Popcorners are a line of snack foods manufactured by the Better For You company, a division of the PepsiCo Bottling Company. Over the past few years, the demand for soda has decreased as consumers have discovered the numerous health concerns associated with these high sugar-content beverages. Companies, like PepsiCo, have branched out into areas where they can mass produce snack foods which are purportedly better for you. But are Popcorners really better for you? And more importantly, are they vegan?
Some of the Popcorners snacks are vegan. Within their lineup of snack chips and crisps, they feature Original, Flex Protein Crisps, and Flourish Veggie Crisps. Out of the 12 varieties, 8 are vegan. The best vegan alternatives to non-vegan Popcorners are Lesserevil “No Cheese” Cheesiness Organic Paleo Puff and Enjoy Life Sea Salt and Siete Dairy Free Nacho Tortilla Chips.
In this article, we’ll take a look at each variety, and flavor, and differences between them. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Are Popcorners good for you?
The sodium content of each of the flavor varieties is high for the serving size. In fact, when compared to regular potato chips, the sodium content is about the same.
Another nutrition fact to look at is the amount of carbs per serving. Carbs from non-whole grain sources are going to give you a quick energy boost, but not sustain your energy levels for very long.
Popcorners Veggie Crisps, made from all natural ingredients and additives, preservatives, or natural/artificial flavors or colors, seem to be the healthiest variety of the Popcorners line of snack crisps. And all of the flavors sound really tasty!
Popcorners Original Flavors
Kettle Corn
Ingredients:
- Yellow corn
- Sunflower oil
- Cane sugar
- Sea salt
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 120 g
- Total fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 115 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 20 g
- Dietary fiber: 0 g
- Total sugars: 3 g
- Includes 3g added sugars
- Protein: 1 g
- Potassium: 29mg
In the Popcorners Kettle Corn flavor, all of the ingredients are vegan friendly.
White Cheddar
Ingredients:
- Yellow corn
- Sunflower oil
- Whey
- Maltodextrin
- Cheddar and blue cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes)
- Canola oil
- Salt
- Citric acid
- Lactic acid
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 130 g
- Total fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 0.5 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 170 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 17 g
- Dietary fiber: 0 g
- Total sugars: 2 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 2 g
- Calcium: 23mg
- Potassium: 82mg
In the Popcorners White Cheddar flavor of their original snack, the cheddar and blue cheese ingredients make this a non-vegan friendly snack.
Sea Salt
Ingredients:
- Yellow corn
- Sunflower oil
- Sea salt
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 110 g
- Total fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated fat: 0.5 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 20 g
- Dietary fiber: 1 g
- Total sugars: 0 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 2 g
- Potassium: 35mg
In the Popcorners Sea Salt flavor, all of the ingredients are vegan friendly.
Spicy Queso
Ingredients:
- Yellow corn
- Sunflower oil
- Whey
- Salt
- Tomato powder
- Cheddar cheese (milk, salt, cultures, enzymes)
- Natural flavors
- Spices
- Onion powder
- Buttermilk
- Garlic powder
- Citric acid
- Paprika
- Annatto extract for color
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 120 g
- Total fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 0.5 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 18 g
- Dietary fiber: 0 g
- Total sugars: 2 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 2 g
- Calcium: 22mg
- Potassium: 97mg
The buttermilk and the cheddar cheese ingredients in the Spicy Queso flavor of Popcorners make it a non-vegan friendly snack.
Sweet Chili
Ingredients:
- Yellow corn
- Sunflower oil
- Cane sugar
- Salt spices
- Vinegar powder (maltodextrin, white distilled vinegar)
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Yeast extract
- Citric acid
- Natural flavor
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 120 g
- Total fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 20 g
- Dietary fiber: 0 g
- Total sugars: 2 g
- Includes 2g added sugars
- Protein: 2 g
In the Popcorners Sweet Chili flavor, all of the ingredients are vegan friendly.
Popcorners Flex Protein Crisps
Barbecue
Ingredients:
- Soy protein
- Tapioca
- Soy fiber
- Cassava
- Topical seasoning (sugar, sea salt, vinegar powder {maltodextrin, organic distilled vinegar})
- Tomato powder
- Yeast extract
- Citric acid
- Spices
- Natural flavor
- Sunflower oil
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 90 g
- Total fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 290 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 12 g
- Dietary fiber: 4 g
- Total sugars: 2 g
- Includes 2g added sugars
- Protein: 10 g
- Potassium: 8mg
Within the Flex Protein Crisps variety of Popcorners, only the Barbecue flavor is considered vegan.
Cheddar & Sour Cream
Ingredients:
- Soy protein
- Tapioca
- Soy fiber
- Cassava
- Topical seasoning (sugar, sea salt, vinegar powder {maltodextrin, organic distilled vinegar}
- Tomato powder
- Yeast extract
- Citric acid
- Spices
- Natural flavor
- Sunflower oil
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 90 g
- Total fat: 3 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 230 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 10 g
- Dietary fiber: 4 g
- Total sugars: less than 1 g
- Includes less than 1g added sugars
- Protein: 10 g
- Calcium: 5mg
- Potassium: 378mg
Due to the natural flavors added to the Cheddar & Sour Cream flavor, since these are sometimes tested on animals during research, this cannot be a vegan-friendly product.
Buffalo
Ingredients: soy protein, tapioca, soy fiber, cassava, topical seasoning (maltodextrin, cayenne pepper sauce, sea salt, spices, sugar, organic distilled vinegar, butter powder {sweet cream, nonfat milk solids}, yeast extract, citric acid, natural flavor) and sunflower oil
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 90 g
- Total fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 12 g
- Dietary fiber: 4 g
- Total sugars: less than 1 g
- Includes less than 1 gram added sugars
- Protein: 10 g
- Calcium: 4mg
- Potassium: 340mg
In the Buffalo flavor of the Flex Protein Crisps, the butter powder, which contains dairy products, keeps this crisp from being acceptable for a vegan lifestyle.
Popcorners Veggie Crisps
All of the flavors in the Veggie Crisps variety of Popcorners are vegan friendly.
Harvest Kale
Ingredients:
- Chickpea flour
- Rice flour
- Brussels sprout powder
- Kale powder
- Green pea
- Sea salt
- Sunflower oil
- Himalayan pink salt
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 100 g
- Total fat: 3.5 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 17 g
- Dietary fiber: 2 g
- Total sugars: 1 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 4 g
- Calcium: 9mg
- Potassium: 123mg
Greens & Beans
Ingredients:
- Yellow corn
- Green pea
- Yellow pea
- Black bean
- Sunflower oil
- Sea salt
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 120 g
- Total fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 0.5 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 170 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 17 g
- Dietary fiber: 2 g
- Total sugars: 0 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 4 g
- Calcium: 7mg
- Iron: 1mg
- Potassium: 117mg
Toasted Cauliflower
Ingredients:
- Chickpea flour
- Rice flour
- Sunflower oil
- Yellow pea
- Cauliflower
- Himalayan pink salt
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 120 g
- Total fat: 3.5 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 17 g
- Dietary fiber: 2 g
- Total sugars: 1 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 4 g
- Calcium: 12mg
- Iron: 1mg
- Potassium: 175mg
Roasted Beets
Ingredients:
- Chickpea flour
- Rice flour
- Green pea
- Sunflower oil
- Himalayan pink salt
- Dehydrated beets
Nutritional information:
- Calories: 120 g
- Total fat: 3.5 g
- Saturated fat:0 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 18 g
- Dietary fiber: 2 g
- Total sugars: 2 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 3 g
- Calcium: 11mg
- Iron: 1mg
- Potassium: 158mg
Alternative Brands to Popcorners
Lesser Evil “No Cheese” Cheesiness Paleo Puffs
With organic ingredients, no dairy ingredients, and no added sugars, the Lesser Evil “No Cheese” Cheesiness Paleo Puffs are a winner on taste and meeting many dietary needs.
Ingredients:
- Organic Cassava Flour
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Organic Tapioca Starch
- Organic Tapioca Solids
- Organic Sweet Potato Powder
- Himalayan Crystal Salt
- Organic Nutritional Yeast
- Organic Coconut Flour
- Organic Flavor
- Yeast Extract
- Organic Garlic Powder
- Organic Onion Powder
- Lactic Acid
- Organic Ground Mustard
- Organic Spices
Nutritional information (1 serving = 28 grams/25 pieces)
- Calories: 130 g
- Total fat: 6 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 190 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 19 g
- Dietary fiber: g
- Total sugars: 0 g
- Includes 0g added sugars
- Protein: 0 g
- Calcium: 3mg
- Iron: 0mg
- Potassium: 14mg
Siete Dairy Free Nacho Tortilla Chips
The Siete brand of tortilla chips is gluten, dairy, grain, and soy free, along with being paleo and vegan. This brand is a great alternative and meets the requirements for being a healthy choice for the vegan lifestyle.
Ingredients:
- Cassava Flour
- Avocado Oil
- Coconut Flour
- Nutritional Yeast
- Tomato Powder
- Chia Seed
- Sea Salt
- Citric Acid
- Garlic Powder
- Jalapeno Powder
- Onion Powder
- Serrano Powder
Nutritional information (1 serving = 28 grams/19 pieces):
- Calories: 130
- Total Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 125g
- Total Carbohydrate: 19g
- Dietary Fiber: 3g
- Total Sugars: 1g
- Protein: 1g
- Vitamin D: 0mcg
- Calcium: 20mg
- Iron: 0.6mg
- Potassium: 150mg
Enjoy Life Dill & Sour Cream Lentil Chips
The Enjoy Life Dill & Sour Cream Lentil Chips look amazing! Mixing dill and sour cream together — ingenious! They are verified by the Non-GMO project, gluten-free and kosher. When you see their list of ingredients, you’ll also notice that they are completely vegan-friendly.
Ingredients:
- Lentil Chip (Lentil Flour, Potato Starch, Salt, Turmeric, Canola Oil, Paprika)
- Safflower and/or Sunflower Oil
- Seasoning (Rice Flour, Dextrose, Salt, Vinegar Powder [Rice Maltodextrin, White Vinegar]
- Yeast Extract
- Onion Powder
- Dehydrated Parsley
- Natural Flavors
- Dill Seed
- Garlic Powder
- Rosemary Extract
Conclusion
Out of the 12 flavor varieties of Popcorners chips and crisps, 8 are vegan-friendly. The ones which are not, contain natural flavors, which could be tested on animals, and contain dairy-derived ingredients, which are not acceptable to a vegan diet. But, feel free to snack away on some bold flavors like Barbecue and Sweet Chili, or feel good about some veggie packed Roasted Beet and Toasted Cauliflower varieties, just some of their vegan-friendly flavors!
Related Questions
Are Popcorners gluten free?
All flavor varieties of Popcorners are gluten free. In fact, they are certified to be gluten free, which means they have undergone the process to make sure consumers with gluten-related disorders, such as celiac disease, are not exposed to any gluten-containing ingredients.
Are Popcorners keto friendly?
Popcorners are not a keto-friendly food because of their high carb count. The small servings, which contain a fairly high amount of carbs each, can cause a person to move out of ketosis, when your body doesn’t have enough carbs to burn for energy, so it uses up your fat instead. Those following a keto diet try to remain in ketosis to lose weight, so hominy is not a friendly food for them.
Are Popcorners dairy free?
There are three flavor varieties of Popcorners, out of the 12 available, which are not dairy free: White Cheddar, Spicy Queso, and Buffalo. Each of these contain a product derived from a milk source and cannot be considered friendly to those who need to avoid dairy.