Sometimes there’s nothing better than an icy sweet treat like a Slurpee. Slurpees are 7/11’s proprietary frozen beverage, and they come in all kinds of flavors, ranging from grape to watermelon to strawberry and more. But are these tasty treats really vegan-friendly, or do they hide potentially non-vegan ingredients?
Slurpees are vegan-friendly due to their very basic ingredients. Most regular Slurpee flavors don’t have any dairy or meat-based products, so they are vegan-friendly by that definition. However, some of them may have problematic artificial dyes. Creamy Slurpees are also not vegan because they include cream, which is a dairy product and decidedly non-vegan. The best vegan alternative is ICEE.
Not sure how to tell which Slurpees are vegan friendly or not? Let us shed some light on this topic as we break down the nutritional value of slurpees and offer some vegan alternatives. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Non-Vegan Ingredients in Slurpees
Most Slurpees are vegan because of their relatively basic ingredient lists. While these ingredients aren’t necessarily healthy, they aren’t derived from protein or dairy products, either. That said, whether or not a given Slurpee is actually vegan-friendly depends on your definition.
Most Slurpees have the following ingredients:
- Artificial dyes
- High fructose corn syrup, which is the Slurpees’ primary sweetener
- Carbonated water
- Natural and artificial flavors
So, what’s the problem? It all stems from artificial dyes. Some artificial dyes are made from animal byproducts, like carmine or Red 4. This isn’t always the case, but it is common enough that vegans have to be really careful what they consume if a food or beverage contains artificial dyes or coloring.
To play it safe, try to avoid Slurpees that contain red coloring, which is sometimes made from Red Dye #4.
What About Creamy Slurpees?
Aside from 7/11’s main frozen treats, some stations also sell so-called creamy Slurpees. As the name suggests, these contain cream, a milk product, to create a new texture and flavor profile.
Naturally, no creamy Slurpee is vegan-friendly. At the time of this writing, 7/11 hasn’t changed its formula or ingredient compositions for creamy Slurpees and doesn’t have any plans to do so in the near future.
To stay safe rather than sorry, your best bet is to stay away from creamy Slurpees if you’re vegan to avoid consuming any dairy byproducts by accident.
Slurpees Ingredients
Virtually all Slurpees share the same basic ingredients. This makes sense as the only real difference between different Slurpee flavors is a few extra additives that provide a given drink with its unique taste. The core Slurpees ingredients are:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Sugar
- Water
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Phosphoric acid
- Sodium benzoate
- Caffeine
As you can see, there’s nothing in that list that immediately sets off any vegan warning bells. Nutrition lists for different Slurpee flavors will also vary a little bit from drink to drink since different flavoring additives have slightly different chemical compositions. But by and large, Slurpees’ nutritional info is as follows:
- 150 cal per serving
- 35 mg sodium or 2% DV
- 42 g carbohydrate or 8% DV
- 41 g sugar or 58% DV
As you can see, a single Slurpee has more than half of the sugar content that you should consume in a day!
Which Slurpees Flavors are Safe?
Now let’s take a closer look at individual Slurpee flavors and the unique ingredients included in their formulas that might impact their vegan friendliness.
Coca Cola
Coca-Cola is one of the most popular Slurpee flavors, and it’s also vegan-friendly. The only big difference between this flavor and the core formula is that it includes caramel color. As far as we can tell, the caramel color isn’t derived from any animal sources, so you should be good to go if you slurp this down the next time you visit a 7/11.
This formula is also shared by Slurpee’s Diet Coke flavor.
Dr. Pepper
Dr. Pepper is another common Slurpee flavor at gas stations across America. Like the Coca-Cola flavor, the Dr. Pepper flavor includes caramel coloring, which is not derived from animal sources as far as we are aware. The caramel color is made by browning simple sugars like fructose and dextrose, so it should be vegan-safe.
Fanta, Kiwi Strawberry and Orange Flavors
Several Fanta flavors are available for Slurpee lovers. Its Kiwi Strawberry and Orange flavors should be vegan-friendly, as these include caramel coloring and Red Dye 40 or citrus fruit from concentrate, orange juice from concentrate, citric acid, carrot and pumpkin extracts, guar gum, potassium sorbet, and malic acid, respectively.
As you can see, none of those ingredients are non-vegan. Red 40 is thought to be non-vegan by many, but it’s often confused with Red 4 or carmine, which is derived from beetles and is not vegan-friendly. Red 40, on the other hand, is fine.
Hawaiian Punch
Slurpee’s Hawaiian Punch flavor is one of the few non-carbonated versions you can find. It includes extra ingredients like:
- Fruit purées
- Ascorbic acid
- Citric acid
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Pectin
- Fruit juice concentrates
- Red 40
- Blue 1
- Sucralose
- Potassium sorbet
- Sodium hexametaphosphate
None of those are non-vegan, so this flavor is also vegan-friendly.
Pina Colada
The Pina Colada flavor for Slurpees is vegan-safe due to its added ingredients, which include:
- Orange juice from concentrate
- Citric acid
- Calcium sodium EDTA
- Erythorbic acid
- Yellow 5
- Brominated vegetable oil
- Gum Arabic
- Sodium benzoate
- Quillaia extract
The Yellow 5 is an azo dye, meaning it’s 100% vegan safe.
Sprite
As with the other flavors above, Sprite flavored Slurpees are safe. This flavor only includes a few extra ingredients like citric acid and lime juice from concentrate.
As you can see, vegans can safely slurp down Slurpees in a variety of flavors. There might also be other flavors that are vegan safe, but you’ll need to contact 7/11 for more information regarding their ingredients.
Vegan Alternatives to Slurpees
You could always try Italian Ice, which is a simple sweet treat made with water, ice, and fruit juice. But what if you want something just like Slurpees, with all the super sweetness and convenience that comes with it?
Slurpees’ primary competitor is the ICEE brand, which also comes with several very popular flavors. Also called slushies, ICEEs are tasty frozen treats that are, by and large, vegan-safe for similar reasons as Slurpees.
ICEE Cherry Flavor
ICEE’s Cherry flavor is one of its most popular and is iconic for the brand. Fortunately, it’s also gluten-free and free from any other allergens.
Its ingredients are:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Water
- Citric acid
- Yucca and quillaia extracts
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Sodium benzoate
- Potassium sorbet
- Red 40
- Caramel color
Its nutritional info is:
- 95 cal per serving
- 5 mg sodium
- 24 g carbohydrate
- 24 g sugar
- 5 mg potassium
ICEE Blue Strawberry
ICEE’s Blue Strawberry flavor is a popular choice for its unique coloring and strawberry taste.
Its ingredients are:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Water
- Natural and artificial flavors
- Yucca and quillaia extracts
- Citric acid
- Sodium benzoate
- Acesulfame potassium
- Neotame
- Blue 1
- Red 40
Its nutritional info is:
- 95 cal per serving
- 5 mg sodium
- 24 g carbohydrate
- 24 g sugar
ICEE Lemon Lime
Or you could try ICEE’s Lemon Lime flavor, which is pretty similar to the Sprite Slurpee flavor.
Its ingredients are:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Water
- Citric acid
- Quillaia and yucca extracts
- Natural flavor
- Sodium benzoate
Its nutritional info is:
- 80 cal per serving
- 20 g carbohydrate
- 10 mg sodium
Final Thoughts
In the end, Slurpees are usually vegan friendly and you shouldn’t worry too much about enjoying one of these frozen treats on a hot day when you need something to satiate your sweet tooth. Just be sure to stay away from creamy Slurpees to be doubly sure that you don’t consume anything non-vegan and you should be good to go. If you want to be extra careful, avoid red-colored Slurpees so you don’t consume any red dye #4.
Related Questions
Are there dairy products in Slurpees?
No, otherwise they wouldn’t be vegan-friendly.
Are Slurpees kosher?
Yes, generally. The majority of Slurpee flavors are certified kosher, though you’ll still want to check their ingredients individually before purchasing any of them if you have additional dietary concerns for whatever reason.
What’s the difference between Slurpees and other frozen treats like ICEEs?
It’s just brand differences. Most of these fruity frozen treats share the same core ingredient lists, but they are branded under different companies. For example, 7/11’s frozen treats are called Slurpees. ICEEs can be found at both gas stations and at movie theaters.
So all frozen treats are vegan?
No, don’t assume that a frozen treat is vegan-friendly just because Slurpees make the cut. You should always investigate the ingredients and manufacturing practices of a frozen treat producer before adding it to your “okay” list for desserts.