Wait, not all sugar is vegan? Your mouth stands agape, forkful of ganache-covered chocolate cake hovering midway through the air. Don’t worry, enjoy your cake, but then chew on this: like alcohol, the issue lies in the processing. Some refined white sugars are filtered through bone char, and while you won’t actually be munching on animal bones, some people take issue with the fact that animal parts were used in the manufacturing of this product. This doesn’t mean you have to convert all your recipes to maple syrup or agave, just be cognisant of what sugar brands are vegan-friendly. If the sugar is labeled “organic” or “unrefined,” it’s an animal-free option. To further help navigate the baking aisle, check out these six sugar brands that are vegan-approved.
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1. Florida Crystals
This raw sugar company makes your standard white and brown sugars, but we tend to reach for this brand when we need the demerara variety. This coarse, golden brown sugar adds a hint of molasses and is perfect stirred into tea or baked goods. Try it in a recipe: Lemon Drizzle Pound Cake
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2. Now Foods Beet Sugar
Good news: any brand of beet sugar is vegan, but you can find the Now Foods brand at over 1,400 health food stores across the US. And don’t worry; this sugar isn’t red nor does it taste like beets—it comes from sugar beets, not the beets typically found at the salad bar.
Try it in a recipe: Vegan Strawberry Streusel Cake
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3. Rapunzel Organic Whole Cane Sugar
Based in Germany, vegan bakers in the US can find this premium sugar via Amazon and True Foods Market. When we get in a baking frenzy, we set this up for automated delivery every month! Try it in baked goods that are on the dense side, such as brownies, chewy cookies, and sweet loaves.
Try it in a recipe: OMG Oreo-Peanut Butter-Fudge Brownies
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4. Sugar in the Raw
The name says it all. No bone char, just pure sweet stuff. This coarse turbinado sugar has a natural amber color and works perfectly on cobblers, crisps, bettys, grunts, and streusels.
Try it in a recipe: Stone Fruit Cobbler
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5. Trader Joe’s
We can always rely on Trader Joe’s to provide a high-quality vegan option. Whether you’re making a vegan buttercream with the store brand’s powdered sugar or whipping up gooey blondies packed with brown sugar, you can trust TJ’s vegan-friendly sweeteners.
Try it in a recipe: Vegan Banana Bread Blondies
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6. Wholesome
This brand offers a spectrum of vegan-friendly sugars from your basic cane and powered varieties to sucanat and coconut palm sugar. Stock up and let your inner Chef Chloe Coscarelli run wild.
Try it in a recipe: Creme-Filled Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews as well as a writer and fitness enthusiast living in Orange County, CA.
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