Cherry pie is a classic American dessert, beloved for its sweet and tart cherry filling enveloped in a flaky pie crust. While traditional cherry pie fillings are often made with dairy products like butter or eggs, vegan bakers need an animal-free alternative that doesn’t compromise on flavor or texture. This raises an important question – is popular canned cherry pie filling brand Comstock vegan?
Comstock produces several varieties of canned cherry pie fillings, which are a convenient shortcut for both time-pressed home bakers and food industry professionals. When a recipe calls for cherry pie filling, Comstock products are some of the most widely available and popular options on grocery store shelves. However, with specialty diets like veganism continuing to expand, it’s important to analyze these mass-market products closely to determine if they fit the parameters of a vegan diet.
In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the ingredients lists of Comstock cherry pie fillings to determine if they are suitable for vegans. We’ll also explore some of the aspects that can make pie fillings vegan or not, examine some vegan cherry pie filling alternatives, and provide tips for modifying recipes to make them vegan-friendly. Let’s dig in to solve the mystery of whether this beloved brand’s cherry offerings are vegan approved.
Examining Comstock’s Cherry Pie Filling Ingredients
To determine if a product is vegan, the first place to check is always the ingredients list. Here are the ingredients for two of Comstock’s most popular cherry pie filling varieties:
Comstock Original Recipe Cherry Pie Filling
Ingredients: Cherries, Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Modified Food Starch, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate , Sodium Benzoate, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40.
Comstock Wilderness Cherry Pie Filling
Ingredients: Cherries, Water, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Ascorbic Acid , Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Malic Acid.
At first glance, both of these Comstock cherry pie fillings appear to be vegan – there are no obvious animal products like dairy, eggs, or meat derivatives in either ingredients list. However, we need to take a closer look at a few key ingredients to say for sure whether these products are vegan.
Sugar and Sweeteners
The sweeteners used in Comstock’s pie fillings include sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. None of these contain animal products, so they are vegan. However, some strict vegans also avoid products with high fructose corn syrup due to concerns over highly processed ingredients and GMOs. But from a solely vegan (rather than whole foods) perspective, standard granulated sugar and corn syrups are considered vegan.
Natural and Artificial Flavors
Neither of Comstock’s cherry pie filling varieties listed above contain natural or artificial flavors. However, some of their other fruit pie fillings do, so this is an important element to watch out for. Natural and artificial flavorings can sometimes contain animal products or be tested on animals, so they are not always vegan. When in doubt, contacting the manufacturer is the best way to find out if the flavors used are vegan.
Colors
The original Comstock cherry pie filling contains two artificial food colors – FD&C Yellow #5 and FD&C Red #40. Artificial food dyes sometimes come from animal sources or are tested on animals, so their vegan status is questionable. Again, contacting the manufacturer provides the most definitive answer in determining if their food coloring ingredients are vegan.
Preservatives
Comstock uses preservatives like potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, and citric acid in their cherry pie fillings. These preservative ingredients do not contain animal products and are considered vegan.
Verdict: Comstock Cherry Pie Filling is Not Vegan
Based on a close inspection of the ingredients lists, we can determine that – unfortunately – neither variety of Comstock cherry pie filling above is definitively vegan:
– The original recipe contains artificial colors that may come from animal sources.
– While the wilderness variety doesn’t contain artificial colors, Comstock doesn’t label any of their products as “vegan” or “dairy-free”. This makes it unlikely that they are actively formulating their products to be vegan, since they aren’t marketing them that way.
So in summary, although the ingredient lists may appear vegan at first glance, the lack of a vegan certification on the label and the use of questionable artificial colors means Comstock’s popular canned cherry pie fillings are likely not vegan.
Why Pie Fillings May Not Be Vegan
Now that we’ve determined Comstock’s cherry offerings aren’t vegan, let’s take a broader look at why pie fillings often fail the vegan test:
Dairy Ingredients
Traditional pie fillings are designed to thicken, set, and provide a creamy texture. To achieve this, they often contain butter, milk, cream, or powdered milk products. All of these dairy ingredients make the pie filling non-vegan.
Eggs
Eggs serve as another common ingredient in many classic pie filling recipes. They help bind and thicken the fruit filling. Sometimes egg yolks or whites get incorporated into the filling itself, while other times whole eggs get brushed on top of the pie. In all cases, eggs are not vegan.
Gelatin
Gelatin, a common thickening agent, is derived from the collagen in animal bones and connective tissues. Non-vegan pie fillings sometimes contain gelatin to help them set up.
Carmine Coloring
Natural Red Dye No. 4, also called carmine or cochineal extract, is a red food coloring derived from crushed insect shells. It is sometimes used in fruit pie fillings to provide a brighter red color. Carmine is never vegan.
Unclear Labeling
As we saw with the Comstock products, sometimes the ingredients seem vegan based on the list provided, but there is no definitive “vegan” label claim on the packaging. This can mean the company’s products aren’t formulated to be strictly vegan, and they may rely on animal-derived ingredients, additives, colorings, or processing aids that aren’t disclosed. Clear vegan labeling provides more assurance.
Vegan Cherry Pie Filling Options
Thankfully, there are a growing number of store-bought vegan cherry pie filling options available for those avoiding animal products:
Jehosaphat Organic Cherry Pie Filling
Jehosaphat is a brand catering to the vegan and vegetarian marketplace. Their organic, non-GMO cherry pie filling contains just five simple ingredients: organic Montmorency cherries, organic cane sugar, tapioca flour, citric acid, and ascorbic acid. It’s dairy, egg, and gelatin free.
Taste of Italy Maraschino Cherry Pie Filling
Taste of Italy specializes in vegan gourmet canned foods. Their Maraschino cherry pie filling is dairy free, with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. It’s made with only maraschino cherries, water, cane sugar, black cherry concentrate, tapioca starch, sunflower oil, and sea salt.
Natures Value Cherry Pie Filling
Nature’s Value products are free from over 125 common allergens and are verified by the Non-GMO Project. Their cherry pie filling contains cherries, cane sugar, rice starch, vegetable glycerine, sunflower oil, citric acid, and natural flavors. The citric acid and natural flavors would need to be verified as vegan by contacting the company.
Read Labels Carefully
Some mainstream brands like Lucky Leaf and Whole Foods 365 do offer cherry pie fillings that seem to be vegan based on the ingredients list. However, as we saw with Comstock, it’s important to read labels carefully and look for an explicit vegan or dairy-free claim to be sure. When in doubt, check with the manufacturer directly.
How to “Veganize” Non-Vegan Pie Fillings
If you don’t have access to vegan store-bought pie fillings, the good news is that many traditional pie filling recipes can be easily modified at home:
Swap dairy for plant-based milk
Any milk, cream, or butter can be replaced with unsweetened plain dairy-free milk (soy, almond, oat, etc), vegan margarine, or coconut oil. You may need to experiment with starch thickeners like cornstarch to get the right consistency when omitting dairy.
Use vegan egg replacers
Common egg replacements for baking include:
– Ground flax or chia seeds whisked with water
– Banana or applesauce
– Commercial egg replacer powder
– Silken tofu blended until smooth
Omit gelatin completely
Gelatin can simply be left out of pie fillings completely, and other starch thickeners like cornstarch used instead. Or you can use agar agar powder or kuzu root starch to provide a similar jelling effect.
Swap artificial colors for natural options
Plant-based natural coloring options include pureed fruits and vegetables (like beets or spinach for red/pink), turmeric for yellow, and activated charcoal for black. Or leave the coloring out completely.
Check labels on thickeners
Some starchy thickeners and gums like xanthan or guar gum can be animal-derived. Opt for plant-based starches like arrowroot, cornstarch, potato starch, or tapioca instead.
Homemade Vegan Cherry Pie Filling Recipe
To demonstrate, here is a simple recipe for a classic homemade vegan cherry pie filling:
Vegan Cherry Pie Filling
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients:
– 4 cups fresh or frozen pitted cherries
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 3 tablespoons cornstarch
– 1 tablespoon lemon juice
– 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
– Pinch salt
Instructions:
1. In a saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Stir in the cherries and toss to coat evenly.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using as pie filling. Filling will thicken more as it cools.
4. Use in your favorite vegan pie crust or pastry.
With a simple whole food plant-based recipe like this, you can easily avoid the animal product pitfalls found in many commercial pie fillings. Feel free to double or triple the batch size and freeze any extra homemade cherry pie filling for later use.
The Bottom Line
When scanning grocery store shelves, mainstream brands like Comstock often don’t have vegan labeling or formulation in mind. Their cherry pie fillings rely on eggs, dairy, gels, and ambiguous artificial colors that may come from animal sources. To enjoy vegan cherry pie, your best bets are to seek out commercial fillings carrying a vegan label, or modify traditional recipes to swap animal products for plant-based alternatives. With a few easy substitutions, you can whip up homemade cherry pie filling that’s just as delicious without compromising your vegan diet.