Twizzlers occupy a unique place in American history: In 1969, when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, he told mission control, “I could go for some Twizzlers right now.” Today these sweet, chewy twists on traditional licorice appear on grocery and convenience store shelves across the nation.
Candies with a toothy texture often contain gelatin, a byproduct of the beef and pork industries. But lucky for vegans, Twizzlers do not contain gelatin or other animal products. The Hershey Company, however, only lists specific varieties as vegan-friendly.
Find out more in our vegan guide to Twizzlers.
Why All Twizzlers Are Most Likely Vegan
No variety of Twizzlers contains animal products like meat, eggs, dairy, or bee products common in many confections. Very strict vegans, however, cite other ingredients—such as certain sugars—as infringing on the definition of veganism. There is no way to verify the source of any of these vegan-questionable ingredients on a nutrition label.Because of this, it’s safe to assume that all Twizzlers meet vegan standards.
Here are some ingredients you may be interested in learning more about.
Sugar
Sugar comes from either sugar beets or sugar cane. Unrefined sugar cane is secondarily processed with animal bone char to help whiten the sugar crystals. Over half of sugar production in the U.S. comes from beet sugar, transforming into table sugar in a single process.
According to Twizzlers’ parent company, Hershey, Twizzlers sources from both foreign and domestic sugar cane and sugar beet farms. Unfortunately, nutrition labels do not disclose the sourcing of sugar.
Lethicin
Lethicin is a water-loving fat that can come from animal and non-animal sources. In processed foods like Twizzlers, it’s safe to assume the lecithin comes from plant-based soy, a common food additive.
Carnauba Wax
A hard, plant-based wax typical in food, carnauba wax comes from palm trees grown in open fields in Brazil. Carnauba wax extraction causes deforestation, problems for local species, and challenging conditions for workers.
Did You Know?
Twizzlers also contain the conflict crop palm oil. The most consumed and produced vegetable oil globally, palm oil is associated with rainforest deforestation and habitat destruction. Many vegans who chose the lifestyle for ecological reasons also abstain from palm oil products.
Vegan Twizzlers Flavors
The following Twizzlers’ products are explicitly listed as vegan. They include more traditional flavors as well as Twizzler’s signature plays on licorice shape and texture.
- Strawberry
- Pull-n-Peel Cherry
- Bites Cherry
- Cherry
- Nibs Cherry
- Licorice
- Chocolate
Likely Vegan Twizzlers Flavors
The remaining varieties of Twizzlers don’t contain any non-vegan ingredients and are likely vegan. Nonetheless, they are not listed as vegan on the Twizzlers website.
- Mystery Flavor
- Orange Cream Pop
- Rainbow
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Cherry Twizzlers vegan?
Yes. Twizzlers' website lists Cherry, Nibs Cherry, and Bites Cherry as vegan-friendly.
Do Twizzlers have gelatin?
Fortunately, no. Not a single variety of Twizzlers contains gelatin.
Are Rainbow Twizzlers vegan?
Most likely. Rainbow Twizzlers don’t contain any obvious non-vegan ingredients, but Twizzlers does not place them on their vegan-friendly list.
Are Strawberry Twizzlers vegan?
Yes! The original flavor is completely vegan-friendly.
FAQs
No variety of Twizzlers contains animal products like meat, eggs, dairy, or bee products common in many confections. Very strict vegans, however, cite other ingredients—such as certain sugars—as infringing on the definition of veganism.
Which Twizzlers are vegan? ›
Twizzlers
Whether you choose classic strawberry, strawberry smoothie or the caramel apple filled twists, you can be sure that they are a vegan-friendly product.
What candies are 100% vegan? ›
Chewy Candy
- Airheads.
- Cocomels.
- DOTS.
- Jujubes.
- Jujyfruits.
- Laffy Taffy.
- Mamba.
- Now and Later.
Some licorice products may include additives derived from animals. Common examples include gelatin, beeswax, and shellac. These ingredients are used to enhance the texture and appearance of the candy. Gelatin, a thickening agent commonly used in candy production, is derived from animal bones and tissues.
Do Twizzlers have carmine? ›
3. Twizzlers. Twizzlers are made without gelatin and carmine red coloring–both of which contain animal products. Whew!
What major candy is vegan? ›
Fortunately, loads of candies are vegan, so we can indulge our cravings (mostly) guilt-free. Most dark chocolate is vegan, as are popular sweet treats such as Smarties (known as Rockets in Canada), Oreos, Airheads, Jujubes, and Swedish Fish (some Swedish Fish contain beeswax, so be sure to check the label).
Are red Skittles vegan? ›
The good news: Skittles are vegan. Skittles do not contain animal-derived ingredients. As a reminder, a vegan diet excludes any animal-derived products, such as meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and lesser-known ingredients like gelatin, carmine, and egg whites. Here's a look at exactly what Skittles are made of.
What is surprisingly not vegan? ›
Beer and Wine
Isinglass, a gelatin-based substance derived from fish, is used as a clarifying agent in some beer and wine. Other non-vegan ingredients sometimes used are casein (from milk) and egg whites.
Are Oreos vegan? ›
Many vegans refer to Oreos as “accidentally vegan,” meaning they don't contain animal products — but they weren't created to be a specifically vegan treat. Oreos do not contain milk, eggs, or any other animal-derived products, so they are technically vegan in that sense. Plant-based cookies and cream lovers rejoice!
Are M&M's vegan? ›
Are any M&Ms Vegan? Unfortunately upon further inspection, no m&m's are vegan. Not even some of the flavoured ones like peanut m&m or the crispy m&m. While the obvious reason might be the inclusion of dairy products in the milk chocolate with the main ingredient being milk products - skim milk, there are other reasons.
Starbursts were launched in the USA in 1967, and have since become hugely popular in the country. Unfortunately for American plant-based eaters, however, they feature gelatin in their ingredients. This means that they aren't suitable for vegans or vegetarians.
What candy can vegans not eat? ›
Common Candies that Contain Animal Products
Gummy bears (contains gelatin) Candy corn (contains gelatin, although they do make vegan options) Starburst (contains gelatin derived from beef) Gummy worms (contains gelatin)
Are Twizzlers or Red Vines better? ›
Twizzlers: With roughly twice as many calories as Red Vines, Twizzlers are loaded with added sugar and preservatives. These candies are both vegan-friendly and certified as kosher. Red Vines: I bet you can pronounce every ingredient. As far as processed candy goes, this short and simple list is nothing to sneeze at.
Can vegans eat Twizzlers? ›
Twizzlers: All Twizzler candy flavors are vegan and don't have gelatin or dairy. However, the company doesn't advertise them as vegan candies. HersheyLand: HersheyLand is a parent brand for many candy brands that produces its own candies as well.
What sweets can vegans eat? ›
The results: a lot of your sugary highs don't even need to be reconsidered.
- Candy Kittens. Colourfully polka dotty and full of flavour. ...
- Haribo Rainbow Range. ...
- Jelly Tots. ...
- Lemon Sherbets. ...
- M&S Own Brand. ...
- Millions. ...
- Sherbety Snacks. ...
- Swizzels.
5 vegan American candies you must try
- sour patch kids vegan from the USA (not the ones from Germany). Sour Patch have long since gained a high profile in Germany. ...
- twizzlers vegan. ...
- swedish fish. ...
- vegan marshmallows. ...
- DOTS. ...
- AIRHEADS. ...
- NERDS. ...
- skittles crazy sours.
No variety of Twizzlers contains animal products like meat, eggs, dairy, or bee products common in many confections.
Do Red Twizzlers have gelatin? ›
Do Twizzlers have gelatin? No, Twizzlers stand out in the candy aisle as a gelatin-free candy, making them a go-to choice for vegans.
Is red licorice vegan? ›
Yes, Red Vines® are a vegan-friendly candy.
Is Sour Patch Kids vegan? ›
By standard definitions, regular Sour Patch Kids candies are vegan because they don't contain animal products. However, the sugar in all of the Sour Patch Kids candies was likely, at least in part, processed with animal bone char. That may be reason enough for some vigilant vegans to abstain.
