Like most people, vegans love crunchy snacks with a little salt and spice. But if you like your snacks more than a little spicy, you’re probably wondering about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. These super-hot snack puffs are hugely popular, in fact, they’re Frito-Lay’s #1 seller. But are Hot Cheetos vegan? Unfortunately not, but if you are living a plant based lifestlye and want a vegan snack - check out these vegan cheese its!

Flamin' Hot Cheetos Ingredients

• Enriched Corn Meal
• Vegetable Oil
• Flamin' Hot Seasoning
• Sugar
• Yeast Extract
• Monosodium Glutamate
• Citric Acid
• Artificial Color
• Sunflower Oil
• Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
• Cheddar Cheese
• Onion Powder
• Whey
• Garlic Powder
• Whey Protein Concentrate
• Buttermilk
• Corn Syrup Solids
• Salt

The front of the bag says “made with real cheese”…although since processed foods sometimes play fast and loose with the word “real” you may have your doubts. But when you turn the package over and read the list of ingredients, you will see that yes, there is real cheddar cheese in them, as well as milk and buttermilk. The bottom of the ingredient list is clearly labeled in bold print: “contains milk ingredients.”

Spicy Snacks For Vegans

So what’s a vegan with a craving for a hot and spicy snack supposed to munch on? Don’t despair. According to Frito-Lay company lore, Hot Cheetos were invented when an employee put chili powder on the puffs instead of the usual flavoring. You can sprinkle chili powder on all kinds of vegan foods to create snacks with heat. Sprinkle chili powder and some vegetable oil on top of nuts, pumpkin seeds, or chick peas, then roast them in the oven. It also works great on popcorn. You can experiment with different kinds of chili powder (cayenne, arbol, chipotle) and even wasabi and hot paprika.

Not in the mood to make your own munchies?  Then be sure to check out our favorite vegan cookie and vegan cereal brands!