Is Gelatin vegan?
Not vegan
No — gelatin is boiled collagen from pig skin, cattle hide and bones.
Also listed as: gelatine, E441, hydrolysed collagen
Key facts
- Verdict
- Not vegan
- Category
- Additive
- Also listed as
- gelatine, E441, hydrolysed collagen
- Best swap
- Agar agar
Why
Gelatin is made by hydrolysing collagen from slaughterhouse by-products, mainly pig skin and bovine hide. There is no plant version: anything labelled gelatin is animal-derived, though agar, carrageenan and pectin do the same job.
What to check on the label
- Gelatin, gelatine or E441 on the label
- Capsule shells on supplements
- Marshmallows, gummies, mousse, some yoghurts
Swap it for
Agar agarPectinCarrageenanKonjac
Questions people ask
Is beef gelatin different from pork gelatin?
Only in source animal. Both come from slaughtered animals, so neither is vegan.
What replaces gelatin in jelly?
Agar agar sets firmer than gelatin — use about 1 tsp powder per 250 ml liquid and boil it to activate.
More additive checks
Reviewed 2026-09-16 by the Veg.ac editorial team · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.