Is honey vegan?

Not vegan. Honey is produced by bees, which are animals, so it is not vegan. The Vegan Society's definition excludes it explicitly.

Honey is made by bees, and bees are animals, so honey is not vegan. Maple syrup, agave and date syrup are the usual swaps.

Made by Honeybees
Plant swaps Maple, agave, date syrup
Verdict Not vegan

Where it hides

Cereals and granola
Glazes and dressings
Cough sweets and remedies
Some breads and snack bars

Why it is not vegan

Honey is the one people argue about most, but the reasoning is simple. It is made by honeybees from flower nectar, and bees are animals, so honey is an animal product. The Vegan Society, which coined the word vegan, draws the line directly.

Primary source 01 / 01

Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose

The Vegan Society The society that coined the word vegan Definition of veganism, 2024

The society names honey among the animal foods a vegan diet leaves out, alongside meat, dairy and eggs. Some people who otherwise eat plant-based choose to include honey, which is a personal call, but by the standard definition it is not vegan.

What to use instead

For sweetness and stickiness, maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, brown rice syrup and molasses all do honey's job. In cough remedies, look for plant-syrup versions, since honey is a common base there.

Shellac and confectioner's glaze (E904) That mirror shine on candy is bug resin. Shellac, confectioner's glaze, resinous glaze, E904: a secretion of the lac insect.
Bone char sugar Some cane sugar is whitened by filtering it through charred cattle bone. The sugar holds no bone, but the process is animal, so it depends on the brand.
Royal jelly Royal jelly is bee food, secreted by workers to raise queens. Like honey and beeswax, it is something taken from a hive, which puts it outside a vegan diet by definition.
Honey substitutes: sweetness, water, and browning, by job Guides · Honey is doing three things in a recipe at once: sweetness, moisture, and browning. The plant swaps split those jobs differently, which is why a straight swap sometimes goes wrong.
Where vegans actually draw the line, and why the line moves Guides · The Vegan Society's own definition contains an escape hatch, and the edge cases are where you can watch different vegans use it differently.
Why vegans skip honey: the hive, and the almond orchards Guides · The honey question usually stops at the jar. The bigger reason vegans skip it starts with a truck full of hives headed to California in February.
Ordering vegan at a restaurant, cuisine by cuisine Guides · The cuisines that are easiest to order vegan from are not the trendy ones. They are the ones with an old religious reason to avoid meat or dairy altogether.
Why most wine and beer are not vegan, and how to buy the ones that are Guides · Fining agents clear wine and beer of the haze that fermentation leaves behind, and most of the traditional ones are animal, which the label is not required to admit.
How to cook for a vegan guest without a hole in the plate Guides · The single fix that solves most of this problem: pick a dish that was never built around meat, dairy or eggs, rather than your usual one with them taken out.
Vegan condiments and sauces: the fridge door aisle, sorted by why each one fails Guides · Every condiment in the fridge door fails vegan for one of four different reasons, and knowing which one tells you exactly what to read on the label.

Frequently asked

Why do vegans avoid honey?

Because it is an animal product. Honey is made by bees, so the standard definition of veganism, which excludes all products derived from animals, leaves it out along with meat, dairy and eggs.

What can I use instead of honey?

Maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, brown rice syrup and molasses all work as vegan sweeteners, and some brands sell plant-based honey alternatives made from apples or flowers.

The sources

What each verdict rests on. Read them yourself.

Definition of veganism · The Vegan Society, 2024 · the standard definition, which excludes honey

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