Twinkie has been a famous snack cake for about 90 years. With its cream-filled center and moist cake, there are not many snacks like it. It’s been used in movies, song lyrics, and even deep-fried as a fair staple. But are these soft and creamy treats vegan?
No, Twinkies are not vegan. They contain egg, milk, and a host of other ingredients that exclude them from the vegan category. Some vegan alternatives are pretty close to Twinkies that use coconut cream for the filling, including Better Bites Mostess Cupcake, Emmy’s Organics Coconut Cookies, and Coolhaus Tahitian Vanilla Frozen Dessert Sandwich with Double Chocolate Cookies.
Let’s take a look at the history of Twinkies, the ingredients in Twinkies, and analyze which ones are not vegan and present alternatives that might satisfy your Twinkie fix.
Contents
History of Twinkies
James Alexander Dewar invented Twinkies in 1930 in Schiller Park, Illinois. He convinced the Continental Baking Company to let him make them using some machines that were sitting idle. He named them after seeing a billboard for “Twinkle Toe Shoes.” The original flavor was banana cream but was switched to vanilla cream during World War II due to banana shortages. Over the years, different flavors were introduced on a limited-time basis, but none were as popular as vanilla cream.
In 2012, Hostess filed for bankruptcy, and we almost lost the Twinkie in production for good. Luckily for die-hard fans, this only lasted about one and one-half years until Hostess was sold and Twinkie production resumed.
Twinkie Non-Vegan Ingredients
Twinkies have been criticized over the years for their ingredients. They use many processed ingredients that are not that healthy, but that’s probably not why people eat them.
Here, we concentrate on the non-vegan ingredients:
- Tallow and Hydrogenated Tallow most often come from beef and mutton fat or lard from pigs. It can come from plants, but that is rare.
- Whey is left over when cheese is made. This protein is derived from dairy.
- Egg is from hens and is not vegan.
- Yellow 5 and Red 40 are questionable ingredients. While they may be derived from plant sources, many vegans avoid an artificial color because they are often tested on animals.
- Natural Flavors can come from plant or animal sources. As it is not stated on the label, we can’t be sure this is vegan.
- Sugar can be processed using bone char, made from cow bones, or in vegan-friendly ways. There’s no obvious information one way or another, so many vegans stay away from foods made with processed sugar.
- Enzymes can be made from plants or animals. We don’t know which one is used in Twinkies.
- Mono and Diglycerides can be made from animals or plants, and we don’t know the source with Twinkies.
Flavors
Twinkies have created different flavors over the years and based on the seasons. The flavors currently listed on their website (October 2021) are:
- Classic
- Pumpkin Spice
- Mixed Berry
- Spooky (Chocolate)
Classic Twinkies
Ingredients:
- Sugar
- Water
- Enriched Flour
- Bleached White Flour
- Malted Barley Flour
- Niacin
- Ferrous Sulfate or Reduced Iron
- Thiamin Mononitrate
- Riboflavin
- Folic Acid
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Tallow
- Dextrose
- Egg
- Soybean Oil
- Cornstarch
- Modified Cornstarch
- Hydrogenated Tallow
- Whey
Glycerin - Salt
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
- Baking Soda
- Enzymes
- Sorbic Acid
- Potassium Sorbate
- Cottonseed Oil
- Mono and Diglycerides
- Cellulose Gum
- Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
- Soy Lecithin
- Xanthan Gum
- Polysorbate 60
- Monocalcium Phosphate
- Natural and Artificial Flavors
- Yellow 5
- Red 40
Nutrition Facts (per 2 cakes):
- 280 calories
- 9g Total Fat (4g Saturated)
- 35mg Cholesterol
- 370mg Sodium
- 47g Total Carbohydrates (32g Sugars, 31g Added Sugars)
- 2g Protein
- 1mg Iron
Banana Twinkies
Twinkies original flavor was banana. While it’s not listed on the Hostess website, I did find it for sale on Amazon. It contains wheat, soy, eggs, and milk. Not at all vegan.
Ingredients:
- Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
- Flour
- Reduced Iron
- “B” Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2)
- Folic Acid
- Water
- Corn Syrup
- Sugar
- High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable and/or Animal Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed, and/or Canola Oil, Beef Fat)
- Mono and Diglycerides
- Polysorbate 60
- Soy Lecithin
- Dextrose
- Corn Starch
- Whole Eggs
- Modified Corn Starch
- Glucose
- Leavenings
- Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate
- Baking Soda
- Monocalcium Phosphate
- Whey
- Glycerin
- Soybean Oil
- Banana Puree
- Salt
- Sorbic Acid
- Cellulose Gum
- Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
- Potassium Sorbate
- Xanthan Gum
- Natural and Artificial Flavor
- Calcium Sulfate
- Enzymes
- Yellow 5
- Red 40
Nutrition Facts (per 2 cakes):
- 270 calories
- 9g Total Fat (4.5g Saturated)
- 35mg Cholesterol
- 360mg Sodium
- 46g Total Carbohydrates (33g Sugars)
- 2g Protein
- 1mg Iron
Vegan Alternatives to Twinkies
Twinkies are a unique snack that is hard to duplicate on a vegan scale, but here are some options.
Abe’s Vegan Muffins Vanilla Frosted Layer Cake
This cake is kosher and dairy-free but does have allergens in the form of tree nuts in coconut oil and wheat from non-GMO unenriched flour.
Ingredients:
- Non-GMO Sugar
- Non-GMO Unenriched Flour
- Non-GMO Organic Rice Milk
- Filtered Water
- Brown Rice [Partially Milled]
- Expeller Pressed Canola Oil and or Safflower Oil and or Sunflower Oil
- Tricalcium Phosphate
- Sea Salt
- Vitamin A Palmitate
- Vitamin D2
- Vitamin B12
- Non-GMO expeller-pressed Canola Oil
- Water
- Salt
- Non-GMO Baking Powder
- Monocalcium Phosphate
- Sodium Bicarbonate [Baking Soda]
- Non-GMO Corn Starch
- Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- Non-GMO Vanilla
- Frosting
- Sugar (Contains Cornstarch for Anti-caking)
- Non-GMO Vegan Cream Cheese
- Water
- Coconut Oil
- Potato Starch
- Sea Salt
- Glucono-delta-lactone (Naturally Derived from Non-GMO Rice and or Maize and Used as An Acidulant)
- Natural Flavoring
- Olive Extract
- Vitamin B12
- Non-GMO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil
- Non-GMO Vegan Butter
- Natural Oil Blend (Palm Fruit, Canola, and Olive)
- Water
- Salt
- Natural Flavor (Derived from Corn, No MSG, No Alcohol, No Gluten, GMO-Free)
- Pea Protein
- Sunflower Lecithin-an Emulsifier
- Lactic Acid (Non-dairy Derived from Sugar Beet)
- Annatto Extract Color)
- Non-GMO Vanilla
Nutrition Facts (per 1/11 of the cake):
- 320 Calories
- 14g Total Fat (4g Saturated)
- 240mg Sodium
- 46g Total Carbohydrates (31g Added Sugars)
- 2g Protein
- 315mg Calcium
- 19mg Potassium
Coolhaus Tahitian Vanilla Frozen Dessert Sandwich with Double Chocolate Cookies
Dairy-free, Vegan, and from a Woman-owned company. It does have soy and wheat for those who want to avoid those ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Organic Brown Sugar
- Enriched Wheat Flour
- Bleached Wheat Flour
- Malted Barley Flour
- Niacin
- Iron
- Thiamin Mononitrate
- Riboflavin
- Folic Acid
- Organic Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Organic Chocolate Liquor
- Organic Cocoa Butter
- Organic Soy Lecithin (Emulsifier)
- Organic Vanilla Extract
- Water
- Canola Oil
- Organic Cocoa Powder
- Organic Cocoa
- Potassium Carbonate
- Brown Rice Flour
- Humectant Syrup
- Rice Syrup
- Grape Juice (for moisture retention)
- Salt
- Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- Baking Powder
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Cornstarch
- Sodium Aluminum Sulfate
- Calcium Sulfate
- Monocalcium Phosphate
- Dairy-Free Dessert Base
- Rice milk
- Water
- Rice
- Pure Cane Sugar
- Safflower Oil
- Organic Brown Rice Flour
- Organic Cocoa Butter
- Pea Protein
- Stabilizer
- Locust Bean Gum
- Guar Gum
- Standardized with Sugar
- Sea Salt
- Sunflower Lecithin
- Natural Vanilla Bean Flavor
- Cane Sugar
- Dextrose
- Fructose
- Vanilla Beans
- Natural Flavor
- Cane Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Flavor
- Water
- Cane Alcohol
- Sugar
- Vanilla Bean Extractives
- Vanilla Beans
- Salt
- Non-GMO Citric Acid
- Rice milk
Nutrition:
- 480 Calories
- 21g Total Fat (4g Saturated)
- 220mg Sodium
- 69g Total Carbohydrates (1g Dietary Fiber, 46g Added Sugars)
- 4g Protein
- 20mg Calcium
- 4mg Iron
- 156mg Potassium
Emmy’s Organics Organic Birthday Cake Coconut Cookies
Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kosher, Low-Sodium, Vegan, Vegetarian, and USDA Organic.
Ingredients:
- Organic Coconut
- Organic Agave Syrup
- Organic White Baking Chips
- Organic Cocoa Butter
- Organic Cane Sugar
- Organic Tapioca Starch
- Organic Rice Syrup Powder
- Organic Rice Maltodextrin
- Organic Vanilla
- Salt
- Organic Sprinkles
- Organic Sugar
- Organic Tapioca Starch
- Colors (from Vegan sources)
- Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin
- Baking Soda
- Citric Acid
- Organic Almond Flour
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Organic Vanilla Extract
- Himalayan Salt
Nutrition Facts (per cookie):
- 110 Calories
- 8g Fat (6g Saturated)
- 15mg Sodium
- 9g Total Carbohydrates (2g Dietary Fiber, 5g Added Sugars)
- 1g Protein
- 2mg Calcium
- 5mg Potassium
Emmy’s Organics Organic Chocolate Covered Coconut Cookie Vanilla Bites
Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kosher, Low-Sodium, Vegan, Vegetarian. For those with sensitivities, they do have peanuts and tree nuts.
Ingredients:
- Organic Coconut
- Organic Coconut Syrup
- Organic Dark Chocolate
- Organic Chocolate Liquor
- Organic Coconut Sugar
- Organic Coconut Butter
- Organic Vanilla
- Organic Peanut Butter
- Organic Peanut Flour
- Salt
Nutrition Facts (per 2 pieces):
- 140 Calories
- 10g Total Fat (6g Saturated)
- 35mg Sodium
- 11g Total Carbohydrates (2g Dietary Fiber, 6g Added Sugars
- 11mg Calcium
- 1mg Iron
- 111mg Potassium
Better Bites Mostess Cupcake
Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Non-GMO Project verified. It does contain tree nuts in the organic coconut and organic coconut cream.
Ingredients:
- Filtered Water
- Organic Light Brown Sugar
- Sugar
- Organic Coconut Cream
- Organic Coconut
- Water
- Organic Guar Gum
- White Rice Flour
- Chocolate
- Sugar
- Natural Chocolate Liquor (Non-alcoholic)
- Non-dairy Cocoa Butter
- Canola Oil
- Tapioca Flour
- Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali
- Potato Starch
- Organic Powdered Sugar
- Egg Replacer
- Potato Starch
- Tapioca Flour
- Leavening (Calcium Lactate (Non-dairy)
- Calcium Carbonate
- Cream of Tartar
- Cellulose Gum
- Modified Cellulose
- Natural Flavor
- Baking Powder
- Monocalcium Phosphate
- Potato Starch
- Potassium Bicarbonate
- Salt
- Organic Palm Oil
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla Bean Paste
- Sugar
- Water
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Vanilla Beans
- Guar Gum
- Coffee
- PGPR
Nutrition Facts (per cupcake):
- 360 Calories
- 13g Total Fat (5g Saturated, 2g Polyunsaturated, 4.5g Monounsaturated)
- 390mg Sodium
- 58g Total Carbohydrates (2g Dietary Fiber, 28g Added Sugars)
- 2g Protein
- 96mg Calcium
- 3mg Iron
- 16mg Potassium
Related Questions
Do Twinkies Last Forever?
This is an urban legend. Twinkies have a shelf life of 45 days, which increased from 26 days in 2012 due to stronger preservatives. People have tried to do some tests to prove longevity. A box of Twinkies sat on the shelf for eight years, and when opened, the filling was hard, and mold was growing on it.
How are Deep-Fried Twinkies Made?
Popular at fairs, the Twinkie is frozen, dipped in batter, and then deep-fried in hot oil. The creamy filling melts into the sponge cake and creates sugary goodness. Often, it is served with berry sauce.
Are Twinkies Gluten-Free?
No, Twinkies contain wheat which makes them not gluten-free.