Most peppermints look vegan on the label.
But several popular brands hide gelatin, dairy, or animal-derived stearic acid in the fine print. Here's which peppermint brands are safe and which ones to skip.
Are Peppermints Vegan?
Vegan Peppermint Brands
Not all peppermints are created equal. Here are the brands you can feel good about grabbing.
YumEarth Organic Wild Peppermint
YumEarth is certified vegan by The Vegan Society, USDA Organic, and free from the top 9 allergens. The ingredients are organic cane sugar, organic brown rice syrup, and natural peppermint oil. The organic sugar is never processed with bone char. If you want zero gray area, this is the safest pick.
Simply Mints Peppermint
Three ingredients: cane sugar, peppermint oil, calcium stearate. That's it. Simply Mints is vegan certified and Non-GMO certified. No artificial sweeteners, no sugar alcohols, no synthetic colors. You can find them at most Whole Foods locations and online.
Newman's Own Organic Peppermint Mints
Another clean formula with just three ingredients: organic sugar, organic corn syrup solids, and natural peppermint flavor. Organic, Non-GMO, vegan, kosher. The organic sugar means no bone char concerns. Available at Whole Foods and most natural grocery stores.
Bob's Sweet Stripes Soft Peppermint
These are the soft peppermint puffs you see in grandma's candy dish. Ingredients: sugar, peppermint oil, Red 40, Red 40 Lake. No gelatin, no dairy, nothing animal-derived on the label. The one gray area is that the sugar is conventional, so bone char processing is possible. Most vegans consider these fine.
Trader Joe's Organic Pastilles Peppermints
Sold in small tins at Trader Joe's. These use organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup, peppermint oil, and agar (a seaweed-based gelling agent) instead of gelatin. They also contain real peppermint leaves. Vegan and gluten-free.
Starlight Mints (Generic)
The classic red-and-white striped mints you see at restaurants. Most brands (including Brach's Star Brites) use sugar, corn syrup, peppermint oil, titanium dioxide, and Red 40. No animal ingredients on the label. Like Bob's Sweet Stripes, the only question mark is bone char in the sugar processing. For most vegans, these are a safe choice.
Vegan Peppermint Brands
Not all peppermints are created equal. Here are the brands you can feel good about grabbing.
YumEarth Organic Wild Peppermint
YumEarth is certified vegan by The Vegan Society, USDA Organic, and free from the top 9 allergens. The ingredients are organic cane sugar, organic brown rice syrup, and natural peppermint oil. The organic sugar is never processed with bone char. If you want zero gray area, this is the safest pick.
Simply Mints Peppermint
Three ingredients: cane sugar, peppermint oil, calcium stearate. That's it. Simply Mints is vegan certified and Non-GMO certified. No artificial sweeteners, no sugar alcohols, no synthetic colors. You can find them at most Whole Foods locations and online.
Newman's Own Organic Peppermint Mints
Another clean formula with just three ingredients: organic sugar, organic corn syrup solids, and natural peppermint flavor. Organic, Non-GMO, vegan, kosher. The organic sugar means no bone char concerns. Available at Whole Foods and most natural grocery stores.
Bob's Sweet Stripes Soft Peppermint
These are the soft peppermint puffs you see in grandma's candy dish. Ingredients: sugar, peppermint oil, Red 40, Red 40 Lake. No gelatin, no dairy, nothing animal-derived on the label. The one gray area is that the sugar is conventional, so bone char processing is possible. Most vegans consider these fine.
Trader Joe's Organic Pastilles Peppermints
Sold in small tins at Trader Joe's. These use organic cane sugar, organic tapioca syrup, peppermint oil, and agar (a seaweed-based gelling agent) instead of gelatin. They also contain real peppermint leaves. Vegan and gluten-free.
Starlight Mints (Generic)
The classic red-and-white striped mints you see at restaurants. Most brands (including Brach's Star Brites) use sugar, corn syrup, peppermint oil, titanium dioxide, and Red 40. No animal ingredients on the label. Like Bob's Sweet Stripes, the only question mark is bone char in the sugar processing. For most vegans, these are a safe choice.
Everyone has a sweet tooth, even those of us on a plant based diet. But even treats can be manufactured in ways that fall outside of vegan diets. This applies to even the most basic of goodies, such as candies. Some candies are manufactured with ingredients made from animal parts such as: For more tips, see vegan candy list.
- carmine (red dye made from crushed insects)
- gelatin (cow and pig remains)
- confectioner’s glaze (made from insect excretions)
Fortunately for vegans with a sweet tooth, there are many vegan friendly candy options like Jolly Ranchers out there. But homework does need to be done. Take peppermints as an example. It seems to be a fairly straightforward candy, but many well known brands contain products that vegans want to steer clear of. So how can they indulge candy cravings without betraying their diet?
Benefits Of Peppermint
Peppermint Brands That Are NOT Vegan
These are the ones to watch out for. Some look harmless on the shelf but have animal-derived ingredients hiding in the fine print.
Altoids Classic Peppermint
The iconic tin contains gelatin, which is made from animal bones, skin, and cartilage. This applies to all original Altoids flavors. One exception: Altoids Arctic (the sugar-free variety) does not contain gelatin and is vegan-friendly.
Andes Mints
These chocolate-covered mints contain nonfat milk, lactose, and milk protein concentrate. All Andes varieties (Cherry Jubilee, Toffee Crunch, Mint Parfait) have dairy. Vegetarian, but not vegan.
Life Savers Pep-O-Mint
The ingredient list looks clean until you spot stearic acid. Wrigley (the manufacturer) has confirmed that the stearic acid in Life Savers comes from pork and beef sources. For more details, check out our full guide on Life Saver mints.
Junior Mints
These contain confectioner's glaze, also called shellac. It comes from secretions of the lac bug. The sugar may also be processed with bone char.
York Peppermint Patties
Contains both milk fat and egg whites. Not suitable for vegans. Plenty of homemade vegan copycat recipes exist online if you love the chocolate-peppermint combo.
Peppermint Brands That Are NOT Vegan
These are the ones to watch out for. Some look harmless on the shelf but have animal-derived ingredients hiding in the fine print.
Altoids Classic Peppermint
The iconic tin contains gelatin, which is made from animal bones, skin, and cartilage. This applies to all original Altoids flavors. One exception: Altoids Arctic (the sugar-free variety) does not contain gelatin and is vegan-friendly.
Andes Mints
These chocolate-covered mints contain nonfat milk, lactose, and milk protein concentrate. All Andes varieties (Cherry Jubilee, Toffee Crunch, Mint Parfait) have dairy. Vegetarian, but not vegan.
Life Savers Pep-O-Mint
The ingredient list looks clean until you spot stearic acid. Wrigley (the manufacturer) has confirmed that the stearic acid in Life Savers comes from pork and beef sources. For more details, check out our full guide on Life Saver mints.
Junior Mints
These contain confectioner's glaze, also called shellac. It comes from secretions of the lac bug. The sugar may also be processed with bone char.
York Peppermint Patties
Contains both milk fat and egg whites. Not suitable for vegans. Plenty of homemade vegan copycat recipes exist online if you love the chocolate-peppermint combo.
There's little that's not to love about peppermint, the plant. This herb:
- is a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome
- helps treat cold and flu symptoms
- can help improve skin health
- has been linked to cancer treatment
But let's be honest. When you're in the mood for an after dinner mint or a breath freshener, you don't really want to chomp on a leaf. You would like a piece of candy. So are peppermints vegan or not? The answer is both yes and no.
A number of peppermint candies are manufactured with vegan no nos, such as cream and gelatin. These are the ones that are easy to spot. But other peppermints may not contain what appear to be offensive ingredients, but are manufactured using bone char. Bone char is the cremated bones of animals. While these charred remains aren't actually placed in sugar, they're used as part of the process that filters and bleaches cane sugar.
Any ingredient that uses bone char in its making isn't considered part of a proper vegan diet. However, manufacturers aren't required to identify products processed with bone char. The good news is that candies are made (including peppermint ones) without using the bone char process. Beet sugar does not require bone char as part of its refining process.
Your quest for the perfect vegan candy in general (and peppermints in particular) should start by establishing that a non bone char sugar is the product's primary sweetener. Below is a list of other ingredients that you want to see in vegan peppermints. Keep in mind that just because you may not see "no go" ingredients on a certain list doesn't mean that they're not there other another name. This is perfectly legal under FDA rules, so learn all the names of the enemy.
Be aware that ingredients can be dissimilar among candy manufacturers that make peppermint candies that would appear to be almost identical. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is "secret sauce". In order to make sure their peppermint is better than all of the others, manufacturers may use certain ingredients for taste or preparation purposes.
There's another candy ingredient fact that vegan consumers should be especially aware of. Candy manufacturers may not use the same ingredients with every lot of candy that they produce. This is a common practice, and the reasons range from ingredient availability to price. As a consumer, it's unlikely that you'll ever notice a taste difference.
But be aware that unless a peppermints product is being manufactured as strictly "vegan", the manufacturer's biggest concern is finding ingredients that are tasty and cost effective. Vegan consumers will have to check the label with every purchase. Below is a list of ingredients in a peppermint candy that is very popular. Many vegans enjoy it, assuming that it is safe. But is it? Any non-vegan ingredients in it are highlighted.
- sugar*
- gum arabic
- oil of peppermint
- gelatin
- corn syrup
Gelatin automatically disqualifies this as vegan peppermints. "Sugar" is a little suspicious since we're not sure here if it's cane or beet. And while corn syrup is vegan, it's not the healthiest overall sweetener. This manufacturer does produce a "sugar free" version which lacks gelatin. But don't forget that such products have now come under their own health scrutinies.
How to Check If a Peppermint Is Vegan
Flip the package over and scan the ingredient list for these red flags:
- Gelatin comes from animal bones and cartilage. Found in Altoids and some store brands.
- Confectioner's glaze (shellac) comes from lac bug secretions. Found in Junior Mints and some coated candies.
- Stearic acid can be plant-based or animal-derived. Manufacturers don't have to specify. Life Savers uses the animal-derived version.
- Dairy ingredients like milk fat, nonfat milk, lactose, and milk protein concentrate. Found in Andes and York.
- Egg whites show up in York Peppermint Patties.
If you want to avoid bone char sugar entirely, look for peppermints made with organic sugar or beet sugar. Organic certification means the sugar was not processed with bone char. For a deeper look at reading ingredient lists, check out our guide on reading product labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are starlight mints vegan?
Yes, most starlight mints (the classic red-and-white striped ones) are vegan. They typically contain sugar, corn syrup, peppermint oil, and food coloring. The only gray area is whether the sugar was processed with bone char.
Are Altoids vegan?
Original Altoids are not vegan because they contain gelatin. However, Altoids Arctic (the sugar-free version) does not contain gelatin and is considered vegan-friendly.
Are candy canes vegan?
Most candy canes are vegan. They're typically made from sugar, corn syrup, and peppermint flavoring. Like other peppermint candies, the main concern is bone char in the sugar processing. Organic candy canes avoid this issue entirely.
Is bone char sugar a deal-breaker?
That depends on how strict you are. Bone char (made from cattle bones) is used to filter and bleach some cane sugar. It doesn't end up in the final product, but it's part of the process. Some vegans avoid it completely; others don't worry about it. Beet sugar and organic cane sugar never use bone char.
How to Check If a Peppermint Is Vegan
Flip the package over and scan the ingredient list for these red flags:
- Gelatin comes from animal bones and cartilage. Found in Altoids and some store brands.
- Confectioner's glaze (shellac) comes from lac bug secretions. Found in Junior Mints and some coated candies.
- Stearic acid can be plant-based or animal-derived. Manufacturers don't have to specify. Life Savers uses the animal-derived version.
- Dairy ingredients like milk fat, nonfat milk, lactose, and milk protein concentrate. Found in Andes and York.
- Egg whites show up in York Peppermint Patties.
If you want to avoid bone char sugar entirely, look for peppermints made with organic sugar or beet sugar. Organic certification means the sugar was not processed with bone char. For a deeper look at reading ingredient lists, check out our guide on reading product labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are starlight mints vegan?
Yes, most starlight mints (the classic red-and-white striped ones) are vegan. They typically contain sugar, corn syrup, peppermint oil, and food coloring. The only gray area is whether the sugar was processed with bone char.
Are Altoids vegan?
Original Altoids are not vegan because they contain gelatin. However, Altoids Arctic (the sugar-free version) does not contain gelatin and is considered vegan-friendly.
Are candy canes vegan?
Most candy canes are vegan. They're typically made from sugar, corn syrup, and peppermint flavoring. Like other peppermint candies, the main concern is bone char in the sugar processing. Organic candy canes avoid this issue entirely.
Is bone char sugar a deal-breaker?
That depends on how strict you are. Bone char (made from cattle bones) is used to filter and bleach some cane sugar. It doesn't end up in the final product, but it's part of the process. Some vegans avoid it completely; others don't worry about it. Beet sugar and organic cane sugar never use bone char.
Conclusions
It is certainly possible to find a vegan peppermints product that meets all of the requirements if one is willing to do homework. Remember that the same rules that apply to other aspects of vegan living apply here as well. Seek out organically produced items whenever possible. But be cautious, as not all organic is created equally. Consider kosher peppermint candy, as kosher requirements often make such candy vegan as well. And don't forget to look online for dozens of vegan peppermint candy recipes. Such a technique offers not only the guarantee of humane sweets, but the pleasure of creating them as well.
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