Is Kix Cereal Vegan?

Kix cereal is supposedly “Kid Tested” and “Mom Approved”… But has it ever been “Vegan Tested” or “Vegan Approved”? Well, today, that reckoning has finally arrived. Let’s see if Kix cereal is vegan or not!

Kix cereal is generally considered vegan. However, it does contain sugar and vitamin D3, which are gray-area ingredients that some vegans avoid. Honey Kix also includes honey and natural flavor, which are also concerning ingredients to many vegans.

Keep reading for a clear explanation of each of these controversial ingredients in Kix. By the ed of this post, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether you’re okay with eating this cereal or not!

What Are the Ingredients of Kix Cereal?

Let’s start by taking a look at the full ingredients list for Kix. I’ve bolded in red the ingredients that some vegans find problematic:

Kix Ingredients: “Whole Grain Corn, Corn Meal, Sugar, Salt, Brown Sugar Syrup, Baking Soda, Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) Added To Preserve Freshness.Vitamins And Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron And Zinc (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), A B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), A B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.” (source)

So what’s the deal with these two ingredients, from a vegan perspective?

• Sugar: Gray Area. Non-organic cane sugar is often filtered with animal bone char to make it whiter in color. And you can’t tell from reading the label whether bone char was used or not. Therefore, some vegans avoid “sugar” as an ingredient. But for me personally, I don’t worry about it.

• Vitamin D3: Gray Area. Vitamin D3 added to cereal is generally sourced from lanolin, which is a grease from sheep’s wool. So yes, it is an animal ingredient. However, it’s used in such small quantities (it’s the last ingredient in Kix). So some vegans (like me) believe it is okay to eat it. Here’s a full explanation of how I view the issue.

So, do you count Kix cereal as vegan? Well, it all depends how strict you want to be. Personally, I’m a bit more on the relaxed side of veganism, and I’m fine with eating Kix. And most of my vegan friends are in that same category—they would be okay with Kix.

Honestly, I don’t believe it helps much to boycott a cereal for minor animal-derived ingredients. Just boycott the main animal ingredients like milk, eggs, and meat (and maybe gelatin and honey). Then if you want to do more for the animals, just support a good activist organization. That’s my advice!

Does Kix Cereal Contain Milk?

Kix cereal does not contain milk, lactose, or any other dairy products. In fact, on my Kix box, it doesn’t even have a “traces of milk” or “may contain milk” allergen warning. So, Kix should truly be safe—even for people with a milk allergy or lactose intolerance.

Is Honey Kix Vegan?

Honey Kix is generally not considered vegan. It contains honey, sugar, natural flavor, and vitamin D3, all of which are gray-area ingredients that many vegans avoid. However, some more relaxed vegans may be okay with eating Honey Kix.

Honey is an ingredient that is on my personal “don’t eat” list. However, some vegans do argue that honey should be considered vegan, and their arguments have some merit, in my opinion.

These arguments mainly have to do with the uncertainty about the level to which bees even experience consciousness or feel pain. These arguments also have to do with the fact that avoiding honey may make veganism seem a bit “crazier.”

When it comes to “natural flavor,” it’s a gray-area ingredient for vegans because it is legally allowed for food companies to include animal ingredients under “natural flavors.” But frankly, I’m not sure how likely that is in Honey Kix.

Here’s the full ingredients:

Honey Kix Ingredients: “Whole Grain Corn, Corn Meal, Sugar, Corn Bran, Honey, Salt, Brown Sugar Syrup, Caramel Color, Trisodium Phosphate, Natural Flavor. Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), a B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A (Palmitate), a B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.” (source)

Is Berry Berry Kix Vegan?

Berry Berry Kix is generally considered vegan. However, it does include sugar, natural flavor, and vitamin D3, which are gray-area ingredients that some vegans avoid.

No new ingredients here that we didn’t already cover above. The food coloring is from vegetable and fruit juice, so nothing sketchy there:

Berry Berry Kix Ingredients: “Whole Grain Corn, Corn Meal, Sugar, Canola Oil, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Vegetable and Fruit Juice Color, Tricalcium Phosphate, Baking Soda, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.” (source)

More Vegan Cereals

I’ve been writing a bunch of guides about which popular breakfast cereals are vegan. Here are a few more that might interest you:

• Rice Krispies
• Chex Cereal
• Life Cereal
• Grape Nuts
• Cheerios

Two More Recommendations for Your Plant-Based Journey

1. This is the best free video training I’ve found on plant-based nutrition. You’ll learn how to reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and obesity—all with plant-based food. Watch the free “Food for Health Masterclass” here.

2. This is the best vegan multivitamin I’ve found in my 14 years of being vegan. It has vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3—and nothing else. Translation: It only has the nutrients vegans are actually low in. Read my full review of Future Kind’s multivitamin here (with 10% discount).