Yes. Lentil pasta (red or green) is typically vegan. However, not all varieties are vegan. Some brands may add non-vegan ingredients to their lentil pasta.
Restaurant-bought lentil pasta is not always vegan too. It may have eggs, cheese, meat, or other animal-derived ingredients. Moreover, ready-to-eat pasta boxes aren’t always vegan. So, read the labels and check the ingredients before buying.
Lentil pasta is available in almost all pasta shapes. You can have penne, rotini, spaghetti, elbows, shells, wheels, and ziti.
What is Lentil Pasta Made of?
Lentil pasta is made from red or green lentil flour and water. Some brands may add ingredients like chickpea flour, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, pea protein, and tapioca starch. You will hardly see a non-vegan ingredient in lentil pasta. However, you must always check the ingredients and labels before buying.
Is Lentil Pasta Gluten-Free?
Yes. Lentil pasta is typically gluten-free because it is free from wheat. It is not necessary that restaurant-ordered or ready-to-eat lentil pasta is gluten-free too.
Is Lentil Pasta Dairy-Free?
Dry lentil pasta is dairy-free. The same cannot be said when eating out or buying ready-to-eat lentil pasta.
Is Lentil Pasta better than Wheat Pasta?
Lentil pasta is often considered a healthy option to regular wheat pasta. It is high in fiber and protein. Moreover, lentils are loaded with iron, folate, potassium, and phosphorous. All these ingredients are good for your health as they reduce the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.
Is Lentil Pasta Keto-Friendly?
No. Lentil pasta is not recommended for keto diet. Lentils contain up to 20 grams of carbohydrates in a 100-gram serving, making them unfit for a ketogenic diet.
Is Lentil Pasta Plant-Based?
Yes. Lentil pasta is plant-based. You must check the USDA-organic label to ensure that organic lentils are used for making pasta.
How can I tell if my Pasta is 100% Vegan?
Lentil pasta is usually vegan, but you cannot be sure until you check the labels and ingredients on the packaging. Look for vegan, organic, and plant-based labels. Avoid ingredients like egg white, whey, lactose, casein, or dairy. Some pastas are colored using squid ink obtained from squids. So, make sure you avoid it.
A few dry pastas have calcium phosphate, mono & diglycerides, and iron lactate as ingredients. Make sure that they are plant-based.
Always ask about the ingredients when eating out and order vegan versions. Most ready-to-eat pasta isn’t vegan. So check the ingredients. Please note that most restaurants prepare vegan and non-vegan dishes using the same equipment. Hence, there is always a risk of cross-contamination.
Vegan Lentil Pasta Brands
Barilla Red Lentil Rotini Pasta
The gluten-free vegan pasta is made with red lentil flour. The rotini pasta is rich in proteins and contains up to 23 grams of protein in a 3.5 oz serving. The Non-GMO pasta tastes great and can be used in all vegan recipes.
Chickapea Organic Chickpea and Red Lentil Pasta Spirals
Chickapea is a 100% vegan brand. The best thing about this brand is that all its products are vegan and don’t come with a cross-contamination warning. This pasta is made with USDA-organic-certified ingredients, and it is naturally gluten-free. It is made from chickpea and red lentil flour.
Bionaturae Rigatoni Gluten-Free Pasta
The rice and lentil pasta is made from white and brown rice flour and yellow lentil flour. All the ingredients in the recipe are USDA organic certified and gluten-free. The rigatoni pasta is rich in proteins and free from soy, starch, or gums.
Explore Cuisine Red Lentil Penne Pasta
Explore Cuisine is another vegan-friendly brand. Its red lentil penne pasta is vegan, gluten-free, and made from 100% organic ingredients. The ingredients are red lentil flour and brown rice flour.
Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Rotini Pasta
Last but not least, Tolerant’s organic pasta is another excellent option for lentil pasta lovers. All the ingredients are USDA organic certified, gluten-free and vegan. Tolerant makes only vegan products, so you don’t have to worry about cross-contamination from non-vegan ingredients.
Is Chickpea Pasta Vegan?
Yes. Chickpea pasta is usually vegan. It is made from chickpea flour, water, and some other ingredients. However, you must always check the ingredients before buying.
Is Dry Pasta Vegan?
Dry pasta is mostly vegan. It is made from flour and water. Some variations may not be vegan as they may have egg or other animal-derived ingredients. So, never skip checking ingredients and labels before buying.
Is Barilla Pasta Vegan?
Most of Barilla’s dry pasta is vegan. However, the same cannot be said about its ready-to-eat pastas and sauces.
Is De Cecco Pasta Vegan?
Yes. Most of De Cecco’s pasta is vegan. It is made with durum wheat, water, and other ingredients. Please note that it makes egg pasta too. So, there is always a risk of cross-contamination in its vegan variations.
Is Banza Pasta Vegan?
Yes. All of Banza’s dry pasta is vegan. It is made with chickpeas. On the contrary, Banza Pizza and mac & cheese are not always vegan. So, you must check the ingredients before buying.
Is Penne Pasta Vegan?
Penne pasta is sold as dry pasta, and it is mostly vegan. Restaurant-bought penne pasta is typically not vegan unless you ask the chef to make it vegan.
Is Pesto Pasta Vegan?
Traditional pesto pasta is not vegan because it is made with parmesan cheese. However, you can pesto pasta at home with 100% vegan ingredients.
Is Pasta Primavera Vegan?
Pasta Primavera is typically not vegan as it is made with dairy cheese. Some recipes may even have meat in them.
Is Pasta Salad Vegan?
It is vegan if it is free from animal-derived ingredients like eggs, chicken, or cheese. So, always check the ingredients before buying.
Is Pasta Sauce Vegan?
It depends on the ingredients. Most store-bought pasta sauce is vegan as it is made from tomatoes. However, some variations may have bacon, cheese, and chicken broth.
