Is carmine vegan? No, and the may-contain line decides your lipstick
No, carmine isn’t vegan: it comes from cochineal insects and shows up as CI 75470. Of the 7 lipsticks we read, 4 list it and 3 are sold as vegan.
How to tell if makeup is vegan: the bunny on the box answers a different question
Look for the Vegan Society sunflower or Certified Vegan, or read the list. Leaping Bunny and PETA’s plain bunny cover testing only: Burt’s Bees beeswax has one.
Best vegan sunscreens: 7 bottles read from the label, and the zinc one that isn’t vegan
Our pick is Coola Classic Face SPF 50. Sun Bum Original SPF 50 is vegan and Leaping Bunny certified. Badger’s beeswax Sport SPF 40 is not vegan.
Can vegans eat oysters? Not by the definition, and the science hasn’t settled the rest
Oysters aren’t vegan: they’re animals. Whether they can suffer is unsettled; a first 2022 literature scan found no paper showing it either way. Our line.
Does veganism really help animals? Yes, as odds, and nearly all of them are chickens
Veganism helps animals as odds, not a body count: a skipped purchase may be the one that cuts an order. 96 in 100 US land animals slaughtered are chickens.
Eggs from rescued hens: why we still say they aren’t vegan
Eating eggs from rescued hens isn’t vegan by our line: a hen bred to lay about 300 a year can use what she lays, and sanctuaries feed eggs back to laying hens.
Best vegan winter coats: 6 that pass, and the recycled puffer filled with down
Our pick is the Noize Wendy: all polyester, faux fur included, rated to -22°F, $240 on sale. 6 coats pass; skip Everlane’s recycled puffer, which is down.
Is down vegan? No, and certified down still comes from birds raised for food
No, down isn’t vegan, certified or not: the Responsible Down Standard requires birds raised for food. 7 jackets read, from Patagonia to Save The Duck.
Is silk vegan? No, peace silk included, and the lining may not be on the label
No, silk isn’t vegan, peace silk included. The pupa dies in the cocoon, and a silk lining used for structure needn’t be on a US label. 7 products checked.
Is apple juice vegan? By the label almost always, and two store brands say so outright
Almost always: 9 apple juices and 1 drink list nothing animal. Gelatin can clarify juice unlisted; Whole Foods’ 365 and Kroger’s Simple Truth say vegan.
What do vegans eat instead of meat? 7 substitutes, and which ones replace the protein
Seitan, tempeh, tofu and TVP replace meat’s protein; jackfruit only its texture, at 1 g of protein a serving. 7 compared, Beyond and Impossible included.
How to check if a food is vegan: what each part of the label can and can’t tell you
Read the ingredient list, not the front. Non-dairy, meatless, gelatin-free and kosher all appear on non-vegan foods; a Certified Vegan mark checks it all.
Where can vegans get iron? The foods, and why the target is 1.8 times the usual
NIH puts iron needs 1.8 times higher on vegetarian diets, about 32 mg a day for women 19 to 50, by our arithmetic. The foods that carry it, and what blocks it.
Do vegans look older? What the twins, sun and skin-color studies show
We found no study showing vegans look older. In a twins study, a lower BMI went with an older face after 40; sun and smoking aged faces; vegetables tint skin.
Are vegans healthier than meat eaters? Better on the heart, worse on bones, and not clearly longer-lived
On the heart, mostly yes. On lifespan, the big US and UK studies show no clear vegan advantage over comparable meat eaters, and British vegans broke more hips.
Carob vs chocolate: vegan and caffeine-free, but carob powder is about half sugar
Carob powder is vegan and caffeine-free, and about half sugar by weight; cocoa is under 2%. How to swap it for cocoa, and 7 carob powders and chips compared.
Is onion powder the same as onion? No, and the jars disagree on how much makes one
Onion powder is vegan dried onion, not a spoon-for-spoon swap: makers’ ratios differ nearly 5 times. 9 jars compared; McCormick’s onion dip mix has buttermilk.
Nutritional yeast: vegan every time, B12 only when the label lists it
Nutritional yeast is vegan, but its B12 is added, not natural. Of 6 bags, Bragg lists 15 mcg per 2 tbsp; Sari and Frontier’s 1 lb large flakes list none.
Does vegan protein powder expire? The date is about quality, and two makers disagree on what happens after it
Yes, but the date is about quality. Vega says not to use protein powder after it; Growing Naturals says it can be safe 6 to 12 months past. 7 brands compared.
Is collagen vegan? No, and the “vegan collagen” on the shelf contains none
No. Collagen comes from animal hides and bones, and none of the four vegan collagen supplements we checked contains any. Codeage’s label says so outright.
Can you be vegan without supplements? Not for B12, and iodine is the one most likely to slip
No: B12 needs a supplement or fortified food, and iodine is next, since processed food uses non-iodized salt. Complement Essential covers all four gaps.
Best vegan documentaries on Netflix: what’s actually on it now, and the one with a trial behind it
Forks Over Knives and The Game Changers have left Netflix US. Start with You Are What You Eat: it follows a published trial, though Netflix overstates it.
Vegan options at Italian restaurants: the pasta is the easy part, the minestrone isn’t
Plain pasta with tomato sauce is the safe vegan order at Olive Garden, Carrabba’s and Macaroni Grill. Minestrone, bread and gluten-free pasta differ by chain.
Vegan at an Indian restaurant: what to order, and the ghee question to ask first
Order dal and vegetable dishes and ask what fat each is cooked in. Ghee and paneer are milk products by Indian law, and vegetable ghee is a different fat.
Recipes By Course
Browse our vegan recipes database by category. We have clearly arranged what we consider to be the most important categories on this page – from breakfast to desserts. Click on the category that interests you. You can then refine your search in the next step.
About us
We’re Gregory and Tara, husband and wife, and we’ve both been vegan since April 2012. Gregory started out a sceptic who thought you needed meat and dairy, so he read the studies until he was sure; he still does, and he runs the tech side. Tara cooks, invents new dishes and has tried more vegan beauty products than our bathroom shelf can hold.
For about two years we also ran a small vegan online shop, so we know the aisle from both sides. Vegan Pots is where we answer the questions we had back then: is it vegan, is it worth buying, and what do you do with it at home.
