Are Starburst Jelly Beans Vegan?

Today I am answering the question, are starburst jelly beans vegan? Most of us would think that they are at first glance, but technically they are NOT vegan!

I will go into the one ingredient that makes them technically not vegan.

Starburst Jelly Bean Ingredient List

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Modified Corn Starch; Less than 2% of Citric Acid, Acacia, Apple Juice from Concentrate, Natural, and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Citrate, Mineral Oil, Carnauba Wax, Colors (Yellow 5, Red 40, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Titanium Dioxide), Confectioner’s Glaze.

Starburst Nutrition Facts:

Serving Size 1 oz

Calories 100

Total Fat 0g

Sodium 15mg

Total Carbohydrate 25g

Total Sugars 20g

Includes 20g Added Sugars

Protein 0g

I am including a photo of the full ingredients list.

The one ingredient that makes Starburst jelly beans NOT vegan is: Confectioner’s Glaze

Confectioner’s glaze is not vegan because it is lac bug secretions hardened to become shellac, products containing it are not considered vegan. This is a common ingredient in candy.

This type of glaze is used on a lot of different candies to make them shiny. Because this is a bug/animal by-product it would not be vegan.

Here is some more information about the confectioner’s glaze in case you are interested.

Unfortunately, there are animal-derived ingredients in a lot of candy and food that you would suspect. I have seen dairy products added to tomato sauce and plain crackers.

So it’s always a good idea to check out the list of ingredients on everything.

If you are new to eating a vegan diet you might not think about candy having non-vegan ingredients. I know I never did! But it turns out that a lot of gummy candies can contain gelatin which is normally an animal-based ingredient as well as confectioner’s glaze.

As we all know in general candy is not very healthy, but lately, I have seen some slightly better choices out there.

I always try to look for organic ingredients, natural flavorings, and a natural type of sugar. Usually, there is always a sweet treat that can fit into the vegan lifestyle and still satisfy a sweet tooth.

You are in luck because there are some vegan alternatives for jelly beans.

Vegan Jelly Bean Alternatives

The good thing is a lot of candy companies are getting on the vegan bandwagon and adding more vegan candy options with no animal products. The good news is there are some other jelly bean brands that do not have animal by-products.