Is Pasta Vegan? All You Need To Know To Find Vegan Pasta

The quick and simple answer is yes, pasta can be vegan. While not every single type of pasta is vegan-friendly, in general, it is a staple in many vegan diets. There are so many types of pasta that are vegan-friendly and it’s easy to get your hands on.

Please note that this page contains affiliate links. While I only recommend products that I believe in, I may benefit financially, at no extra cost to you, from any purchases you make.

No, not ALL pasta is vegan. The question can be a bit of a tricky one because on the surface pasta should be vegan, but sometimes it’s not, and if you don’t know the reason it can be pretty confusing.

Don’t worry, if you’re a pasta lover starting a plant-based diet, you’re all good, let me fill you in.

It’s mostly only fresh pasta that isn’t suitable for vegans, this is because it’s often made using egg. So, when buying this in the supermarket or ordering it from the menu, fresh pasta needs to be checked.

Is Dried Pasta Vegan?

Dried pasta, the type we’re familiar with seeing on the supermarket shelf, is almost always vegan-friendly that’s because it’s typically made using semolina flour, salt, and water. But when you go to the fridge section in the supermarket or to an Italian restaurant sometimes you’ll find that they serve fresh pasta. Fresh pasta is usually not ok.

Is Pasta Made with Egg?

Yes, fresh pasta is usually made with egg. It’s often made and then cooked right away and I guess nice restaurants feel this is a good way of serving fresh food.

Don’t panic if you love fresh pasta though, it’s possible to make it using oil instead of egg, and in this case, it would be suitable for vegans.

So, if you’re going out for a nice meal, don’t rule out the pasta immediately, ask the waiting staff. There’s a chance they use oil instead of egg. Or if you can’t find it in a restaurant, you could try making it at home, this will certainly test your kitchen skills. Check out this recipe if you want to give it a try, Bianca makes it sound pretty easy and delicious.

No, pasta does not have any dairy. It would need to be a very creative recipe to be made with any dairy product. Although, there are plenty of pasta dishes that contain dairy because it’s added on top or to the sauce. But dried pasta is usually made with semolina flour, salt, and water, and fresh pasta is made using flour, water, salt, and eggs or oil. So, while pasta is not always possible following a plant-bested diet it doesn’t typically contain dairy.

How Do you Know if Pasta is Vegan?

So, as a rule of thumb, fresh pasta is not suitable for vegans because it usually contains eggs whereas dried pasta is because it doesn’t usually contain eggs or dairy.

However, that doesn’t really answer the question ‘how do you KNOW?’, but unfortunately I don’t have a good answer for you. In the supermarket, you have to check the box or the packet. And in a restaurant, you need to ask the staff to check with the chef.

What Vegan Pasta Brands Can You Buy?

So, many pasta brands are vegan, if I were to name them all we’d be here all day. But two of the most popular brands; Biona, De Cecco and Barilla have a large range that doesn’t use eggs or dairy, but not all of them, so check the ingredients. Also, many of the supermarket’s own brands are vegan-friendly too.

These days you can find pasta made from a range of different ingredients, here are a few to take a look at.

• Biona Organic Durum Wheat Spaghetti
• Doves Organic Maize & Rice Fusilli
• Profusion – Organic Gluten Free Chickpea Fusilli
• Biona Organic Wholegrain Italian Penne
• Explore Cuisine Edamame & Mung Bean Fettuccine

Yes, pasta is vegan. It’s a very vegan-friendly food and it’s super easy to find. However, while most types are, not all, so always check to be on the safe side.

Starting out on your vegan lifestyle can be exciting but it also brings a world of questions, questions that I’m doing my best to answer. Here are a few other things that vegans often want to know about:

• The Best Vegan Iron Sources – That Could Even Turn Iron Man Vegan!
• Do You Lose Weight When Becoming Vegan?
• Is beer vegan? Yes, sometimes. So, what beers are vegan?

---

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.

---

Follow me on Instagram to see all the delicious vegan food I find, the vegan and cruelty-free products I use and what I get up to as a travelling vegan.

Know someone who'd be interested?