Fortune cookies are a crisp and sugary cookie that has become synonymous with Asian restaurants over the years. According to Wikipedia, these delectable delights were first made in Kyoto, Japan but are now served along with most Asian-based cuisines. However, we are here to answer two questions:
- Are Fortune Cookies Vegan?
- Are Fortune Cookies Gluten Free?
In answering both of these questions it is important to look at the typical fortune cookie ingredients Wikipedia states that fortune cookies are “usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil.” Based on these ingredients it would appear that fortune cookies are dairy free and vegan friendly as the ingredients all come from plant based sources. Additionally, fortune cookies are NOT gluten-free as the primary ingredient is a wheat-based flour.
With that being said, fortune cookie ingredients vary by brand and some are made with animal-based ingredients, primarily eggs or egg wash. Based on this information it is important to verify which fortune cookies are vegan and which are not. In the following sections we will look into the most popular fortune cookie brands and restaurants to determine if they are vegan friendly and gluten free.
Panda Express
Unfortunately, Panda Express does not disclose the ingredients of their Fortune Cookies on their website nor do they provide allergy information. However, we were able to gather their ingredients from a Panda Express location in Rexburg, Idaho. According to the wrapper on the fortune cookies received, Panda Express fortune cookies have the following ingredients: Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Soybean Oil and Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Corn Starch, Salt, and Artificial Flavors. The package also notes that the product contains wheat and may contain egg and soy ingredients. Therefore, Panda Express fortune cookies are vegan but are not gluten-free. Those with egg or soy allergies should avoid Panda’s fortune cookies due to possible cross contamination.
If you’re interested in other vegan options at Panda Express, make sure to read our article titled “8 Vegan Options at Panda Express“.
Pei Wei
According to Pei Wei’s nutrition guide, their fortune cookies contain egg, soy, and wheat allergens. Therefore, Pei Wei’s fortune cookies are neither vegan nor gluten-free.
If you’re interested in other vegan options at Pei Wei, make sure to read our article titled “6 Vegan Options at Pei Wei“.
PF Chang's
PF Chang’s website provides a lot of fun facts about fortune cookies (including their history), but does not provide any ingredients or allergy information on them. Since no information is provided, we reached out to the PF Chang’s support team for clarification on the ingredients. In a emailed response, Amy of PF Chang’s guest relations said, “Thank you for your note and inquiry. Unfortunately our fortune cookies are not vegan as they are made with egg whites.” Therefore, PF Chang’s fortune cookies are not vegan as they contain egg whites in the ingredients.
Regretfully, Amy did not provide a full list of ingredients along with her response so we couldn’t verify whether they are gluten-free. With that said, it would be safe to assume that PF Chang’s fortune cookies are not gluten-free based on the standard fortune cookie ingredients mentioned above.
Fun Fact: PF Chang’s gives out more than 52 million fortune cookies per year.
If you’re interested in other vegan options at PF Chang’s, make sure to read our article titled “10 Delicious Vegan Options at PF Chang’s“.
According to the questions & answers on the Golden Bowl fortune cookie Amazon product page, the ingredients in the vanilla cookies are: Bleached Wheat Flour, Water, Soybean Letchithin, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural and Artificial Flavor, and FD&C Yellow 5/6. While it is possible that the “Natural and Artificial Flavor” ingredient is animal-based, it is highly unlikely given that this is a sweet cookie. Additionally, the colors Yellow 5 and 6 have been known to be tested on animals. Based on the ingredients alone, Golden Bowl fortune cookies are vegan but depending on your moral stance on animal testing you may abstain from eating these. Golden Bowl’s fortune cookies are not gluten-free as the first ingredient is “Bleached Wheat Flour.”
Golden Bowl’s fortune cookies can be purchased on Amazon.
According to the product description on the Baily’s fortune cookie Amazon product page, the ingredients in the vanilla cookies are: Wheat Flour, Water, Sugar, Less than 2% of Dextrose, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Soybean Oil, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and/or Cottonseed Oil, Corn Oil, Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, FD&C Yellow #5 & #6. As with the Golden Bowl fortune cookies, it is possible that the “Natural and Artificial Flavor” ingredient is animal product based but it is highly unlikely given that this is a sweet cookie. Additionally, the colors Yellow 5 and 6 have been known to be tested on animals. Based on the ingredients alone, Baily’s fortune cookies are vegan but depending on your moral stance on animal testing you may abstain from eating these. Baily’s fortune cookies are not gluten-free as the first ingredient is “Wheat Flour.”
Baily’s fortune cookies can be purchased on Amazon.
Super K
According to the product description on the Super K fortune cookie eBay product page, the ingredients in the fortune cookies are: Bleached Wheat Flour, Sugar, Water Soybean Lecithin, Soybean Oil, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Sodium Bicarbonate, FD&C Yellow #5 & #6. As with the Golden Bowl and Baily’s fortune cookies, it is possible that the “Natural & Artificial Flavor” ingredient is animal-based but it is highly unlikely given that this is a cookie. Additionally, the colors Yellow 5 and 6 have been known to be tested on animals. Based on the ingredients alone, Super K’s fortune cookies are vegan but depending on your moral stance on animal testing you may abstain from eating these. Super K’s fortune cookies are not gluten-free as the first ingredient is “Bleached Wheat Flour.”
Super K’s fortune cookies can be purchased on Amazon.
Summary
Based on the information presented in this article, the majority of fortune cookies on the market are vegan friendly and all are dairy-free. However, none of the fortune cookies were found to be gluten-free. It should be noted that all of the bulk fortune cookies contained colors FD&C Yellow #5 and Yellow #6, both of which are know to be tested on animals. If you choose to avoid all products that contain ingredients tested on animals, then you should abstain from eating fortune cookies.
You can read about other vegan snack options here.
