Are Digestive Biscuits Vegan? Everything You Need To Know
Digestive biscuits are a popular type of biscuit in the UK. They come in original, chocolate, chocolate chip and caramel varieties and are perfect for dipping into a cup of hot tea or coffee. But are Digestive biscuits vegan? Keep reading to find out.
Digestive biscuits are semi-sweet biscuits with a wheaty, buttery flavour and a crunchy texture. They’re often served with tea and coffee as a sweet snack but can also be enjoyed with savoury foods like cheese because they’re not too sweet.
McVities Digestives are the most well-known type here in the UK, and they were first created in 1892. The biscuit was originally made to help aid with digestion, which is why they have the alkaline ingredient, bicarbonate of soda added to them.
Are Digestive biscuits vegan?
Yes, Digestive biscuits are vegan-friendly. Let’s take a look at the ingredients list of McVities Digestives:
Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin, Palm Oil, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Sugar, Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Sodium Bicarbonate, Malic Acid, Ammonium Bicarbonate & Salt.
As you can see, these biscuits do not contain any milk or other animal byproducts. Therefore, they are accidentally vegan.
Are Digestives gluten-free?
No, Digestive biscuits are not gluten-free because they are made with wheat flour. However, many supermarkets sell gluten-free Digestives for those who can’t have gluten.
Are chocolate Digestives vegan?
Most chocolate Digestives are not vegan. The ingredients in McVities milk chocolate Digestives are as follows:
Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Dried Skimmed Milk, Dried Whey (Milk), Butter Oil (Milk), Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Soya Lecithin, E476, Natural Flavouring, Palm Oil, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Sugar, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Sodium Bicarbonate, Malic Acid, Ammonium Bicarbonate & Salt.
Their dark chocolate Digestive ingredients are:
Wheat Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin, Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Palm Shea, Butter Oil (Milk), Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin, E476, Natural Flavouring, Palm Oil, Wholemeal Wheat Flour, Sugar, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Sodium Bicarbonate, Malic Acid, Ammonium Bicarbonate & Salt.
As you can see, both versions of the McVities chocolate Digestives contain milk so are not vegan-friendly. However, there are a few brands that make vegan-friendly ones:
- Tesco plain chocolate digestive biscuits
- Rakusen’s chocolate digestives
- Mr. Organic chocolate chip digestives
These 3 brands are made without milk so can be enjoyed by anyone on a vegan diet. However, as always, make sure to check the labels as recipes can change. If you have milk allergies, be sure to check for any risk of cross contamination before buying.
What about caramel Digestives?
Caramel Digestive biscuits are not vegan because also they contain milk. Sadly, I have been unable to find any vegan caramel Digestives so far. If you know of any, please do let me know so I can add them to this post.
What other biscuits are vegan?
Out of the most popular biscuit types in the UK, quite a few are vegan-friendly most of the time. Make sure to read the ingredients list as some brands can add milk when others do not. You can check out my accidentally vegan biscuits post if you’d like to see a full list but here are a few:
- Bourbon biscuits
- Hobnobs
- Oreos
- Biscoff biscuits
- Rich tea biscuits
- Gingernut biscuits
Summary
So, are Digestive biscuits vegan? Yes, they are! McVities Digestives are vegan-friendly, as are most other brands. Chocolate Digestives and caramel Digestives are usually not vegan but they can be sometimes, depending on the brand.
It is important to always check the labels before buying as some companies may add milk. Likewise, if you have milk or egg allergies, make sure to check the labels for any risk of cross-contamination.
