Often recommended for their potential digestive health, immunity, and mood-boosting benefits, probiotics are some of the most popular dietary supplements. Supplement labels can be complicated, however, making it difficult to know what to look for.
Choosing a probiotic can be even more difficult for vegans considering the need to avoid supplements produced with animal-based ingredients.
This is why I’ve done the hard work for you! As a vegan registered dietitian, I’ve reviewed tons of vegan supplements for this post and have listed my pick for the best probiotic for vegans below along with a few runners-up, saving you precious time.
Defining common probiotic supplement label terms
Before we get into the best probiotic for vegans, let’s define some common terms that you may see on probiotic supplement labels and that I’ll be using throughout this review.
- Probiotic: live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host
- Prebiotic: a substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit
- Postbiotic: a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host
- CFU: Colony-Forming Units; refers to the number of viable, living bacteria present in a supplement that are capable of dividing and forming colonies
- AFU: Active Fluorescent Units; refers to the number of living bacteria as measured by a precise flow cytometry laser. AFU is used less often than CFU because it’s a more recently developed method but may be more accurate
- GMP: Good Manufacturing Practices: standard that ensures products are consistently produced according to high-quality standards
What does this mean in everyday English? To summarize:
- Probiotics are living bacteria or yeasts that can help improve our health
- Prebiotics are typically food-based compounds like dietary fiber and some polyphenols which serve as food for beneficial bacteria in the gut, helping them to flourish
- Postbiotics are compounds produced naturally by the bacteria in our gut that help improve our health. In supplements, postbiotics can also refer to inactive bacteria which, although not living, can still provide health benefits.
- CFU and AFU are terms that give us an idea of how many living, active bacteria are present in a probiotic supplement. This is important because the microorganisms must be alive for the supplement to be considered an effective probiotic.
Note: The number of live cultures (CFUs/AFUs) in probiotic supplements declines over time. This is why it’s important to check whether the number of CFUs/AFUs indicated is the amount present at the time the product was manufactured, or whether this is the amount guaranteed to be present by the product’s expiration date.
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The best probiotics for vegans
#1: NOW Supplements, Probiotic-10™, 25 Billion
My #1 pick for a vegan probiotic comes from Now Supplements, a reputable brand known for its affordable vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements. Now Foods makes many non-vegan products, but they state directly on the bottle that the Probiotic-10™, 25 Billion is vegan-friendly.
Why I recommend it:
- It’s the most affordable option at only $0.22 per capsule
- Contains L. rhamnosus, one of the most highly researched probiotic strains for improving digestive symptoms
- What you see is what you get — the 25 billion CFUs listed on the front of the bottle is the amount you’ll have left by the expiration date
- Provides 10 different probiotic strains, which may provide a wider range of general health benefits
- Uses capsules designed to protect the probiotics from stomach acid
- Produced in a facility that follows GMP standards
Cons:
- Not third-party-tested; however, Now Supplements is reputable and conducts extensive in-house testing and strain verification
- Some consumers may prefer to purchase probiotics from a brand that exclusively makes vegan products
- Prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) may not be tolerated by people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Best uses:
- May improve general gut health
- May help improve symptoms of depression1
- May help strengthen the immune system2
Keep reading for the runners-up!
#2: Seed DS-01 Daily Synbiotic
The DS-01 Daily Synbiotic is an intriguing probiotic from Seed Health. It includes a variety of proprietary strain blends targeting everything from gut health to skin concerns to cardiovascular health.
While DS-01 has the highest-sounding number of bacteria at 53.6 billion AFU, we can’t directly compare it to the other products on this list as there’s no way to convert CFU to AFU.
Note that you do need to sign up for a subscription to get this probiotic. Your first order includes a 30-day supply of capsules with a refillable glass jar and glass travel vial. Each month, another 30-day supply is delivered.
Pros:
- Contains L. rhamnosus among a total of 24 probiotic strains
- What you see is what you get — the advertised 53.6 billion AFUs is the amount you’ll still have left by the expiration date (confirmed by the Seed SciCare team)
- Contains a pomegranate-based prebiotic
- Produced in a facility that follows GMP standards
Cons:
- Fairly affordable at $0.88 per capsule; however, the brand recommends taking 2 capsules daily for a daily cost of $1.76. You could just take one capsule a day, but the monthly subscription model means you’ll quickly be overrun with them.
- With so many probiotic strains, it’s unclear how much of the most well-researched strains you’re getting. That said, with so many AFUs, you’re likely getting a decent amount.
- Higher CFU counts (~50 billion or more) aren’t always more effective3. While it’s difficult to translate this to AFUs, you may end up overpaying for more probiotics than you need.
- May not help with skin conditions other than atopic dermatitis, which isn’t explained in a consumer-friendly way in any marketing materials.
- Requires a subscription
Best uses:
- May improve general gut health
- May help improve symptoms of depression1
- May help strengthen the immune system2
- May help improve atopic dermatitis severity
- May help lower coronary heart disease risk factors like total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apoB and raise HDL cholesterol
#3: Ritual Synbiotic+ : Probiotic, Prebiotic, Postbiotic
Ritual Synbiotic+ is a unique product among vegan probiotic supplements as it contains a blend of probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics.
Pros:
- Contains prebiotics and postbiotics — these aren’t super necessary, but some people may prefer them
- Contains L. rhamnosus
- What you see is what you get — the advertised 11 billion CFUs is the amount you’ll still have left by the expiration date
- Third party-tested for safety and purity
- Produced in a facility that follows GMP standards
Cons
- One of the priciest options at $1.80 per capsule for only 11 billion CFU
- Only contains 2 bacterial strains: L. rhamnosus and B. animalis ssp. lactis (BB-12®). These are effective strains for specific purposes, but may not provide as wide a range of general gut health benefits as a multi-strain probiotic
Best uses:
- May help reduce stomach pain caused by IBS3
- May help relieve constipation
- May help improve symptoms of depression1
- May help strengthen the immune system2
#4: Future Kind – Vegan Probiotics Digestion Supplement
Future Kind is a popular vegan supplement brand possibly best known for its vitamin and mineral supplements tailored to the dietary needs of those on a vegan diet.
The Future Kind Vegan Probiotics Supplement seems to be a great choice. It contains well-researched probiotic strains and I appreciate Future Kind’s commitment to third party-testing.
That said, the 30 billion CFU listed on the label is the amount present at the time of manufacture. Unfortunately, Future Kind doesn’t indicate how many CFUs will be left by the expiration date so we can’t know how much you’ll actually be getting.
This is an important distinction considering the need to maximize the number of living bacteria present at the time you take the supplement, not just when it was manufactured. If Future Kind made this information available, I probably would have ranked this probiotic higher.
Pros:
- 100% vegan brand
- Relatively affordable at $1 per capsule
- Contains L. rhamnosus among a total of 10 probiotic strains
- Third party-tested for safety and purity
- Produced in a facility that follows GMP standards
Cons:
- Doesn’t contain prebiotics or probiotics. While these aren’t necessary, some consumers may prefer a supplement that contains one or both
- Unclear how many CFUs are still viable by the expiration date
Best uses:
- May improve general gut health
- May help improve symptoms of depression1
- May help strengthen the immune system2
Vegan probiotics to skip
In my search for the best vegan probiotics, I came across some that I’d be hesitant to recommend. While some of these supplements might be helpful, the four products listed above will likely be a better choice for most people.
DEVA Vegan Probiotic + FOS Prebiotics
DEVA is a very popular vegan brand, so I was surprised to find that the DEVA Vegan Probiotic + FOS Prebiotics only contains one strain of probiotic bacteria, Bacillus coagulans, and only 2 billion CFU at that.
DEVA says they chose this strain because it’s better at resisting stomach acid than others. However, a good delayed-release capsule should address this issue and allow for the inclusion of multiple strains of probiotics.
It does contain inulin, an effective prebiotic, but I think there are better probiotic options out there.
That said, if you’re specifically interested in taking a probiotic to improve constipation or relieve IBS-related stomach pain, Bacillus coagulans could be helpful.
DEVA Vegan Probiotic Supplement
The DEVA Vegan Probiotic Supplement has 5 billion CFUs, prebiotics, and postbiotics. This sounds decent, but my concern with this product is that it only lists the CFUs at the time of manufacture.
This means that we don’t know whether all 5 billion will be alive by the expiration date, so you could end up consuming much fewer good bacteria than you’d expect.
Future Kind Probiotic Gummies
These probiotic gummies only contain one probiotic strain, Bacillus subtilis, which could help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea5. The product contains 5 billion CFU, but again, the brand doesn’t indicate how many will remain by the expiration date.
If you want a probiotic to help improve overall gut health, I’d go with one that contains more than one probiotic strain.
Hyperbiotics Pro-15 Vegan Probiotic Supplement
At first glance, the Hyperbiotics Pro-15 Vegan Probiotic Supplement sounds great — it has 15 different probiotic strains, contains prebiotics, and claims to have 15x better survivability than typical vegetable-based capsules.
However, there are only 1.5 billion CFU left by the expiration date. My top picks contain more than this, so I think they’re more worth your money.
MaryRuth Organics Liquid Probiotic
The MaryRuth Organics Liquid Probiotic comes from a popular organic brand and contains 13 probiotic strains, but it only contains 2 billion CFU and doesn’t tell us whether this amount remains by the expiration date.
It’s also in liquid form, so the bacteria aren’t protected from acidic conditions in the stomach6. This makes it unlikely that a significant number will survive by the time they reach the intestines.
Do vegans need to take probiotics?
Probiotics are often taken to improve general gut health, reduce inflammation in the gut, and boost the immune system. Despite their popularity, however, probiotic supplements aren’t required for good health.
Vegans who eat a variety of whole plant foods are predisposed to having better gut health compared to omnivores. This is because plant-based foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts are rich in prebiotic dietary fiber and polyphenols.
These prebiotics feed the healthy bacteria naturally present in the gut microbiome, helping them to flourish and outnumber the pathogenic, pro-inflammatory bacteria that are also present. This tips the balance of the microbiome in favor of health-promoting, anti-inflammatory bacteria.
Additionally, there isn’t much evidence that probiotics are helpful for generally healthy people. Certain strains may help with specific digestive concerns such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, traveler’s diarrhea, C. diff-related diarrhea, and some IBS symptoms, but their benefits for the general population are unclear.
That said, one situation in which probiotics can be especially useful for the general population is when taking a physician-prescribed antibiotic. Taking a probiotic at least 2 hours apart from your antibiotic dose can help keep your gut colonized with good bacteria more of the time.
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How to choose a high-quality supplement
When looking for a high-quality probiotic supplement, try to find the following things:
- Manufactured in a facility that follows GMP standards
- Made by a reputable brand
- Supplements that have been tested by a third-party lab for purity and safety
- Supplements that list the number of CFUs guaranteed to be present by the expiration date rather than only at the time of manufacture
- Supplements that contain well-researched probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, that are proven to be effective for the specific health concern you want to address
Vegans should also ensure that capsules are vegetable-based and free from animal ingredients like gelatin or magnesium stearate. Additionally, make sure that the microorganisms weren’t cultured on dairy.
Summary
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a vegan probiotic supplement. From my review of multiple supplements, there isn’t one best option that will meet the needs and preferences of every person.
Probiotic supplements may help improve overall gut function, immune health, and possibly mental health, but we can’t say for sure yet just how effective they are. Most of the research we have shows that probiotics may be most effective for people with certain digestive conditions.
Fortunately, a healthful vegan diet rich in whole plant-based foods is already incredibly effective at supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome.
If you struggle to get enough fiber-rich foods in your diet, want to manage certain digestive conditions, or simply feel like your gut needs a little extra help from a probiotic, the supplements listed above may help.
To learn more about the effectiveness of probiotics, check out Are Probiotics Vegan? Effective?
The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.
References
- Mörkl S, Butler MI, Holl A, Cryan JF, Dinan TG. Probiotics and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Focus on Psychiatry [published correction appears in Curr Nutr Rep. 2020 Jun 5;:]. Curr Nutr Rep. 2020;9(3):171-182. doi:10.1007/s13668-020-00313-5
- Mazziotta C, Tognon M, Martini F, Torreggiani E, Rotondo JC. Probiotics Mechanism of Action on Immune Cells and Beneficial Effects on Human Health. Cells. 2023;12(1):184. Published 2023 Jan 2. doi:10.3390/cells12010184
- WebMD. Bifidobacterium Animalis Subsp. Lactis – Uses, Side Effects, and More. WebMD website. Accessed 3/25/24.
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Probiotics – Health Professionals Fact Sheet. NIH website. Accessed 3/25/24.
- WebMD. Bacillus Subtilis – Uses, Side Effects, and More. WebMD website. Accessed 3/25/24.
- Koga Y. Microbiota in the stomach and application of probiotics to gastroduodenal diseases. World J Gastroenterol. 2022;28(47):6702-6715. doi:10.3748/wjg.v28.i47.6702
