Is Margarine Vegan? Here's Everything You Need To Know

One of the world’s favorite breakfasts is buttered toast! Who doesn’t love it?

I speak for myself. Here at home the breakfast of choice are some toasties to accompany a good coffee with a vegan drink.

The reality for many is that when they became vegans they had to abandon buttered toasts, because it is not vegan. Well, the solution is to exchange the butter for margarine.

I know that it doesn’t taste the same, but it is a good option if you want to continue eating your morning toast.

However, be very careful, because not all margarines are vegan.

In recent years I have seen an increase in the number of margarines with a “vegan” certificate or symbol, but still, most are not vegan.

What is Margarine Made Of?

Margarine is made mainly from fats and oils of vegetable origin, such as soybean, corn, palm, sunflower, coconut, olive, linseed, and rapeseed oil.

The main difference between butter and margarine is the base ingredient, which in butter is of animal origin and in margarine is of vegetable origin.

Butter is made from milk, usually cow’s milk, more specifically from cream (fat) from milk.

Although the basis of margarine is of plant origin, it does not mean that it is vegetarian or vegan. In reality most vegetable margarines/creams contain at least one ingredient of animal origin.

These ingredients are usually:

Milk: although not among the main ingredients and not mandatory, most margarines contain milk.
Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids: This is an emulsifier almost always present in supermarket margarines and can be of vegetable or animal origin.
Vitamin D: It can be of vegetable or animal origin. The one added to foods is often obtained from lanolin. Lanolin is a product of the oil glands of sheep, extracted from their wool.

If it contains milk we already know that it is not vegan. If it does not contain milk and does not have the vegan symbol, the only way to know is to contact the brand.

How is Margarine Made?

Margarine is produced by hydrogenating vegetable oils – a molecule of hydrogen is added to the natural unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oils to make them more saturated. Thus the oil becomes more solid or semi-solid.

Because of hydrogenation, trans fats are formed. Given the harm that trans fats have on our health, most margarines on the market today are no longer manufactured using this process.

The new margarine manufacturing process is interesterification. Interesterified fats are obtained from the mixture of fully hydrogenated vegetable oil (saturated fats) and liquid vegetable oils.

Then other ingredients such as emulsifiers, vitamin A, vitamin D, flavors and colorings are added. (Marjorie P. Penfield, Ada Marie Campbell, in Experimental Food Science (Third Edition), 1990)

Emulsifiers, mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids, are used to make the oils mix more homogeneously with water or milk.

Vitamin A and D are often added to margarine because they are fat-soluble vitamins, i.e. vitamins that are soluble in fat but not soluble in water. These vitamins need the presence of fat to be absorbed. (D.H. Morris, M. Vaisey-Genser, in Encyclopedia of Food Sciences and Nutrition (Second Edition), 2003)

Is Country Crock Spread Vegan?

Country Crock’s original spread contains the following ingredients:

Purified Water, Soybean Oil, Palm Kernel and Palm Oil, Salt, Lecithin (Soy), Vinegar, Natural Flavors, Vitamin A Palmitate, Beta Carotene (Color), and Vitamin D3.

While it doesn’t have any animal ingredients like milk or mono-and-diglycerides, it contains vitamin D3, which is usually obtained from lanolin, a non-vegan ingredient.

Therefore, this particular margarine is not suitable for vegans.

Is Earth Balance Spread Vegan?

Earth Balance’s spread contains the folllowing ingredients:

Oil Blend (Palm Fruit, Canola, Soybean, Flax and Olive Oils), Water, contains less than 2% of Salt, Natural Flavor+, Pea Protein, Sunflower Lecithin, Latic Acid (Non-Dairy), and Naturally Extracted Annatto (Color).

Fortunately, it is suitable for vegans.

Is Becel Margarine Vegan?

According to Becel’s Canadian website, their original margarine contains the following ingredients:

Canola and sunflower oils 74%, water, modified palm and palm kernel oils 6%, salt, buttermilk powder 1% (milk), natural flavours, lactic acid, vitamin A palmitate (vitamin A), vitamin D3, natural colour, soy lecithin, and calcium disodium EDTA.

As you can see, it is not suitable for vegans.

However, they also have vegan margarine, which is made entirely with plant-based ingredients, so unlike the original version, it doesn’t contain vitamin D3.

Is Blue Band Margarine Vegan?

Blue Band Margarine contains the following ingredients:

Plant Oils 60% (Rapeseed 36%, Palm 24%), Water, Salt 1.01%, Emulsifiers (Mono- and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Sunflower Lecithin), Faba Beans, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Acid (Citric Acid), Flavourings, Vitamins (A, D3, E), Colour (Carotenes)

While it doesn’t have any obvious animal ingredients, it contains controversial ingredients such as mono- and diglycerides, which may be derived from animal fats, and vitamin D3, an ingredient that is almost always derived from lanolin, a grease extracted from sheep’s wool.

Therefore, it’s not vegan.

Is Vitalite Dairy-Free Spread Vegan?

The Vitalite dairy-free spread is quite popular in the United Kingdom, so you can find it in most retailers, including Sainsbury’s, ASDA, and Tesco.

It contains the following ingredients:

Vegetable Oils (Sunflower 21%, Rapeseed, Sustainable Palm), Water, Salt, Emulsifiers-E471, Sunflower Lecithin, Preservative- Potassium Sorbate, Acid – Lactic Acid, B Vitamins (Niacin, B6, B2, Folic Acid & B12), Flavorings, Colours – Annatto Bixin, and Curcumin.

Fortunately, since it doesn’t contain animal ingredients, it’s a product vegans can purchase with no problem.

Is Margarine Vegan? Here’s Everything You Need To Know