Which Bread Is Vegan And Which Ones Aren’t?

The good news is that most bread is vegan. Typical ingredients for making bread are flour, salt, yeast and water.

However, some recipes for making bread may contain milk, eggs, butter, or other animal byproducts. Therefore, this type of bread will not be suitable for vegans.

It is always best to check the ingredients label, but above all, make sure that bread does not contain any animal products.

Here is the list of bread from all over the world which are NOT suitable for Vegans.

Non-Vegan Bread

Let’s eliminate the ones that are unstable first.

Naan (Indian) – oven-baked flatbread usually contains milk and ghee (clarified butter) and typically brushed with butter.

Tortillas (Mexican) – can contain shortening (any fat that is a solid at room temperature). This can also be animal-based or plant-based

Crumpet (English) – usually contains milk

Breadsticks Grissini (Italian) – usually contains butter and sometimes parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Brioche Bread (French) – contain eggs and butter

Brown Soda (Irish) – contains buttermilk and honey.

Challah (Jewish) – braided bread, traditionally served on the Sabbath and holidays will contain eggs.

Pretzel (German) – pastry/bread usually contains butter.

Pão de Queijo (Brazil) – cheese buns will contain eggs, milk and parmesan cheese.

Pain de Ménage (Quebec) –  a plain white loaf that can be moistened with lard.

Basque Pumpkin Bread (Basque country) – adopted into the cuisine in parts of southwestern France and northern Spain – include eggs.

Pan de Muertos (Mexico) – Mexico’s Day of the Dead bread. This bread contains butter and eggs.

This bread is therefore baked to honour the passing of a loved one.

Frybread (USA) – multicultural feast at Thanksgiving usually contains milk. The traditional recipe contains lard.

Common Vegan Bread

Pita Bread 🇬🇷

Firstly, we have Pita – this bread is traditional Greek pita bread. This has always been vegan and we highly recommend that you eat this with hummus.

Ingredients: water, yeast, flour, salt and olive oil

For the recipe go here: https://thestayathomechef.com/homemade-pita-bread/ or here https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/traditional-greek-pita-bread/

Ciabatta 🇮🇹

Secondly, Ciabatta. This Italian white bread made from wheat flour, water, olive oil, salt, and yeast.

For an authentic recipe, click here.

Baguettes 🇫🇷

Baguettes are Vegan – this thin loaf of French Bread is made from yeast, flour and salt.

For the recipe click here

Focaccia 🇮🇹

Focaccia is Vegan – this brea is a flat oven-baked Italian product with the texture of a pizza dough.

Ingredients: yeast, water, sugar, flour, salt, olive oil, and rosemary.

Here is my delicious oil-free vegan recipe for Focaccia Oil-Free Vegan Focaccia Bread Using Air Fryer

Sourdough Bread🇨🇭

A sourdough bread is made by the fermentation of dough.

It has a more sour taste. Therefore, it has a better quality than bread made with baker’s yeast.

For the recipe, click here.

Ezekiel (Sprouted bread)

Ezekiel (also known as Sprouted bread) is Vegan too. It’s a type of sprouted bread, made from a variety of whole grains and legumes. This bread got its name in biblical texts Ezekiel 4:9

For the recipe click here.

Conclusion and Tips

TIP: Bread that looks fluffier, fuller, and glossy shiny most likely contain eggs, butter, and/or milk and is not suitable for vegans. The ones that are flat, savoury, and dry tend to be vegan-friendly.

In conclusion, it is very tempting to have a bite when you see crispy, and freshly baked bread. Moreover, the natural instinct to think what the heck it’s ‘just bread’ with simple and ‘innocent’ ingredients.

But, above all, don’t get fooled by its temptation. Be aware of ‘hidden’ animal-derived ingredients too.
Always check, and ask!