Whether soda is considered vegan or not is a common question for people following a vegan diet. The answer depends on a few key factors related to soda’s ingredients and production process.
What makes something vegan?
For a food or drink to be vegan, it must not contain any animal products or by-products. This means no meat, dairy, eggs, honey, or other ingredients that come from animals. The production process must also avoid the exploitation or cruelty to animals as much as possible.
Some key animal-derived ingredients to avoid include:
- Dairy products like milk, cream, whey, casein, lactose
- Eggs
- Honey
- Gelatin
- Carmine/cochineal extract (red food coloring from bugs)
Vegan foods also cannot be processed using animal products. For example, sugars filtered through bone char or beers clarified with fish bladders would not be considered vegan.
Soda ingredients
When checking if a soda is vegan, you need to look at the full ingredients list and production details. In general, the main ingredients in most sodas are:
- Carbonated water
- Sweeteners like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sucralose
- Acids like citric acid, phosphoric acid
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Preservatives like sodium benzoate
- Artificial food coloring
None of these core soda ingredients come directly from animals. Let’s look closer at some of the key points:
Sugar and sweeteners
Traditionally, sodas were sweetened with regular white sugar. The sugar itself does not contain any animal products, though there were some cases in the past of sugar being filtered through bone char from cattle bones. This practice is rarely used today, but vegans should still check with soda brands to be sure.
Many modern sodas use high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. This sugary syrup comes from processing corn and does not contain any animal ingredients.
Artificial zero-calorie sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose are also vegan. These lab-created chemicals are not derived from animals.
Natural and artificial flavors
This broad category can include hundreds of possible flavorings and extracts. Both natural and artificial flavors could potentially contain animal-derived ingredients.
For example, natural vanilla extract used for vanilla sodas is okay for vegans. But a “natural flavor” could include honey, cream, or lactose as hidden animal ingredients. Castoreum extracted from beaver glands is sometimes used in raspberry or strawberry flavors!
Artificial flavors do not usually contain animal products, though they can also contain small amounts of food-derived extracts.
Since there are so many possibilities here, vegans need to check with brands about their flavor sources. Companies that label soda as “vegan” will avoid animal-based flavors.
Preservatives
One common preservative in soda is glycerin or glycerol. This can come from vegetable or animal sources. A vegan brand would use glycerin from vegetable oils, not from animal fats like tallow (beef fat).
Some preservatives like lactate or stearate contain lactose or stearic acid that may be derived from dairy. However, the same compounds can be created from plant sources as well.
Colors
Artificial food dyes like Red #40 or Yellow #5 are petroleum-based synthetics that contain no animal ingredients. However, there are some natural coloring agents to watch out for:
- Carmine/Cochineal extract – Red dye from crushed bugs
- Caramel coloring – Can be processed with lactose
- Beta carotene – Sometimes derived from fish
Again, a soda promoting itself as “vegan” would avoid these animal-based colorings.
Other factors
In addition to the ingredients, vegans also have to consider other factors related to animal exploitation and environmental impact:
- Is the soda company doing animal testing?
- Are they using bone char filtration in sugar processing?
- Do they use sustainable palm oil to avoid deforestation?
- Are wastewater and by-products properly treated to avoid water pollution and ocean damage?
These extra concerns make it tricky to determine exactly where each brand stands. Small artisanal soda companies are more likely to use ethical and environmentally sustainable practices.
Is mainstream soda vegan?
Looking at the most popular mass-market soda brands in the United States, some do meet the criteria for being vegan:
Coke
Coca-Cola confirms its sodas are vegan friendly. They use sugar and high fructose corn syrup without bone char. The caramel coloring comes from non-animal sources. The colors and flavors are all artificially created or plant-derived compounds.
Pepsi
Like its rival, Pepsi also states its drinks are suitable for people following a vegan diet. They use similar vegan sweeteners, flavorings, and colors. One exception is PepsiCo’s root beer, which contains honey.
Sprite & 7UP
These lemon-lime sodas are vegan because they are simple mixes of synthetics, corn syrup, and citrus flavors and acids. There are no dairy, eggs, or animal extracts involved.
Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew and other citrus-flavored sodas are fine for vegans due to their synthetic flavors and colors. There are no animal products in the ingredients.
Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper confirms their recipe is vegan friendly. They use classic soda ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, phosphoric acid, colorings, and “natural and artificial flavors.”
A&W Root Beer
Unlike other mainstream root beers, A&W’s recipe is vegan. It’s sweetened with cane sugar and corn syrup and utilizes artificial flavors.
Overall, the most popular sodas avoid dairy, eggs, or other animal-derived ingredients. However, they may still use questionable practices like animal testing or nonsustainable palm oil.
Specialty sodas
There are hundreds of specialty soda companies offering more unique or natural flavors. These can range from completely vegan to containing multiple animal products:
Not vegan
- Many old-fashioned root beers contain honey or lactose
- Some cream sodas contain dairy ingredients
- Ginger beers may use egg whites as a fining agent
- Certain fruit sodas include natural beetle-derived red dye (cochineal extract)
Vegan-friendly
- Jones Soda – Uses only vegan ingredients and sugars
- Blue Sky – No animal products in their line of organic sodas
- Zevia – Vegan diet soda sweetened with stevia
- Spindrift – Flavored only with real squeezed fruit
- Fentimans – UK brand with vegan botanical ingredients
There are also some sodas specifically marketed as “vegan” that eliminate all animal products and by-products. These are the safest options for avoiding hidden animal ingredients.
Can you make your own vegan soda?
Making homemade soda is a fun project that allows you to control exactly what goes into the ingredients list. Here are some ideas for creating fizzy vegan sodas at home:
Basic method
- Start with plain seltzer or club soda as the base
- Add sweeteners like sugar, stevia, or fruit juice to taste
- Flavor with extracts like vanilla, spices, fruit purees, herbs or natural syrups
- Optional citric acid for more tartness
- Mix in servings glasses and stir
- Add ice and garnish with fruit slices or herbs
Flavor ideas
- Cherry-Lime
- Ginger-Orange
- Strawberry-Basil
- Pineapple-Mint
- Blackberry-Tarragon
- Watermelon-Rosemary
- Prickly Pear-Lemon
- Passionfruit-Coconut
- Raspberry-Thyme
- Any fruits, berries, herbs, and spices!
With homemade soda, it’s easy to control the sweetness level and use natural plant-based ingredients. You can create your own fun flavors. Kids may enjoy inventing new soda combinations as well.
Risks of drinking soda
While sodas can technically be vegan, they are still far from a healthy beverage choice. Here are some downsides of drinking soda – both diet and regular varieties:
- Loaded with added sugars and empty calories
- Can lead to weight gain and obesity
- High amounts of acids can damage tooth enamel over time
- Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas may have harmful effects
- Soda acids can irritate digestive system
- May increase risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease
- Caffeine content can cause anxiety, insomnia, and dehydration
- No vitamins, minerals, fiber, or other nutrients
- Linked to premature aging through advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
While an occasional soda may seem harmless, regularly drinking large amounts can negatively impact your health over time. The heavy sugar, acid, and chemical content provides little value nutritionally.
Healthier vegan-friendly drink options
If you enjoy fizzy drinks, there are much healthier beverage options you can make or buy that are more compatible with a vegan lifestyle:
- Fruity seltzer or club soda – Flavored only with real fruit juice or extracts
- Kombucha – Fizzy fermented tea with probiotics
- Sparkling juice – 100% juice with natural bubbles
- Coconut water – Natural hydrating electrolyte drink
- Sparkling wine – Look for vegan-friendly champagne or prosecco
- Infused waters – With fresh fruit and herb flavors
- Iced tea or coffee – Sweeten gently with syrups or fruit juice if desired
- Smoothies – With plant-based milks and fruit/veg
- Plant milk lattes – Make with oat, soy, coconut, or other vegan milk
You can even make fun mocktails using soda water, juice, herbs, and fruit garnishes for a special treat. There are many ways to get refreshing drinks that are also kind to animals and your health.
Conclusion
While traditional dark sodas like coke and pepsi are vegan, they are still heavily processed drinks high in sugar and chemicals without much nutritional benefit. Lighter sodas and fruit-flavored varieties may contain hidden animal ingredients like honey or carmine. Checking labels carefully or choosing brands marketed as “vegan” is best if you want to drink soda on a vegan diet. However, there are many healthier, more natural drink options to consider that can satisfy a craving for bubbles.