Vegans, I Need Some Sugar Help?!
Answers: I'm making cupcakes for a vegan friend and I'm confused. Sugar is made with ground animal bones right? At least that's what I've read. Is this regular granulated sugar? Powdered sugar? What are some brands on vegan approved sugar in the grocery store?
I would pick one of the non-bleached/unrefined sugars or sweeteners mentioned here, or sugar like Florida Crystals which is beet sugar. Beet sugar is never processed using bone char, sometimes cane sugar is.
Some vegans choose to not sweat the refined sugar thing though. Some municipal water treatment plants filter tap water using bone char. If you live in one of these cities, what are you going to do, not use any tap water? Move? It's one of those "vegans don't live in a bubble" things for some and they just choose not to worry about it.
I am a vegetarian and I don't think that sugar is made of animal bones or whatever. I use all of the sugars so I think any of them would be fine.
You're correct. It doesn't contain bone char, but bone char is used to bleach it. So far, only Whole Foods clearly marks their sugars Vegan. You can feel fairly safe with an unbleached sugar. Which is far healthier.
Florida Crystals is acceptable for vegans. They do both granulated and powdered. But no brown (sugar with molasses).
Try one of these: raw sugar, malt, concentrated apple juice, palm sugar (jaggery), molasses (treacle), artificial sweetener, maple syrup, corn syrup, golden syrup, grape sugar, sorghum, beet sugar.
When I buy sugar, I use evaporated cane juice or turbinado (raw) sugar. But if I'm out and about, and my only option is refined, I'll use it.
Some white sugars are refined through bone char, but it is not part of the final product. Some vegans avoid it, but some do not.
You can make your own powdered sugar by putting four parts of turbinado sugar (evaporated cane juice, your vegan sugar of choice) and one part arrowroot starch (or corn starch) in a blender, whizzing for about 15 seconds, and then CAREFULLY removing the top.
Hain's sugars are not processed through bone char, and they do have a powdered sugar.