TL;DR
Hula Hoops Original and Salt and Vinegar are vegan. Big Hoops Original and Big Hoops Spicy Chilli are also vegan. BBQ Beef, Big Hoops BBQ Beef, Cheese and Onion and Roast Chicken all contain milk and are not suitable for vegans. The Puft range is a grey area. All flavours are made in a factory that also handles milk, so there is a cross-contamination caveat throughout.
Hula Hoops have been a fixture in British snack aisles since 1973 and they are one of those crisps that sounds like they should all be vegan. Potato, oil, salt. How complicated can it get?
Fairly complicated, as it turns out. Several flavoured varieties pull in dairy ingredients you would not necessarily expect, and the naming does not always help. Roast Chicken containing milk while tasting nothing like chicken is the kind of thing that catches people out.
This post covers every current Hula Hoops variety with the vegan status checked against ingredient information. No guessing
What Are Hula Hoops Made From?
The Original Hula Hoops recipe is genuinely simple. Potato starch, dried potato, sunflower oil, rice flour, maize flour, salt and potassium chloride. That is the complete ingredients list. Nothing derived from animals, nothing ambiguous. As plain and vegan-friendly as a crisp gets.
The problems start when flavourings enter the picture. Several Hula Hoops varieties use dairy-based ingredients in their seasoning blends, most commonly dried whey from milk. Whey is a byproduct of cheese production and is not suitable for vegans.
KP Snacks, which makes Hula Hoops, labels milk clearly in bold in all ingredient lists as required by UK law. Spotting the problem is straightforward once you know what to look for. Browse the full range we stock on our Hula Hoops category page.
Standard Hula Hoops: Which Are Vegan?
Original – Vegan. Potato, sunflower oil, rice flour, maize flour, salt and potassium chloride. One of the cleanest ingredient lists of any flavoured crisp on the UK market.
Salt and Vinegar – Vegan. The seasoning blend contains natural flavourings, salt, citric acid, rice flour, dextrose, sugar, maltodextrin and dried yeast extract. All plant-based.
BBQ Beef – NOT vegan. Contains dried whey from milk in the barbecue beef flavouring. Despite the name, the non-vegan ingredient here is dairy, not beef.
Cheese and Onion – NOT vegan. Contains milk. Unsurprising given cheese is in the name, but worth confirming.
Roast Chicken – NOT vegan. Also contains milk derivatives in the seasoning. No actual chicken, but not vegan either.
Big Hoops: Which Are Vegan?
Big Hoops are larger versions of the standard ring and come in their own set of flavours.
Big Hoops Original – Vegan. Same straightforward ingredients as standard Original. No animal products.
Big Hoops Spicy Chilli – Vegan. The spicy chilli seasoning contains sugar, salt, flavourings, citric acid, potassium chloride, dried onion, cayenne pepper and dried yeast extract. Fully plant-based.
Big Hoops BBQ Beef – NOT vegan. Contains milk, same as the standard BBQ Beef variety.
Puft Hula Hoops: The Grey Area
Puft Hula Hoops are a lighter, puffed version of the classic ring made with wheat flour rather than potato. All Puft flavours contain an emulsifier called E471, which can be derived from either vegetable oils or animal fat depending on the source.
KP does not specify the source of E471 in Puft Hula Hoops and the range is only certified vegetarian, not vegan. Strict vegans typically avoid products containing E471 where the source is unconfirmed. If you follow a plant-based diet for ethical reasons and want to be certain, the standard Original and Salt and Vinegar are a safer choice.
The Factory Cross-Contamination Caveat
All Hula Hoops varieties are produced in a factory that also handles milk. This means every pack carries a “may contain milk” advisory, including the vegan-friendly flavours.
For most vegans this is not a concern. The vegan flavours themselves contain no animal ingredients. The cross-contamination warning exists because the same factory equipment is used across the range, not because milk is in the recipe.
If you have a severe dairy allergy rather than an ethical objection to dairy, the cross-contamination risk is worth taking seriously. If your reasons for avoiding animal products are ethical, the Original and Salt and Vinegar are widely considered vegan-friendly.
How Do Hula Hoops Compare to Other Vegan Crisps?
If Hula Hoops Original and Salt and Vinegar are your go-to vegan options in the KP range, it is worth knowing that Skips are also vegan despite tasting like prawn cocktail. Space Raiders across all three main flavours are also vegan. We cover all of these in our complete guide to vegan crisps in the UK.
For those who need gluten free as well as vegan, we have a separate post checking whether Hula Hoops are gluten free across every flavour, and a full UK guide to gluten free crisps if you want the broader picture.
Quick Summary
- Hula Hoops Original – Vegan
- Hula Hoops Salt and Vinegar – Vegan
- Big Hoops Original – Vegan
- Big Hoops Spicy Chilli – Vegan
- Hula Hoops BBQ Beef – NOT vegan (contains milk)
- Big Hoops BBQ Beef – NOT vegan (contains milk)
- Hula Hoops Cheese and Onion – NOT vegan (contains milk)
- Hula Hoops Roast Chicken – NOT vegan (contains milk)
- Puft range – Grey area (contains E471, source unconfirmed, only vegetarian certified)
All flavours made in a factory that handles milk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Hula Hoops vegan?
Some Hula Hoops flavours are vegan and some are not. Original, Salt and Vinegar, Big Hoops Original and Big Hoops Spicy Chilli are all vegan. BBQ Beef, Big Hoops BBQ Beef, Cheese and Onion and Roast Chicken contain milk and are not suitable for vegans.
Are Hula Hoops Original vegan?
Yes. Hula Hoops Original contain no animal-derived ingredients. The full ingredients list is potato starch, dried potato, sunflower oil, rice flour, maize flour, salt and potassium chloride. They are made in a factory that handles milk, but the product itself is plant-based.
Are Hula Hoops BBQ Beef vegan?
No. Hula Hoops BBQ Beef contains dried whey from milk in the barbecue beef flavouring. Despite the name, the non-vegan ingredient is dairy rather than beef.
Are Hula Hoops Puft vegan?
Puft Hula Hoops are a grey area. They contain E471, an emulsifier that can be derived from either animal fat or vegetable oil. KP does not confirm the source and the range is only certified vegetarian, not vegan. Strict vegans typically avoid them.
Are Big Hoops vegan?
Big Hoops Original and Big Hoops Spicy Chilli are both vegan. Big Hoops BBQ Beef is not vegan as it contains milk. Always check the pack as recipes can change.
Do Hula Hoops contain dairy?
The Original and Salt and Vinegar flavours contain no dairy ingredients. BBQ Beef, Cheese and Onion and Roast Chicken all contain milk derivatives. All Hula Hoops are made in a factory that also handles milk, so every pack carries a may contain milk advisory.