Is Tomato Sauce Vegan?

So you’re out to eat and wondering about whether or not tomato sauce is vegan. Here’s everything that you need to know…

Is Tomato Sauce Vegan?

Most of the time tomato sauce is vegan, but you need to be very careful. Many restaurants and pizzerias that serve tomato sauce sometimes put Parmesan cheese (or even butter) in the pizza sauce or pasta sauce.

If you’re out to eat, your best bet is to ask whether or not the sauce has dairy in it. Some establishments even have two types of tomato sauce that they serve: regular and marinara.

Most of the time, the marinara is more likely to be vegan than the standard pizza sauce.

If you’re buying store-bought sauce, then simply check the label. The most common ingredients to beware of is meat (in meat flavored sauces) and dairy products from Parmesan or another cheese.

Again, look for the marinara because that’s usually your safest bet.

Let’s dive a little bit deeper into the typical ingredients…

Barilla Tomato Sauce Ingredients

Let’s have a look at Barilla class tomato sauce as an example…

• Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste)
• Diced Tomatoes (Tomatoes, Citric Acid)
• Sugar
• Dried Onions
• Dehydrated Garlic
• Salt
• Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Oregano
• Citric Acid
• Natural Flavor

As you can see, there aren’t any labeled animal products in this tomato sauce.

Some people get concerned about the origins of “natural flavors”, but personally I wouldn’t worry about it.

The large majority, these aren’t of animal origins. 

But even if there was a slim chance, I wouldn’t waste your time diving too deep into it.

Why?

Well, because being vegan should be simple and easy to understand. Once you start looking into every single ingredient that could some how be tainted, then you’ll start driving yourself crazy.

The best way to be vegan is to avoid all labeled animal products such as: milk, meat, eggs, fish, gelatin etc.

If you don’t see those on the ingredient statement, then you’ve done 99.9% of the work you can to reduce the harm to animals with your food choices.

Read Also: Is Barilla Pasta Vegan?

Ways to Use Tomato Sauce

You don’t only have to put tomato sauce on pasta. There are lots of different ways to spice up your meals with it…

• Use it as a dipping sauce for french fries or potatoes.
• Put it on vegan burgers the same way you’d use ketchup.
• Pour some onto tofu scramble like a salsa.
• Enjoy it over rice with veggies and maybe even add some olives!
• Spread it on some toast and sprinkle some nutritional yeast on it along with some fresh basil.

Generally speaking, I like to throw tomato sauce on almost any savory dish. But then again, I’m Italian!

Wrap Up

So, is tomato sauce vegan? It sure is, but you need to be careful. When you eat out, it’s one of those things that it is always best to ask if there is milk or dairy in it.

If buying jarred or canned, you should check the ingredient statement, but most of the products you’ll find are vegan unless you see milk or meat on the label.

Joey Bruno

Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!