Are Poppadoms Vegan? What are Poppadoms Made of?

Having a mother who was born and raised in Birmingham, I soon realised that having a curry night meant feasting on an Indian meal packed with all sorts of flavours. 

But an Indian meal isn’t typically made of just one or two elements, there are often lots of parts. And when you’re vegan you need to check that every element is vegan-friendly. So, that means you’re looking and hoping for vegan curries, dhals, potato dishes, vegan rice, vegan naan bread, vegan side dishes such as onion bhajis, samosas, pakoras and so much more! All of which are possible but not always easy to find. But today we’re focusing on vegan poppadoms. 

Yes, poppadoms are usually perfectly fine for vegans. The core ingredients are all vegan-friendly. So, unless the chef has become very creative and added some unusual ingredients, poppadoms are suitable for a vegan diet.

Yes, poppadoms are vegetarian. The most common ingredient that could be found in poppadoms to make them not vegan is ghee. However, ghee is vegetarian friendly, so for this reason poppadoms are almost always vegetarian.

According to Collins English Dictionary, a poppadom is a thin round Indian bread, fried or roasted until crisp. 

And according to me, it’s a huge tasty Indian crisp perfect for dipping in all the amazing sauces and flavours you can find in Indian cuisine.

Depending on the poppadom and how you want the end result they can be cooked in the oven, in the microwave, pan-fried or deep-fried. There are so many options!

This is usually the questionable part for vegans. While they are typically cooked in vegetable oil they can sometimes be cooked in coconut oil which is still fine for vegans. But it’s also very possible for poppadoms to be cooked in ghee, and if this is the case, they are not suitable for vegans because ghee is not vegan. 

Gheen is a type of butter that is made using cow’s milk. The water and milk solids in it have been removed making it more concentrated in fat than regular butter. It’s a popular choice in many Indian dishes but ghee is not suitable for vegans.

As far as I can tell poppadoms never have milk or butter in them. After researching and checking many different brands of poppadoms I haven’t found any that contain dairy. So, I’d say no, popadoms don’t have dairy in them. And can most likely be considered dairy free.

But…when looking for vegan-friendly products it’s always safe to double-check the ingredient list yourself. 

The main ingredient in poppadoms is black gram flour which can also be called urad flour or chickpea flour. In addition to this there usually isn’t much else other than water, salt and maybe some spices such as cumin and chilli. 

Sharwood’s poppadoms are definitely vegetarian. But I can’t confirm for certain if they are vegan or not. 

On the packaging, it says vegetarian but I can’t seem to see anything that’s not vegan:

Black Gram Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Sea Salt, Raising Agent (Calcium Oxide)

I’ve also found other Sharwood products that are only labelled as vegetarian even though they seem to have vegan-friendly ingredients. 

It’s possible that they only use the vegetarian label because they can’t guarantee the product will be 100% vegan because of the factory or the process used to make it. 

That’s the best answer I’ve got on whether Sharwood’s poppadoms are vegan. 

It seems this is the same situation for many store-bought poppadoms such as Asda’s own poppadoms, Tesco’s own poppadoms and Pataks Papadums.

You can easily buy vegan poppadoms in most local supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Sainsburys. 

I’m all things vegan….other than recipes! I do like to cook vegan food, but not in a particularly organised fashion. So, for now, I’ll leave the recipes to someone else. 

If you fancy giving a vegan poppadom recipe a go here are a couple of great-looking ones I found that I’m now excited to try myself.

Oh, The Things We’ll Make – Make vegan poppadoms from scratch

Phil’s Home Kitchen – Poppadoms from scratch

Hopefully, I’ve answered the question ‘Are poppadoms vegan?’ but there are loads more to know about vegan food such as What Is A Vegan Coffee? And Where to Buy Jelly for Vegans

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Meet the Author

Meet Sinead O’Carroll: Vegan explorer, sustainability advocate and the founder of The Wondering Wandering Vegan. Embracing veganism since 2018 and vegetarianism since 2005, Sinead is armed with a Vegan Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle qualification, and is on a mission to share her passion for cruelty-free living. 

With a taste for adventure and a heart for eco-conscious choices, she’s here to prove that vegans never miss out on flavour, fun or style. Join her in enjoying the delights of a vegan-friendly world! 🌱✈️🌍
Want to know more? Check out Sinead’s About page here.

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