Is Margarine Vegan? A List of 100% Vegan Maragine Brands!

Margarine is an excellent substitute for butter, which adds flavor and richness to the food. As a vegan food lover, you might wonder, “ Is Margarine vegan?”

Well, we got your point. Vegans, there is good news for you. Margarine is vegan, but be cautious! Not all brands are vegan. We will educate you on how to choose vegan margarine and what the ingredients are.

Let’s get straight into it! 

What is Margarine?

Margarine is just like an alternative to butter that is used in various recipes, mostly as a spread to add flavor and creamy richness to your food. Like cocoa butter and shea butter, it is not milk butter.

Historically, margarine was made as a cheap substitute for butter, as butter is obtained from dairy fat, and its resources are from dairy farms.  In comparison, margarine only contains a variety of cheap vegetable oils. Moreover, margarine contains a lesser content of saturated fats and cholesterol.

Now, to know if margarine is vegan, we should first understand the concept of veganism.

Concept of veganism

Veganism is a system of belief that is against any kind of animal exploitation. So, vegans adopt a plant-based diet not just to avoid any cruelty towards animals but also for a better and healthier lifestyle.

Some vegans do not avoid eggs and milk strictly, as they think these are not a product of animal exploitation. In comparison, some strict vegans avoid any animal-based products in their diet.

Well, for the first category, even butter can be consumed, but for the second one, butter is not vegan-friendly, as it is derived from dairy sources. Margarine can be a better alternative for them because it is vegan and made of plant-derived oils, and there is no use of any dairy product in its production.

What Is Margarine Made of?

To understand better if Margarine is vegan or not, let’s have a look at its ingredients first.

Well, traditionally, margarine is made by combining water with different forms of vegetable oils, such as soybean, sunflower, palm, and olive oil, along with some salt and emulsifiers.

As all these ingredients are vegan-friendly,  traditional margarine is vegan.

Comparatively, some manufacturers add milk instead of water to add more flavor and enhance its texture. This addition makes it an animal-derived product. In that case, margarine is not considered vegan-friendly.

Cooking process of Margarine

To achieve the easily spreadable texture and desired butter-like taste, margarine undergoes various manufacturing processes. These processes are named as, emulsification, homogenization, and then chilling.

In the emulsification process, water, vegetable oils, and emulsifiers are combined and then thoroughly mixed. This mixing creates a stable emulsion. This process gives a consistent texture to the margarine.

The next step is homogenization; the emulsion is subjected to high pressure, which reduces the size of oil droplets and creates a smoother, creamier texture of margarine.

After these steps, this mixture is chilled to solidify the oils and achieve the desired consistency and texture of the final product.

So, this was the entire process. But is the final product vegan?

Is Margarine Vegan?

As discussed earlier, the primary ingredients involved in the production of margarine are water, emulsifiers, and vegetable-derived oils. All these primary ingredients are vegan-friendly, and so is traditional margarine. Like vegan caramel, you can confidently add vegan margarine to prepare various vegan dishes, desserts, and snacks.

There are certain concerns, like some manufacturers may add milk as a replacement of water, which can make margarine non-vegan.

When is Margarine Not Vegan? 

Although traditional margarine contains these three vegan-friendly ingredients, but many brands add further additives, flavoring, and coloring agents to enhance the appearance and taste of their products.

These additives may be derived from some animal sources. To avoid this issue, you should check the list of ingredients before consuming the product.

For instance, if your margarine has whey, lactose,  Vitamin D3 or Lecithin, then it is definitely not vegan-friendly. Whey is a liquid obtained from cheese milk. Lactose is a sugar found in milk and dairy products. Vitamin D3 is also obtained from lanolin, derived from sheep’s wool, and so lecithin is also an animal-derived fatty substance.

The addition of these substances into margarine to makes it more appealing but non-vegan. As a vegan, it’s better to go for the manufacturers that claim their product is 100% vegan.

What about Cross Contamination? 

During manufacturing of margarine, there are chances of cross-contamination with butter or other dairy products. If you’re a strict vegan, you should choose those manufacturers who claim to have separate facilities for vegan production.

There is also a controversy regarding the use of palm oil in margarine. Palm oil is plant-based and a widely used ingredient. However, its production causes significant deforestation and habitat destruction for many animals. Vegans who understand the principle of veganism avoid having food containing palm oil as well.

Vegan margarine alternatives

Although margarine can be considered as a vegan substitute for butter, it is not a healthy option. As it undergoes a process called Hydrogenation. The hydrogenation process creates harmful trans fats. These trans fats are unsaturated fats, but they are processed to resemble the structure of saturated fats. This structural change can cause a variety of health-related problems.

We can say that margarine can be a cheaper substitute for butter, but not a healthy one. There are many healthier and vegan-friendly substitutes for margarine that a vegan or even non-vegan person can have in their diet for healthier life choices.

Such as:

1. Coconut butter
2. Mashed avocados
3. Hummus
4. Tahini
5. Nut butter

All these can be good, healthier, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly spreads for your bread. You can use them with vegan banana bread for a delicious taste. Moreover, you can use some plant-based oils like olive oil or sunflower oil as a good alternative to margarine or butter while cooking a delicious vegan-friendly meal.

These alternatives are definitely more nutritious and beneficial as compared to refined margarine.

Also read: Is Honey vegan?

Which margarine brands are vegan?

If you are looking for vegan butter substitutes and vegan margarine brands, you can choose the following brands that claim to be totally vegan. We have prepared a list for your ease:

• Fleischmann’s Margarine
• Country Crock “Plant Butter” sticks and spread (olive, avocado oil , and almond)
• Earth Balance Vegan Butter
• Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread
• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter It’s Vegan! Spread
• Ellyndale Organics Buttery Spread
• Miyoko’s Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter
• Nuvita Organic Buttery Coconut Oil
• Wildbrine Cultured Cashew Butter Alternative
• Wild Creamery European Style Butter Alternative
• Park Butter Vegan Buttery Spread Butter Substitute
• Milkadamia Salted Buttery Spread
• Forager’s Project Buttery Spread
• Wayfare Foods Dairy-Free Salted, Whipped Butter
• Om Sweet Home Non-Dairy Butter Alternative
• Wildbrine European-Style Cultured Cashew Butter

Is margarine an animal fat?

No, margarine is not animal fat. It is obtained from the emulsification of vegetable oils like soybean, sunflower, palm, and olive oil. Vegan margarine brands do not use animal fat, so it’s cholesterol-free and a vegan alternative to butter.

Is Imperial Margarine vegan?

Imperial margarine is not vegan. Imperial margarine contains vitamin D3, whey, and buttermilk powder. These ingredients are derived from animals. 

The ingredients of imperial margarine are purified water, sodium chloride (salt), vegetable monoglycerides, natural and artificial flavors, vitamin A palmitate (vitamin A), a blend of soybean, canola, r vegetable oils, altered palm and palm kernel oils, potassium sorbate, beta carotene, whey, buttermilk powder, vitamin D3, soy-derived lecithin, and acids like citric acid or lactic acid.

Is country crock margarine vegan?

Country crock margarine manufacturers claim that it is totally vegan and plant-based. It is derived from almond oil, olive oil, and avocado oil. However, Country Crock Light Spread is not vegan as it contains vitamin D3 and mono and triglycerides from animal sources. 

Is stork margarine vegan?

Stork margarine is vegan. It doesn’t contain animal products. Stork contains vegetable oils, salt, emulsifiers, water, citric acid, and potassium sorbate. Vegetable oils in stork are rape seed, sunflower oil, and palm oil. All of these are vegan. 

Is blue bonnet margarine vegan?

Blue bonnet margarine is not vegan. It contains palmitate or vitamin A derived from animal resources. However, blue bonnet light margarine is 100% vegan-friendly and plant-based. 

Ingredients of blue bonnet are: 

Water, preservatives, Vitamin A or palmitate, palm kernel oil, citric acid, monoglycerides, soybean, salt, maltodextrin, and beta carotenes.

Is vegan margarine halal?

Vegan margarine is halal. As it is obtained from vegetable oils only, all vegetable oils are halal to use. 

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