Are Hobnobs Vegan? McVitie's Biscuits Checked

Plain Hobnobs are vegan. The original oat biscuits contain oat flour, sugar, vegetable oil, wheat flour, and raising agents - nothing animal-derived. However, Chocolate Hobnobs are not vegan. The milk chocolate coating contains skimmed milk powder, and this applies to both the Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate varieties (the dark chocolate version still contains milk).

Hobnobs vegan status

The classic original Hobnob, the one in the plain green packet, is vegan. It has been for years and the recipe has not changed. If you are buying Hobnobs as a vegan, look for the plain oaty ones and avoid any variety with a chocolate coating.

Both Milk Chocolate Hobnobs and Dark Chocolate Hobnobs contain milk in the chocolate coating. Despite what the “dark” name might suggest, dark chocolate McVitie’s products still use a chocolate compound that contains dairy. If you want a chocolate biscuit that is vegan, you will need to look elsewhere - see the alternatives section below.

All McVitie's biscuits checked

McVitie’s makes a huge range of biscuits. Here is a full breakdown of the most popular ones:

Vegan McVitie's biscuits

• Rich Tea - one of the UK’s most classic biscuits and accidentally vegan. Simple wheat-flour base with no dairy or egg.
• Digestives (plain) - the original plain digestive is vegan. The same simple wheat and oat base as the Hobnob.
• Bourbon Creams - the cocoa-flavoured sandwich biscuit with the chocolate-flavoured cream filling is vegan. The cocoa flavouring is synthetic and the filling contains no dairy.
• Custard Creams - vegan despite the name. The custard flavouring is artificial and there is no egg or cream in the filling.
• Nice biscuits - the coconut-dusted rectangular biscuit is vegan.
• Ginger Nuts - vegan. Just wheat flour, sugar, golden syrup, ginger, and spices.
• Plain Hobnobs - as above, vegan.

NOT vegan McVitie's biscuits

• Chocolate Digestives - the milk chocolate coating contains dairy. Not vegan.
• Dark Chocolate Digestives - the dark chocolate coating still contains milk. Not vegan.
• Chocolate Hobnobs - as above, dairy in the chocolate. Not vegan.
• Jaffa Cakes - contain egg in the sponge base. Not vegan, and worth noting because new vegans often assume they are fine.
• Caramel Digestives - the caramel contains dairy. Not vegan.
• McVitie's Go Ahead! - several varieties contain dairy. Check the label on each product.

Why are Jaffa Cakes not vegan?

Jaffa Cakes surprise a lot of new vegans. They look like a biscuit but are technically a cake (there was a famous VAT court case about this in 1991). The orange jelly centre is plant-based, but the sponge base contains egg. That is what makes Jaffa Cakes unsuitable for vegans.

There is no widely available vegan Jaffa Cake alternative in UK supermarkets at the time of writing, though some specialist vegan brands produce similar products in health food shops.

Vegan chocolate biscuit alternatives

If you want the chocolate biscuit experience without the dairy, the main options in UK supermarkets are:

• Bourbon Creams - not chocolate-covered but they have a strong cocoa flavour and are accidentally vegan.
• Dark chocolate digestives from own-brand ranges - some supermarket own-brands use dairy-free dark chocolate on their digestives. Check the label carefully as formulations vary.
• Nairn’s Dark Chocolate Oat Biscuits - a specialist biscuit brand that produces oat-based biscuits with dairy-free dark chocolate. Available in most supermarkets.

For a broader look at accidentally vegan snacks and biscuits, see our accidentally vegan UK snacks guide.