Strawberry Powder: Sugar, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavourings, Natural Colour (Beetroot Red), Vitamins (C, Thiamin, D), Minerals (Iron, Zinc) When we asked Nestlé which Nesquik products were vegan friendly they initially suggested that “Our Nesquik range is not suitable for a vegan diet as it has milk proteins in it.” But with one of their products (Nesquik Powder Strawberry tub) showing up on the Nestlé Foods Suitable for a Milk Avoidance Diet list, we sought further clarification. Aside from that, you can make you own Nesquik alternative using your favourite vegan ice cream. Just add a scoop of your vegan-friendly ice cream of choice (Booja Booja works a treat!) to a pint glass. Let the ice cream melt a little then top up with your choice of vegan milk. We find oat milk works really well. Just stir until smooth and you’ve got yourself a very tasty, vegan-friendly milkshake.

Banana Powder: Sugar, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavouring, Vitamins (C, Thiamin, D), Natural Colours (Beta Carotene, Curcumin), Minerals (Iron, Zinc)Chocolate Syrup– Sugar, Water, Cocoa Processed with Alkali, “Less than 2% of” Salt, Citric Acid, Artificial Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Xanthan Gum, Caramel Color, Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6. Strawberry Syrup– Sugar, Water, Corn syrup, Less than 2% of malic acid, Propylene glycol alginate, Artificial flavour, Potassium sorbate (preservative), Xantham gum, Red 40, Blue 1, Salt, Yellow 6. Many vegans will automatically be wary when “natural flavourings” appear amongst ingredients. But there is no mention of dairy products (which have to appear in bold in the UK). And dextrose is usually vegan, whilst maltodextrin almost always is. Thiamin – aka vitamin B1 – is usually derived from plants; as it wasn’t mentioned by the Nesquik team as being non-vegan, we believe the thiamin used here is plant based. What’s more, given these items are fortified with iron and zinc, which can be difficult for vegans to obtain, it may seem like Nesquik should be all systems go for plant-based eaters. Nesquik Choc Pots– These chocolate desserts contain milk (in various forms) and so they are not vegan friendly.

So, now you know: the standard Nesquik powder is not vegan. But the All Natural powder almost certainly is vegan. As are the syrups (if you don’t mind the artificial colours!). Unfortunately though, there is no getting away from the sheep-derived vitamin D, even if it is the only definitely non-vegan ingredient included in the Nesquik powders in the UK. This is a shame for vegans who used to like Nesquik. Especially those who thought they could just make it with oat milk and be fine. But fear not, there are plenty of vegan-friendly alternatives to Nesquik, which we’ll investigate later. Are Any Nesquik Products Vegan? You might happen across some of the following Nesquik products in the UK, but none of the following are vegan. The likes of corn syrup, malic acid, soya Lecithin, potassium sorbate and xanthan gum are basically derived from plants and hence vegan. Meanwhile, propylene glycol alginate is derived from processed kelp, which is a type of algae and also vegan.

The answer is, unfortunately, no, Nesquik is not vegan. At least the standard Nesquik powder products aren’t vegan. And we’ve heard that from the horse’s mouth (also known as Nestlé Consumer Engagement Services – see below). But there are two Nesquik products that are vegan – or at least that don’t contain non-vegan ingredients: It is worth noting that there are no Nesquik products listed on Nestlé’s list of Foods Suitable for a Vegan Diet (as of October 2020). This might well be because of the potential for cross-contamination with milk or other animal products in their factories. There are some people who would suggest that wool from sheep, and therefore vitamin D produced using lanolin, or “sheep oil”, should be vegan. After all, it doesn’t hurt when you go for a haircut, does it? (If it does, change hairdressers as a matter of urgency!). But as we discuss in detail in our is wool vegan? article, there are numerous documented instances whereby sheep farmed for wool are mistreated and even abused. It is common for companies to not state their products are vegan in such cases. For instance, Oreos would be vegan were it not for the chance of cross-contamination in their factory. Of course, many vegans will be fine with products that don’t contain animal-derived ingredients despite the risk of contamination with milk products (although those with sever allergies should of course be more careful).

Nesquik All Natural Cocoa Powder– Raw Cane Sugar (62%), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder (36%), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Natural Flavouring, Cinnamon However, there are serious question marks over the safety of some of those artificial colours. Notably, Red 40 has been linked with allergic reactions and even the development of ADHD in children by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. These syrups might be a way for vegans to get their Nesquik hit, but alarm bells are sure to ring. Other Nesquik Products Nesquik All Natural Cocoa Powder– Contains just five ingredients: Raw Cane Sugar (62%), Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder (36%), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Natural Flavouring, Cinnamon. There is a chance that the “natural flavouring” could contain animal products. We are awaiting confirmation on this point from Nestlé and will update the article accordingly. But it looks as though this product should be vegan friendly.

What Is Nesquik?

To the untrained eye, if you glance through the ingredients of the three main Nesquik products, there’s nothing obviously non-vegan. Let’s take a closer look at what goes into the chocolate, banana and strawberry Nesquik powders.