Gummy bears are highly popular around the world. But are gummy bears vegan?
In this article, we provide a comprehensive answer to this question.
What’s Inside?
Gummy bears are made by mixing various ingredients and cooking them until it thickens into what is known as slurry. The slurry is then poured into bear-shaped molds to make the final candy.
Regular gummy bears contain:
- corn syrup
- sugar
- water
- gelatin
- food coloring
- flavorings
They Are Gummy, But Are They Vegan?
No, gummy bears are not vegan because they contain gelatin.
Gelatin is an ingredient made from cartilage, hooves, bones, or skins of pigs and other animals. Since gelatin is an animal-derived product, regular gummy bears are not plant-based candy.
The chances are that if you go to the supermarket to buy a random pack of gummy bears, it will not be vegan-friendly.
Vegan Gummy Bears
The good news is that you can make plant-based gummy bears yourself with homemade recipes. All you need is fruit juice, white sugar, and agar-agar powder. And you can build on the recipe from there!
In case you don’t fancy making them yourself, you can also get vegan gummies from a handful of food producers.
The following brands, for example, offer plant-based chewy candy bears:
- Surf Sweets Organic Fruity Bears
- Tommy’s Bears
- Squish Vegan Prosecco Bears
- Wholesome! Organic Cinnamon Bears
Plant-based Alternatives
For readers who can’t make some themselves and do not have access to the brands mentioned above, you can still enjoy other kinds of gummy snacks that are vegan.
Here is a short list of plant-based chewy candy that can be consumed as alternatives to gummy bears:
- Swedish Fish
- Fuzzy Peach
- Twizzlers
- Redvines
- Air Heads
So, whether you want to make plant-based chewy candy yourself or go for the store-bought option, you can enjoy gummy bears as a vegan. You simply need to avoid brands that contain gelatin!
