Is PopChips Vegan?
It Depends
Not certifiedPopChips are popped (not fried) potato chips sold in a wide range of flavors. Several flavors, Sea Salt, BBQ, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Nacho, Crazy Hot, are free of animal ingredients and suitable for vegans. Other flavors, Sour Cream and Onion, Fully Loaded, Cheddar and Sour Cream (Ridges), Aged White Cheddar, contain dairy in multiple forms. The brand is not vegan across the board; you have to check the specific flavor.
The catch: The savory cheese and sour cream flavors load up on whey, buttermilk, cheddar, sour cream powder, and nonfat dry milk, every classic dairy form shows up.
Category
Snacks
Verdict
It Depends
Brand
PopChips
Sea Salt ingredients as of 2025: potato, rice flour, avocado oil, potato starch, sea salt, salt, fully vegan. BBQ also reads clean: no dairy, no meat, just potato, rice flour, avocado oil, sugar, tomato powder, yeast extract, spices, and natural hickory smoke flavor.
Sea Salt and Vinegar is similarly animal-free. The Nacho flavor uses lactic acid (plant-derived in this context) and yeast extract rather than real cheese, making it dairy-free.
The Fully Loaded flavor is the worst offender: cheddar cheese, whey, buttermilk, sour cream powder, whey protein concentrate, and milk fat all appear in the seasoning. The Ridges Cheddar and Sour Cream line is equally heavy with dairy.
PopChips does carry a Certified Vegan mark for some individual flavors on their packaging; it does NOT apply to the whole product range. In the UK, the Sour Cream and Onion PopChips is labelled suitable for vegans and uses a plant-based sour cream flavor, but the US version uses real dairy, the UK and US formulations differ, so check the country on the pack.
What makes it non-vegan
- ✕whey
- ✕buttermilk powder
- ✕cheddar cheese (milk)
- ✕sour cream powder
- ✕nonfat dry milk
- ✕milk fat
- ✕whey protein concentrate
- ✕dried butter
Vegan alternatives
- ✓ Kettle Brand Sea Salt chips (vegan)
- ✓ Late July Sea Salt tortilla chips (vegan)
- ✓ Good Health Avocado Oil kettle chips sea salt (vegan)
- ✓ Siete Grain Free tortilla chips (most flavors vegan)
- ✓ PopCorners Flex Protein Chips Sea Salt (vegan)
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Looking to make your own? Browse our vegan swaps.
Other snacks
Frequently asked
Is PopChips Vegan?
PopChips are popped (not fried) potato chips sold in a wide range of flavors. Several flavors, Sea Salt, BBQ, Sea Salt and Vinegar, Nacho, Crazy Hot, are free of animal ingredients and suitable for vegans. Other flavors, Sour Cream and Onion, Fully Loaded, Cheddar and Sour Cream (Ridges), Aged White Cheddar, contain dairy in multiple forms. The brand is not vegan across the board; you have to check the specific flavor.
What is the catch with PopChips?
The savory cheese and sour cream flavors load up on whey, buttermilk, cheddar, sour cream powder, and nonfat dry milk, every classic dairy form shows up.
What can I use instead of PopChips?
Vegan options include Kettle Brand Sea Salt chips (vegan), Late July Sea Salt tortilla chips (vegan), Good Health Avocado Oil kettle chips sea salt (vegan), Siete Grain Free tortilla chips (most flavors vegan).
Is PopChips certified vegan?
PopChips does not carry a third-party vegan certification, so the verdict here is based on its current ingredient list and manufacturer information.
Sources
Last verified June 20, 2026. See how we verify. Always confirm on the current product label, since recipes change. Product photo via Open Food Facts.
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