Is Agave Vegan? How It's Made and How It Compares to Other Sweeteners

With certain types of sugar and honey being off-limits to most vegans, it can be difficult to find an animal-free sweetener to swap in recipes and add to beverages. Enter: agave. This plant-based sweetener is completely vegan because it's extracted from the agave plant and uses no animal components in its production.

Agave has a very distinct taste that is closer to thin honey or corn syrup rather than sugar (in fact, it is actually sweeter than table sugar) and comes in both light and dark varieties.

Why Agave Is Usually Vegan

Agave is made from agave plants, which accumulate nonstructural carbohydrates in the sap of its stems and core that are extracted to create the sweet syrup.

There are three different processes used to make agave syrup. The traditional method consists of heating the sap in pots that are placed directly on a heat source and kept there until the water evaporates, making a thick syrup with concentrated sugars.

The second method is a semi-industrial process that uses high-pressure heat while controlling certain variables like pH and temperature. The third process is highly industrial, using the whole agave pine and more sophisticated mechanical technology for extracting the carbohydrates and hydrolysis using enzymes or acid instead of heat.

Because the ingredients are completely plant-based and no animals are involved in its production, agave is considered vegan.

Agave syrup should always contain 100% pure agave and never contain any additives or other sugar sources.

The Long-Nosed Bat Controversy

The Mexican long-nosed bat, listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the states of Texas and New Mexico, and the Mexican Endangered Species Act, are important pollinators that rely on flowers of agave plants as a source of nectar.

Some activists have called out large-scale agave harvesting as a contributing factor to the decline of the bats, though many conservationists maintain that the exact reasons for these declines are not entirely understood. Recovery efforts throughout the species’ range are underway, with already more than 50,000 agaves planted in Northern Mexico bat habitats alone. 

Products That Include Agave

Agave syrup can be used in any applications that require the use of added sugar, including beverages and baked goods. Since agave in its pure form is vegan, those who follow a vegan diet need only to look at other ingredients in the products to determine whether or not they are suitable for their diet.

Sweets

Agave is regularly used as a sugar substitute in marshmallows, candy, chewing gum, and chocolate, as well as baked desserts like cookies, cakes, and sweet breads. It is also common to see agave added to granolas, cereals, snack bars, energy bars, and jams.

Beverages

While plenty of people opt for agave in their morning cup of coffee instead of sugar or honey, commercial brands also use it in varieties of juices, sodas, and energy drinks.

Agave is a popular sweetener to add to smoothies and fresh juices as well, but has also gained traction in craft cocktails since it traditionally pairs well with tequila.