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Is M&M Vegan Friendly? What’s The Truth?

This is one of the most loved chocolate candies around the globe.

Because of its small button shape, it is easy to scoop a few into your hands and then pop them in your mouth.

It is a great treat that can be enjoyed at any hour of the day.

It can also be used in many chocolate dessert recipes.

M&M’s are a big hit in the chocolate world.

But is M&M vegan?

Continue reading to learn more.

Is M&M Vegan?

Is M&M Vegan Or Non Vegan

M&Ms can’t be vegan because they contain large amounts of dairy and food coloring tested on animals.

Why Are M&M’s Not Vegan?

M&M’s are made from products derived from animals.

Skimmed milk powder, milk fat, and lactose are some ingredients.

All of these ingredients are derived from milk.

Milk is an animal product and is therefore not vegan-friendly.

Beeswax is another ingredient that comes from animal sources.

It is used for the glaze of M&M chocolates. 

Beeswax is made by worker bees.

This wax is made by worker bees to store honey.

Vegans believe that wax should store honey and not glaze candy.

Vegans also have to be careful about their coloring. 

Carmine can be used to create a wide variety of colors.

Carmine is responsible for the many colors in M&M chocolates.

Carmine is obtained from cochineal, a native Latin American insect.

The cochineal, a tiny insect that depends on plants for its nutrition and moisture, is very tiny.

M&M’s Ingredients

Is M&M Vegan Or Not

M&M’s Original Milk Chocolate M&M’s

Original M&M’s do not contain milk fat.

They are made with a mixture of skim and milk fat.

They are also made with white sugar, and it is hard to tell if the sugar has been processed using bone char.

Artificial colors and natural flavors can also be added.

These terms can be used to indicate that ingredients are vegan.

Avoid foods with the terms “artificial or natural flavors.”

You should also know that M&M’s original M&M’s may contain white sugar that has been processed with bone char.

For a complete list, see below.

Ingredients:

Milk Chocolate (Sugar and Chocolate, Skim Milk. Cocoa Butter. Salt. Artificial and Natural Flavors.

Peanut M&M’s

Is M&M Vegan Friendly

Peanut M&M’s are vegan-friendly, but they contain milk fat, skim milk, and lactose.

They also contain artificial and natural flavorings and food coloring tested on animals.

Peanut M&M’s do not contain vegan ingredients.

For a complete list of ingredients, see below.

Ingredients 

Milk Chocolate (sugar and cocoa butter, chocolate. skim milk. milkfat. lactose. peanuts. artificial and natural flavors), sugar.

Peanut Butter M&M’s

Peanut Butter M&Ms are made from milk chocolate with peanut butter as the center.

The candy shell is covered with peanut butter.

These little gems contain milk fat, skim milk, lactose, and artificial flavors.

For a complete list, see below.

Ingredients

Milk Chocolate (sugar and cocoa butter), chocolate, milk fat, milk fat, lactose, peanuts (partially defatted peanuts), honey, partially hydrogenated Palm kernel oil, less than 2% of cornstarch (includes red 40 lakes, blue 1 lake yellow 5 lakes, yellow 2 lakes, red 40, blue 2), propyl gallate to preserve freshness. 

Almonds may be found in this product.

Dark Chocolate M&M’s

Even the dark chocolate M&Ms are milk fat, skim milk, milk fat, and lactose.

For a complete list, see below.

Ingredients 

Semisweet chocolate (Chocolate and Sugar, Cocoa Butter. Skim Milk, Milkfat. Lactose. Artificial Flavors. Salt), Sugar, Cornstarch. Less than 2 % – Corn Syrup. Dextrin. Coloring (Blue 1 Lake, Yellow 6, Red 40., Yellow 5, Blue 1, Blue 2, Red40 Lake. Blue 2 lakes, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake).

Gum Acacia.

Crispy M&M’s

These crunchy treats can also be made with milk chocolate, skim milk, dairy fat, lactose, and artificial flavors.

For a complete list, see below.

Ingredients 

Milk Chocolate (sugar and chocolate, skim milk. cocoa butter. lactose. milkfat. soy lecithin. PGPR., salt, artificial flavor), sugar, crispy rice (rice flour), sugar, barley malt. salt, dextrose. less than 2% – cornstarch. corn syrup. Dextrin. Coloring (includes yellow 1 lake. Yellow 6 lake. Red 40 lake. Yellow 2 lake., blue 2 lakes.

Allergy information:

It May contain milk and soy. It could contain wheat and peanuts.

Aside From Milk, What Are M&M’s Non-Vegan Ingredients?

Are M&Ms Vegan Or Non Vegan

Artificial Colors

Artificial food coloring gives M&M’s hard candy shell its bright colors.

Artificial colors can be made from synthetic ingredients.

However, food colors must pass a series of animal testing before being deemed safe for human consumption.

Vegans support cruelty-free products only.

Palm Oil

This ingredient is made from palm fruits grown in palm trees.

It is vegan-friendly as it does not contain any animal-derived ingredients.

But, large palm oil plantations are the main culprit in deforestation and loss of wildlife habitat worldwide.

This has led to some species becoming extinct.

This is why palm oil cannot be considered vegan-friendly.

Sugar

Refined sugar is subject to a round bone char filtering to achieve white sugar.

Bone char is made from the charred bones of cattle.

These particles are not necessarily in the sugar, but you can see why this is non-vegan.

Flavors

Natural and artificial flavors can refer to any combination of natural and artificial flavors, including those from fruits, vegetables, fish, or meat.

Is There Any Vegan M&M?

Vegan M&M

At this point, there are no vegan M&M products.

They contain ingredients that can’t be considered vegan because they’re derived from animals.

The coloring is also problematic because it was created with animal testing.

There are many M&M flavor options, but none of them are vegan.

Even dark chocolate and coconut M&Ms can’t be vegan.

All of them contain large amounts of both milk and dark chocolate.

This is true for many popular chocolate-based candies like Reese’s.

Vegans should choose other candies.

There are many vegan candy options available online and in stores.

Amazon is a great place to shop for vegan candy and food.

You can get more information about the products and browse through thousands.

Vegan Alternatives To M&M’s

Is M&M Vegetarian

Vegan Alternative To Original M&M’s: Choco No-Nos

These vegan chocolate gems can be used as a substitute for M&M candy.

The candy-coated shell is made with vegan ingredients and colors from plants.

They are vegan-certified and all-natural.

These candies also contain no added sugar, so you can rest assured they are vegan.

Ingredients 

Cane Sugar, Cocoa butter, Rice Syrup Powder, Unsweetened Chocolate and Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Gum Arabic (Color), Gum Arabic (Color), Pectin (Color), Fruit Juice (Color), Salt, Natural Vanilla, Natural Flavor

Vegan Alternative To The Peanut M&M’s: Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems

These are the perfect substitute for Peanut M&Ms!

These peanut candies made from dark chocolate are covered in a hard candy shell, just like the original Peanut M&Ms.

These candies are made with fair trade chocolate non-GMO ingredients.

The colors used for the candy shell are natural ingredients that have not been tested on animals.

They are vegan- and soy-free certified.

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate (*Organic Chocolate, *Evaporated Organic Cane Sugar and *Organic Cocoa butter, *Organic Vanilla), Peanuts (Peanuts), Peanut Oil, Colored With (Red Cabbage Juice. Beetroot Juice. Hibiscus Juice. Annatto Extract. Turmeric Extract), Tapioca Syrup.

Vegan Alternative To Crispy M&M’s: Quinoa Gems

Like their peanut gems counterparts, these quinoa gems are vegan-friendly, fair-trade, and non-GMO.

These quinoa gems have the same crispy texture as M&Ms but less junk.

These sweet treats are flavored with beet juice and sweetened with organic sweetener (that has never been processed with bone char).

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla), Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Quinoa Crisp, Rice Starch, Colored With (Beet Juice, Spirulina Extract), Organic Tapioca Syrup, Gum Acacia, Carnauba Wax, Tapioca Starch.

Cocomels Chocolate Overcovered Caramel Pieces

These are not precisely M&M’s because they don’t come with a candy-coated shell.

Instead, the bite-sized pieces of dark chocolate covered in coconut milk caramels make for a tasty, bite-sized treat.

They are organic, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO.

Ingredients 

Organic 60% Dark Chocolate (organic cocoa liquor, organic cane syrup, soy lecithin, organic vanilla extract), organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water), organic brown sugar syrup, organic cane sugar, sea salt, and organic Madagascar vanilla extract (water), organic ethyl alcohol (organic vanilla bean extractives), with xanthan gum.

Is M&M Vegetarian Friendly Product?

Is M&M Vegetarian Or Not

True vegans avoid all products derived from animals.

Vegetarianism, a form of veganism that is less restrictive, can be considered.

Vegetarians avoid meat but can eat dairy products.

M&M’s contain no trace of meat, flesh, or enzymes.

M&M’s can be eaten vegetarian-friendly as they don’t contain meat or other meat products.

Some vegetarians avoid M&Ms with natural flavor.

Their source cannot be identified and could come from an animal source.

Last Words

Are M&Ms Vegan

Vegans can’t eat traditional M&Ms.

However, there are great options.

If you do crave M&Ms.

You won’t be able to tell the difference.

Vegetarians have it much more manageable.

Vegetarians can enjoy almost all M&M flavors as long as no meat or flesh is added.

Author

  • Mary M. Cameron

    Mary M. Cameron is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition Science from the University of California, Davis and a Master's degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). With over 8 years of experience in the nutrition field, Mary is an expert in weight management, plant-based nutrition, and overall health and wellness. As an author at FitGAG, she shares her knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics, including nutrition plans, healthy recipes, and overall health and wellness tips. Mary believes that nutrition is the foundation of overall health and wellness, and she strives to inspire her readers to prioritize a balanced and varied diet, while also incorporating physical activity and self-care into their daily routines. Through her articles, Mary aims to empower her readers to make informed decisions about their nutrition and lifestyle choices, and to help them achieve their health and wellness goals.

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