![Vegan Microwave Popcorn: The Ultimate Guide [Dairy-Free Brands]](https://iamgoingvegan.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/vegan-microwave-popcorn.jpg)
Tyler McFarland on January 31, 2021
Updated on November 8, 2023 Reviewed and fact-checked Found a mistake? Let us know!
Popcorn is my favorite food. No exaggeration—it’s number one. And in 13 years as a vegan, I’ve had popcorn so many ways. Today, I decided to do a complete survey of microwave popcorn brands to make a list of vegan options. So, is microwave popcorn vegan?
Out of 99 microwave popcorn products checked, 34 were vegan and 65 were not vegan. Most microwave popcorn flavors contain “butter” or “natural flavors (including milk).” The most common vegan flavors are “sea salt” and “kettle corn,” but some “butter” flavors are vegan, too.
When I started working on this post, I decided to make it the ultimate vegan guide to microwave popcorn—and I think I’ve succeeded. Below, I cover every major brand of microwave popcorn and which of their products are vegan. Let’s go!
How to Check If Microwave Popcorn Is Vegan
When it comes to finding vegan microwave popcorn, you need to quickly identify whether the popcorn contains a milk ingredient.
I recommend first checking for an allergen warning at the end of the ingredients list.
If the popcorn contains dairy, then it should say “CONTAINS MILK” or something similar. When you see that milk warning, just move on and check the next box of microwave popcorn.
Keep in mind, if the allergen warning says “MAY CONTAIN MILK,” that is typically still considered vegan-friendly. “May contain milk” just means that it was made in a facility that uses dairy products, but there is no dairy being used intentionally in that product.
Read more about “may contain milk” warnings here.
Side Note: This is the best free video introduction I’ve found on adopting a plant-based diet—the right way. You’ll learn how to lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and obesity—all with plants. Watch the free Masterclass here.
Milk Ingredients in Microwave Popcorn
There are quite a few different milk ingredients you can find in microwave popcorn products. Keep an eye out for the following dairy ingredients:
- Butter
- Clarified Butter
- Dried Butter
- Butter Oil
- Natural Butter Flavor
- Dry Buttermilk
- Natural Flavor (Includes Milk)
- Dried Parmesan Cheese
- Dried Cheddar Cheese
- White Cheddar Powder
- Natural White Cheddar Flavor
The cheese ingredients are not very common, but “butter” and “natural flavors (including milk)” are very common. Most microwave popcorn flavors are likely to contain one of those. But I promise you—there are dairy-free microwave popcorn brands!
“Gray Area” Ingredients in Microwave Popcorn
There are a couple other ingredients in microwave popcorn that the most picky vegans may worry about.
- Palm oil – Almost all microwave popcorn is made with palm oil, which is controversial to vegans due to sustainability issues. That said, as I explained in my post about Crisco, some palm oil is “responsibly sourced.” See below for microwave popcorn options without palm oil.
- Sucralose – Kettle corn and other sweet flavors of popcorns sometimes have sucralose, which is typically considered vegan but has an infamous history of animal testing (read more here).
- Artificial Colors – Some popcorn flavors are flavored to be a deeper yellow color using artificial colors like yellow 5 or yellow 6. Artificial colors are not always considered vegan due to ongoing animal testing concerns.
Alright, now that we covered which ingredients to look for, let’s get into the vegan microwave popcorn brands!
In the following lists, I won’t bother mentioning the “gray area” ingredients. I’ll just be looking at the dairy ingredients.
Is Act 2 Popcorn Vegan?
Three flavors of Act 2 microwave popcorn are vegan: Butter Lovers, Kettle Corn, and Llama Party (Cotton Candy). All the other flavors contain butter or milk ingredients.
Act II Butter Lovers popcorn is one of the most famous examples of a food that sounds non-vegan, but it actually is vegan. It doesn’t contain real butter. It’s some kind of crazy chemical magic—but it’s not derived from animals.
Here is the full list of Act 2 popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Xtreme Butter | No | Butter |
| Butter Lovers | Yes | – |
| Movie Theater Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Light Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Homestyle | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Buttery Kettle Corn | No | Milk |
| 94% Fat Free Butter | No | Butter |
| Llama Party (Cotton Candy) | Yes | – |
Is Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Vegan?
Six flavors of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn are vegan: Kettle Corn, SmartPop! Kettle Corn, Naturals: Simply Salted, Naturals Light: Simply Salted, Avocado Oil Popcorn, and Skinnygirl Lime & Salt. The rest contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full list of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Movie Theater Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Pour Over Movie Theater Butter | No | Butter |
| Ultimate Butter | No | Butter |
| Butter | No | Butter |
| Light Butter | No | Butter |
| Tender White | No | Butter |
| Home Recipe | No | Butter |
| Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Cheddar Cheese | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk), Butter Oil |
| SmartPop! Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| SmartPop! Butter | No | Butter |
| Naturals: Simply Salted | Yes | – |
| Naturals Light: Simply Salted | Yes | – |
| Naturals Light: Butter & Sea Salt | No | Butter |
| Avocado Oil Popcorn | Yes | – |
| Skinnygirl Butter & Sea Salt | No | Butter |
| Skinnygirl Lime & Salt | Yes | – |
Is Pop Secret Vegan?
Eight flavors of Pop Secret microwave popcorn are vegan: Kettle Corn, Sea Salt, 94% Fat Free Kettle Corn, Sweet ‘n Crunchy Caramel, Sweet ‘n Crunchy Kettle Corn, Kidz First Order Kettle Corn, Pumpkin Spice, and Popfetti. The others contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full list of Pop Secret microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Movie Theater Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Jumbo Pop! Movie Theater Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Extra Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Double Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Homestyle | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Jumbo Pop! Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Sea Salt | Yes | – |
| 94% Fat Free Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Light Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| 94% Fat Free Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Sweet ‘n Crunchy Caramel | Yes | – |
| Sweet ‘n Crunchy Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Kidz Galactic Butter | No | Natural Flavors (Including Milk) |
| Kidz First Order Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Pumpkin Spice | Yes | – |
| Popfetti | Yes | – |
Is Jolly Time Popcorn Vegan?
Three flavors of Jolly Time microwave popcorn are vegan: Simply Popped Sea Salt, KettleMania, and Healthy Pop Kettle Corn. The other flavors contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full list of Jolly Time microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Blast O Butter | No | Butter, Dry Buttermilk |
| Simply Popped Butter | No | Clarified Butter |
| Simply Popped Sea Salt | Yes | – |
| Xtra Butter | No | Butter, Dry Buttermilk |
| Butter | No | Butter, Dry Buttermilk |
| Crispy ‘n White | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Crispy ‘n White Light | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| KettleMania | Yes | – |
| Mallow Magic | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| The Big Cheez | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Healthy Pop Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Healthy Pop Crispy ‘n White | No | Natural Flavor (Including Milk) |
| Healthy Pop Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
Is Newman’s Own Popcorn Vegan?
Two flavors of Newman’s Own microwave popcorn are vegan: Sea Salt and Tender White. The other flavors all contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full list of Newman’s Own microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Butter | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| Movie Theater Butter | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| Sea Salt | Yes | – |
| Tender White | Yes | – |
| Touch of Butter | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| Organic Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Contains Milk) |
| Organic Touch of Butter | No | Natural Flavor (Contains Milk) |
Is Boom Chicka Pop Microwave Popcorn Vegan?
Two flavors of Boom Chicka Pop microwave popcorn are vegan: Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn and Lightly Sweet Kettle Corn. However, the Real Butter Popcorn flavor is not vegan, as it contains butter.
Here is the full table of Book Chicka Pop microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is it Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn | Yes | – |
| Real Butter Popcorn | No | Butter |
| Lightly Sweet Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
Is 365 Microwave Popcorn Vegan?
The “No Oil or Salt Added” flavor of 365 microwave popcorn is vegan. The Butter Flavor and Light Butter Flavor are not vegan, as they contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full table of 365 microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is it Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Butter Flavor | No | Organic Butter Flavor |
| Light Butter Flavor | No | Organic Butter Flavor |
| No Oil or Salt Added | Yes | – |
Is Quinn Popcorn Vegan?
Two flavors of Quinn Pop microwave popcorn are vegan: Vermont Maple Kettle Corn and Just Sea Salt. The other flavors all contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full table of Quinn microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Aged Parmesan & Rosemary | No | Dried Parmesan Cheese |
| Real Butter & Sea Salt | No | Dried Butter |
| White Cheddar & Sea Salt | No | Dried Cheddar Cheese |
| Vermont Maple Kettle Corn | Yes | – |
| Just Sea Salt | Yes | – |
| Movie Theater Extra Butter | No | Grass-Fed Clarified Butter |
Is Skinny Pop Microwave Popcorn Vegan?
Both flavors of Skinny Pop microwave popcorn are vegan. Surprisingly, the Butter flavor of Skinny Pop does not include real butter. Instead, it includes “Natural Non-Dairy Butter Flavor” and it is certified vegan.
Here is the table of Skinny Pop microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Sea Salt | Yes | – |
| Butter | Yes | – |
Is Pop Weaver Popcorn Vegan?
No flavors of Pop Weaver microwave popcorn are vegan. All of them contain real butter.
Here is the table of Pop Weaver microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Extra Butter | No | Butter |
| Butter | No | Butter |
| Light Butter | No | Butter |
| Kettle Corn | No | Butter |
Is Cousin Willie’s Popcorn Vegan?
Only one flavor of Cousin Willie’s microwave popcorn is vegan: Just a Hint of Sea Salt Microwave Popcorn. The other flavors all contain milk ingredients.
Here is the full table of Cousin Willie’s microwave popcorn flavors and whether they’re vegan:
| Flavor | Is It Vegan? | Animal Ingredients |
| Buttery Explosion | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| Movie Theater Butter | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| White Cheddar | No | Natural White Cheddar Flavor |
| Natural White Cheddar | No | White Cheddar Powder, Natural White Cheddar Flavor |
| Cinnamon Toast | No | Natural Butter Flavor |
| Butter | No | Natural |