“Is this product vegan?” might be the most asked questions of vegans everywhere. Unfortunately, it is just a fact of the lifestyle that it takes extensive research to know whether or not a product is vegan. It becomes especially complicated when certain varieties of a type of food are vegan, and some aren’t. In this article, we’re asking this question of one of the most popular ingredients – flour.
Is Flour Vegan?
Most vegans will be happy to learn that flour is almost always vegan! Generally speaking, there is nothing in flour that could be considered non-vegan, so it’s an easy choice for those who choose this lifestyle.
To understand why flour is vegan, we need only to understand how it’s made.
What is Flour?
Flour is essentially just a powder made from ground up ingredients. Most commonly, these ingredients are grains, nuts, beans, seeds, and more. Grain flour is most popular, and includes the common flour types “white” and “whole wheat” (both of which are made from wheat). Either way, the common theme here is that all these ingredients are vegan. And since flour is just a “ground” version of these ingredients, it maintains its vegan status.
Therefore, the answer to our question is yes! Flour is almost always vegan.
So why is this such a commonly asked question? Perhaps it’s due to a popular rumor that has circulated in vegan communities.
What About Bone Char?
If you (like us) regularly keep up with vegan news, then you might have heard a rumor that certain brands and types of flour are bleached using bone char! Obviously, this would be a major deterrent to vegans, since bone char is made with the use of animal bones.
Luckily, this rumor is unfounded. We don’t know how it got started, but we can safely say that there doesn’t seem to be any truth to it! And even if there was some truth to it, it is definitely the case that no major flour brands or producers use bone char to bleach their flour.
Vegans can breathe a sigh of relief on that one.
Certain Rare Types of Flour Are Non-Vegan
As we mentioned above when explaining how flour is made, flour is essentially just a ground up version of many different ingredients. As such, there are many types of flour if you really do some digging. Flour is used in many recipes around the world, and new types of flour are invented from time to time.
As a result, there have been flours invented that do not use vegan products. Luckily, you’ve probably never even heard of them, which makes them very easy to avoid. For example, flour has actually been made using crickets, and also using bone marrow.
But you won’t have to worry about this too much. It’s not like you’ll find these flours lining the shelves at your local grocery store. Vegans can pretty much rest assured that their favorite flour is a safe option.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading our guide to vegan flour. Or, should we say, our guide to flour. Because as you can see, 99.9% of the flour in the world is a safe, vegan option. And although there are extremely rare types of flour that are not vegan, you should have no problem avoiding them. So, no matter what the rumors say, flour is a safe, vegan option, that you can use to bake so many awesome recipes!
FAQ
Is flour gluten-free?
Not usually. Gluten is a protein found in grains, barley, and rye. This means that it is found in the most popular flour – wheat flour. That being said, there are types of flour that are gluten-free. Perhaps the most popular is almond flour.
Is flour healthy?
The answer is that it really depends on the flour that you choose. For the most part, flour is pretty healthy, although it’s not loaded with nutrients. Certain flours, such as white and all-purpose flour, are quite refined, which removes a lot of beneficial ingredients. You’ll generally find healthier ingredients in flours made from nuts and seeds.
Is flour flammable?
Unfortunately, this popular “myth” is quite true! Many common flours (including white flour) are made of starch, which is a carbohydrate, which is highly flammable! You need to be careful about working with flour near an open flame.
