Is Kinder Bueno Actually Vegan? (Here's Everything You Need To Know)

Being born in the nineties, Kinder Bueno has always been close to my heart… and palate. But even though it’s super popular here in Europe, it’s still just making its debut in the United States.

The reason I’m surprised is that Kinder Bueno is Europe’s #3 best-selling chocolate bar and is ranked #6 globally.

Being vegan, I made it my mission to find out what foods are vegan, from the most to the least popular.

Unfortunately, Kinder Bueno is not vegan because it contains several dairy ingredients, including skim milk powder and milk fat. However, it also contains palm oil, which some vegans refuse to consume due to its link to deforestation.

Let’s go a bit deeper into the topic and also see if there are alternatives to Kinder Bueno.

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Why Kinder Bueno Is Not Vegan.

The reason is quite simple — it contains animal-based ingredients.

First, let’s take a look at Kinder Bueno’s label and dissect the non-vegan elements.

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skim milk powder, anhydrous milk fat, soy and/or sunflower lecithin, vanillin), sugar, modified palm oil, wheat flour, hazelnuts, skim milk powder, milk powder, dark chocolate (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soy and/or sunflower lecithin, vanillin), cocoa powder, soy and/or sunflower lecithin, sodium bicarbonate, salt, vanillin, ammonium carbonate.

As you can see Kinder Bueno is packed with dairy ingredients. It relies heavily on dairy to make a profit, so there’s nothing that suggests that might change in the future.

Let’s also not forget that the company behind Kinder Bueno also makes products such as Ferrero Rocher and Nutella. Products that rely excessively on milk. Their products are delicious, but the impact they have on the ecosystem and biodiversity is negative, to say the least.

The only vegan-friendly product the Ferrero Group has is the Mon Chéri. It tastes a bit like liquor, so unless you’re down with cherry liquor, I’m not sure you’ll like it.

Kinder Bueno also contains palm oil, which makes it even worse.

READ NEXT: Is Mon Chéri Suitable For Vegans?

Palm Oil Is Linked to Deforestation

As you’re already aware, the palm oil industry is responsible for deforestation and the widespread destruction of natural habitats. This means more species are pushed closer to extinction because they have trouble surviving outside their natural environment.

Orangutans, the Borneo elephant, and the Sumatran tiger are a few of those species.

While palm oil can be technically considered vegan since it’s derived from a plant, the unsustainable practices behind its production are chaotic. If you still want to make use of palm oil, I suggest that you find organic palm oil, since it’s usually obtained through sustainable farming.

Otherwise, be aware that consuming conventional palm oil equates to harming living species.

Are There Any Vegan Alternatives To Kinder Bueno?

Unfortunately, I haven’t found any vegan alternatives to Kinder Bueno. But assuming that it draws some attention from the American public, we may actually see those alternatives popping up on the radar.

At present, there is only one way to taste a vegan Kinder Bueno and that is by making it at home.

Can You Make A Vegan Kinder Bueno At Home?

vegan kinder bueno

Hell yes!

There’s not an abundance of vegan Kinder Bueno recipes, but you can still rely on the existing few to keep your desire at bay.

The first recipe I found was shared by the blog The Tasty K. According to this recipe, creating four chocolate bars should take you 15 minutes. Plus, using chocolate molds will make your life easier.

Here’s the list of ingredients shared on the Tasty K website.

The outer layer requires:

Vegan classic chocolate
Raw cacao butter
Vegan unsweetened wafer (1 piece)
A few pieces of dark vegan chocolate (85%)

As for the filling, you need:

Coconut cream
Hazelnut butter
Maple syrup

Franky, these are not the cheapest ingredients out there but this is the most harmless and affordable way to eat Kinder Bueno. If you want to read the full recipe, just follow this link here.

Conclusion: Sorry, Kinder Bueno Is Not Vegan

Kinder Bueno is filled with milk-based ingredients, which include milk fat and milk powder. In addition, they also use palm oil, which makes the product and company even more guilty.

So far the only way for you to eat Kinder Bueno is by making your own version of it.

This method is more expensive than buying a Kinder Bueno bar, since ingredients like hazelnut butter, coconut cream, maple syrup, and vegan wafers are required to make the recipe.

However, note that you can create a big batch of them, and make it worth it.