Is Sugar Vegan? | 2020 Dad Goes Vegan

Can Vegans eat sugar?

You’ve got a burning question and you need to know- “Is sugar vegan?“

The short answer is “sometimes.”

It really depends on the refining process and what type of sugar you’re asking about.

The sugar from sugarcanes goes through a refining process involving bone char from cattle. This means that it’s not vegan.

Sugar that comes from sugar beets or coconuts doesn’t go through the same refining process and are considered vegan 🙂

What sugar is not vegan?

It’s usually sugar made from sugarcane that goes through a refining process using bone char.

Any sugar that comes from refined sugarcane sugar will have gone through the bone char refining process. This means that brown sugar and confectioners sugar are not vegan.

What sugar brands are vegan?

Some vegan sugar brands are:

Is brown sugar vegan?

Brown sugar is made from refined white sugar- all they do is add molasses back into the white refined sugar to make brown sugar.

Because brown sugar is made from white sugar- so no, it’s not vegan.

How do I know if my sugar is vegan?

One way to be absolutely sure is to stick with organic sugar. Bone char is NOT on the list of the National Organic Program’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, which means that USDA certified organic sugar cannot be filtered through bone char.

Another way to know if your sugar is vegan is to stick to “unrefined” or “natural” sugars that don’t go through a refining process.

When in doubt, call the manufacturer.

Is sugar vegan in canada?

There are currently 2 sugarcane refineries in Canada:

Rogers Sugar (Vancouver)

Redpath Sugar (Toronto)

And 1 sugar beet refinery:

Rogers Sugar (Alberta)

The sugarcane factories use bone char in the purification process but the sugar beet refinery doesn’t.

Unfortunately, finding out if the factories mix sugarcane and beet sugar prior to packaging is proving difficult. I can’t tell you for sure if some bags are just beet sugar or sugarcane.

That means that you can’t count on Canadian sugar being vegan.

Is Domino Sugar vegan?

No, Domino Sugar is not vegan. They use “natural charcoal” (bone char) to purify their sugar.

Be Vegantastic did a deep dive into Domino Sugar if you’re interested 🙂

Is icing sugar vegan?

If icing sure is made from refined white sugar, no, it’s not vegan. Certified organic icing sugar is vegan.

Is coconut sugar vegan?

Coconut sugar is most definitely vegan 🙂 It’s a 2-step process to make coconut sugar:

First they tap the flower bud system on the coconut tree to get the get the sticky sweet sap. The sap is then placed over moderate heat to help the excess moisture evaporate, much like maple syrup.

Is sugar vegan in India?

Unfortunately, all the sugar produced in India is made from sugarcanes and the refining process for that type of sugar uses bone char.

Vegan sugar substitutes

If you want to avoid the confusion of whether or not your sugar is vegan, try a vegan sugar subsitute: