Gelatin is boiled animal collagen, usually from pig or cow skin and bone. There is no plant version; the plant swaps are agar, pectin and carrageenan.
Made fromPig and cow skin, bone, collagen
Plant swapsAgar, pectin, carrageenan
VerdictNot vegan
Where it hides
Gummy sweets and marshmallows
Jelly and some yogurts
Fruit snacks and frostings
Capsules and vitamin softgels
Some fined wines and juices
What it is
Gelatin is collagen that has been broken down with heat. Manufacturers simmer the skin, bones and connective tissue of pigs and cattle until the collagen dissolves, then dry it into the sheets or powder that set desserts and sweets. Because it starts as animal tissue, there is no such thing as vegan gelatin; products that gel without it use agar from seaweed, pectin from fruit, or carrageenan.
Where it slips past
Gelatin turns up well beyond obvious desserts. It sets many gummy vitamins and drug capsules, gives some low-fat yogurts their texture, and even clarifies certain wines and juices as a fining agent that is filtered out and never appears on the label. When a sweet lists no gelatin but feels suspiciously chewy, agar or pectin is usually doing the same job.
IsinglassIsinglass is fish. It is a collagen made from dried swim bladders and used to clarify some beers and wines, which is why a plain-looking pint can fail the vegan test.
Carmine and cochineal (E120)That bright natural red in the yogurt or the candy is often crushed insects. Carmine, cochineal extract, Natural Red 4, E120: all the same animal dye.
CollagenCollagen is the scaffolding of animal bodies: skin, bone, connective tissue. There is no plant version, so every real collagen supplement is animal-derived, and vegan collagen is a different thing wearing the same name.
Frequently asked
Is there such a thing as vegan gelatin?
No. Gelatin is by definition an animal collagen product. Foods that set without it use plant gelling agents such as agar, pectin or carrageenan, which are sometimes loosely called vegan gelatin but are different substances.
Are gel capsules vegan?
Often not. Many softgels and capsules are made from gelatin. Vegan capsules made from plant cellulose (HPMC) exist, and some brands state it on the pack.
The sources
What each verdict rests on. Read them yourself.
Gelatin · MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine (NIH), 2024 · NIH consumer-health reference on gelatin and its animal origin
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