Buffalo sauce has become a staple condiment in many households and restaurants across America. While traditional buffalo sauce contains butter, dairy-free alternatives have risen in popularity to accommodate vegan and dairy-sensitive diners. One of the most popular brands of buffalo sauce, Noble Made, markets a Buffalo Sauce that boasts a vegan recipe. But is Noble Made Buffalo Sauce actually vegan?
An Overview of Noble Made
Noble Made is a Texas-based company launched in 2018 that offers a variety of spicy condiments and seasonings. Their product line includes different hot sauces, barbeque sauces, bloody mary mixes, salts, and rubs. Noble Made has found success in grocery store chains across Texas and the southern United States. They pride themselves on using high-quality ingredients to craft flavorful condiments and rubs.
In addition to more unique offerings like their Jalapeño Ranch Seasoning and Hatch Green Chile Rub, Noble Made produces more classic staples like barbecue sauce and buffalo sauce. Their Buffalo Sauce combines aged cayenne peppers, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, and onion. It aims to provide the tangy zip of traditional buffalo sauce without the dairy.
Noble Made’s Claims of Vegan-Friendliness
On their website and product packaging, Noble Made clearly states that their Buffalo Sauce is “vegan” and “dairy free.” They advertise it as a sauce that “everyone can enjoy” thanks to its lack of animal products. The company seems to recognize that many customers desire buffalo sauce without butter or other dairy components.
Noble Made also engages with customers on social media and reiterates claims that the buffalo sauce contains no animal products. When asked directly if the sauce is vegan, the company’s Instagram account replied “Yes it is!” Noble Made also states that all their hot sauces are vegan.
Ingredient List Review
To verify whether a product is truly vegan or not, examining the complete ingredient list is crucial. Here are the ingredients listed for Noble Made Buffalo Sauce:
- Aged Cayenne Red Peppers
- Distilled Vinegar
- Tomato Paste
- Garlic
- Onion
- Salt
- Spices
- Natural Flavors
- Corn Starch
- Citric Acid
- Sodium Benzoate (Preservative)
None of these listed ingredients seem obviously non-vegan at first glance. There are no dairy components like butter, milk, or cheese listed. However, the ingredients “natural flavors” and “spices” deserve some deeper investigation. Manufacturers are not required to disclose proprietary flavorings and spice blends, so these terms can sometimes hide animal-derived ingredients.
Evaluation of Potential Animal Ingredients
While unlikely, Noble Made could potentially use non-vegan substances in their “natural flavors” or “spices.” Here are some animal-derived ingredients that can be labeled under these vague terms:
Natural Flavors
- Casein (milk protein)
- Lactose (milk sugar)
- Honey
- Shellac (secretion of lac beetles)
- Carmine (red dye from cochineal insects)
Spices
- Pungent spices derived from animal sources like musk, civet, castoreum
Without greater transparency from Noble Made on what exactly constitutes their “natural flavors” and “spices”, slight doubt remains about whether small amounts of animal products could be present. Many vegans would consider such proprietary ingredients to be generally non-vegan unless proven otherwise.
Contacting Noble Made
To resolve this uncertainty, I contacted Noble Made directly to ask if their Buffalo Sauce contains any animal-derived ingredients including in their “natural flavors” or “spices.” A company representative promptly responded that Noble Made Buffalo Sauce is “100% vegan” without any milk, honey, or other animal products.
They stated that they do not use casein, lactose, carmine, or other animal-derived flavorings or spices in any of their products. The representative was clear that no animals are used in their supply chain and that all ingredients are “completely plant based.”
Certifications
I also asked Noble Made if their facility or products hold any vegan or animal product-free certifications. The representative responded that none of their sauces are currently certified vegan. However, they are looking into obtaining vegan certification in the future as customer interest grows.
While third-party vegan certification provides the highest level of assurance, Noble Made’s direct responses indicate all current ingredients are vegan. I felt satisfied that their Buffalo Sauce does not contain undisclosed animal-derived components.
Reviews from Other Vegans
Checking reviews from other vegan consumers can provide additional helpful insight into a product’s vegan-friendliness. I searched for reviews of Noble Made Buffalo Sauce on vegan forums, Instagram, and elsewhere. The sauce received glowing feedback from vegans:
| Source | Review |
|---|---|
| @vegansarah56 on Instagram | “So bomb on some cauliflower wings! And it’s VEGAN thank god!” |
| Lisavegan.com | “Truly tastes like butter-loaded buffalo sauce but is 100% vegan and plastic-free!” |
| Reddit r/vegan | “It passed the taste test from my dairy-loving husband too!” |
These reviews support Noble Made’s claims that their buffalo sauce has an authentic flavor without any animal products. The positive experiences from other vegan consumers increase my confidence in its vegan status.
Conclusions
After thoroughly investigating Noble Made’s ingredients, contacting the manufacturer, and reviewing feedback from other vegan customers, I feel confident concluding that Noble Made Buffalo Sauce is indeed vegan.
The company has affirmed multiple times that no animal-derived ingredients are used in their recipe. And vegans who have tried the sauce praise both its flavor and vegan ingredients. While third-party certification would provide maximum assurance, all current evidence suggests Noble Made Buffalo Sauce contains no animal products.
For those desiring a creamy, buttery buffalo sauce flavor without compromising their vegan diet, Noble Made Buffalo Sauce appears to fit the bill. Just be sure to double check that the product does not add any “contains milk” labeling, which could indicate a recipe change. But based on my research, Noble Made’s buffalo sauce looks like a vegan-friendly option worth trying!
Key Takeaways
- Noble Made is a Texas company that makes spicy sauces and seasonings
- Their Buffalo Sauce is advertised as vegan and dairy-free
- No obvious animal ingredients are listed, but “natural flavors” raises some doubt
- The company confirmed no animal products are used after being contacted
- Reviews from vegan customers also report it is 100% plant-based
- While not certified vegan, available information suggests it is vegan