Kind bars are a healthy food option you can have while on the run, and when it comes to healthy on-the-go bars, there isn’t a more popular name than Kind.
They’re delicious treats that contain fruits and grains, thus also the nutrients and minerals one might need to remain healthy.
Unfortunately, most Kind bars are not vegan because they contain honey, and sometimes milk, which are two ingredients that derive from animal exploitation.
However, there are still some vegan options available, so if you really want to try out Kind bars, you can opt for these other options.
What Are Kind Bars?
Kind bars are snack bars made by Kind Healthy Snacks which contain fruits, nuts, and grains.
This makes them a source of vitamins, minerals, and other crucial nutrients, thus being an optimal alternative for individuals that love an afternoon snack but don’t want to lose themselves eating unhealthy foods.
The company behind these bars is known as Kind LLC or Kind Healthy Snacks and has been around since 2004, and because it grew so much in the last two decades, it’s now available in most big retailers.
Typically, Kind bars contain nutrient-rich ingredients such as nuts, grains, and fruits. More specifically, one can find cashews, almonds, peanuts, and walnuts, as well as quinoa, milled rice, oats, and others. The fruits are added in either dried or juice forms and might include apples, mangoes, bananas, raspberries, peppermint, and many others.
These ingredients alone would naturally make one think that Kind bars are suitable for vegans, however, this doesn’t tell the whole story. Unfortunately, among the several ingredients that go into each bar, some of them are not vegan-friendly.
Kind bars can be divided into different categories, namely:
- Nut bars
- Breakfast bars
- Protein bars
- Healthy grains bars
- Minis
- Thins
- Energy bars
- And fruit bars.
Below, we’ll look at each category and see which bars are (or aren’t) suitable for vegans.
Are Kind Nut Bars Vegan?
Kind’s nut bars are mainly made with nuts like almonds and peanuts, and will also contain other ingredients such as palm oil, and dark chocolate.
There are 21 different flavors of nut bars, as you can see in the table below:
| Nut Bar Flavor: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Caramel Almond & Sea Salt | Honey, Milk Powder |
| Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate | Honey |
| Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew | Honey |
| Dark Chocolate Almond & Coconut | Honey |
| Extra Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Pride Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Almond & Coconut | Honey |
| Cranberry Almond | Honey |
| Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond | Honey |
| Peanut Butter | Honey, Non-Fat Milk Powder |
| Dark Chocolate Almond Mint | Honey |
| Blueberry Vanilla Cashew | Honey |
| Maple Glazed Pecan & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Milk Chocolate Almond | Honey, Milk Powder |
| Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Nut | Honey |
| Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter | Honey, Milk Powder |
| Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan | Honey |
| Honey Roasted Nuts & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Raspberry Cashew Chia | Honey |
| Fruit & Nut | Honey |
But unfortunately, none of the flavors are suitable for vegans because they contain honey, an ingredient that is derived from bees, or as most vegans might put it— from the exploitation of bees.
Additionally, some of the flavors also contain milk, which is clearly not vegan.
Are Kind Breakfast Bars Vegan?
Kind’s breakfast bars are intended to be a substitute for a typical breakfast, as they’re packed with whole grains that give you the energy to tackle the morning.
There are 6 different flavors of breakfast bars:
| Breakfast Bars Flavors: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Almond Butter | Honey |
| Peanut Butter | Honey |
| Honey Oat | Honey |
| Blueberry Almond | Honey |
| Dark Chocolate Cocoa | None |
| Peanut Butter Banana Dark Chocolate | None |
Four of the flavors contain honey, but the Dark Chocolate Cocoa and Peanut Butter Banana Dark Chocolate flavors do not contain animal ingredients.
Are Kind Protein Bars Vegan?
Kind’s protein bars contain 12g of plant-based protein and are 25% bigger than the original bar.
There are 4 different protein bar flavors:
| Protein Bar Flavors: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Dark Chocolate Nut | Honey |
| Crunchy Peanut Butter | Honey, Non-Fat Milk Powder |
| Almond Butter Dark Chocolate | Honey, Non-Fat Milk Powder |
| Caramel Nut | Honey, Milk Powder |
Unfortunately, none of the flavors are suitable for vegans as they all contain honey, and some have milk powder.
Are Kind Healthy Grains Bars Vegan?
Kind’s healthy grains bars are baked with a minimum of 5 super grains to create a unique chewy and crunchy texture, with each bar providing you with at least one full serving of healthy grains.
There are 9 flavors of healthy grains bars:
| Healthy Grains Bar Flavors: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter | Honey |
| Milk Chocolate Chunk | Milk Powder, Honey |
| Salted Caramel | Honey, Milk Powder |
| Dark Chocolate Chunk | Honey |
| Oats & Honey With Toasted Coconut | Honey |
| Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate | Honey |
| Vanilla Blueberry | Honey |
| Almond Butter Dark Chocolate | Honey |
| Double Dark Chocolate | Honey |
None of Kind’s healthy grains bars are vegan because they all contain honey.
Are Kind Minis Vegan?
Kind’s mini bars are a smaller version of the original Kind bars and contain less than 100 calories.
There are 6 different flavors of mini bars:
| Mini Bar Flavors: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew | Honey |
| Caramel Almond & Sea Salt | Honey, Milk Powder |
| Peanut Butter Chewy | Honey, Non-Fat Milk Powder |
| Dark Chocolate Chewy | Honey |
| Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate | Honey |
Unfortunately, none of them are vegan-friendly as they all contain honey.
Are Kind Thins Vegan?
As the name suggests, Thins are a thin variation of the original Kind bars, and akin to the mini bars, they have less than 100 calories.
There are 4 different flavors of thins:
| Thins Flavors: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt | Honey |
| Caramel Nuts & Sea Salt With Peanuts | Honey, Milk Powder |
| Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate | Honey |
| Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew | Honey |
None of the thin bars are suitable for vegans because they all contain honey.
Are Kind Energy Bars Vegan?
Kind’s energy bars contain whole grains and have 35% less sugar than the original bars.
There are 3 different flavors of energy bars:
| Energy Bars Flavors: | Animal Ingredients: |
| Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter | Honey |
| Chocolate Chunk | Honey |
| Peanut Butter | Honey |
Unfortunately, none of the energy bars flavors are vegan-friendly.
Are Kind Fruit Bars Vegan?
Kind is launching fruit bars, which are a convenient way to add fruit to your daily routine. These bars contain real fruit plus ingredients like veggies, chia, or chocolate.
At the moment, Kind only has one fruit bar flavor, which is the Mango Apple Chia flavor. This bar only contains mango, apple, and chia seeds, which means it’s totally suitable for vegans.
Since this is a new line Kind has launched, there are more flavors bound to be launched in the future, and we’ll be keeping an eye on those.
Summary
There is a huge variety of Kind bars, and most of them are not suitable for vegans, mainly because they contain honey, an ingredient that is derived from bees. Other products will also contain milk.
The only exception to this is two bars within the Breakfast line and one fruit bar— Dark Chocolate Cocoa and Peanut Butter Banana Dark Chocolate breakfast bars, and the Mango Apple Chia fruit bar.
Feel free to look for alternatives, for instance, many (if not all) of the Larabars are vegan.
