Peanut butter cups may be delicious, but is Reese’s vegan and vegetarian in general?
Reese’s have a wide range of products, some vegan and some not. Their most popular products like the peanut butter cup are not vegan, but it is vegetarian. The same is true for most options.
Almost all of Reese’s products have dairy, which is not vegan. So it goes without saying that vegans cannot have most of them. Vegetarians, on the other hand, can have all of them with a few exceptions, such as Reese’s peanut pieces.
The following article goes over every single product of Reese’s. Well, at least the most popular ones, and the ones you are likely to encounter. You may be surprised that Reese’s do, in fact, have a few vegan options.
Have a look at the table or read the in-depth explanation of each individual product.
Which Reese’s Products Are Vegan And Vegetarian
| Reese’s Product | Is It Vegan? | Is It Vegetarian |
| Peanut Butter Cups | NO | YES |
| Reese’s Peanut Pieces | NO | NO |
| Reese’s Puffs | UNKNOWN | UNKNOWN |
| Reese’s Crispy Crunchy | NO | YES |
| Reese’s Sticks | NO | YES |
| Reese’s NutRageous | NO | YES |
| Reese’s Dark Peanut Butter Cups | NO | YES |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Sauce | YES | YES |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping | YES | YES |
Are Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Vegan and Vegetarian
The most popular in the selection of Reese’s is undoubtedly the regular peanut butter cups. They may be delicious, but they are not vegan, as they contain milk chocolate and many other dairy products.
Any amount of dairy in a product renders it non-vegan, as dairy is derived from animals. So vegans cannot eat Reese’s peanut cups. Whether it’s the miniatures or the big cups, as shown in the picture above.
Vegetarians, on the other hand, only need to avoid animal flesh. Such as fat, meat, enzymes, and all other ingredients of the animal itself. Thus, Reese’s peanut butter cups are suited for vegetarians, as it’s free from the actual animal.
Ingredients In Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Milk Chocolate (Sugar; Cocoa Butter; Chocolate; Nonfat Milk; Milk Fat; Lactose; Soy Lecithin; Pgpr, Emulsifier); Peanuts; Sugar; Dextrose; Cocoa Butter; Contains 2% Or Less Of: Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel And Palm Oil); Salt; Pgpr, Emulsifier; Tbhq (Preservative).
Verdict: Vegetarian, But Not Vegan
Are Reese’s vegan And Vegetarian
Reese’s peanut pieces are not vegan as they contain whey, which is a milk product. They also have another problematic ingredient, resinous glaze. It’s neither a vegan or vegetarian ingredients as it’s made of bugs. So vegans and vegetarians should not consume any amounts of Reese’s pieces for this reason.
Although resinous glaze is from bugs, rather than larger mammals, it’s still not vegetarian. That’s because vegetarians cannot use products from any kind of animal flesh. Including bugs. Vegans cannot have neither resinous glaze or dairy, so it’s an especially bad product in regards to this diet group.
Ingredients In Reese’s Peanut Pieces
Sugar, partially defatted peanuts: partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (palm kernel oil and soybean oil), reduced minerals whey (milk), dextrose, contains 2% or less of: corn syrup, artificial color (blue 1 lake, red 40 lake, yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake), salt, soy lecithin, resinous glaze, modified food starch, artificial flavor, carnauba wax and cornstarch.
Verdict: Not Vegan Or Vegetarian
Are Reese’s Puffs vegan And vegetarian
The ingredients in Reese’s Puffs seem rather innocent, but they have an ingredient that may not be vegan or vegetarian. It contains natural flavor, which is an umbrella term that can describe many different ingredients. These include dairy, meat, eggs, among others.
So it’s not safe to assume whether or not Reese’s Puffs are vegan. You can read more about natural flavor in this article. After doing a lot of research into what the ingredient includes in Reese’s Puffs, I have come up empty-handed.
It does not seem that Reese explicitly says anywhere what natural flavor includes. Many brands do this to protect their recipes. Although it’s highly problematic for vegans, as it means we cannot consume the product safely.
Reese’s Puffs Ingredients
Whole Grain Corn, Sugar, Reese’s Peanut Butter (Peanuts, Sugar, Monoglycerides, Peanut Oil, Salt, Molasses, Corn Starch), Dextrose, Corn Meal, Corn Syrup, Canola Oil, Salt, Hershey’s Cocoa, Caramel Color, Trisodium Phosphate, Natural Flavor. Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) Added To Preserve Freshness.
Verdict: Unable To Determine
Are Reese’s Crispy Crunchy Vegan And Vegetarian
Reese’s Crispy Crunchy has a few ingredients that may sound worrisome. For one, it contains milk, which is not vegan, as it’s derived from cows. The other is artificial flavor, although that is actually both vegan and vegetarian.
So vegans cannot have Reese’s Crispy Crunchy, as they contain dairy. However, they are free from any products made from actual animals. So it’s suitable for vegetarians.
Ingredients In Reese’s Crispy Crunchy
Peanuts, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Cocoa Butter, Palm Kernel, Palm, Shea, Safflower and/or Sunflower Oil), Chocolate, Corn Syrup, Milk, Lactose (Milk), Cocoa, Whey (Milk), Milk Fat, Nonfat Milk, Salt, Molasses, Emulsifiers (SoyLecithin, E476), Antioxidant (E319), Artificial Flavour.
Verdict: Vegetarian, But Not Vegan
Are Reese’s Sticks Vegan And Vegetarian
Reese’s sticks are not a vegan product due to the dairy content. As with many chocolate bars, Reese’s sticks have a substantial amount of milk, which is not vegan. So vegans should not eat them, but vegetarians can since it’s not from animal parts.
Reese’s sticks have many ingredients that seem worrisome. These include TBHQ, palm oil, and artificial flavor. However, they are all 100% vegetarian. So there is nothing wrong with Reese’s sticks in a vegetarian diet.
That being said, you may want to avoid it due to environmental issues. Many vegans are against products with palm oil due to environmental issues. Some reports find that 300 football fields of rainforest are cleared every hour for palm oil production.
So you may want to avoid any products with this ingredient. Regardless of the diet group you are in.
Ingredients In Reese’s Sticks
Sugar, Peanuts, Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil (Cocoa Butter, Palm, Palm Kernel, Shea, Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil), Dextrose, Chocolate, Nonfat Milk, Whey (Milk), Cocoa Butter, Contains 2% or Less of: Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Palm Kernel and Palm Oil), Salt, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Cornstarch, Leavening (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate and Sodium Bicarbonate), TBHQ (Preservative), Vanillin, Artificial Flavor.
Verdict: Vegetarian, But Not Vegan
Are Reese’s NutRageous Vegan And Vegetarian
Reese’s NuRageous bars are not vegan because of the dairy ingredients, but they seem to be entirely vegetarian. There are not any ingredients that suggest that it’s not a vegetarian product. So you should avoid it as a vegan, but vegetarians can have them.
You may find the preservative TBHQ in animal fats, but the ingredient itself is artificial. -And artificial compounds are vegetarian as they are made. Well… Artificially, without the use of any animal products.
So it’s suitable for vegetarians, but vegans need to find alternatives, without dairy.
Ingredients In NutRageous
Peanuts, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Vegetable Oil (Cocoa Butter, Palm, Palm Kernel, Shea, Sunflower and/or Safflower Oil), Chocolate, Sorbitol, Whey (Milk), Nonfat Milk, Dextrose, Contains 2% or Less of: High Maltose Corn Syrup, Milk Fat, Corn Syrup, Soy Lecithin, Whey Protein Concentrate (Milk), Sodium Caseinate (Milk), Artificial Flavor, Mono- and Diglycerides, TBHQ (Preservative), Caramel Color.
Verdict: Vegetarian, But Not Vegan
Are Reese’s Dark Peanut Butter Cups Vegan And Vegetarian
You may not know this, but peanut butter cups come in dark chocolate. I, for one, love dark chocolate, so this one was especially interesting for me. Thus, the answer did not exactly please me, at all. This is most likely, not surprising.
Reese’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups are not vegan either. Chocolate can be vegan, but the chocolate in the dark peanut butter cups is not. They have milk fat. So vegans cannot have the dark peanut butter cups.
They are free ingredients that can have animal parts. So it’s a vegetarian product, despite the few dairy products. Luckily, for vegetarians, as it sounds amazing.
So vegans need to avoid it while vegetarians can indulge.
Ingredients In Reese’s Dark Peanut Butter Cups
Semi-Sweet Chocolate (Sugar, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Vanillin, Artificial Flavor, PGPR, Emulsifier, Milk), Peanuts, Sugar, Dextrose, Salt, TBHQ (Preservative).
Verdict: Vegetarian, But Not Vegan
Is Reese’s Peanut Butter Sauce Vegan And Vegetarian
Reese’s has many products. Much more than just your peanut butter cups and various chocolate bars. One fairly different is Reese’s peanut butter sauce. It seems rather innocent, so let’s determine whether it’s vegan and vegetarian.
Finally, a vegan Reese’s product! Reese’s peanut butter sauce is 100% vegan as it’s free from dairy and other animal products. Also, it’s free of palm oil, which many vegans avoid for environmental reasons.
Vegetarians can also indulge in this sauce by Reese’s. There are no animal parts or anything of the sort. Just a few simple and straightforward ingredients.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Sauce Ingredients
Peanuts, peanut oil, sugar, contains 2% or less of: cornstarch, Salt, and hydrogenated vegetable oil (rapeseed, cottonseed, and soybean Oils).
Verdict: Vegan And Vegetarian
Is Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping Vegan And Vegetarian
Reese’s peanut butter topping, like the sauce, have simple ingredients. It does have some preservatives, but all the ingredients are vegan. There are no traces of dairy or other animal products. So this peanut butter topping can be eaten by both vegans and vegetarians.
Ingredients In Reese’s Peanut Butter Topping
Peanuts, Peanut Oil, Sugar, Contains 2% or Less of: Salt, Monoglycerides, Cornstarch, TBHQ (Preservative).
Verdict: Vegan And Vegetarian
Conclusion
So there you have it. Most of Reese’s products are not vegan, but they are vegetarian. Mainly because almost all their products have chocolate. -And that means milk chocolate, with cows milk. Chocolate can be vegan, but this is not.
Vegans should avoid most products. Their peanut butter sauce and topping, on the other hand, is entirely vegan. So it’s not only vegetarians who can have Reese’s. Although they can have all the more popular options.
Hey, I’m Gus! I have been vegan for quite some years now, and have collected a lot of knowledge about the subject in this time. My goal with this blog is to spread the vegan message and make it easy to know exactly what’s vegan and what’s not.
