Is Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix Vegan? (2024)

Trying to figure out whether Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix is vegan can be challenging.

Baking mix often contains many ingredients, some of which may be derived from animals.

To make sure that you’re only eating food that aligns with your vegan diet and lifestyle, I’ve looked into the ingredients and production process of Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix.

Here’s what I found.

Table of Contents

Is Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix Vegan?

No. Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix is not vegan.

A few of the pancake mixes made by Pearl Milling Company contain milk or milk by-products. Some of their other breakfast products are vegan friendly, such as their oatmeal and grits, but their pancakes are not.

While some of their pancake mixes may not have any animal-derived ingredients and may be considered vegan at first glance, the unclear source of sugar precludes these products from being vegan. Refined sugar is often processed with animal bone char, made from the ground-up bones of cows and similar animals.

The company has not made any public announcements about changing its recipes to make them vegan friendly, so it’s safe to say that Pearl Milling Company pancake mixes are not going to be vegan anytime soon.

So, if you’re looking for a vegan-friendly pancake mix, Pearl Milling Company, formerly Aunt Jemima until the name was changed in 2021, is not the brand for you. There are plenty of other brands that make delicious vegan pancake mixes without using any animal products whatsoever.

Is Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix Cruelty Free?

Yes. Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix can be considered a cruelty-free brand.

PepsiCo, Pearl Milling Company’s parent company, does not test its products on animals, nor do they commission any third party to test on their behalf. They are conscious of the growing trend of consumers wanting cruelty-free products and are working hard to make all of their brands, including Pearl Milling Company, completely cruelty-free.

So, even though Pearl Milling Company’s Pancake and Waffle Mix is not vegan, it is cruelty free.

What Is Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix Made Of?

Here are the ingredients of Pearl Milling Company Original Pancake and Waffle Mix:

Enriched bleached flour—bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid
Sugar
Leavening agents, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking powder), sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate
Salt
Calcium carbonate—a source of calcium

Let’s break down each ingredient of Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix:

Enriched bleached flour

Enriched bleached flour is a type of flour that has been treated with chemicals to whiten it and add nutrients that were lost during the bleaching process.

Bleached wheat flour

Bleached heat flour is a type of wheat flour that has been treated with chlorine gas or benzoyl peroxide to make it whiter in color. It is used in many baked goods because it gives the finished product a softer texture. It is vegan.

Niacin

Niacin is a type of vitamin B that is important for energy metabolism and keeping the nervous system healthy. Niacin can be from animal, plant, or synthetic sources. However, today’s enriched flour contains synthetic niacin, which is vegan.

Reduced iron

Iron is an essential mineral that helps carry oxygen in the blood and is important for growth and development. The enriched flour used in Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix has had some of the iron removed and then added back in, hence the term “reduced iron.” This process is vegan friendly.

Thiamin mononitrate

Thiamin is another type of vitamin B that is important for metabolism and cell function. Thiamin mononitrate is the synthetic form of thiamin and it is vegan.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin, or vitamin B12, is important for red blood cell production and energy metabolism. The riboflavin in Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix is synthetic and vegan.

Folic acid

Folic acid is a type of vitamin B that is important for the development of the neural tube. It can be from animal, plant, or synthetic sources. However, the folic acid in Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix is synthetic and vegan.

Sugar

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate made from sugar cane or sugar beets. Sugar is plant based, but it becomes non-vegan when it is processed with bone char. Only sugar that is labeled as “organic,” “raw,” or “unrefined” can be considered vegan. Pearl Milling Company did not specify how their sugar is processed, so it is much safer to assume that it is not vegan.

Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda (you probably have some in your fridge right now), is a type of salt that is used as a leavening agent in baking. Baking soda is vegan.

Sodium aluminum phosphate

Sodium aluminum phosphate is another type of salt that is used as a leavening agent in baking. It is vegan.

Monocalcium phosphate

Monocalcium phosphate is another type of salt that is used as a leavening agent in baking. It is vegan.

Salt

Salt is a type of mineral that consists of sodium and chloride. It is used to add flavor to food or as a preservative. It is vegan.

Calcium carbonate (a source of calcium)

Calcium carbonate is a type of salt that is used as a dietary supplement and antacid. It is vegan.

Why Isn’t Pearl Milling Company Pancake Mix Vegan?

Some Pearl Milling Company Pancake and Waffle Mix varieties contain milk and they all contain refined sugar. Sugar is often filtered using animal bone char to make it white. While not all sugar is filtered using bone char, most of them are, and it is impossible to tell which sugar has been filtered and which hasn’t.

So, unless it is specified in the label that the sugar is organic, raw, or unrefined, it is best to assume that it is not vegan.

Is Pearl Milling Company Buttermilk Pancake Mix Vegan?

No. Pearl Milling Company Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix is not vegan as it contains milk products and sugar that may be processed with bone char.