Is Barilla Pasta Vegan? Here's What We Know

If you're a long-time vegan, you likely already have a running list of what foods and brands you can eat, and what you should probably steer clear of. At its most basic, dried, store-bought pasta is usually made from durum wheat semolina flour, water, and sometimes salt. So, when you're shopping for it, you probably aren't giving the ingredients much thought. Aside from egg noodles, most pasta is considered safe for vegans to consume. But when it comes to a brand called Barilla, on the other hand, you should be giving the ingredient list a quick peek. As it turns out, some of its products contain eggs and milk.

Being the biggest pasta brand in the world, you've likely had a few helpings of Barilla pasta in your lifetime — and might be freaking out after learning that some of its products may not be vegan. But you should know that most of Barilla's pasta products are. There is, however, a one product that isn't — the brand's tortellini. This makes sense, considering that its egg pasta is almost always stuffed with cheese.

For some vegans, a food label that states that a product is processed on equipment that handles non-vegan ingredients and "might" contain something like eggs, milk, or fish, could pose an issue. If this is you, then you can still rest assured that you can continue enjoying nearly all of Barilla's pasta products, including the Protein Plus line — as the brand's certified vegan products are not processed on shared equipment.

Additionally, vegans who also avoid gluten can also reach for any of the brand's gluten-free pasta options, as they're all certified gluten-free and are therefore processed on separate equipment than any of their other, more glutenous products. 

It's no secret that those on plant-based diets have limited choices when it comes to vegan protein sources, and Barilla also offers several protein-packed options with this in mind. Besides its Protein Plus line, Barilla has a full line of chickpea and red lentil-based pasta alternatives, which provide a healthy addition of plant-based protein to all of your pasta dishes.