Is Vitamin B12 vegan?
Vegan
Yes — supplemental B12 is grown by bacteria, not taken from animals.
Also listed as: cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin
Key facts
- Verdict
- Vegan
- Category
- Supplement
- Also listed as
- cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin
- Best swap
- Cyanocobalamin tablets
Why
B12 is made by microorganisms. Livestock get it from supplements or soil, so taking it directly through fermentation-produced tablets skips the animal entirely.
What to check on the label
- Gelatin capsule shells
- Lactose as a tablet filler
- Dose: 2000 µg weekly or 50 µg daily
Swap it for
Cyanocobalamin tabletsFortified plant milksNutritional yeast (fortified)
Questions people ask
Can I get B12 from plants?
Not reliably. Supplement or fortified foods are essential on a vegan diet.
Which form is best?
Cyanocobalamin is the best-studied, most stable and cheapest.
More supplement checks
Reviewed 2026-09-16 by the Veg.ac editorial team · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.