Prepared Foods Archives – Choosing Nutrition

Jack in the Box is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to healthy food options, especially if you're a vegan who needs to stop by a fast food place while on a road trip or heading to work. If you keep up with vegan options at popular restaurants, you might have heard a rumor that Jack in the Box tacos are vegan due to the inclusion of vegetable protein. Jack in the Box tacos are not vegan. Though the tacos contain vegetable protein, they also contain beef and chicken. The ingredients are mixed together in a filling that can’t be separated from the tacos. The best vegan alternatives to Jack in the Box tacos include Gold Belly Vegan Carnitas Taco Kit and Loma Linda Blue Plant-Based Taco Filling. But just because Jack in the Box tacos aren’t vegan doesn’t mean you don’t have any quality options if you like Mexican food but want to stick to your vegan diet. We’ll dive deeper into the tacos from Jack in the Box and explore some healthy vegan alternatives below. What is Vegetable Protein? For the longest time, people have wondered whether the tacos at Jack in the Box were vegan friendly or not. It all stems from a mysterious ingredient on the official nutritional label for the tacos themselves: “vegetable protein”. Normally, a fast-food product with vegetable protein is designed to be vegan friendly. After all, why would a restaurant go to the trouble of using vegetable protein if not trying to attract vegan customers? Unfortunately, this isn't the case with tacos from Jack in the Box. That’s because Jack in the Box tacos are made with a specialized meat and spices blend that can’t be separated into different ingredients or altered at the ordering window. The meat and spices blend does include vegetable protein, but it also includes two problematic ingredients: beef and dark chicken meat. Naturally, neither of these ingredients are vegan-friendly. As mentioned, you can't order the tacos from Jack in the Box at the window without the meat products. The meat mix is premade in stores and can't be altered by any of the staff. As a result, despite the presence of vegetable protein, Jack in the Box tacos are decidedly non-vegan. The only way to keep them vegan would be to order the tacos with the shells and fruits and vegetables alone. But at that point, wouldn’t you rather just have a salad instead? At the time of this writing, Jack in the Box hasn’t announced any plans to change its menu or offer a vegan taco anytime in the near future. They reportedly include the vegetable protein in the meat filling because it helps the consistency of the filling so it all stays within the taco shell for easy fast food delivery. Other Vegan Concerns On top of that, Jack in the Box tacos use “caramel color” as one of their ingredients. We aren’t sure where this caramel color comes from, but we do know that many artificial colorings are derived from animals or tested on animals before reaching the market. Because of this, many vegans wouldn’t consider Jack in the Box tacos vegan even if they lacked chicken and beef – without knowing exactly where potentially problematic ingredients like caramel color come from, it’s better to be safe than sorry. That’s not all. Jack in the Box’s tacos are, naturally, prepared in a shared cooking environment. There’s no telling what could get into the tacos or the various ingredients of the tacos that might not be vegan-safe. Bottom line: tacos at Jack in the Box are definitely not vegan friendly from several different perspectives and you should avoid them at all costs if you stop by this restaurant for a bite to eat. Jack in the Box Tacos Nutrition Facts Let’s take a closer look at tacos from Jack in the Box to show you exactly what we mean when we say “meat blend”. The ingredients for the taco filling (which includes the meat blend) are: Beef Water Ground dark chicken Textured vegetable protein including soy flour and caramel color Defatted soy grits Seasoning Enriched wheat flour Salt Garlic powder Hydrolyzed corn Proteins Monosodium glutamate Onion powder Natural flavors Disodium inosinate Disodium guanylate Succinic acid Salt Tomato paste Worcestershire sauce Meanwhile, the ingredients for the Jack in the Box taco tortillas are fairly straightforward and include: Ground corn Water Lime Note, of course, that the majority of tortillas and tortilla chips are vegan due to their basic ingredients which do not include animal products, regardless of where you order them from. Nutrition info (per 1 taco or 81 g): 172 cal 9 g fat 13 mg cholesterol 362 mg sodium 181 mg potassium 16 g carbohydrates 2 g fiber 1 g sugar 6 g protein Vegan Alternatives to Jack in the Box Tacos At the end of the day, tacos from Jack in the Box may not be vegan-friendly like you might have hoped. But don't let that get you down; there are lots of other healthy vegan alternatives to Jack in the Box tacos overall. You just need to know where to look! If you don’t know where to start your search, you’re in luck. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of 3 healthy vegan alternatives to Jack in the Box tacos. Throw on some vegan hot sauce from Taco Bell if you like your Mexican food to have a little extra kick! Gold Belly Vegan Carnitas Taco Kit It’s a little pricey, but this vegan carnitas taco kit from Gold Belly is the perfect pick for hosting a football night or any other get-together at home. These tacos will taste so good that your vegan friends will think you whipped them up yourself. Feel free to take credit – either way, these tacos are delicious from start to finish with corn tortillas, pico de gallo, and vegan carnitas made with plant-based ingredients. The meat substitute is soy-based, however, so keep this in mind if you have a soy allergy. Its ingredients are: Soy Maize Canola oil Spices Cilantro Onions Limes Rice Beans Tomatoes Serrano peppers Tomatillo Guajillo chile Tree chili Garlic Nutrition info (per 2 carnitas tacos): 130 cal 6 g fat 60 mg cholesterol 240 mg sodium or 10% DV 18 g protein Loma Linda Blue Plant-Based Taco Filling Loma Linda, on the other hand, offers plant-based taco fillings you can combine with any vegan taco shells or tortillas you choose. This filling is not only vegan friendly; it's also non-GMO, totally gluten-free, and devoid of any cholesterol or artificial flavorings or colors. Therefore, you can pair it with some of the healthy vegetables in your kitchen and make your own vegan-friendly tacos with barely any effort. Its ingredients are: Textured soy protein Water Soybean oil Taco seasoning Beef flavor Spices Silicon dioxide Garlic flavor Sugar Cornstarch Cumin Vegetable shortening blend Rice starch Potassium chloride Nutrition info (per 55 g): 70 cal 5 g fat or 3% DV 280 mg sodium or 12% DV 6 g carbohydrates or 2% DV 2 g fiber or 7% DV 1 g sugar 6 g protein or 12% DV 4 mcg vitamin D or 2% DV 40 mg calcium or 4% DV 1 mg iron or 6% DV 210 mg potassium or 4% DV Plant Boss Organic Mild Plant Taco Meatless Crumbles Maybe you’d prefer a vegan alternative to classic crumbled taco meat. In that case, this organic and mild seasoned plant taco crumble is a perfect pick to enjoy delicious tacos without cheating on your vegan diet. As an added bonus, this meatless crumble package is made without hydrogenated fats or high fructose corn syrup, so it’s healthier than average compared to other taco meat crumbles. Its ingredients are: Organic textured pea protein Organic chili pepper Organic onion Organic garlic Sea salt Organic paprika Organic tomato powder Organic cumin Organic smoked paprika Organic cane sugar Organic rice concentrate Organic chipotle Organic yeast extract Nutrition info (per 24 g): 90 cal 5 g fat or 2% DV 460 mg sodium or 20% DV 4 g carbohydrates or 1% DV 2 g fiber or 7% DV <1 g sugar 15 g protein 83 mg calcium or 6% DV 2 mg iron or 10% DV 100 mg potassium or 2% DV Final Thoughts In the end, the inclusion of vegetable protein in Jack in the Box tacos gives many vegans a reason to investigate further. But they're inevitably disappointed when they discover that beef and chicken are used in the taco filling no matter what. Luckily, there are plenty of healthy vegan alternatives to Jack in the Box tacos you can enjoy instead. Related Questions Are tacos from Jack in the Box vegetarian? No, because the filling in the tacos includes chicken and beef. Are there any vegan options at Jack in the Box? Yes, including the French fries, potato wedges, hash browns, and more. Are the tacos at Jack in the Box subject to cross-contamination? Yes, they may still be non-vegan even if Jack in the Box updates its recipe in the future. Related Guides Is Tabasco Vegan Friendly? Are Tortilla Chips Vegan? Are Takis Vegan Friendly?