Is Mac and Cheese Vegetarian? [Here’s What to Know!]

MOst vegetarians are left high and dry when it come to options available in supermarkets for their selections. I am personally not vegetarian but had to become one as well as avoid dairy when i was down with a liver swelling a few years back.

With the trend of vegan , gluten free diets you would at least try to turn vegetarian with its numerous endorsed health benefits.

You might wonder if your favorite Macaroni and cheese is vegetarian?

Macaroni and cheese are not necessarily vegetarian. For macaroni and cheese to be vegetarian you will have to ensure that the pasta does not contain egg and the cheese should be derived from non-animal based rennet, which is mostly labeled on the packaging.

In this article we shall look into macaroni and cheese being vegetarian. How to know if your pasta and cheese are vegetarian. As well as look into some of the options available in the markets today.

Is macaroni a vegetarian food?

Macaroni pasta is mostly vegetarian if it does not contain any egg. There are two types of pasta available in the market. Fresh pasta and dry pasta.

Fresh pasta or pasta fresca as it is called in Italian is definitely not vegetarian as it contains egg. If your buying fresh pasta at your supermarket. You should know that it absolutely contains eggs. If you do not want eggs on your fresh pasta you can combine pasta flour, water and salt to make a batch of fresh pasta at home.

Dry pasta may or may not contain egg. If there is egg in the dry pasta it will be mentioned at the back of your packaging. Since this is a dry type of pasta it has a longer shelf life compared to the fresh pasta.

If you a devoted vegetarian or would like to go gluten free and would like not to have any ambiguity of having eggs then there are many brands offering vegan pasta. Brands like Barilla’s and Banza have a gluten free range of pastas. They are widely available in supermarkets with the trend of people opening to go vegan friendly.

Is cheese actually vegetarian?

Cheese is often considered vegetarian friendly however, most cheese that are commercially produced are made from rennet that is an enzyme that is derived from the stomach linings of animals such as cow, goat or sheep.

Hence, there cheese are not considered vegetarian. Vegetarians would like to avoid them at all costs as they are obtained after the animal has been slaughtered.

Cheeses such as parmiaggo- reggino, grana-padano, gorgonzola, mozzarella and many other authentic and traditional cheeses cannot be made without animal rennet and therefore they cannot be vegetarian.

However, there are many vegetarian friendly rennets available made from different plants and flowers. Cheeses made from such rennet is vegetarian as it is derived from plant based product.

To know if your cheese is vegetarian you will have to look up at the packaging, that will clearly state non animal enzymes.

Are Commonly available brands of macaroni and cheese Vegetarian?

If you are a committed vegetarian you would like to know if the some of the commonly available brands are vegetarian. It is easy to know if the product is vegetarian or not. At times, it is mentioned on the packaging and sometimes you will have to do some research online.

If the ingredient list states and lists “non-animal enzymes” or “microbial enzymes,” then the enzymes for the cheese have been derived from a vegetarian source. Such as the ingredient list on Annie’s boxed macaroni and cheese says “non-animal enzymes” . So it is easy for you know their macaroni and cheese is vegetarian. 

Let’s us look at some of the popular brands in the table below and if they are vegetarian

Brand	Vegetarian
Stouffer’s	No
Annie’s	Yes
Panera	Yes
Velveeta	No
Cheetos	No
Kraft	No, specifically look for vegan mac n cheese

Stouffer’s website suggests that they use both sources animal and non-animal sources of rennet, when not available.

Annie’s has a selection of vegan products, since all their products are not vegan. Thus, you will have to look at the product packaging to know if it is vegan friendly. Annie’s Classic Cheddar mac n cheese is made with real cheddar cheese, and the cheddar is made with non-animal rennet, so you know that it is vegetarian.

Panera’s mac and cheese is listed as vegetarian on their website.

Velveeta, Kraft, and Cheetos macaroni and cheese is derived from animal based enzymes and several other milk based products thus it is not considered vegetarian. However, Kraft has a vegan friendly line of macaroni and cheese which is also gluten-free and dairy-free. It’s made with rice flour, dairy-free cheese, cornmeal and rice starch.

What brands of mac and cheese are vegetarian?

There are a lot of companies that have come out with vegan boxed macaroni and cheese today. You can find them at big supermarkets such as Walmart, Target, Publix, and other mainstream grocery stores.

You might have to try quite a few different brands to find your favorite vegan version. Such as  Daiya Cheezy Mac , Earth Balance, Annie’s Organic Vegan Shells & Creamy Sauce Macaroni & Cheese and Banza Plant based Mac with chickpea pasta

These Brands of mac n cheese are made with different varieties of milk, some are dairy based and some non dairy based. Also, their vegan friendly pastas are made from rice flour or chickpea flour.

There are lot of options coming out in the markets today with vegan friendly, gluten free, and dairy free base. You will have to try some of these options and choose your preference.