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Monster Energy Drink is a popular energy drink that has been around for nearly two decades. It has become a popular choice among those looking for an energy boost without the crash. With its bold flavor and high caffeine content, it’s no wonder that Monster Energy Drink is one of the leading energy drinks in the world. But, is Monster vegan?
Almost all flavors of Monster energy drinks are suited for dietary vegans because they artificial colors and no ingredients sourced from animals.
Below is a table showing Monster energy drinks flavors and its vegan status.
| Flavor | Vegan Status |
| Monster Energy | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Nitro | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Mule | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster LH44 | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Zero Sugar | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy The Doctor | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Ultra Watermelon | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Ultra Gold | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Ultra Fiesta | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Ultra | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Ultra Blue | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monster Energy Ultra Paradise | Dietary Vegan. |
| Mango Loco Juiced Monster Energy Juice | Dietary Vegan. |
| Pipeline Punch Monster Punch Energy | Dietary Vegan. |
| Pacific Punch Monster Punch Energy | Dietary Vegan. |
| Monarch Juiced Monster | Dietary Vegan. |
| Khaotic Juiced Monster Energy Juice | Dietary Vegan. |
| Expresso Monster Salted Caramel | No, contains Milk. |
| Expresso Monster Espresso & Milk | No, contains Milk. |
| Expresso Monster Vanilla Espresso | No, contains Milk. |
Monster Energy Drink Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the flavors that I could find.
- Artificial Colors
- Brewed Imported Espresso Coffee
- Acesulfame Potassium
- Apple Juice Concentrate
- Apricot Puree
- Benzoic Acid (Preservative)
- Caffeine
- Carbonated Water
- Citric Acid
- Coffee
- Cream
- Cyanocobalamin (Vit. B12)
- D-Calcium Pantothenate (Vit. B5)
- D-Glucuronolactone
- Erythritol
- Ester Gum
- Glucose
- Guarana Extract
- Guarana Seed Extract
- Guava Puree
- Gum Arabic
- Inositol
- L-Carnitine L-Tartrate
- Lemon Pulp
- Maltodextrin
- Mango Juice From Concentrate
- Natural & Artificial Flavors
- Natural Flavors
- Niacinamide (Vit. B3)
- Orange Juice Concentrate
- Panax Ginseng Extract
- Passionfruit Juice Concentrate
- Peach Puree
- Pineapple Juice Concentrate
- Pineapple Syrup
- Potassium Citrate
- Potassium Sorbate (Preservative)
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vit. B6)
- Riboflavin (Vit. B2)
- Salt
- Skim Milk
- Sodium Alginate
- Sodium Benzoate (Preservative)
- Sodium Chloride
- Sodium Citrate
- Sorbic Acid (Preservative)
- Sucralose
- Sugar
- Sweetener (Sucralose)
- Taurine
- White Grape Juice Concentrate
- Xanthan Gum
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk
In the espresso flavors we can find milk and since this ingredient comes from cows it’s not a vegan-friendly ingredient.
Questionable Ingredients
Sugar
Sugar can be a tricky ingredient for vegans, because there is an instance where sugar could be classified as non-vegan. Raw cane sugar is always vegan-friendly, but when the cane sugar gets refined it can cause problems for vegans.
In the refining process the sugar is also bleached and a common method to bleach cane sugar is to use bone char from dead cows and this has made many vegans upset. Exploiting dead animals in the production process would make the sugar non-vegan.
The source of the sugar is rarely disclosed and information about the bleaching process can be hard to come by.
Natural Flavors
This is a tricky ingredient to talk about and the reason is because natural flavors is an umbrella term, which means that it can consist of several ingredients. This means that companies can add whatever ingredients they want to accomplish their flavor and they only need to call it natural flavors on the ingredients label.
So the source of these ingredients are not disclosed, meaning the ingredients in natural flavors could be sourced from animals and we would never know this just by reading the ingredients label.
There is an interesting article on National Geographic where they disclosed that butt goo from beavers could be used in vanilla flavors.
Artificial Colors
Artificial colors is a highly questionable ingredient for vegans and the reason for this is the animal testing that has been done. The problem for vegans is also whether these tests are still going on or not. There are other testing methods such as computer simulations that can do an amazing job instead of animal testing.
Ethical vegans tends to stay away from these colors, while dietary vegans a.k.a. people who are eating a plant-based diet based on other reasons than animal-cruelty might choose to consume these colors.
There are also several health issues connected to these colors such as hyperactivity in kids. Colors made from fruits and vegetables is an healthier option for vegans.
Taurine and L-carnitine
Both these ingredients can be found in red meat, but they can also be synthesized cheaply. It’s always good to be careful, but when it comes to Monster Energy drinks the taurine is vegan-friendly.
Conclusion
Monster energy drinks can be found all over the world and the ingredients in this article is based on the Monster energy drinks in the US. Always be sure to check the ingredients label in the country you are living in. One good thing is that artificial colors are banned in Europe, so those energy drinks would suit ethical vegans as well.
Thanks for reading, take care!
