They are tasty, healthy, and a great addition to baked goods, but are dried fruits vegan and vegetarian?
Plain dried fruits are entirely vegan, with one outlier. Some figs technically consist of wasps corpses, so it’s not all consider it vegan or vegetarian. Although it depends on your stance since this is not a result of human interaction.
There is also the issue that some prepackaged dried fruit has trace amounts of animal products. This usually happens because they are produced or warehoused in the same facilities as non-vegan products.
Read along to learn everything you need to know about dried fruits in the vegan and vegetarian diet. As well as what you need to avoid.
Is Dried Fruit Typically Vegan
Dried fruit is a vegan favorite in terms of snacks. It’s used in baking, salads, power bars, or plain. The possibilities are limitless, and even a quite healthy option. -But can vegans and vegetarians just eat all dried fruit?
Dried fruit is almost always vegan, but it’s not always. Prepacked dried fruit can have animal contaminants if it’s made in the same facilities that process eggs, dairy or meat. -And some dried fruits are straight-up non-vegan, like the figs.
Dried Fruits Are Not Always Vegan
There’s also the environmental concern. Fruits are not all the same in terms of environmental footprint. Some have little while others have substantially more. Although the process of drying them is rarely what makes them non-vegan.
One way production can make a dried fruit non-vegan is due to trace amounts of animal products. That’s typically a result of the facilities of production using animal ingredients.
An example of this is if another product in the facility uses honey. That can leave trace amounts if it’s one the same production line or warehouse.
Avoid This Label
MANUFACTURED IN THE SAME FACILITIES THAT ALSO PRODUCES HONEY, EGGS, OR DAIRY CONTAINING PRODUCTS.
The label varies, and sometimes it’s other products. In fact, often times a similar label is present but with nuts, which are vegan. So it’s only if the label says eggs, dairy, meat or honey explicitly.
Which Dried Fruits Are Vegan
Most dried fruits are entirely vegan, as they are free from animal products. Although, the vegan lifestyle is about much more than a diet. It involves the reducing of harm wherever possible, which extends to both animals and the environment.
So let’s take a look at some of the most popular dried fruit and determine whether or they are rightfully vegan.
Are Dates Vegan
The date fruit is recognized as the oldest cultivated fruit in the world. -And for a good reason. Dates taste as they have just come out of a candy shop. They are incredibly sweet yet high in fiber and essential nutrients.
Dates themselves are entirely vegan, and the same is true for dried dates. There is really nothing to suggest that dates, in general, should be particularly bad on the environment, nor do they have animal products.
So please eat some dates. They may be a little high in calories compared to other foods, but the sweetness means satisfy your sweet tooth. Do you like baking? Leave out some sugar and add some dates. It adds texture and a sweet taste.
Are Raisins Vegan
Raisins may be the most popular dried fruit. It’s such a common food that you sometimes forget it comes from a grape. Or well, it is a grape. Raisins contain the same health benefits as regular grapes, so it’s definitely a healthy snack.
Raisins themselves are 100% vegan and vegetarian, but it not always be. For one, raisins are commonly found in trail mix, and that’s not always vegan. It may have added ingredients such as natural flavor, which is not always vegan.
Plain raisins can sometimes have contaminants of animal products. This usually happens if they are produced in the same facility as honey containing products. -I have a full article about raisins in the vegan diet, read it here.
Are Dried Apples Vegan
Dried apples themselves are vegan, but it can have trace amounts of dairy or other non-vegan ingredients. It happens as it’s processed in the same facilities. This leaves tiny amounts of animal products behind and makes it on-vegan.
An example of non-vegan dried apples is The Nutty Fruit House. They have this decoration on their packaging.
Processed in a facility that also warehouses products containing milk.
Dried Apple Rings, at Amazon
You can have a closer look at this particular example by clicking the link. It’s not true for all dried apples, but it is a serious concern as it makes a product non-vegan.
Are Dried Figs Vegan
Figs are known for their iconic taste and many health benefits. Such as calcium and fiber, but are dried figs really vegan?
Figs are not vegan in either dried on the regular form. Female wasps often crawl into figs to lay eggs, which in return kills the female wasp. The eggs get to survive in this process. However, the corpse of the wasp is broken down to protein, within the fig.
So figs are actually made partially with wasps, as the body breaks down into protein and becomes a part of the fig. However, I will say this.
Veganism is about reducing suffering, and buying figs do not increase suffering. It’s merely the natural order of things, which is generally good.
Thus, I still consider figs, and dried figs, as entirely vegan. After all, the wasp is not forced to dig into the fig.
Are Dried Apricots Vegan
Dried Apricots are almost always vegan, I have yet to find a non-vegan product. At least when it comes to the plain kind. It’s a possibility that some trace amounts of some non-vegan ingredients, but it’s rarely the case.
Although you may want to be careful with dried apricot jam. Many of them have small amounts of honey. It may just be a few percents, but even trace amounts of honey cannot be considered vegan.
Vegan Dried Fruits
| Dried Fruit | Is It Typically Vegan? |
| Dried Apricot | YES |
| Dried Cranberry | YES |
| Sun-dried Tomatoes | MOSTLY |
| Dried Cherry | YES |
| Dried Figs | DEPENDS |
| Raisins | YES |
| Banana Chips | MOSTLY |
| Apple Rings | MOSTLY |
| Dried Pineapple | YES |
| Dried Mango | YES |
Conclusion
Plain dried fruits are, for the most part, vegan. There are the outlier figs, which some don’t consider as vegan. Although I don’t see the big issue myself. Another more substantial problem is that many dried fruits have trace amounts of non-vegan ingredients.
The fruits themselves are entirely vegan, but even trace amounts are an issue. So avoid any labels as presented in this article.
Hey, I’m Gus! I have been vegan for quite some years now, and have collected a lot of knowledge about the subject in this time. My goal with this blog is to spread the vegan message and make it easy to know exactly what’s vegan and what’s not.
