Occasionally, products can contain hidden ingredients and mislead people into thinking it is “safe”. As a vegan, I’ve been there, done that. I’ve discovered products that on the front say, “does not contain milk” yet when reading the ingredients list has “milk derivatives”. This can be incredibly frustrating to deal with and that’s why we’ve created this article, among others, to solidify the rampant and sometimes indecipherable list we call: the ingredients. So when it comes to Stacy’s Pita Chips, are they considered vegan?
Stacy’s Pita Chips are vegan but be cautious because only certain flavors are verified as vegan-friendly. These include Simply Naked, Garden Veggie Medley, Fire-Roasted Jalapeños, Cinnamon Sugar, and Multigrain. Flavors that are not vegan-friendly include Toasted Cheddar and Parmesan Garlic & Herb that contain milk derivatives in the dough. The best vegan alternative is Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Puffs.
In this article, we’ll discuss the vegan-friendly and non-vegan-friendly flavorings of Stacy’s Pita Chips as well as some other vegan-friendly alternatives. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Are Pita Chips Bad for You?
Like most products these days, pita chips are marketed as “healthy” to attract customers. Relatively high in calories–about 7-9 chips are 130 calories—pita chips are also high in carbohydrates and sodium. They can contain additives and extra ingredients that are not the best for your health.
Think about it this way, if you struggle to pronounce the words and if the words themselves sound like they are coming straight from a science show, you should be cautious of what you’re putting inside your body.
It is also important to note that portion control can be difficult with pita chips as the portion sizes are so small. This can make it easier to gain unneeded weight and can poorly affect someone’s health if they struggle with portion control or eating a generally healthy and nutrient-dense diet.
Are Pita Chips Vegan?
Yes, pita chips are typically considered vegan. The main ingredients in plain or sea salt pita chips are flour, oil, yeast, sugar, salt, and spices. However, always be mindful of flavored pita chips and be sure to check the ingredients label. Pita chips that are cheese flavored, such as parmesan or cheddar flavored pita chips, will contain milk derivatives and are not vegan.
Nutritional Facts for Stacy’s Pita Chips
Simply Naked
With sea salt added for seasoning, these baked chips are made from real pita. This Simply Naked flavoring can be paired with just about everything.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil
- Sea Salt
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Oat Fiber
- Yeast
- Malted Barley Flour
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 10 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 19g
- Protein- 3g
Parmesan & Garlic Herb
This product is made from real Parmesan (hence it not being vegan-friendly), as well as garlic and parsley.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil
- Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Cow’s Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Sea Salt
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Dried Garlic
- Parmesan Cheese (Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Salt
- Oat Fiber
- Yeast
- Parsley
- Malted Barley Flour
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 9 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 18g
- Protein- 4g
Cinnamon Sugar
Made from cinnamon and milled cane sugar, this flavor is vegan-friendly and not made from any milk or animal product derivatives.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil, Sugar
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Sea Salt
- Yeast
- Oat Fiber
- Malted Barley Flour
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 7 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 20g
- Protein- 3g
Multigrain
Made from stone-ground wheat flour, crushed oats, and sesame seeds, this multigrain flavor is vegan-friendly.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
- Sesame Seeds
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Rye Flour
- Crushed Rye
- Yeast
- Flaxseed
- Corn Grits
- Crushed Barley
- Crushed Oats
- Rye Sour
- Salt
- Cracked Wheat
- Millet
- Malted Barley Flour
- Rye Malt Rolled Wheat Flakes
- Spices
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 9 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 19g
- Protein- 3g
Fire-Roasted Jalapeños
With jalapeños folded into the dough, these zesty pita chips with a hint of spice are vegan-friendly.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil
- Sea Salt
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Dried Red Bell Pepper
- Dried Jalapeños
- Wheat Gluten
- Maltodextrin (Made from Organic Corn)
- Spices
- Paprika
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Garlic Powder
- Yeast Extract
- Green Bell Pepper
- Fire Roasted Jalapeño Pepper
- Onion Powder
- Citric Acid
- Natural Flavors
- Malted Barley Flour
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 9 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 18g
- Protein- 3g
Toasted Cheddar
This product is not vegan-friendly as it contains real cheddar baked into the dough.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil
- Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Sea Salt
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Wheat Gluten
- Yeast
- Natural Flavors
- Maltodextrin (Made from Corn and Potato)
- Parmesan Cheese (Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes)
- Malted Barley Flour
- Lactic Acid
- Xanthan Gum
- Onion Powder
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 7 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 6g
- Total Carbs- 18g
- Protein- 4g
Garden Veggie Medley
Using thyme, tomatoes, and onions added to the dough, these Garden Veggie Medley Pita Chips are vegan-friendly.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
- Sunflower Oil and/or Canola Oil
- Sea Salt
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Onion Powder
- Natural Flavor
- Thyme
- Dried Tomato
- Dried Onion
- Wheat Gluten
- Yeast
- Malted Barley Flour
- Rosemary Extract (Antioxidant)
- Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant)
Nutrition Facts (per 28g serving/about 9 chips):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 19g
- Protein- 3g
Healthy Vegan Alternatives to Stacy’s Pita Chips
There are and always will be, healthy alternatives to your favorite, not-so-healthy foods. The best way to keep a food “healthy” is to control the ingredients that go into the final product. This tends to mean preparing your “healthy” alternatives at home.
Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar Flavored Puffs
Made from chickpeas, these puffs are packed with protein and fiber. Light and crunchy, these puffs are perfect to satisfy your cravings!
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Chickpea Flour
- Rice Flour
- Sunflower Oil
- Tapioca Starch
- Pea Hull Fiber
- Brown Rice Flour
- Salt
- Cane Sugar
- Onion Powder
- Citric Acid
- Garlic Powder
- Rice Concentrate
- Lactic Acid
- Canola Oil
- Natural Flavor
- Rosemary Extract
- Organic Ingredients
Nutrition Facts (per 1 oz.):
- Calories- 130
- Total Fat- 5g
- Total Carbs- 17g
- Protein- 4g
Slow Foods Kitchen Savory Kale Chips
Using organic kale, these chips are a crunchy and healthy guilt-free snack. They are air-baked to keep the enzymes and vitamins intact.
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Organic Kale
- Water
- Organic Cashews
- Organic Green Onions
- Organic Lemon Juice
- Organic Nutritional Yeast
- Organic Garlic
- Sea Salt
- Organic Turmeric
- Organic Black Pepper
- Organic Chipotle
Nutrition Facts (per 1 oz.):
- Calories- 140
- Total Fat- 15g
- Total Carbs- 13g
- Protein- 0.1g
Enjoy Life Lentil Chips—Sea Salt
Made from high-protein lentils that milled into a gluten-free flour, these Enjoy Life Sea Salt Lentil Chips have 40% less fat than most leading chips and are free from 14 common allergens (like nuts, dairy, and soy).
Ingredients for this flavor include:
- Lentil chip (lentil flour, potato starch, salt, sunflower oil, turmeric, paprika)
- Safflower and/or sunflower oil
- Sea salt
- Rosemary extract
Nutrition Facts (per 28g):
- Calories- 140
- Total Fat- 7g
- Total Carbs- 17g
- Protein- 3g
Related Questions
Where To Find Stacy’s Pita Chips?
You can find all the different flavors of Stacy’s Pita Chips on their website. They also provide a “Where to Buy” tab on their website that can help locate their products near you or any location you input.
Who Is The Founder of Stacy’s Pita Chips?
The founder of Stacy’s Pita Chips is Stacy Madison and her now ex-husband Mark Andrus in 1996. Starting off with a food cart where they gave their pita chips away for free, Stacy and Mark had trouble starting off due to how expensive it is to simply get started with a business.
Stacy’s Pita Chips were sold to PepsiCo in 2006, where it was sold after reaching $65 million dollars. It now operates under the Frito-Lay division.
Are Stacy’s Pita Chips Gluten-Free?
Unfortunately, Stacy’s Pita Chips are not gluten-free. All of the chips are made using wheat flour, which contains gluten. At this time, they do not provide any gluten-free options.