Girl Scout cookies are sold by Girl Scouts to raise funds to support girl scout councils and individual troops. Tied to an initiative like this one — no wonder vegans are asking if girl scout cookies are vegan so they can support the cause.
They are sold door to door, through school and in town-wide fundraisers. These cookies are extremely popular, which is reflected upon the 1 million girl scouts selling the cookies between January and April. In an average selling season, over 800 million dollars are made.
But are Girl Scout Cookies vegan?
To understand whether Girl Scout Cookies are vegan or not, we must look individually at each variety, and check which ones have animal ingredients, and which ones don’t.
Girl Scout Cookies: An Overview
Fortunately, among the 12 existing varieties, 5 of them are suitable for vegans. This is a generous amount, considering Girl Scout cookies have been around for a while.
Here are the 12 girl scout cookie varieties:
- Lemon-Ups
- Lemonades
- Thin Mints
- Caramel Delites/Samoas
- Peanut Butter Patties/Tagalongs
- Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich
- Shortbread/Trefoils
- Thanks-a-Lot
- Toffee-Tastic
- Caramel Chocolate Chip
- Girl Scout S’mores
- Girl Scout S’mores w/ Chocolate Coating
Most of them are not vegan, for obvious reasons. They contain dairy and eggs that are taboo ingredients within the vegan community. It’s also worth mentioning that among the vegan varieties, you can find questionable ingredients that I believe some stricter vegans look to avoid.
Therefore, before we get into the vegan varieties, let me first mention a few questionable ingredients some of them contain.
Sugar
I’ve mentioned this many times before. Sugar companies in some countries (including the United States), use a black powder named bone char in the refinement stage. Bone char is the result of heating up the bones of cattle at high temperatures until they get carbonized. It’s also what sugar companies use to filter and bleach cane sugar so that it gets its white, glowing color.
However, it’s important to mention that not every company uses bone char.
In fact, some companies use an alternative called granular activated charcoal which achieves the same result as bone char and doesn’t require animal sacrifice. Furthermore, some companies also use sugar extracted from sugar beets, which does not go through the same process as cane sugar. In fact, it’s extracted using a diffuser and mixed with additives to crystallize.
Both cane and beet sugar are used in equal amounts in the United States. The problem is that companies don’t specify which type of sugar they use to make the product. Oftentimes, they use both types of sugar, which is what Oreos does.
But even so, I believe it is a good idea to ask companies and hope they’re transparent about it. Oreos was quite transparent about it when asked about the sugar they source.
Palm Oil
Palm oil comes from palm fruit so it’s technically vegan. However, conventional palm oil farming is responsible for massive deforestation, and the destruction of natural habitats. As a result, several animal species lose their homes and die because they’re unable to adapt.
The demand for palm oil has fed the rainforest destruction in Indonesia and Malaysia, two countries that account for 85% of the world’s palm oil production.
These two countries also happen to be the home of orangutans, which is a primate species that is at risk of extinction. Here’s a video of an orangutan fighting for his home:
But orangutans are not the only ones in danger. The list of wildlife is long. Even locals have been evicted from their lands and local communities have been impoverished as a result of this massive exploitation and deforestation.
Palm Oil Is In So Many Foods.
Palm oil is found in many baked goods such as cookies, chips, and even chocolate. It is also extensively used in cosmetics and toiletries in the form of foam. It’s crucial in the making of shampoos, soaps, detergents, and toothpaste.
By following a plant-based diet, you’re avoiding plenty of foods that contain palm oil. However, you don’t have to completely avoid palm oil. You can look for products from companies that comply with sustainable palm oil policies. For instance, you can search for products by companies that are certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
That’s if you want to minimize the impact of conventional palm oil farming.
Natural Flavors
Whether it’s natural or artificial flavors, they’re rarely defined on the label. So, there’s no expansion on what natural or artificial flavor is actually being used.
Fortunately, most natural flavors are vegan, but there are some exceptions. Here’s what the FDA has to say about the definition of Natural Flavors:
A commonly used natural flavor is castoreum. A yellowish liquid extracted from the anal secretions of beaver species in the United States and Europe. It is used in both food and perfumes and it is typically used to produce vanilla flavorings, although it can also be used to enhance raspberry or strawberry flavors.
Fortunately, among the vegan girl scout cookie varieties, there isn’t one with either flavor.
Artificial Flavors
Technically, all artificial flavors are vegan-friendly. They’re synthetically made and do not use any animal extracts. Here’s what the FDA has to say about artificial flavors:
In other words, artificial flavors refer to anything that isn’t plant or animal-based. Instead, it uses petroleum-based and synthetically created substances.
However, we must not forget that everything that is created in a lab and goes into whichever product must be previously tested. Unfortunately, tests are usually run on animals, and thus you can also say that artificial flavors should not be vegan-friendly.
This being said, it all comes down to each person’s personal view. Some avoid it, some don’t.
List of Vegan Girl Scout Cookies
Thin Mints
These crispy, chocolate covered cookies are amazingly delicious. Not surprisingly, they are the highest-selling Girl Scout cookie, something that hasn’t changed year after year. If you love mint-flavored chocolates, you’ll definitely enjoy these ones.
Feel free to stock them up in the freezer and eat them whenever you want!
Thanks-A-Lot
The Thanks-a-Lot cookie tastes like a shortbread cookie dipped in chocolate fudge. It has it’s named stamped on top, and it has a chocolate fudge layer on the bottom.
They taste really well by itself, but feel free to dip them in plant-based milk!
Peanut Butter Patties
Among the four peanut butter girl scout cookie varieties, only the Peanut Butter Patties are vegan. They have a very crispy, and nutty flavor enveloped in chocolate heaven.
This being said, make sure you avoid the Tagalongs, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Do-Si-Dos which are not suitable for vegans.
Lemonades
These shortbread round cookies have achieved the right balance of sweetness and lemon sourness. These are tasty on their own with a glass of plant-based milk or a hot cup of tea.
S’Mores W/ Chocolate Coating
There are two versions of this classic girl scout cookie, and only the chocolate coated cookie is vegan. It’s a sweet and crunchy graham cracker dipped in icing and coated in chocolate.
Bottom Line
The Girl Scout cookies are sold in 12 different varieties. Fortunately, 5 of those varieties are suitable for vegans. Among the 12 varieties, here are the ones you can eat:
- Lemonades
- Thin Mints
- Peanut Butter Patties
- Thanks-a-Lot
- Girl Scout S’mores w/ Chocolate Coating
They don’t have any animal-based ingredients, but they contain questionable ingredients such as palm oil, as well as natural & artificial flavors. If you’re a stricter vegan and are against such ingredients, I’m afraid every single variety contains at least one of them.
This being said, these are “technically” considered vegan for most people.
