Some flavors of Lays Potato Chips are vegan while others are not. Instead of wasting all that time looking at food labels while grocery shopping or planning your vegan snack stockpile, I’ve provided the flavors of vegan Lays below.

Everyone eats vegan for different reasons, but if you are more of a predominately plant-based eater, the milk based ingredients in the chips may not be of concern to you. If you are 100% vegan, it’s important to know that milk derivatives can show up in sneaky places …especially when it comes to various chip flavors!

As with many chips, some flavors include whey, sodium caseinate, powdered cheese, milk, or other milk based ingredients. Sometimes it’s a bit more obvious (for example obviously Cheddar and Sour Cream Lays are not vegan) and other times it’s hard to tell (like in Lays Kettle Cooked Sea Salt and Vinegar – note – the traditional Lays Sea Salt and Vingear are vegan)….see how the plant-based snacking world can get a bit confusing? I’m here to help you navigate….may you find all of your Lays vegan chip desires below. 🙂

Vegan Lays Potato Chip Flavors:

Lays Kettle Cooked Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Chips are one vegan flavor from Lays Potato Chips!

Non-Vegan Lays Potato Chip Flavors:

  • Cheddar and Sour Cream Lays
  • Chile Limon Lays
  • Flamin’ Hot Lays
  • Honey BBQ Lays
  • Sea Salt and Vinegar Lays
  • Sweet Southern Heat Barbeque Lays
  • Kettle Cooked Lays Honey Chipotle
  • Kettle Cooked Lays Jalapeno (note: if you’re looking for a vegan jalapeno kettle cooked chip, I recommend trying out
  • Kettle Cooked Lays Maui Onion
  • Kettle Cooked Lays Mesquite BBQ
  • Kettle Cooked Lays Sea Salt and Vinegar

    Careful! The Kettle Cooked Sea Salt and Vinegar Lays  contain lactose (derived from milk) but the original Sea Salt and Vinegar Lays do not. 

Hopefully that helps you when deciding if Lays are vegan and which would be great vegan Lays flavors to try!

I’m curious, which is your favorite flavor of vegan Lays? I personally like to much on the kettle cooked sea salt and cracked black pepper Lays with a ginormous vegan sammie – like a tempeh BLT or a chickpea chicken salad sammie!

Are Lays Vegan? Which Flavors of Lays Chips are Vegan?

11 thoughts on “Are Lays Vegan? Which Flavors of Lays Chips are Vegan?

    • January 6, 2020 at 1:03 pm
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      Glad you found it helpful!

      Reply
  • March 6, 2020 at 10:55 am
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    Salt and Vinegar lays are not vegan if they contain lactose. Make sure to read the ingredients! If they have maltodextrin, that are vegan:)

    Reply
    • March 15, 2020 at 9:32 am
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      Hi there, the salt and vinegar lays do not contain lactose. According to Lays, these are the ingredients for the Salt and Vinegar Lays: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn and/or Canola Oil), Salt & Vinegar Seasoning (Maltodextrin [Made From Corn], Natural Flavors, Salt, Malic Acid, and Vinegar).

      Reply
    • August 4, 2020 at 10:43 am
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      I’m looking at the ingredients on a packet of Lays Salt and Vinegar crisps right now and they DO contain lactose. I’m in Canada. Maybe it varies on where they are produced

      Reply
      • September 10, 2020 at 2:57 pm
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        Thanks for pointing this out Catherine – it still looks like the Original Lays (not kettle cooked) Sea Salt and Vinegar are still vegan – the Kettle cooked Sea Salt and Vinegar definitely have lactose. Which ones were you looking at I’m wondering?

        Reply
  • March 23, 2020 at 7:25 pm
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    I thought that dill pickle are vegan? The ingredients are all fully vegan?

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    • July 21, 2020 at 4:26 am
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      Same – I thought the dill pickle flavor was vegan too. It has almost the same ingredients as the salt and vinegar one. I see no dairy in these. I realize natural flavors could mean anything, but unless anyone can confirm that equates to an animal- based product, I feel like it is safe to say this flavor is vegan. If not, and anyone has information on what exactly makes this product non-vegan, let us know.

      Reply
      • September 10, 2020 at 3:03 pm
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        Right on Hol! The dill ones are vegan for all intensive purposes but you’re right – sometimes the natural flavors are animal derived.

        Reply
  • November 12, 2021 at 4:53 pm
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    The article says the traditional sea salt and vinegar lays is vegan, but you have listed it in the non-vegan section

    Reply

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