Do pop tarts have gelatin? Hardly can anyone answer this question without culinary skills and experience.
We have taken out time to get answers from culinary experts to satisfy your curiosity, sit tight and be enlightened.
Pop tarts are an amazing way to massage your appetite in the morning.
They are a snack that will stir you up for the day, one you will enjoy as you plan to get started for the long day.
There are several types of them grouped in terms of flavors.
Meanwhile, everyone who is keen and has tasted or is looking forward to tasting pop tarts seems to want to know whether they have gelatin in them.
Do pop tarts have gelatin? A brief and safe answer to this is yes! Pop tarts have gelatin. But not all. Hate buts? Only the frosted pop tarts have gelatin while the unfrosted pop tarts do not have gelatin.
Pop Tarts and Gelatin Defined
Now, before we get any further on finding out more about whether pop tarts have gelatin or not, It is good that I begin by bringing us all up to speed.
Some people may not have a clearer knowledge of what we are talking about here and might already be wondering what pop tarts and gelatin are.
Pop tarts are a Kellog’s pastries invention, a company established in 1964.
They are pastries and snack brands manufactured by placing a tasty filling amid rectangular pastries.
Pop tarts do not call for refrigeration when sold since they come in a pair of a type of sealant foil known as mylar.
Pop tarts are mainly sold in the United States but Kellog’s distributes them worldwide.
Is Gelatin Healthy?
On the other hand, gelatin is a colorless flavorless food ingredient made from collagen, a product in animal body parts.
Collagen is usually rubbery while moist or brittle if it has been dried.
Occasionally, gelatin is obtained from boiled animal body parts such as tendons, bones, or ligaments, especially from cow or pig meat, that is beef or pork.
And so why you or anyone would be so much interested in the ingredients of a pastry?
Why would you so much want to know whether pop tarts have gelatin?
The most common reason most people are wary about gelatin in pop tarts is vegetarianism.
Vegetarians do not need gelatin in their diets since it is an animal product, especially obtained after the animals succumbed.
So, vegans or vegetarians are so wary of it and will not take a diet with gelatin.
Tip. To non-vegans, gelatin is a rich source of proteins and amino acids. It aids in the sustenance of skin and gut health.
So, Do Pop Tarts Have Gelatin?
Since I wouldn’t like to keep you waiting. Let us now dive and extensively discuss whether pop tarts have gelatin or not.
At the onset of this blog post. I gave you a hint on the chances of gelatin in pop tarts. They were 50/50.
Pop tarts may or may not have gelatin. And this should not happen to complicate issues even more.
There is one type of pop tart with gelatin, while the other does not.
According to the standards and regulations used in the United States, unfrosted pop tarts do not have gelatin whereas frosted pop tarts do.
Tip. In the United States, the rule of the thumb is that unfrosted pop tarts are gelatin-free while frosted ones have gelatin.
Why Is There Gelatin in Frosted Pop Tarts and None in Unfrosted ones?
We all know where gelatin comes from, why would it be used in frosted pop tarts?
Chiefly, gelatin in frosted pop tarts is used to enhance their texture and taste.
It is the availability of gelatin that gives rise to the question of whether pop tarts are Vegan friendly.
To help us better understand, we must first assess the ingredients.
What Are the Ingredients Used in Making Pop tarts?
As a growing child, I loved pop tarts and ate them a whole lot. In fact, I still do.
I became interested in learning a couple of things about them.
And one thing that attracted me the most was the ingredients since I wanted to be able to make my own.
Well, I have never tried to make one to date.
With the various types of pop tarts and flavors, there may be variations in ingredients.
Even without asking, you will tell me that flour and gelatin are the ingredients that are common in making the various types of pop tarts.
Although gelatin might not be found in all, without flour there are no pop tarts.
What Is Gelatin Made From?
Gelatin as stated before is an animal product, obtained from ligaments and tendons, bones, skin, and fat of animals, usually beef and pork.
Other than Gelatin and flour, other common ingredients in pop tarts include milk, egg white, pop tart flavors, chocolate, and palm oil.
Are Pop Tarts Vegetarian Friendly?
This was where we all were headed. We all want to know whether or not pop tarts are vegetarian.
Frozen pop tarts contain milk, egg white, or confectioner’s glaze
The above mentioned are the obvious non-vegan ingredients used in making pop tarts that everyone can easily recognize.
So we rule out frozen pop tarts as vegetarian since they are the ones with the gelatin.
As if that is not enough, we assess ingredients such as milk, palm oil, and eggs in the unfrozen pop tarts.
The inclusion of any as well becomes a red flag. One denoting that pop tarts are not vegan in any way.
Can Vegans Eat Pop Tarts?
Unfrozen pop tarts as we found out do not contain gelatin.
However, milk and some other ingredients used in making them are not vegan.
But it will interest you to know that some pop tarts flavors are vegan.
What Flavors of Pop Tarts Are Vegan?
The vegan pop tarts flavors are Unfrozen strawberry, unfrozen blueberry, and unfrozen Brown sugar Cinnamon.
Most vegans will definitely be worried about the food dyes used in making these pop tarts.
This is because rumors have it that they’re made from crushed insects making them not vegan.
However, it is not true. They're actually made out of byproducts of coal and petroleum and these are vegan friendly.
If you’re trying to completely stay away from food dyes since you aren’t certain about how they’re made, you should stick to eating the Unfrozen Brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts.
Read Next: Are Wingstop Fries Vegan?
Conclusion
Do pop tarts have gelatin? In this article, we have learned that only frosted pop tarts have gelatin.
The gelatin is derived from animal products and is used to keep the texture of the crunchy and yummy pop tarts in place.
Although they are best enjoyed by children, pop tarts are a great snack for you too.
We also found out that pop tarts have vegan flavors so vegans are not exempted from this yummy snack.
However, if you are vegetarian, we have listed the flavors you should try out because they’re vegan and taste really good.