Is Captain Crunch Vegan? (You’d Be Surprised!)


Is Captain Crunch Vegan

Captain Crunch has been a popular cereal among kids for many years. It comes in a variety of flavors, with some even being holiday-themed!

Captain Crunch is vegan, as it does not contain any animal products or byproducts. However, this cereal can be a gray area for vegans as it contains food coloring. Certain food colorings are tested on animals such as dogs, cats, and mice. A few healthy vegan alternatives to Captain Crunch include Kashi Sweet Potato Sunshine Cereal, Arrowhead Mills Puffed Millet Cereal, and Barbara’s Bakery Puffins Cereal.

Whether or not you consider Captain Crunch to be vegan depends on whether you simply do not ingest foods containing animal products or you don’t use products that harm animals in any way. In this article, we’ll cover the nutritional facts for Captain Crunch, as well as other healthy vegan alternatives. Let’s get started!

Why Is Captain Crunch Bad For You?

The manufacturers of Captain Crunch have never claimed that their cereals were healthy, and they were right to do so.

The average cup of any cereal flavor contains 17 grams of sugar, about half of the daily recommendation for an average adult. Starting your day with this breakfast almost ensures that you will be over your limit by the end of the night. Many great cereal alternatives contain a fraction of the sugar that Captain Crunch cereal does.

This cereal is also made with palm oil, an ingredient known for heavily contributing to deforestation. Many of the largest companies in the world travel to biodiverse forests to utilize palm oil trees for their benefit. While boycotting products containing the ingredient hasn’t been shown to make a change, many people find its use controversial.

While the amount of sugar and palm oil in each of these cereals is concerning, there are certainly worse options for you to choose from to have at breakfast. However, no matter what you pick, it is essential to be aware of what is in any packaged food!

Captain Crunch Nutritional Facts

Each of these varieties of cereal contains nearly the same amounts of calories, macronutrients, and sugar. They also have similar ingredients, and each is made with food colorings. Not one flavor is necessarily healthier than another, but none contain animal products. 

Cap’n Crunch Original

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1 cup serving):

  • Calories: 150
  • Total fat: 2 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 33 g
  • Total sugars: 17 g
  • Protein: 2 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch Original cereal:

  • Corn flour
  • Sugar
  • Oat flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Salt
  • Reduced iron
  • Yellow 5 and yellow 6
  • Niacinamide
  • BHT
  • Thiamin mononitrate
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1 cup serving):

  • Calories: 150
  • Total fat: 2 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 32 g
  • Total sugars: 16 g
  • Protein: 2 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries cereal:

  • Corn flour and oat flour
  • Sugar and brown sugar
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Salt
  • Sodium citrate
  • Natural and artificial flavor
  • Malic acid
  • Red 40
  • Reduced iron
  • Yellow 5 and yellow 6
  • Niacinamide
  • Blue 1
  • BHT
  • Thiamine mononitrate
  • Pyridoxine
  • Hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1 cup serving):

  • Calories: 170
  • Total fat: 3.5 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 32 g
  • Total sugars: 13 g
  • Protein: 3 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch’s Peanut Butter Crunch cereal:

  • Corn flour, oat flour, and rice flour
  • Sugar
  • Peanut butter (peanuts, dextrose, hydrogenated cottonseed and/or rapeseed oil, salt)
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Salt
  • Caramel color
  • Reduced iron
  • Niacinamide
  • BHT
  • Thiamin mononitrate
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1.25 cup serving):

  • Calories: 150
  • Total fat: 1.5 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 33 g
  • Total sugars: 17 g
  • Protein: 2 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries cereal:

  • Corn flour and oat flour
  • Sugar and brown sugar
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Salt
  • Sodium citrate
  • Natural and artificial flavor
  • Malic acid
  • Red 40
  • Blue 1
  • Reduced iron
  • Yellow 5
  • Niacinamide
  • Thiamin mononitrate
  • BHT
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Cap’n Crunch’s Cotton Candy Crunch

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1.25 cup serving):

  • Calories: 150
  • Total fat: 1.5 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 33 g
  • Total sugars: 17 g
  • Protein: 2 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch’s Cotton Candy Crunch cereal:

  • Corn flour and oat flour
  • Sugar and brown sugar
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Natural flavor
  • Salt
  • Blue 1
  • Reduced iron
  • Red 3
  • Niacinamide
  • Thiamine mononitrate
  • BHT
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Cap’n Crunch’s Chocolate Caramel Crunch

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1 cup serving):

  • Calories: 150
  • Total fat: 2 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 32 g
  • Total sugars: 16 g
  • Protein: 2 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch’s Chocolate Caramel Crunch cereal:

  • Corn flour and oat flour
  • Sugar and brown sugar
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Salt
  • Cocoa powder
  • Natural and artificial flavor
  • Caramel color
  • Reduced iron
  • Yellow 6 and yellow 5
  • Niacinamide
  • Red 40
  • Corn syrup
  • BHT
  • Thiamin mononitrate
  • Blue 2 and blue 1
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Cap’n Crunch’s Halloween Crunch

Here is some important nutrition information to note (per 1 cup serving):

  • Calories: 100
  • Total fat: 2 g
  • Total carbohydrate: 33 g
  • Total sugars: 17 g
  • Protein: 2 g

These are the ingredients in Cap’n Crunch’s Halloween Crunch cereal:

  • Corn flour and oat flour
  • Sugar and brown sugar
  • Palm and/or coconut oil
  • Salt
  • Sunflower oil
  • Sodium citrate
  • Natural and artificial flavor
  • Malic acid
  • Yellow 5 and yellow 6
  • Reduced iron
  • Niacinamide
  • BHT
  • Thiamine mononitrate
  • Blue 1
  • Red 40
  • Pyridoxine hydrochloride
  • Riboflavin
  • Folic acid

Healthy Vegan Alternatives to Captain Crunch Products

Kashi Sweet Potato Sunshine Cereal

Made from whole grains and sweet potato, this healthy cereal contains no animal products or ingredients subject to animal testing. One cup of the breakfast food has 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein with only 8 grams of natural sugars. This cereal is a great option, as it is known for its sweeter taste!

Arrowhead Mills Puffed Millet Cereal

An even simpler option than the previous mentioned, this cereal only contains one ingredient-puffed whole grain millet; this single ingredient delivers 15 grams of whole grains per serving! As hard as it is to believe, there is less than one calorie per cup, making this cereal an excellent option for anyone wanting to lose weight. It is also known for being one of the cheapest cereals available.

Barbara’s Bakery Puffins Cereal

Barbara's Bakery Puffins Cereal, Peanut Butter, 11 Ounce The original flavor from this brand contains pure ingredients that are vegan-friendly! The main components are corn, oat, and molasses, and this cereal is naturally flavored. Each serving has 5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of sugar; this product is also advertised as low-fat.

Fiber One Original Bran Breakfast Cereal 

General Mills Fiber One Cereal, Honey Cluster's, 14.25 Oz This whole grain cereal is very nutritious, as it claims that a single serving contains 65 percent (about 18 grams) of the average person’s daily fiber needs. This is another great vegan cereal that can aid with weight loss, as there are only 90 calories in a serving and no sugar. Even though there are no animal products in this cereal, do be aware that there are many more ingredients than the other alternatives mentioned. However, many of these are added vitamins and minerals.

Final Thoughts

While Captain Crunch is considered vegan, it only is by the standards of not containing animal products. Some vegans may still choose not to consume the cereal because of its ingredients’ association with deforestation and animal testing.

There are many other options for a healthy, vegan breakfast through brands like Kashi and Arrowhead Mills!

Related Questions

Is Captain Crunch Gluten-free?

No flavor of Captain Crunch is gluten-free, as they all contain either corn flour and/or oat flour.

Is Captain Crunch Dairy-free?

Captain Crunch doesn’t have any milk or dairy products, making it safe to eat for anyone lactose intolerant or affected by dairy.

Does Captain Crunch Contain Peanuts?

Only the Peanut Butter Crunch variety contains peanuts; every other flavor is peanut-free.

Does Captain Crunch Contain Eggs?

There are no eggs in any variation of the Captain Crunch products.

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Choosing Nutrition Team

Here at Choosing Nutrition, our goal is to help people with making smarter food choices. Whether you're wondering about vegan, keto, paleo, or other diets, we'll help you determine which options fit your nutritional lifestyle. Our staff is composed of registered dieticians, nutritionists, and health-conscious individuals.

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