The 4 Best Multivitamins With Iron For Vegans In 2026

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Food is the preferred source of nutrients, but if you are unable to meet your vitamin and mineral needs through food alone, multivitamins can be helpful to fill in the gaps.

If you’re a vegan eating a well-planned whole-foods plant-based diet, it’s unlikely that you need to take any supplements other than Vitamin B12.

However, I do understand the desire for a safety net, particularly if you skip meals or lack the motivation or time to adequately prepare your meals.

In this article, I’ll be covering 4 great vegan multivitamins that also contain iron, their pros & cons, and why you should take them into consideration.

The 4 Best Vegan Multivitamins With Iron

Performance Lab Multi For Men & Women

Performance Lab is one of the few brands that create supplements that differentiate between the dietary needs of men and women, so they have two distinct formulas.

One is the Multi for Women which contains key nutrients that are calibrated for women’s specific nutritional needs, and then the Multi for Men which contains key nutrients that are designed for men’s specific nutritional needs.

This multivitamin contains 26 active ingredients that deliver a wide array of vitamins, minerals, as well as other natural compounds that support both mood and metabolism.

Some of the vitamins and minerals in this formula include Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, and also calcium and iron, which are dosed differently depending on whether you’re a man or woman.

Since women generally have higher iron requirements, the Multi for Women contains more iron than the Multi for Men, which is a logical approach because you don’t want to consume more iron than necessary.

Performance Lab is popular for its ultra-modern method of designing supplements for peak health and performance called Nutrigenesis. The ingredients in this formula are lab-grown, using a patented process that mimics nutrient genesis in nature, increasing the absorption of nutrients and their effects.

Needless to say, this formula is vegan-friendly, and it features a clean-label formula, stripped of any unnecessary ‘filler’ ingredients or additives that may be deemed unhealthy.

If you’re interested in getting the Multi for Men, feel free to visit Performance Lab’s official website.

HealthyCell Vegan Essentials

Healthycell didn’t develop a liquid multivitamin for vegans just to increase sales; if they had, they would have lazily swapped out the contents in their standard multivitamin.

Instead, Healthycell actually developed a liquid formula that specifically addresses vegans and their nutritional needs, even though they’re not a 100% vegan brand.

This multivitamin comes with more than 30 vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12, vitamin D3, iron, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids, all crucial for a vegan diet.

Healthycell supplies its nutrients through Microgel technology, a microgel that helps your body absorb the nutrients more efficiently by delivering them more quickly to your bloodstream so that they can be absorbed by your cells.

Unfortunately, soft gels, capsules, and tablets often come with synthetic binding glues, fillers, coatings, and anti-caking agents which offer no nutritional benefit.

In fact, they may sometimes hinder absorption. Healthycell’s microgel doesn’t contain dubious ingredients and tastes delicious despite only being sweetened with stevia.

However, allow me to mention that this formula is quite expensive, and unlike Performance Lab’s multivitamin, there’s no differentiation between the dietary needs of men and women.

For example, iron content seems to be quite low for women, particularly when you compare it to women’s over-the-counter iron supplements.

Wholier Plant-Based Multivitamin

Wholier is a plant-based nutrition brand that seeks to create formulas that are validated by scientific research, but that also have a minimal impact on the environment.

One of their most prolific formulas is the multivitamin, which contains 8 ingredients that Wholier believes are essential to optimize a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-forward diet.

The 8 key nutrients in this multivitamin are Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and Vitamin K2; all of which are delivered in generous amounts, including iron.

Wholier is transparent about how it sources its ingredients, and it seems to take an environment-friendly approach to manufacturing its products.

They avoid major allergens, GMOs, synthetic fillers, and colorants, and also keep the production in the USA, which unfortunately means that their products are inevitably pricier than most, but their carbon footprint is lower when compared to companies that have operations in third-world countries.

Although Wholier has included citrus extracts to improve the aroma and taste of their capsules, the reality is that it doesn’t necessarily disguise their fishy taste, which is probably due to the use of algae/sea kelp.

Protein Works Multivitamin

Protein Works is a UK-based brand that also sells supplements in the United States and Canada, and while not a vegan brand, they have a variety of vegan supplements, including protein powders, weight gainers, and multivitamins.

This particular multivitamin comes with 25 vitamins and minerals, including 14 mg of iron, which is a bit too much for men, but an adequate dose for women.

What is also quite interesting about this multivitamin is that it manages to compress a generous amount of different vitamins and minerals in one capsule.

In other words, you only have to consume 1 capsule a day, unlike most of the other multivitamins on this list.

Since Protein Works predominantly operates in Europe, it seems that shipping costs to the United States and Canada are expensive (even though the brand also operates a US-based website).

Otherwise, I do believe this multivitamin would be extremely affordable, as 60 capsules cost $8.39, although they also give you the option to purchase bottles with 120 and 180 capsules, which enables you to bring down the price per serving.

What Is A Multivitamin?

Multivitamins are supplements that contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals, and sometimes they contain other ingredients such as helpful bacteria and or ginseng.

Although we’re generally able to get all the vitamins and minerals we need from a healthy balanced diet, that might not be the case for everyone.

Also, people often take a multivitamin because they can cover any small but critical nutritional gap in their diet, or they do it because they just want to play it safe and ensure they’re always covered despite having a solid diet.

If you’re planning to take a multivitamin, I would be careful about taking any additional vitamins (with the exception of some nutrients like vitamin B12) as some vitamins and minerals can build up in the body and become toxic.

Do Vegans Actually Need A Multivitamin?

If you’re following a well-planned whole foods plant-based diet you’re probably getting an abundant amount of nutrients, so a multivitamin is probably not necessary.

However, if you’re not sure whether your diet is a well-planned one, or you often do things that may lead to inhibit the absorption of certain supplements, then it might be a good idea to take a multivitamin.

The only supplement a vegan should be consuming is vitamin B12, and potentially vitamin D on days you’re unable to get 20 minutes of sunshine.

A multivitamin is essentially just a way of making sure you’re covering all the bases, but I don’t believe it to be necessary if you know what you need to be eating.

Do Vegans Actually Need To Supplement Iron?

A recent review from 2021 found that vegetarians had, on average, lower levels of iron in their blood compared to omnivores. ^[1]

This study found that menstruating women, regardless of diet type, were 4 times more likely to have iron deficiency compared to people who do not menstruate. Furthermore, iron deficiency was more prevalent among vegetarians, compared to omnivores, regardless of whether they menstruated.

However, there’s no difference in the prevalence of iron deficiency in both vegetarians and omnivores who do not menstruate. 

This study also suggests that regardless of dietary restrictions, vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores who menstruate should be focused on meeting their iron needs.

Another systematic review and meta-analysis also conclude that since high iron stores are also a risk factor for certain non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, it is recommended that not only vegetarians but also non-vegetarians should regularly control their iron status and improve their diet regarding the content and bioavailability of iron by consuming more plants and less meat. ^[2]

If you’re worried about your iron intake, here is a video from the Vegan Society on how to go about increasing iron intake in a vegan diet:

Bottom Line

Vegans do not necessarily need to take a multivitamin supplement (particularly one that also contains iron), but I also don’t think it’s a bad idea if you simply want to use it to cover potential gaps in your diet.

However, I would urge caution about consuming a multivitamin alongside another vitamin or mineral supplement because some nutrients consumed in excess are toxic and dangerous. This includes vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as minerals such as iron and calcium.

Don’t obsess about having the perfect nutrient intake, otherwise, it can backfire and you may find yourself overconsuming some vitamins and minerals that are known to be toxic when taken in excess.

Feel free to acquire a multivitamin, but don’t think of it as a substitute for a well-planned, balanced diet.

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Medical Disclaimer: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.

References: 

1. Slywitch E, Savalli C, Duarte ACG, Escrivão MAMS. Iron Deficiency in Vegetarian and Omnivorous Individuals: Analysis of 1340 Individuals. Nutrients. 2021 Aug.

2. Haider LM, Schwingshackl L, Hoffmann G, Ekmekcioglu C. The effect of vegetarian diets on iron status in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018 May.