Can I Have Chupa Chups On A Vegan Diet?

Chupa Chups are a traditional lollipop sweet in the UK and across the world, but with a huge range of flavours and different kinds of sweets, are they all vegan friendly? 

Well, some flavours of Chupa Chups lollipops are vegan but some other flavours are not since they can often contain vanilla which is dairy.

Down below we’ve discussed in more detail what ingredients are in these lollipops, vegan and non-vegan flavours and some vegan alternatives from this brand.

What Ingredients Are In Chupa Chups?

To figure out which kinds of Chupa Chups are vegan and non-vegan, let’s first go over the main ingredients for one of their most popular lollies, the strawberry version. 

• Glucose syrup – Lollipops need syrup as one of their main ingredients in order to bind them together, you will find most vegan lollies are made with the following syrup; brown rice syrup, glucose syrup or corn syrup. 
• Sugar – Sugar is one of the main ingredients of lollies, most sugar from the source is vegan, however, the process can make sugar not vegan friendly since it is filtered through bone chars of animals which is what gives it a white colour. To avoid this in vegan lollies make sure they are made with organic sugar types. 
• Fruit puree. 
• Acids – Acids are mostly found in lollies in order to preserve them, the following acids are used in lollipops as below; lactic acid (used for preserving not always from dairy), malic acid from apples, Ascorbic acid known as vitamin C and citric acids which gives a tangy taste to sweets.
• Flavourings. 
• Colour (from beet). 

As we can see, in their most popular fruit flavours, Chupa Chups lollies remain vegan, the problem tends to come in for their other flavour varieties. 

Vegan Chupa Chups 

• Orange – Made with fruit concentrate, paprika for colouring and acids, some people argue lactic acid is not vegan, however, it is not always animal-derived and can sometimes be produced by bacterial fermentation.
• Strawberry – As we mentioned above, Stawberry Chupa chups get their colouring from beets and flavourings from fruit concentrates keeping them vegan.
• Apple – Uses curcumin for colouring and fruit concentrates for flavor. 
• Cherry – The cherry lollies contain mainly fruit concentrate, glucose and acids, the colouring is done from beet.
• Cola – Cola Chupa Chups are considered vegan since they just contain glucose syrup and flavourings, the caramel is not derived from animals and is simply made by burning off the sugars.

Non-Vegan Chupa Chups 

• Cacoa-vanilla – The cacoa vanilla Chupa chup is made from milk powder and whey permeate plus cocoa butter making them non-vegan flavors.
• Strawberries and cream – These lollipop flavors are made with the usual fruit concentrates, glucose and flavourings, however, the plain fruit flavors are then mixed with milk powder and whey products which are a form of milk proteins.
• Raspberry-vanilla – Whole powdered milk is among the ingredients in this lolly, the vanilla itself is vegan but you will often find vanilla paired with milk derivatives in sweets to make them smoother.
• Caramel – Caramel is often a no-go for vegans due to the dairy, however, some caramel sweets can surprise you and still be vegan since they are made of caramelized sugar, Chupa Chups however are not vegan since it also contains milk powder.

Is Brown Rice Syrup Good For You?

Instead of glucose syrup or corn syrup, you can often find lollipops sweetened with brown rice syrup instead. This syrup is vegan, but is it any good for you?

Brown rice is just as bad for you as corn syrup and glucose syrup, don’t be fooled by its healthy names, this syrup is still super high in sugar and empties in nutrients therefore should be consumed in moderation.

Are Lollipops Gluten Free?

Now we know some lollipops from Chupa Chups are vegan, are they also gluten free? 

The majority of Chupa Chups lollies are indeed gluten free, you are mainly at risk of their chewy sweets not being gluten free or if they have been processed in a factory where they process gluten goods there could be a risk of cross-contamination.

Other Vegan Chupa Chups Sweets 

Chupa Chups don’t only have a variety of flavors for their vegan lollies, they also have some flavoured sweets which are friendly for the vegan community too. 

We’ve listed them below. 

• Sour Bites.
• Halloween Skull & Candies.
• Face-Designed lollipops and other flavors.
• All sodas.

Alternative Vegan Lollipops To Chupa Chups 

If you are a lover of lollipops but aren’t too sure about Chupa Chups limited range of vegan sweets, we’ve got some great vegan alternative lollipops for you to snack on below for when your craving something sweet.  

• Yum Earth Organic Lollies. 
• Zollipops clean teeth pop. 
• Juicy oragnic pops. 
• Lovely organic lollipops. 
• Dum Dums lollipops. 
• Charms lollies. 
• Jolly rancher lollipops. 

Other Vegan Candy Alternatives 

• Atomic Fireballs.
• Brach’s Root Bear Barrels
• Dots. 
• Cracker Jackers. 
• Swedish fish. 
• Skittles. 
• Smarties candy rolls.
• Wonka fun dip.
• Crybaby. 
• Fun dip.
• Jolly Rancher hard candy. 
• Brach root beer barrels. 
• Now & later. 
• Twizzlers. 
• Red vines.
• Mary Jane Peanut Butter Kisses
• Surf Sweets Gummies.

Frequently Asked Questions About Chupa Chups Lollies 

Is the Chupa Chups lollies cola flavor vegan friendly? 

Yes, the Chupa Chups lollies cola flavor is vegan since its caramel flavor is not sourced from dairy.

Can I have table sugar on a vegan diet? 

You can have table sugar on a vegan diet as long as it is organic and not processed through bone chars. 

Are Chupa Chups sugar-free lollipops vegan? 

Just like the original Chupa Chups lollies, most of the sugar-free flavor lollies are also vegan-friendly.

Is food colouring used in the strawberry flavor lollipops? 

Strawberry Chupa chups lollies get their colouring from beet, you should be cautious of other sweets with a red colour however since they could get this from boiled insects.

What is whey permeate? 

Whey permeate is a byproduct of whey protein and is made by removing protein from milk solids to have concentrated whey.

Is caramel color vegan?

Many vegans are cautious of goods which contain caramel color since there could be a risk of the caramel containing dairy, however, a lot of sweets get caramel color simply from burning table sugar. 

Last Words

Overall, Chupa Chups lollies are mostly vegan if you choose their fruity flavors, you should be cautious of any flavors which contain cream since they likely contain dairy from ingredients such as milk powder. 

To be on the safe side we always suggest checking the ingredients list for items such as milk powder or whey.