Is Molasses Vegan? 

Molasses is a delicious sweetener used in a variety of baked goods, but is molasses vegan? Some types of sugar are processed with animal-based ingredients, so the appropriateness of different sweeteners can be a bit confusing for vegans.

The answer to this question isn’t entirely straightforward, as it depends on how molasses is processed. As a registered dietitian, I’ll explain how molasses is produced and which types of molasses vegans should look for.

What is molasses?

Molasses is a thick, dark syrup produced during the sugar refining process. It’s derived from cane sugar or beet sugar.

Thanks to its strong flavor as a sweetener, molasses is a popular ingredient in gingerbread, dark rye breads, molasses cookies, and rum distillation. It’s also added to white sugar to make brown sugar.

From a nutritional standpoint, molasses shines as one of the top iron-rich vegan foods.

Is molasses vegan?

The answer to this question depends on how the sugar from which molasses is derived is processed, as well as the type of sugar. This is because animal bone char is often used to refine sugar.

Molasses made from beet sugar is always vegan, as is USDA certified organic molasses. However, impurities in non-organic cane sugar are often removed using bone char. If bone char is used in the refinement process before molasses is removed, the molasses isn’t vegan-friendly.

Let’s take a closer look at the sugar refinement process in this chart from The Sugar Association below:

Bone char may be used in Step 5 of the sugar production process. This is when the impurities and color are removed from raw sugar, leaving sugar that is pure white. As you can see, molasses isn’t obtained until Step 7, after the introduction of bone char.

Unfortunately, the source of the sugar (cane sugar vs. beet) is rarely included on the packaging. For non-organic molasses, this means you may need to contact the manufacturer for this information.

Vegan molasses products

I’ve done some of the hard work for you! Below is a list of vegan-friendly molasses brands you can feel confident using in your baking.

1. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blackstrap Molasses – This fair trade-certified molasses is one of the most widely available molasses brands. It’s vegan-friendly thanks to the organic certification and earns bonus points from me for its excellent iron content — 3 milligrams per tablespoon!
2. Grandma’s Original Molasses – This is arguably one of the most well-known molasses brands. While this product isn’t organic, I received this helpful response from B&G Foods indicating it is vegan-friendly: “Grandma’s Molasses is not certified as vegan; however, the sugar derived from sugarcane used in the molasses is processed without the use of bone char.” If you’re looking to use molasses to boost your iron absorption, this may not be the best option as it’s much lower than some of the other brands on this list.
3. Azure Market Organic Molasses – This is a great vegan-friendly option for baking and cooking. It’s also an incredible source of iron with 4.7 milligrams per tablespoon!
4. Fermentaholics Organic Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses – Another organic molasses, this is also a good source of iron with 3 milligrams per serving.
5. Plantation Organic Blackstrap Molasses – This unsulfured, organic molasses is vegan-friendly with 1.5 milligrams of iron per tablespoon — not quite as high as the others, but still worth mentioning.
6. Santa Clara Organics Organic Molasses Granules – This is a unique product that can be used as a granulated sweetener.

List of vegan-friendly sweeteners

Wondering what other ingredients you can use to satisfy your sweet tooth? Here’s a comprehensive list of vegan-friendly sweeteners:

• Agave nectar
• Organic sugar
• Organic brown sugar
• Organic confectioner’s sugar
• Raw sugar
• Molasses
• Brown rice syrup
• Beet sugar
• Date sugar
• Date syrup
• Piloncillo
• Coconut sugar
• Stevia
• Monk fruit
• Erythritol
• Corn syrup
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Golden syrup (made in the UK)
• Maple syrup*
• Yacon root syrup

*Some maple syrup producers use defoaming agents derived from animal fats, so some brands may not be vegan. Unfortunately, these fats aren’t listed in the ingredients so it can be difficulty to tell which products are okay. 

Organic maple syrup, at least when produced in Vermont, Maine, and Canada, is more likely to be vegan, as guidelines in these states only allow vegetable oils to be used as defoaming agents in organic maple syrup. Additionally, many maple syrup producers use enclosed kettles, removing the need for defoaming agents. 

RELATED: Is Corn Syrup Vegan?

Final thoughts

Organic molasses and molasses produced from beet sugar are always vegan-friendly. Molasses produced from conventional cane sugar treated with bone char, however, isn’t. 

The easiest way to make sure the molasses in your next batch of gingerbread is cruelty-free is to choose organic molasses, since it can be difficult to find molasses made from beet sugar. You can also contact the manufacturer for more information.

New to the vegan lifestyle? Check out my Vegan Food List For Beginners, complete with a downloadable PDF!

The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.