Is Vegetable Shortening vegan?
Short answer
Vegetable Shortening is vegan. Modern vegetable shortening (Crisco, Trex) is fully plant-based. Vegan.
Key takeaways
- Verdict: Vegetable Shortening is vegan.
- Commonly found in: Pie crusts, Cookies, Frostings.
- Vegan alternatives: Vegan butter, Coconut oil.
- Scan any barcode with VeggieOS (100% free) for an instant vegan verdict.
What it is
Hydrogenated or interesterified vegetable oils (soy, palm, cottonseed).
Why vegan
Plant-derived. Pre-1900s shortening sometimes contained lard, but today's Crisco and Trex do not.
What a “Vegan” verdict means
A vegan verdict means the ingredient itself contains no animal-derived material and is not conventionally produced using animal inputs. It does not guarantee the finished product is vegan: the same label can carry dairy, egg or honey elsewhere in the list, and shared production lines can add 'may contain milk' warnings.
Where you'll find it
- Pie crusts
- Cookies
- Frostings
At a glance
| Verdict | ✅ Vegan |
|---|---|
| Ingredient family | Fats and oils |
| Typical products | Pie crusts, Cookies, Frostings |
| Best vegan swap | Vegan butter |
| Settled by certification? | Not required |
How to read the label
Vegetable Shortening belongs to the fats and oils family. These are the terms worth scanning for on any ingredient list in this category:
- Tallow
- Suet
- Lard
- Dripping
- Stearic acid
- Glycerin
- Glycerol
- Oleic acid
- Sodium tallowate
- Anything containing 'tallow' or 'stear-' is worth verifying on imported goods.
- 'Vegetable glycerine' and 'vegetable stearate' are explicit and safe.
- Soap listing 'sodium tallowate' is animal-fat soap; 'sodium palmate' or 'sodium cocoate' is plant.
- Pastry, refried beans and traditional bakery goods are the main food exposures to lard.
Mistakes to avoid
| Where it catches people out | What to do |
|---|---|
| Puff pastry | Many all-butter and some 'vegetable fat' pastries still contain lard in traditional recipes. |
| Bar soap and candles | Tallow is a mainstream base in both, especially in budget ranges. |
| Fried food | Beef dripping is still used in some chip shops and fast food fryers. |
Fats and oils in context
Vegetable oils are plant-based by definition, but rendered animal fats sit alongside them in the same shelf space and often under names that sound technical rather than animal: tallow, suet, lard, schmaltz, dripping.
Derivatives are the harder problem. Stearic acid, glycerine, oleic acid and their salts can be produced from either palm and coconut oil or from slaughterhouse fat, and the label uses one word for both routes.
In practice European manufacturers use vegetable feedstock for cost and allergen reasons, while imported and cosmetic products are more mixed.
Does certification help? For toiletries a vegan trademark resolves the stearate and glycerine question instantly; for food, allergen labelling does not help because animal fats are not allergens.
Vegan alternatives
- Vegan butter
- Coconut oil
FAQ
- Does Crisco contain palm oil?
- Yes — a blend of soybean and palm oils.
- Is glycerine vegan?
- It depends on feedstock. Most food-grade glycerine in Europe is vegetable, but the label rarely says. 'Vegetable glycerine' is the safe form.
- Is palm oil vegan?
- Technically yes. Many vegans avoid it anyway on habitat-destruction grounds and choose RSPO-certified or palm-free products.
Sources
Last reviewed June 4, 2026