I LOVE going to the movies! Like, I really love it. I get giddy as if I was going on a roller coaster... but I actually hate roller coasters as I feel like I am strapped to a death chair, so maybe that's why I love the movies so much. Just safe, cushy, entertainment and the best part is that going to the movies comes with the built-in excuse to eat truckloads of popcorn. My fave. If only someone told me how to eat vegan at the movies sooner!
When I first went vegan, I was worried that I was going to have to be that person who brought veggies and hummus to the movies. I mean, if you are that person, kudos to you, but personally, eating junk food is part of the fun of going to the movies for me (hello salt my old friend).
I've got excellent news for you, your local movie theatre may have more vegan options that you realize. INCLUDING the movie theater popcorn! Yes, really. So I wanted to share with you my guide on How to Eat Vegan at the Movies and not miss out on a single scrumptious, delicious, flavor.
Popcorn
Believe it or not, a lot of movie theatre popcorn is made free of dairy products! Yup, a lot of them are made of vegan-friendly ingredients such as coconut oil or canola oil (and are always gluten-free). Vegan popcorn brands at your local theater? Who knew??! Even though the popcorn is yellow, that's often a result of the oil they pop the corn in or whatever seasoning chemicals they use. Mmmm... vegan chemicals. I reached out to several popular national theater chains to see what they said about their popcorn. Check out my list below for your favorite popular movie-theater chain!
Cineplex:
The popcorn is vegan! While the popcorn is vegan, they did warn me the popcorn is prepared in a facility where animal products are used so there may be cross contamination if you are worried about that.
Regal Cinemas (Regal Entertainment Group):
The popcorn is vegan! I thought that both the popcorn and buttery topping at Regal were vegan after seeing this article from PETA, but I decided to do my own research to be sure and contacted the company directly. While the popcorn is vegan, they said the popcorn butter is not, so there must have been a change in the recipe since PETA wrote that article in 2014. Regal did say to check with your local theatre to see if there are any differences in your specific location.
Landmark Theatres:
Most likely vegan. Landmark told me that the butter supplier differs at each location, but for the most part, the popcorn is vegan-friendly. So just to be sure, you might want to double check with your local theater.
AMC Theaters (AMC Theatres):
The popcorn seasoning isn't vegan, but AMC told me that they are always happy to make a fresh batch without the seasoning upon request. So just arrive at the theater a little early and request a seasoning free fresh batch of popcorn. If you are shy about asking for this, I say just go for it! Maybe even try calling ahead. The more people requesting vegan-friendly popcorn, the better!
How to check with your local theater:
If your local movie theater isn't listed here, or you just want to be extra sure, you should contact them directly. I found it easiest to contact the theater ahead of time as the server at the popcorn counter might not know off hand, and they will likely be pretty busy and stressed trying to decipher nutrition information. I had the best luck by reaching out to theatres Facebook page since you can see if they respond to messages and how quickly you will likely get a response, or you can give them a call.
More munchies:
Perhaps your theater doesn't offer vegan-friendly popcorn, or perhaps popcorn just isn't your jive (I don't understand you if that's the case). Depending on the theatre there are plenty more vegan options that you can indulge in.
Candy:
Some candies are accidentally (or on purpose) vegan. Common ones that can be found at the movies are Sour Patch Kids, Fuzzy Peaches, Swedish Berries, Swedish Fish, Sweet Tarts, Twizzlers, Red Vines, and Skittles. Yep, they are all vegan! You can see a list I made here of all the vegan gummy candies I have found.
Other snacks:
Other than popcorn and candies, lots of movie theaters offer more snackage. Soda, slushies, soft pretzels, and french fries are usually vegan-friendly. Landmark theater told me that many of their locations offer vegan cookies and edamame. Cineplex told me that they have a Santa Fe Grain bowl. I have seen larger movie theaters selling pizza from popular chains that now offer dairy-free cheese. Some theaters offer up Starbucks so you can order a fancy vegan fappucino or latte. And if you aren't sure, just ask! I suggest asking ahead of time so that you can relax and enjoy your time there.
Bring your own:
Shhhhhhh.... you didn't hear it from me ~looks shifty eyed~ but sneaking in your own snacks to a theater is super easy. Just grab a big purse or bag and fill it up! Hey, if they don't offer vegan popcorn, I think it's fair game. You can bring in whatever your favourite vegan treats are, or even a shaker of nutritional yeast for your popcorn, because, yeah, I'm that kind of vegan nerd.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
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Alana says
I got super excited when I saw that cineplex popcorn is vegan however it sadly looks like it’s not...https://mobile.twitter.com/cineplexmovies/status/592705134762848258?lang=en
🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Alana, that tweet is from 2015. Luckily the recipe must have changed as it is vegan-friendly now. You can see that info here and of course, contact them yourself if you like. Hope that helps!
Kari says
My Landmark isn't vegan, but that's OK because we have a cineplex near us. I still find it hard to believe that cineplex buttery topping is vegan because it's sooooo buttery tasting. But, if they say it is, I"ll be more than happy to eat it!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahah!! I love fun finds like that 🙂
Mika says
Is AMC butter vegan?
Sam Turnbull says
Nope.
Vegangirl says
My local AMC says the salt they put on at the counter is NOT the non-vegan seasoning! Does this vary by theater? They have the weird seasoning where you put on your own condiments but say when they pop it it's pure oil (No butter) and regular salt not seasoning. Should I trust them?
Sam Turnbull says
By law, food for sale must disclose the ingredients, so if they say it's popped in oil and not butter then that's the way it is. If you are unsure of the person you were talking to, you could just ask for a higher up to be sure. Hope that helps!
Deni says
Regal Tweeted in July 2017 that their popcorn, salty, and buttery topping were all vegan. I don’t know what to believe. So frustrating.
Sam Turnbull says
I've just tweeted them and sent them a facebook message to clarify. Hopefully, they get back to me soon!
Heidi C. says
Slightly off topic, but I just wondered if you've tried to make any of your own Gummy Vegan candies ? I'd love to figure out a way to make both gummy and hard candies using Stevia as a sweetener, but that might be too hard. Anyways, just curious! Thanks for what you do!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Heidi, You're most welcome 🙂 Not off topic at all. I have made these watermelon jellies, but they are more of a jelly texture than a true gummy texture. I have yet to figure out the science of that one, but I certainly hope to one day as I love gummies too!
Heidi C. says
I forgot about the watermelon jellies! I had planned on trying them and now I will. 🙂 Let me know if you ever have any lucky with other gummies, I'm a bit of an odd duck in my family as I''m much more a fan of gummies and hard candies than I am of chocolate. Thanks again for the watermelon suggestion.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha will do!! 🙂
Davilyn Eversz says
I have been a vegan since long before it was a popular thing to do. I can tell you this - you CANNOT trust any company - they will always, always lie. For instance - 20 years ago Burger King was touting their fries as vegan - come to find out that they were not - they were using beef fat seasoning in the fry oil. I can name you dozens upon dozens of incidences. If you read EFoodAlert, every single day there are many recalls of foods that have "undeclared" ingredients in them. And don't be fooled that this came about my accident.
Companies will do everything they can to avoid telling the truth - you can read the news all day long and see that as evidence. Just as "natural" means absolutely nothing - Sanderson chicken is being sued again for lying that they don't use antibiotics - and the tests showed the chickens had been fed highly toxic chemicals as well as ketamine.
Please be aware that if a restaurant has a grill, they will grill your veggie burger on that same grill they just fried a hamburger on.
It should be an every day thing that you do not believe companies fervent statements - they want you to by the food - that is their only goal. I will say something else about being vegan. You are NOT vegan if you buy anything at all from a store. ALL produce, organic or not, is grown with blood meal and bone meal - so if you eat anything - anything that has a vegetable in it and that includes grains - it has been grown with blood and bone meal. I am a vegan farmer and there are only a handful of us in the U.S.
Have any idea of the toxic chemicals that are in "fake" butter they use at the movies? Did you know that only "organic" sugar is not made using bone char as a filter?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Davilyn, congrats on being vegan for so long, and for growing all your own food!
It's the law to provide nutritional information for food products, and unless these theatres are looking for a lawsuit, I'm not sure why they would lie here, especially as dairy is a common allergy. But of course if you prefer to make your own food, go ahead.
For the comments about not being vegan if you don't grow your own food, the VAST majority of us can't grow all our own food like you do, so we have to buy from farmers, and stores which is a totally fine thing to do! To tell someone they aren't vegan because they don't grow all their own food is not only unrealistic, but it doesn't even follow the original definition of veganism by Donald Watson: “Veganism is a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” So for me, worrying about the trace amounts of animals products used to grow vegetables is just not practicable for my lifestyle. Unfortunately, in today’s animal product based world, it’s basically impossible to be vegan in every way, but every time you purchase something vegan you are voting with your dollar, so I just do the best that I can. Everybody’s definition of what that is will be slightly different, and that’s a-ok because we are all making a difference in this world.
Marian Murdoch says
"Just say you have an allergy to the seasoning if it makes your feel more comfortable." This is a common thing for people to do if they don't like something, and it can cause all sorts of issues with restaurants and food handling facilities. When they hear that someone has an allergy to something, they don't just make your preferred meal. They have to go through all sorts of procedures to make sure your "allergy"-causing item will not be on anything that touches your food. So, if it was a popcorn machine that uses seasoning in the machine itself, they would have to completely clean the machine and any tools used before they can even start making it just to be sure that contaminant won't cause an anaphylactic reaction for you. Same goes for the grill in a restaurant if one were to claim an allergy to, say, onions. I plead with everyone NOT to claim something is an allergy unless it really is true, If anyone has ever seen what happens behind the scenes in a kitchen or food handling facility, these guys work hard enough as it is. Rather than claim a fake allergy, just tell them you don't eat the item. As vegans, we do it all the time at restaurants, why not the movie theatre? 🙂
Elle says
This can be a dangerous practice, as many people do not take allergies seriously for this reason. Let's not pretend to have deadly disorders for the benefit of those who do.
Sam Turnbull says
That's a great point, Marian, which I didn't think of! I know some people feel uncomfortable asking for food items to be made vegan (which as long as you say it with a smile, I don't think you should), and use that method, but I can see how that can cause a lot of chaos and misinformation. I've removed that line from the post 🙂