If you are vegan and shopping the Girl Scout Cookie lineup, you have a few clear options. The vegan cookies change from year to year, but the current core lineup includes Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties (also called Tagalongs in some regions), and Lemonades. These three are consistently vegan because they contain no dairy, eggs, honey, or other animal-derived ingredients. However, not every cookie in the lineup is vegan, and the availability of specific varieties depends on which of the two licensed bakers supplies your local council.
Which Girl Scout Cookies Are Vegan?
The vegan-friendly cookies in the current standard lineup are Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, and Lemonades. These varieties contain no animal-derived ingredients like milk, eggs, or honey. Thin Mints are the classic chocolate wafer coated in mint chocolate. Peanut Butter Patties are round cookies with a peanut butter filling covered in chocolate. Lemonades are simple shortbread-style cookies with a lemon icing.
Some regional lineups also include Toast-Yay! as a vegan option, but this is not consistent across all bakers. Toast-Yay! is a French toast–inspired cookie, and its vegan status depends on which bakery produced it. If you see Toast-Yay! in your local booth, check the ingredient list on the box before assuming it is vegan.
Why Do Vegan Options Vary by Region?
Girl Scout Cookies are made by two licensed bakers: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. Each baker produces its own versions of the cookies, and the recipes are not identical. A cookie that is vegan from one baker may contain milk or eggs from the other. The names also differ between bakers. For example, Little Brownie Bakers calls the peanut butter and chocolate cookie Tagalongs, while ABC Bakers calls it Peanut Butter Patties. The product is the same concept, but the ingredient lists can differ.
This two-baker system explains why you might read online that a certain cookie is vegan, only to check the box at your local booth and find it contains whey or milk powder. The safest approach is to read the ingredient label on every box, every year. Recipes occasionally change, and a cookie that was vegan last season may not be this season.
Which Girl Scout Cookies Are Not Vegan?
Most of the other cookies in the lineup contain dairy or eggs. Samoas (also called Caramel deLites) contain caramel, which typically includes milk or cream. Do-si-dos (also called Peanut Butter Sandwich) contain milk. Adventurefuls, a brownie-inspired cookie with caramel and sea salt, contain milk and eggs. Trefoils, the shortbread cookies, contain butter. Lemon-Ups contain milk.
Some cookies contain honey. Honey is not vegan because it is produced by bees. Depending on the baker and the year, certain varieties may list honey in their ingredients. This is another reason to check labels rather than relying on a list from a previous season.
Here is a quick reference for the common varieties and their typical non-vegan ingredients:
- Samoas / Caramel deLites — contain milk and caramel
- Do-si-dos / Peanut Butter Sandwich — contain milk
- Trefoils — contain butter (milk)
- Adventurefuls — contain milk and eggs
- Lemon-Ups — contain milk
- Toast-Yay! — varies by baker; check the label
Are Thin Mints Always Vegan?
Thin Mints are vegan from both bakers in the current standard recipes. They contain no dairy, eggs, honey, or other animal products. The primary ingredients are enriched flour, sugar, cocoa, and mint oil. This has been consistent for several years, but it is still worth checking the box because manufacturers can change recipes without announcement.
One clarification matters here: Thin Mints contain sugar. Some vegans choose to avoid sugar processed with bone char, a refining method used by some sugar producers. Girl Scout Cookies do not specify the source of their sugar. If you follow a strict vegan diet that excludes bone-char-processed sugar, you may want to factor this in. Most major vegan organizations consider Thin Mints vegan because the sugar source is not disclosed as animal-derived, but the ambiguity is real.
How to Confirm a Cookie Is Vegan at the Booth
The only reliable way to know if a specific box of Girl Scout Cookies is vegan is to read the ingredient list on the packaging. Do not rely on the cookie’s name alone, because the two bakers use different recipes. Do not rely on online lists from previous years, because formulas can change.
Look specifically for these ingredients on the label:
- Milk, whey, casein, or milkfat
- Eggs or egg whites
- Honey
- Gelatin
- Carmine or confectioner’s glaze (shellac) — these are less common in Girl Scout Cookies but appear in some coated varieties
If the label lists none of these, the cookie is vegan by ingredient standards. The Girl Scouts organization publishes allergen information on each box, and the ingredient list is printed clearly on the side or bottom of the package.
Do Girl Scout Cookie Ingredients Change Year to Year?
Yes. Recipes and ingredient sources can change between seasons. A cookie that was vegan in 2023 may contain milk in 2025 if the baker adjusted the formula. This is not common, but it happens. The Girl Scouts organization does not guarantee that any cookie remains vegan from year to year.
This is why the annual label check matters. If you are vegan and buying cookies for yourself, spend the extra minute at the booth to read the box. If you are buying for a vegan friend or family member, do not assume last year’s favorite is still safe.
Are Girl Scout Cookies Certified Vegan?
No. None of the Girl Scout Cookies carry a certified vegan label from organizations like Vegan Action or the Vegan Society. The cookies are not produced in vegan-dedicated facilities either. This means there is a risk of cross-contact with dairy or eggs during manufacturing. For people with milk or egg allergies, this is a serious concern. For people following a vegan diet for ethical reasons, trace cross-contact is usually not a deciding factor, but it is worth knowing.
The absence of a certified vegan label also means the Girl Scouts organization makes no formal claim about vegan status. The vegan determination is made by reading ingredients, not by any official certification. Some vegans choose to skip Girl Scout Cookies entirely because of the cross-contact risk or the lack of certification. Others are comfortable buying the varieties with no animal-derived ingredients listed. Both positions are reasonable.
What About Girl Scout Cookie Sales and Your Values?
For some vegans, the ingredients are only part of the decision. The Girl Scouts of the USA organization itself has faced questions from some consumers about various policies over the years. Whether to support the organization financially is a personal choice. The cookies themselves are the product of local troops, and the proceeds fund troop activities and community projects. If your concern is purely about the food, the three core vegan options are clear. If your concern extends to organizational policies, that is a separate consideration that no ingredient label can answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Thin Mints Girl Scout Cookies vegan?
Yes, Thin Mints are vegan from both licensed bakers. They contain no dairy, eggs, or honey in the current recipes.
Are Peanut Butter Patties and Tagalongs the same cookie?
Yes, they are the same type of cookie but made by different bakers. Peanut Butter Patties come from ABC Bakers, and Tagalongs come from Little Brownie Bakers, and both are currently vegan.
Are Lemonades Girl Scout Cookies vegan?
Yes, Lemonades are vegan. They contain no animal-derived ingredients in the current recipe.
Do Girl Scout Cookies contain honey?
Some varieties have contained honey in certain years, depending on the baker. Check the ingredient label on the specific box you are buying.
