseed oil (and/or canola oil)
Corn starch
Salt
Spices
Citric acid
Maltodextrin (made from Tapioca)
Baking soda
Sunflower oil
Corn syrup solids
Lime juice
Artificial color (Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Red 40 Lake)
Natural flavor

Forager Project Cheezy Greens

That’s right, we finally got a cheese-flavored chip that anyone who follows a vegan diet can enjoy.

While the ingredients list may be intimidating, rest assured it is completely vegan. These chips feature a flavor profile like no other, and if only for the novelty alone, I would give these a try.

Here is some important nutritional information to note for Forager Project Cheezy Greens:

Calories: 130
Total fat: 8g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 140mg
Total carbs: 14g
Total sugars: 0g
Protein: 2g

These are the ingredients found in Forager Project Cheezy Greens:

Brown rice
Oil blend (Sunflower oil, Safflower oil, and/or Red Palm Olein)
Sprouted brown rice
Non-dairy cheddar seasoning (Rice flour, tapioca solids, sea salt, nutritional yeast, natural flavor, yeast extract, garlic powder, onion powder, lactic acid, ground mustard, spices)
Leafy greens blend (kale, spinach powder, water)
White rice
Black sesame seeds
White sesame seeds
Red quinoa seeds
Millet flour
Quinoa flour
Amaranth flour

Final Thoughts

Neither Funyuns Original nor Flamin’ Hot Funyuns are vegan-friendly, as they both contain milk ingredients.

There are, however, vegan-friendly alternatives on the market to satisfy your Funyuns craving.

Are Funyuns Vegan Friendly? (No, Here’s Why)