Is Sugar Vegan? Well…Yes and No

There are few things in life that compare to the feeling of biting into a croissant coated with a dusting of fine sugar. When I was a kid, I had a major sweet tooth. (Who am I kidding? I still do.) I used to sprinkle copious amounts of sugar on all the dishes I could get away with. Don’t cancel me, but one of my favorite concoctions included mixing rice with milk and sugar. 🫣 

Naturally, I carried this habit with me well into my veganhood. Sugar came from sugarcane, a plant, so I didn’t think much of it. There I was, on a random day, gorging on some vegan ice cream and reading about animal by-products in food, and suddenly, it hit me: What if sugar contained some sneaky animal products?

Ice cream forgotten, I quickly went down a rabbit hole of frantically searching for the vegan-ness of sugar, which culminated in this article. Gather around, and let’s explore whether sugar is vegan or not. 

Sugar needs no introduction, but how is it made?

Here’s an interesting fact: all green plants use the power of the sun to create sucrose (or sugar in non-chemical speak) from carbon dioxide and water. This means all plants have some amount of sugar. But, sugar cane and sugar beets have the highest sucrose content, which is why the white sugar we eat (and love) is typically extracted from these two plants. Even among the two, around 80% of the world’s sugar comes from sugar cane, so we’ll focus on that. 

To turn the sucrose content inside sugar cane into the table sugar that we eat, the plant goes through an extraction and refining process. Once the stalks are ripe with sweet sugar juice, they’re crushed and squeezed to extract the juice. Now, the juice (also known as molasses) is boiled until it crystallizes. These crystals are left to spin around in a centrifuge to remove all the liquid. We’re left with raw sugar, which is brown in color.

From here, the raw cane sugar travels to a refinery, where it’s melted and refined with a product called bone char. (Remember this name, as it’s an important clue for the next section.) Once all the impurities are gone, the leftover sugar syrup is again crystallized, spun, and dried, before it’s packaged and sent to supermarkets around the world. 

Now, for the important question…

Is sugar vegan? 

We all know that sugar comes from plants, so the answer to this question might seem like a no-brainer. But, the truth is that it’s not so simple. Does that mean sugar is not vegan? Well… yes, and no. Not all types of sugar are vegan. More accurately, refined white sugar is not vegan because it’s bleached and purified using bone char, an animal product. When we say white sugar, we also mean confectioners’ sugar and powdered sugar.

But, what is bone char? The clue is in the name. It’s simply the charred bones of livestock, such as cows. It looks just like powdered charcoal, which explains its moniker, “natural charcoal.” When added to raw cane sugar, these powdered animal bones remove all the impurities, leaving refined sugar that’s white in color. 

So, what’s the alternative? Does vegan sugar exist? 

Rejoice, for vegan sugar does exist! To keep your plate completely vegan, you can pick one of the following types of sugar:

Beet sugar

Sugar made from the sugar beet crop is always vegan without exception. Unlike cane sugar, beet sugar is naturally white, so it’s saved from going through the purification process. This obviously means no bone char, making it vegan-friendly! 

Date sugar

Yep, sugar can be made from dates, the naturally sweet tropical fruit. It’s made by taking whole, pitted dates, dehydrating them, and then grounding them to form a brown powder. It’s this powder that’s known as date sugar. Since it’s not processed, it’s completely vegan. You can even make it at home yourself!

Since date sugar is just ground dates, it retains the taste of the fruit. Its buttery taste with hints of caramel sweetness makes it a perfect alternative to white sugar when baking or sprinkling over your pancakes, waffles, or yogurt bowls in the morning. The downside is that it doesn’t dissolve easily, so it may leave some residue at the bottom of your cup of tea.

Coconut sugar

First, dates, and now coconuts, too? Well, not exactly. Coconut sugar comes from the sap of the coconut tree, and not from the coconuts themselves. The flower-bud stem of the coconut palm tree is cut in half to collect the sap (or nectar). It’s then mixed with water, boiled, dried, and crystallized (Ya know.. same as white sugar, but without the whole refining thing). 

Coconut sugar has a subtle sweetness to it with hints of caramel. Whether you’re baking, making a smoothie, or perfecting your morning cup of tea or coffee, you can swap out your refined white sugar with coconut sugar. 

Raw or unrefined brown sugar

Okay, first things first. Not all brown sugar is vegan. Some types–particularly light and dark brown sugar–are made by simply adding molasses to refined white sugar to give it the brownish hue. 

There are also raw and unrefined brown sugar types, which skip the bone char filtration process, and get their brownish tint from their own molasses. Raw brown sugars are crystallized just once and only have trace amounts of their molasses left in. Unrefined brown sugars, on the other hand, are made without removing any molasses, giving them a dark brown color.

If you want vegan brown sugar, you’ll have to check out one of these 👇: 

• Demerara sugar: This raw brown sugar has large crystals, a coarse texture, and a taste that hints at caramel and toffee. It’s also slightly sticky because of the molasses. You can use demerara sugar to sweeten up your hot beverages, or as a final crunchy garnish to your baked goods. 
• Turbinado sugar: This raw sugar is very similar to demerara sugar, except it’s finer. It also undergoes a slight refining process using steam, which makes it less sticky than demerara sugar.
• Muscovado sugar: This unrefined (or partially refined) sugar is very dark with a moist and sandy texture and a rich molasses flavor. It probably won’t work that well on beverages, but is perfect for baking!
• Black sugar: Also known as Okinawa sugar, this vegan sugar starts out the same way as white sugar. However, here, the sugarcane juice is boiled and left to dry on its own till it turns into dense blocks. It has a unique smoky, malty flavor, and can be used in place of white sugar everywhere–even in your tea.
• Piloncillo: Also known as panela or Mexican brown sugar, this raw cane sugar is made by boiling sugarcane juice. Once it turns into a thick syrup, it’s poured into cone-shaped molds, where it’s left to dry and harden. It has a smoky texture with a slight acidic edge to it. Grate the piloncillo cones and use them in your beverages, baked goods, or savory treats. 

Additionally, you can also try other types of sweeteners, such as vegan honey, agave nectar, or brown rice syrup. When it comes to topping my baked goods, I’m particularly partial to some sweet plant-based honey.

Does this mean you need to give up on white sugar altogether?

Unless labeled otherwise, it’s a good bet that white sugar is almost always non-vegan. But this doesn’t mean you have to never use it again. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to trace just how your sugar was produced. So, my advice? Don’t stress too hard about whether your sugar is completely plant-based or not. Even PETA agrees with me. 😉 

At Exploring Vegan, we believe in the freedom of letting people decide what veganism looks like for them. Whether that simply means reducing your meat and dairy intake, or never letting anything non-vegan touch your plates, it’s up to you. Eating refined white sugar isn’t going to make you any less of a vegan. Many of my vegan friends still use and enjoy cane sugar immensely, so you won’t be alone.

But, if you do want to avoid non-vegan sugar, there are some steps you can take.

How can you tell if your sugar is vegan?

Okay, I get it. Sugar that’s been filtered with animal bones is a dealbreaker for you. But the problem is that you can’t tell if sugar is vegan or not just by looking at it. 

100% beet, coconut, date, and other types of fruit sugars are always vegan. If you’re buying white or brown sugar, look for these words on the label that indicate whether it’s vegan-friendly or not:

• Organic: According to the USDA, foods labeled organic aren’t allowed to use bone char
• Unrefined
• Raw
• Natural

Top vegan sugar brands

If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of veganism, here are some brands that sell plant-based sugars for you to enjoy!

• In the Raw: This brand sells a variety of vegan sugars, including turbinado, organic cane sugar, and monk fruit sugar.
• Florida Crystals: This brand sells all types of organic sugar produced from sustainably managed sugarcane farms in the U.S. Their sweeteners help you check off your vegan and sustainability goals. 
• Big Tree Farms: If you have a hankering for coconut sugar, Big Tree Farms is your brand. In addition to being vegan, their sugars are organic and Fair Trade Certified. 
• Redpath: You’ll find a couple of types of raw and unrefined plant-based sugars here. 
• Now Foods: Their beet sugar also boasts a number of other labels: organic, gluten-free, and kosher. 

Are you team “it’s okay to use refined white sugar even if you’re a vegan” or not? Let me know in the comments below! (I won’t fight you.)