Best Vegan Energy Drinks In 2022

Everybody has experienced days when keeping awake seems like a genuine challenge. You might be attempting to work through the night to focus on your work or study for the test (recall Mondays).

The caffeine in coffee will probably be your first choice, but there are occasions when it just isn’t enough. If you’re tired during the day, you might consider having an energy drink before starting your workout.

But are there any vegan energy drinks? Which vegan energy drink options are the best?

Let’s investigate further to see if any of the well-known energy drinks on the market are good for vegans and create our list of the top vegan energy drinks we always do here on Vegan Calm.

But first, we must be very certain of what we’re looking for. So let’s talk about that before looking at the popular energy drinks, analyzing their contents, and figuring out whether or not they are vegan.

Common Ingredients in Energy Drinks

Keeping an eye out for the ingredients in energy drinks can be difficult because so wide varieties are available. Additionally, each energy drink brand appears to have its unique proprietary energy blend that is almost always kept a secret.

However, ten typical ingredients that are present in (most) energy drinks have been identified by culinary experts and enthusiasts. All of them are vegan-friendly, but some are derived from animal products, while others have a controversial history in the plant-based world. Before discussing the (perhaps non-vegan) components frequently in energy drinks, let’s look at them.

Common components in energy drinks include:

• East Asian herb ginseng

• Caffeine
• Vitamin B
• Chinese herb: Ginkgo Biloba
• Antioxidants
• Sugar
• Guarana extract, which is made from the plant’s seeds and has twice as much caffeine as coffee,
• Taurine
• Glucuronolactone
• Carnitine

Controversial ingredients of energy drinks

We’ll look at the ingredients used in these products and see if they’re safe for vegans to consume.

1. Sugar

If you’ve ever been a vegan, you probably already understand that refined sugars are controversial foods.

For those unfamiliar with it, bone char is used in the sugar industry for purification. For this reason, a lot of vegans advocate against consuming refined sugar. Some contend that it is nearly difficult to avoid refined sugar due to its ubiquitous use.

Some vegans (prefer to) avoid using bone char because they believe it is an unhealthy additive. However, other vegans think it is okay to use bone char for refined sugars.

Sugar is often found in energy drinks, whether glucose (glucose), sucralose (aspartame), or high fructose corn syrup. And they are all variations of refined sugar.

2. Carnitine

The human body spontaneously produces the amino acid derivative carnitine, which is present in nearly all of the body’s cells. It is essential for transforming fat into energy.

Our body produces carnitine, but we also get it from foods. Carnitine is most commonly found in animal foods, including meats, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, and seafood.

It’s crucial to remember that carnitine is a catch-all term for several chemically related molecules. Carnitine is an amino acid in high concentrations in the human body, foods, and beverages.

Although animal products are the main sources of carnitine, they can also be made in a lab. To verify whether an energy drink company’s products are vegan, you must look at where it gets its carnitine.

However, it is well recognized that most commercial food businesses that employ carnitine do so in its synthetic form.

3. Glucuronolactone

Glucuronolactone is a natural substance produced by the body during the metabolism of carbohydrates. It is found in virtually every tissue in the body and plays an essential role in forming collagen.

It is also recognized to aid with focus improvement. It is included in energy drinks to assist stop the body from running out of glycogen.

Carnitine and glucuronolactone can be obtained from food and synthesized in labs. Animal tissues and bones of animals are other possible sources.

To determine whether an energy drink is suitable for vegans, you must consider the source of glucuronolactone in the beverage. The commercial food production business is known to use its synthetic equivalent, exactly like it does with carnitine.

4. Taurine

Taurine is both produced naturally by the human liver and is present in certain animal products. However, non-animal foods such as meat, dairy, and seafood are the best natural source of taurine.

However, the taurine in energy drinks and other for-profit food products is artificial. Nearly all well-known energy drink manufacturers have acknowledged using synthetic taurine in their drinks, making them appropriate for vegans.

After going through all the typical elements of content in energy drinks that should be considered to decide whether they are vegan, let’s look at some common energy drink ingredients to determine whether energy drinks are vegan. In the final half of the essay, I’ll also include my picks for the top five vegan energy drinks. To learn about your alternatives, keep reading!

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Here are the top five vegan energy drink brands.

After reviewing all the relevant details about vegan energy drinks, let’s spotlight some top choices.

Although the market is flooded with excellent energy drinks, these are my top five picks (in no particular order):

1. Red Bull – Original flavor

Red Bull is one of my favorite energy drinks because of its delicious taste. My personal favorite is the original flavor.

There is 80mg of caffeine in energy drinks of Red Bull, about the same amount as in a glass of orange or grapefruit juices. It tastes really good too!

Additionally, it comes in a can that can be recycled, brownies for that!

Some people might not find the kick they get from a dose of caffeine strong enough, but I enjoy it. Try it if you haven’t already.

If you don’t like the taste of one flavor, you can always change to another. They all deliver the same kick.

2. Monster Energy – Zero Ultra

When I need a bigger energy boost, I often opt for Monster Energy drinks instead of a regular cup of joe. However, I think the standard types are a little too sweet. Try Monster Zero Ultra if you share my opinion. Warning: it might end up being your new fave!

It has no sugar at all but contains only five calories per serving. This makes it a fantastic choice for vegans who care about their health.

This 10.5-ounce can of sugar-free, vegan energy drink with a citrus taste contains 100mg of caffeine, which is a respectable amount.

3. Rockstar – Pure zero energy

It would help if you had an extremely high dose of coffee on days when Monday blues hit hardest, or you have to work consecutive all-nighters because finals are coming up (I feel you, students!).

And Rockstar Zero provides you with an energizing beverage without having any added sugar. It contains 240 mg of caffeine, the same amount as three regular cups of strong black tea.

A 16 fl oz can only contain 20 calories, making it minimal in calories as well.

You don’t need to stop drinking these Rockstar energy drinks because they were originally intended for people with very busy lives.

There are other kinds of Rockstar Pure Zero, but I prefer the grape flavor the most.

4. Berry – Regular strength

Berry flavor is the first 5-Hour energy shot; it was the flavor that the firm first introduced. The same wonderful flavor is still present in the Extra Strength version, but it now has a higher energy boost.

The 5-Hour Extra Strength Energy Shots include 230 mg of caffeine. It has a powerful flavor, minimal calories, and contains no sugar. What else do you require?

If you dislike that flavor, don’t worry. Ten different berry energy drink flavors are available, so you can pick the one you like.

5. GURU – Original flavor

Although energy drinks help us through some of life’s most trying periods, they are notorious for having high sugar and calorie counts and being loaded with artificial, chemical-based substances.

Even if there are now several options for energy drinks that are minimal in calories and sugar, they are still bad for you. If you’re concerned about choosing the right energy drink, go for Original Guru Energy Drinks.

Their goods are vegan-certified and entirely organic. One major drawback is that they only offer four products, which means there aren’t too many options for you to choose from. They’re vegan and healthy energy drinks, so that’s good. Not bad at all!

Matcha and Yerba Mate are two other distinctive tastes that they provide. Even though Guru Organic Energy Drink is available in various mouthwatering tastes, you should become used to the Original flavor before moving on to the others.

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There are healthy alternatives for energy drink consumption.

Even if most popular energy drinks are vegetarian, you may be worried about the potential side-effect of consuming them regularly.

What else can you use to keep yourself alert and energized instead?

• A good multivitamin for vegans. Many vegetarians say they feel better when taking supplements of vitamin B12, magnesium, zinc, and others. I think the Future Kind Essential Vegan Multi Vitamin is better than the others.
• Fruit. If you want to eat something sweet, go for fruits instead of sweets. For example, if you’re craving something sweet, drink a banana smoothie instead of having dessert. These ingredients include water, fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants.
• Exercise. You may not even require an energy drink to stay awake; just getting out of bed, doing some jumping jacking, or going for a run can help you feel more alert and awake.
• Coffee. This one should be quite clear. Caffeine is present in coffee. However, it can also be beneficial to health. Drinking coffee appears to be preventative for diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and depression. Antioxidants are also abundant in coffee beans.

How picky should you be about brands of energy drinks vegan containing animal byproducts?

Regarding how carefully they want to avoid ingesting insignificant amounts of animal sources, animal products and animal byproducts, different vegans have varying opinions. You are free to decide how strict you want to be.

Some vegans make an effort to stay away from even the smallest amount of animal ingredients. Some of these vegans also try to avoid any ingredients developed via animal testing, like artificial colors.

In contrast, some vegans limit their attention to avoiding the three main animal-based foods—meat, dairy, and eggs.

Whether or not vegans should refrain from consuming honey is a topic of discussion. Oyster consumption by vegans is a topic of discussion.

Refined sugar is frequently refined using animal bone char. Hence some vegans avoid it; nevertheless, some think this is too fussy and unnecessary.

Even though some people say that these sugar-free energy drinks aren’t vegan, they might not be using the same definition of “vegan” as you.

When I search online for which products are vegan, I often discover answers that don’t take this detail into account, which is pretty aggravating.