Is Nutella vegan?
No — Nutella contains skimmed milk powder and whey.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Not vegan
- Category
- Chocolate & sweets
- Also listed as
- Nutella
- Best swap
- Nutella Plant-Based (where sold)
Why
Ferrero's recipe is sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, skimmed milk powder, fat-reduced cocoa, whey powder, lecithin and vanillin. The dairy is core to the product, so no market version is vegan. Ferrero launched a separate plant-based spread in some countries, which is labelled as such.
What to check on the label
- The ingredient list on your own pack — Nutella recipes differ by country and change over time
- Milk, whey, casein, lactose, egg, honey, gelatin, carmine (E120) and shellac (E904) in the list
- "May contain milk" is an allergen cross-contamination note, not an ingredient — most vegans still buy it
Swap it for
Questions people ask
Is Nutella certified vegan?
Certification is separate from the recipe. Many products with no animal ingredients carry no vegan mark because the maker will not rule out shared production lines. Check the pack for a registered vegan trademark, and treat the ingredient list as the primary evidence.
Does the answer change between countries?
Often, yes. The same brand name can use different fats, emulsifiers, colours or whey depending on the plant that made it, so always read the local label rather than an answer written for another market.
More chocolate & sweets checks
Reviewed 2026-08-23 by the Veg.ac editorial team · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.