Top 100 Incompatible Ingredients for Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten Free Diets

The top 100 most common ingredients that aren't compatible with each diet. Visit the Ingredient Guide for the full list for each diet.

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Rank Ingredient Compatibility Description
1 Milk Never Vegan Not vegan if derived from an animal. Check the ingredients.
2 Natural Sometimes Vegan Ingredients are not synthetic or artificial, but extracted directly from plants or animal products
3 Citric Sometimes Vegan Emulsifier - May contain animal fat as it is derived from Glycerin/Glycerol.
4 Dextrose Sometimes Vegan Sometimes derived from animal tissues and fluids. Check the label to determine if plant based.
5 Calcium Sometimes Vegan May be derived from the shells of marine organisms, snails, and eggs. Check the label to be sure.
6 Riboflavin Sometimes Vegan May contain milk.
7 Glucose Sometimes Vegan Sometimes derived from animal tissues and fluids. Check the label to determine if plant based.
8 Vitamin Sometimes Vegan Likely animal based but may be plant based. Check the label to verify the source of the ingredient.
9 Eggs Never Vegan This product contains egg in one form or another. Not vegan friendly.
10 Whey Never Vegan The watery part of milk that remains after the formation of curds.
11 Cheese Never Vegan Most likely dairy based. Some forms are plant based and should be clearly labeled if true.
11 Sugar Sometimes Vegan A sweet material that consists of sucrose. Some sugars are processed through boneblack.
12 Chocolate Sometimes Vegan Most chocolates are not vegan. Check the ingredients for dairy or milk.
13 Lactose Never Vegan Milk sugar. A type of sugar only found in animal milk.
14 Butter Never Vegan Ingredient contains butter. Most likely derived from dairy but may be plant based.
15 Egg Never Vegan This product contains egg in one form or another. Not vegan friendly.
16 Disodium Sometimes Vegan Flavor Enhancer - Often made from animals.
17 Honey Never Vegan Sweetener - A substance secreted by bees and some related insects.
18 Lactic Sometimes Vegan Typically derived from plants such as beets. When animal-derived, found in blood and muscle tissue.
19 Palmitate Sometimes Vegan A fatty acid most commonly derived from palm oil but may be derived from animals as well.
20 Fish Never Vegan Fish are not considered a vegan food.
21 Ammonium Sometimes Vegan Another type of salt derived from Lactic Acid, which can be obtained from whey or milk.
22 Chicken Never Vegan Not a vegan food if a byproduct of an animal.
23 Beef Never Vegan Not vegan if originating from cow flesh.
24 Ferrous Sometimes Vegan Coloring - May be derived from animal source.
25 Pork Never Vegan Pork, or pig, is not considered a vegan option.
26 Gelatin Never Vegan Protein obtained by boiling animal skin, connective tissue or bones, usually from cows or pigs.
27 Lactate Sometimes Vegan A type of salt derived from Lactic Acid, which can be obtained from whey or milk.
28 E471 Sometimes Vegan Mono and di-glycerides of fatty acids (sometimes derived from animal fats).
29 Niacin Sometimes Vegan Used as a cholesterol treatment. In rare cases it can be derived from animal sources.
30 Buttermilk Never Vegan Ingredient contains buttermilk. Most likely derived from dairy but may be plant based.
31 Lecithin Sometimes Vegan May contain egg yolks. Can also be directly obtained from animal fat or soy.
32 Polysorbate Sometimes Vegan Derivatives of fatty acids, which are commonly sourced from animals. In cosmetics, foods.
33 Magnesium Sometimes Vegan Another type of salt derived from Lactic Acid, which can be obtained from whey or milk.
34 Glycerol Sometimes Vegan Sweetener - Mostly from animal fats, unless otherwise stated.
35 Meat Never Vegan Not vegan if originating from any animal.
36 Caramel Sometimes Vegan Used as a coloring. Some caramel is derived from cane sugar and not necessarily vegan.
37 Yogurt Sometimes Vegan Most yogurts are produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Check if the milk used is plant based.
38 Xanthan Sometimes Vegan Gum produced from corn sugar. Sometimes purified using chicken lysozyme or fermentation of whey.
39 Stearoyl Sometimes Vegan When animal-derived, a fat from cows, pigs, and sheep, etc. May also be of plant origin.
40 Humectant Sometimes Vegan Sweetener - Mostly from animal fats, unless otherwise stated.
41 Propylene Sometimes Vegan Emulsifier - May contain animal fats.
42 Glycerin Sometimes Vegan Often derived from animal fat but may also be plant based.
43 Pasta Sometimes Vegan Some pasta noodles are made with eggs. Check the label or ask if vegan.
44 E120 Never Vegan Coloring - Cochineal (another name for carminic acid, a pigment made from powdered insects)
45 Turkey Never Vegan Turkey is not considered a vegan food.
46 Confectioner Never Vegan Glazing Agent - Most likely a resin secreted by the lac bug.
47 Molluscs Never Vegan Mollusca is the second largest phylum of invertebrate animals. Not a vegan option.
48 Yolk Never Vegan This product may contain egg yolk. Check the ingredients to be sure.
49 E322 Sometimes Vegan Emulsifier - From soy or eggs. Check for vegan labeling or contact the supplier.
50 Rennet Sometimes Vegan Extract usually obtained from a newly-born calf stomach. This can also be derived from synthetic sources or from bacteria and fungus.
51 Acetic Sometimes Vegan Emulsifier - May contain animal fat as it is derived from Glycerin/Glycerol.
52 Bacon Never Vegan Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork/pig. Not considered a vegan option.
53 Shortening Never Vegan Most shortening is animal based and is made from butter, suet, and/or lard.
54 Shrimp Never Vegan Shrimp is not considered a vegan food.
55 Stearate Sometimes Vegan Salt of stearic acid. An emulsifier and/or stabilizer.
56 Sucrose Sometimes Vegan Sugar - Some sugars are processed through boneblack.
57 Tartaric Sometimes Vegan May contain animal fat as it is derived from Glycerin/Glycerol.
58 Dairy Never Vegan Dairy products are a type of food produced from or containing milk of mammals.
58 Wax Never Vegan Typically produced from shellac (lac bug secretion) or beeswax.
59 Worcestershire Never Vegan Many varieties of Worcestershire sauce contain anchovies. Check the ingredients to be sure.
60 Monocalcium Sometimes Vegan A salt found in rocks and bones. Used as an anti-caking agent.
61 Sorbitan Sometimes Vegan From stearic acid. Stearic acid is found in both vegetable and animal fats.
62 Shellac Never Vegan Glazing Agent - From a resin secreted by an insect called the lac beetle.
63 Cysteine Sometimes Vegan An amino acid found in the hair protein keratin.
64 Tuna Never Vegan Tuna is obtained from the tuna fish. Not a vegan food option.
65 Sucralose Never Vegan Known as Splenda. Produced from cane sugar and tested on animals. May be filtered through bone char.
66 Salmon Never Vegan Salmon is a kind of fish. Not considered a vegan food.
67 Polyglycerol Sometimes Vegan A byproduct of soap manufacture (normally uses animal fat).
68 Lard Never Vegan Fat from the abdomen of a pig that is rendered and clarified for use in cooking.
69 Taurine Sometimes Vegan Found in the bile of mammals. Can be, but not likely, plant based.
70 E422 Sometimes Vegan Sweetener - Likely plant-based but may be derived from animal fat.
71 Lysozyme Never Vegan Enzyme - From eggs.
72 Carbon Sometimes Vegan Likely derived from animals unless otherwise noted.
73 E631 Sometimes Vegan Disodium Inosinate: Can be produced from meat, fish or tapioca starch.
74 Beeswax Never Vegan Wax usually obtained from melting honeycomb with boiling water, straining it, and cooling it.
75 Carmine Never Vegan Red pigment extracted from the crushed carcasses of the cochineal insect, a cactus-feeding insect.
76 Sheep Never Vegan Sheep are not considered a vegan option.
77 Glaze Sometimes Vegan A pure food glaze and natural glaze. Made with shellac from the lac bug. Also known as beetle juice.
78 Anchovy Never Vegan Not vegan if sourced from an animal.
79 Animal Never Vegan This product contains an animal derivative. May not be vegan friendly.
80 Enzyme Sometimes Vegan Protein produced by living cells. Can be derived from animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and yeast.
81 Fur Never Vegan The skin of an animal. Used in clothing.
82 Casein Never Vegan The main protein present in milk and cheese.
83 Fatty Sometimes Vegan Fatty Acids: Organic compounds - Saturated, polyunsaturated and unsaturated.
84 Crab Never Vegan Not a vegan option if sourced from a crab.
85 Diglyceride Sometimes Vegan Emulsifier - May contain animal fats.
86 Biotin Sometimes Vegan A whitish powder. It can be derived from animal cells, milk plants, or produced synthetically.
87 Marine Never Vegan Likely from fish or marine mammals (including porpoises).
88 Pollock Never Vegan Pollock is a fish. Not a vegan option.
89 Acetate Sometimes Vegan Possible sources are fish liver oil, egg yolks, butter, lemongrass, carrots or synthetics.
90 Tricalcium Sometimes Vegan A mineral salt found in rocks and bones. The tribasic form of calcium phosphate.
91 Collagen Never Vegan Protein found in most tissues, including bone, cartilage and skin. Typically from cows or chickens.
92 Glyceryl Sometimes Vegan Emulsifier - May contain animal fats.
93 Monostearate Sometimes Vegan Manufactured by reacting stearic acid with sorbitol to yield a mixture of esters.
94 Oleic Sometimes Vegan Fatty acid occurring in animal and vegetable fats.
95 Skin Never Vegan Animal based unless labeled as faux or artificial.
96 Choline Never Vegan Frequently obtained from eggs, nerve tissue, blood, and milk.
97 E904 Sometimes Vegan Glazing Agent - Shellac is the secretion of the lac bug.
98 Pesto Sometimes Vegan Many varieties contain Parmesan cheese.
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