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    Home » Is It Vegan?

    Are Starburst Vegan? Here's What You Need To Know

    Published: Mar 18, 2022 | Modified: Mar 18, 2022 by Bree Sheree

    This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) should you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

    Most Starburst contain gelatin, which is not vegan. Gelatin is made from animal parts, including bones, tendons, and/or ligaments.

    The mini Starburst don’t contain gelatin, but they contain other non-vegan ingredients, so unfortunately there are no vegan Starburst in the US.

    It seems as though Starburst made in the UK do not contain gelatin, but always check the ingredients on the packaging. Even if you find Starburst without gelatin, they contain other potentially non-vegan ingredients as explained below.

    A package of Original Starburst.

    Non-Vegan Ingredients in Starburst

    Gelatin

    Gelatin is made from parts of animals including skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones.

    As mentioned, almost every Starburst product in the US contains gelatin. The mini Starburst and the Starburst Original Easter Jellybeans do not contain gelatin, but they contain other non-vegan ingredients.

    Confectioner’s glaze

    Confectioner’s glaze contains shellac, which is made from insect secretions. It is often used to give candies a smooth and shiny finish.

    Confectioner’s glaze is found in the Starburst Minis, solidifying them as non-vegan despite not containing gelatin.

    Beeswax

    Beeswax is currently only found in the Starburst Original Easter Jellybeans. As beeswax comes from bees, it isn’t vegan.

    This means that despite not containing gelatin, the jellybeans are not vegan.

    Potentially Non-Vegan Ingredients in Starburst

    Sugar

    All Starburst products contain sugar, which may be filtered through bone char. Bone char is literally charred animal bones and is sometimes used to de-colorize cane sugar.

    Most large companies have several sugar suppliers, some of which do filter their sugar through bone char. It is unclear if this is the case for Starburst, but either way their products are not vegan, so we don’t need to look into how their sugar is processed.

    Natural flavors

    Natural flavors can be derived from animals or plants. It is unclear what Starburst natural flavors are made from, but since other ingredients eliminate Starburst from being vegan, there is no need to figure this out.

    Artificial colors

    Artificial colors do not contain animal ingredients, but they are sometimes tested on animals. Some vegans are okay with this, while others avoid all products that contain artificial colors. It’s up to you.

    Mono- and diglycerides

    These can be either vegan or non-vegan, and again this is not disclosed by Starburst.

    Non-Vegan Ingredients By Product

    Product nameNon-vegan and potentially non-vegan ingredients it contains
    Starburst Original Fruit Chews CandyGelatin, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Original Mini Fruit Chews CandySugar, mono and diglycerides, confectioner’s glaze, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Fave Reds Fruit Chews CandyGelatin, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Fave Reds Mini Fruit Chews CandySugar, mono and diglycerides, confectioner’s glaze, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst AllPink Chewy CandyGelatin, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Airs Original GummiesGelatin, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Sours Gummies CandyGelatin, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Original Easter JellybeansBeeswax, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors
    Starburst Airs Sour Tropical GummiesGelatin, sugar, natural flavors, artificial colors

    Vegan Starburst Alternatives

    YumEarth Chewys

    A package of YumEarth Organic Chewys candy.

    YumEarth Chewys are the best vegan alternative to Starburst that I can find. There are other vegan chewy candies out there, but these ones from YumEarth are very similar to Starburst.

    The shape, colors, and flavors are similar to the Starburst Original Fruit Chews.

    Each bag of YumEarth Chewys contains individually wrapped chewy candies in 4 flavors:

    • Cherry
    • Strawberry
    • Orange
    • Lemon

    Get them on the YumEarth website or from Amazon.

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    Hey, I'm Bree! I'm a Certified Nutritionist and a vegan. I love creating recipes and sharing information related to a vegan lifestyle!

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