Are M&Ms Vegan?

by Monica on Mar 23, 2023 (updated Oct 14, 2025) 0 comments

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M&Ms are a classic chocolate candy created by Mars Inc. in 1941, consisting of a colorful hard candy shell covering a milk chocolate center. They have grown in popularity over the decades, and now there are numerous varieties like Peanut, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate, and more.

Colorful M&Ms spilled out on a white counter top.

So you may be wondering, are M&Ms vegan-friendly? Upon checking the ingredient list, however, you’ll find multiple animal-derived ingredients that make M&M’s not suitable for vegans to enjoy. But there are some vegan-friendly alternatives!

What are the ingredients in M&M’s?

Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Skim Milk, Cocoa Butter, Lactose, Milkfat, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Artificial Flavors), Sugar, Cornstarch, Less Than 1% – Corn Syrup, Dextrin, Coloring (Includes Blue 1 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Blue 2), Gum Acacia.

What ingredients make M&M’s not vegan?

The first listed and most obvious non-vegan ingredient in M&Ms is milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is made with skim milk, lactose, and milkfat, meaning that M&Ms contain dairy and are not vegan. M&Ms also contain artificial colors, which some vegans avoid due to concerns over animal testing.

Additionally, M&Ms are made with cane sugar, and some cane sugar in the US is processed with bone char. It is unclear whether or not the cane sugar in M&Ms is processed with this technique. If you want to be sure to avoid bone char-processed sugars, opt for treats that get their sweetness from beet or coconut sugar.

Are any varieties of M&M’s vegan?

As mentioned above, Mars has released a wide variety of M&M flavors over the years. Unfortunately, all of the varieties of M&Ms contain non-vegan ingredients.

It is important to note that M&M’s UK products may not be suitable for a vegetarian diet because they include Carmine and Beeswax instead of the Red 40 and Carnauba Wax used in the United States.