Worcestershire Sauce traditionally contains anchovies. This has caused problems over the years, as some people with fish allergies aren’t aware of it. But nowadays, do most brands still have anchovies? I reviewed 15 brands, and found 11 were fully vegan!
The 11 vegan Worcestershire Sauce brands are 365 Organic, Annie’s, Cole’s, Essential Everyday, Fountain, Kroger, Lord Sandy’s, Maggi, O Organics, Spring Gully and Wild Harvest Organic. Four brands contained anchovies and so are not vegan!
See the full table below of all 15 brands of Worcestershire sauce that I studied. I’ll explain in detail what to look out for to ensure that the brand you choose is vegan!
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce Brands
1. Is 365 Organic Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
365 Organic Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
365 Organic Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Filtered Water, Organic Distilled White Vinegar, Organic Molasses, Organic Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Organic Caramel Color, Organic Garlic Powder, Organic Black Pepper, Organic Allspice, Organic Nutmeg, Organic Cloves, Organic Ginger, Organic Cayenne Powder, Xanthan Gum.” (source)
2. Is Annie’s Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Annie’s Worcestershire Sauce is confirmed vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients. The Annie’s website also clearly labels it as “Vegan.”
Here’s the full ingredients:
Annie’s Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Water, Apple Cider Vinegar*, Molasses*, Soy Sauce* (Water, Soybeans*, Wheat*, Salt, Alcohol*), Cane Sugar*, Tamarind Paste*, Sea Salt, Corn Starch*, Xanthan Gum, Dried Onion*, Dried Garlic*, Clove*, Dried Chili Pepper*. *Organic” (source)
3. Is Cole’s Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Cole’s Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Cole’s Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Vinegar, Molasses, Water, Golden Syrup, Tamarind, Salt, Vegetable Powders (Garlic, Onion), Spices.” (source)
4. Is Essential Everyday Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Essential Everyday Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Essential Everyday Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Water, Distilled Vinegar, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Salt, Sugar, Tamarind, Caramel Color, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavorings, Polysorbate 80, And Citric Acid.” (source)
5. Is Fountain Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Fountain Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Fountain Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Water, Vinegar, Molasses, Rehydrated Vegetables, Salt, Spices, Colour (150D), Flavours.” (source)
6. Is Kroger Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Kroger Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Kroger Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Water, distilled vinegar, molasses, salt, citric acid, dextrose, caramel color, natural flavors, malic acid, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic.” (source)
7. Is Lord Sandy’s Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Lord Sandy’s Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Lord Sandy’s Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Vinegar, Naturally Brewed Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Wheat and Salt), Sugar, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Natural Spices.” (source)
8. Is Maggi Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Maggi Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Maggi Lazenby Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Water, vinegar, molasses, onions, salt, caramel (E150), sugar, spices, flavour (soya), chillies, garlic, monosodium glutamate Stabilizer (E415), Non-nutritive sweetners (Sodium cyclamate (E952) and Acelsulfame K(E950) Flavour enhancers (E627, E631).” (source)
9. Is O Organics Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
O Organics Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
O Organics Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Organic Distilled Vinegar, Water, Organic Molasses, Salt, Organic Sugar, Less than 2% of: Organic Garlic (Dried), Organic Spices, Xanthan Gum, Organic Onion (Dried).” (source)
10. Is Spring Gully Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Spring Gully Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Spring Gully Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Sugar, Water, Apple Paste, Treacle, Food Acid (260), Thickener (1422), Salt, Spices, colour (Caramel 150c), Natural Flavours (inc. Garlic).” (source)
11. Is Wild Harvest Organic Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Wild Harvest Organic Worcestershire Sauce is generally considered vegan. It does not contain anchovies or other fish ingredients.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Wild Harvest Organic Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Organic Distilled Vinegar, Water, Organic Molasses, Salt, Organic Sugar, Less than 2% of: Organic Garlic (Dried), Organic Spices, Xanthan Gum, Organic Onion (Dried).” (source)
Non-Vegan Worcestershire Sauce Brands
Is French’s Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
French’s Worcestershire Sauce is not vegan. It contain anchovies, which is fish.
Here’s the full ingredients:
French’s Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Distilled Vinegar, Water, Molasses, Sugar, Salt, Spices, Citric Acid, Anchovies (Fish), Celery Seed, Natural Flavor (Contains Soy), Xanthan Gum (Thickener), Garlic Powder & Tamarind Extract.” (source)
Is Heinz Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Heinz Worcestershire Sauce is not vegan. It contain anchovies, which is fish.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Heinz Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Distilled White Vinegar, Water, Molasses, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Corn Syrup, Caramel Coloring), Natural Flavorings, Caramel Coloring, Anchovies, Polysorbate 80, Soy Flour, Garlic Extract.” (source)
Is Holbrooks Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Holbrooks Worcestershire Sauce is not vegan. It contain anchovies, which is fish.
Here’s the full ingredients:
Holbrooks Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Water, Vinegar (Barley & Wheat), Brown Sugar, Golden Syrup, Anchovies, Salt, Tamarind, Spices, Color (Caramel [150c]), Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Flavor.” (source)
Is Lea And Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Vegan?
Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is not vegan. It contain anchovies, which is fish. Lea and Perrins is the original brand of Worcestershire sauce, started by the chemists who invented the condiment. (source)
Here’s the full ingredients:
Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Ingredients: “Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract.” (source)
What Makes a Worcestershire Sauce Brand Vegan?
Here’s the full list of Worcestershire Sauce Brands that I reviewed:
Brand of Worcestershire Sauce | Is It Vegan? |
365 Organic | Vegan |
Annie’s | Vegan |
Cole’s | Vegan |
Essential Everyday | Vegan |
Fountain | Vegan |
French’s | No (Contains Anchovies) |
Heinz | No (Contains Anchovies) |
Holbrooks | No (Contains Anchovies) |
Kroger | Vegan |
Lea And Perrins | No (Contains Anchovies) |
Lord Sandy’s | Vegan |
Maggi | Vegan |
O Organics | Vegan |
Spring Gully | Vegan |
Wild Harvest Organic | Vegan |
Out of fifteen brands of Worcestershire sauce analyzed, eleven were found to be vegan. The other four contained anchovies, which is fish and therefore not vegan.
For the purposes of this study, I did not count “sugar” or “natural flavor” as non-vegan. However, if you’re a strict vegan who excludes those ingredients, you can choose an organic brand, since organic sugar is not filtered with animal bone char.
Take note that the original Worcestershire sauce recipe did include anchovies. So that is the more traditional way of making it. However, anchovies only appear in a fraction of the brands I looked at from the marketplace today.
Does Worcestershire Sauce Contain Fish?
Some brands of Worcestershire sauce contain fish in the form of anchovies. However, in our study of fifteen brands of Worcestershire sauce, only four of them (or about 27%) contained fish. The rest were fish-free.
It’s also worth noting that Worcestershire sauce does not contain sardines—rather, it contains anchovies. These terms are used interchangeably some places, but they are actually entirely different fish.
Does Worcestershire Sauce Contain Meat?
Worcestershire Sauce does not contain beef, pork, or poultry—but some brands do contain anchovies (fish). Specifically, these four brands of Worcestershire Sauce contain fish: French’s, Heinz, Holbrooks, and Lea And Perrins.
Does Worcestershire Sauce Contain Dairy?
Worcestershire sauce does not contain milk or dairy. Out of fifteen brands of Worcestershire sauce analyzed, zero had dairy ingredients.
Does Worcestershire Sauce Contain Egg?
Worcestershire sauce does not contain egg. Out of fifteen brands of Worcestershire sauce analyzed, zero had egg ingredients.
More Guides to Vegan Brands
If you’d like some food ideas to help you on your vegan journey, here are links to some of my Vegan Food Brand Guides:
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