French fries should actually be vegan, as they only consist of deep-fried potatoes. But it’s not that simple – in some cases there are actually animal ingredients in the fries. So when are they vegan?
Fast food is often criticized for using cheap meat. Those who follow a vegan diet are therefore more likely to eat french fries. But are they actually vegan? If you prepare fries at home in the oven, you can easily answer the question by looking at the list of ingredients on the packaging. But what about the fries in restaurants and snack bars – are they always vegan?
When fries are vegan (and when they aren’t)
French fries consist of three ingredients:
potatoes
spices
frying fat
The small number of ingredients is also the reason why you can easily make fries yourself. Then you know exactly that the fries are vegan.
As a rule, restaurants use a vegetable fat for frying, so the fries are vegan. It is often palm or coconut fat, which is problematic for various reasons. Nevertheless, the fries are vegan in this case.
In these cases fries are not vegan:
Sometimes restaurants fry the fries in clarified butter or lard.
It also often happens that the employees have fried meat in the fryer before the fries, for example chicken nuggets. Then, strictly speaking, the fries are no longer vegan.
Season fries with vegan spices
In addition to the fat used, spices and flavorings are not always vegan:
Beef flavoring on the fries is not uncommon: McDonald’s has been criticized for this in the past, for example. In Germany there was and is not so far.
Some fries have milk or cheese ingredients added, making them no longer vegan.
Many manufacturers add additives to help the fries retain their yellow color, last longer, and be crispy. Not all additives are vegan. That’s why you always have to ask.
By the way: You also have to be careful with ketchup and mayonnaise. Some manufacturers sweet ketchup with honey and mayonnaise usually contains eggs.
