Green tea has always been one of the most popular varieties of tea to drink in Asia, and recently has become more popular in the West. About 15% of the tea now consumed in Britain is green tea. But not all tea is created equal. There are some teas which have added ingredients that can make it considered as non-vegan. If a tea has honey, any dairy ingredients, or flavorings added, then those teas are not vegan-friendly.
Green tea is vegan, as it is a tea which is brewed from the leaves of a plant. Make sure that you carefully examine the ingredients listed on the package of the brand of green tea you want to drink to determine if there are any non-vegan friendly ingredients, such as gelatin, honey, or milkfat.
In this article, we’ll discuss the various green tea varieties, as well as potential non-vegan ingredients to look out for. Let’s dig in!
Contents
Is Green Tea a superfood?
A superfood is a new term for foods which can offer the maximum in nutritional benefits, but not have a lot of calorie content. Considering that green tea has no calories and has been proven to provide these health benefits, it can be considered a superfood:
- Prevent damage to cells which can cause cancer
- Help to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system
- Aids in digestive health
- Help with improving cholesterol levels
Non-Vegan Ingredients to Look Out For
When you are examining the ingredients on the box of green tea you want to drink, be on the lookout for these non-vegan ingredients:
- Carmine (also known as Natural Red 4): coloring agent made from insects
- Gelatin: natural gelatin is derived from animal sources, but agar-agar, is produced from seaweed vegetation, therefore is vegan
- Honey: a product sourced from the labor of an animal
- Lactose: an animal-derived product
- Milkfat: an animal-derived product
- Sodium Caseinate: an animal-produced milk derivative
Popular brands of Green Tea
Bigelow Classic Green Tea
The Bigelow company claims theirs is America’s #1 green tea brand. With a non-grassy flavor and gentle processing, try a cup for yourself to see what you think.
Ingredients:
- Green Tea
Nutritional information (per 8 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
- Potassium 10mg
O Organics Green Tea
O Organics is a brand of foods made for the Safeway Foods Company. The product is USDA certified organic and is non-GMO, but it is also not specifically labeled as a vegan-friendly beverage.
Ingredients:
- Organic Green Tea Leaves
Nutritional information (per 8 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
Trader Joe’s Organic Green Tea
Trader Joe’s stores are recognized for no-frills, easy shopping, a place where you won’t find a lot of brands, but rather Trader Joe’s own label. Their line of organic teas are both tasty and healthy, but alas, not labeled as vegan.
Ingredients:
- 100% organic green tea blend
Nutritional information (per 8 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
Healthier Alternatives Green Teas labeled as Vegan
Yogi Green Tea Pure Green
The Yogi brand of teas provides both exceptional quality and taste. Their Pure Green tea provides antioxidants to help support good health.
Ingredients:
- Green Tea Leaf
Nutritional information (per 8 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
Organic India Tulsi Green Herbal Tea
The India Tulsi Green Herbal Tea is both stress-relieving and energizing. With adaptogenic properties, it can rejuvenate your health and wellbeing. Labeled as vegan.
Ingredients:
- Organic Tulsi (Holy Basil blend)
- Holy Basil
- East Indian Basil
- Organic Green Tea (leaf)
Nutritional information (per 8 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
Green Tea Infusions
Many companies are also combining green tea with other ingredients, to make infusions. These infusions are made by steeping various plants or fruits in hot water and then adding the tea to this mixture. These infusions can provide such health benefits as lowering anxiety, helping with digestion, and aiding in detoxification.
Teakruthi Shakti Veda
This green tea infusion is adorably pink in color! Adding ingredients like linden and ginseng help to reduce anxiety but still provide a mental boost. It’s ideal for providing you with a balance to be the most productive and focused during your day.
Ingredients:
- Pure Ceylon Green tea
- Hibiscus
- Rosehip
- Orange peel
- Ginseng
- Apple
- Lime flower (Linden)
Nutritional information (per 6 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
Teavana Jade Citrus Mint, Green Tea With Spearmint and Lemongrass
Teavana makes premium teas, and infusions using fruit and botanical blends. Their Jade Citrus Mint Green Tea provides a cooling sensation and brightness of flavor. The product may not be considered necessarily vegan, however, because it does have added “natural flavors” and the company is not specific about what those additives consist of.
Ingredients:
- Green tea
- Spearmint
- Lemon verbena
- Lemongrass
- Natural flavor
Nutritional information (per 6 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
Prepared green teas
What about if you don’t want to brew green tea for yourself, but would rather have a local shop do it for you? Can you trust that what they are brewing for you is vegan-friendly? Let’s take a look at some of the more popular offerings from coffee/tea shops.
Starbucks Strawberry Green Tea Infusion Lemonade
Starbucks uses Teavana teas in their beverages. They lightly sweeten the drinks with liquid cane sugar, and do not include any artificial flavors or sweeteners.
Ingredients:
- Ice
- An Infusion Of [Water, A Blend Of Green Teas, Spearmint, Lemon Verbena, Lemongrass, Natural Flavor]
- Lemonade [Water, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Lemon Oil]
- An Infusion Of [Water, Apples, Natural Flavors, Licorice Root, Hibiscus, Rose Hips, Citric Acid, Lemongrass]
- Liquid Cane Sugar [Water, Turbinado Cane Sugar, Cane Sugar, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid]
Nutritional information (per 6 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 70
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 10mg
- Total Carbohydrate 17g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 16g
- Protein 0g
- Caffeine 25mg
Dunkin Donuts Harmony Leaf Green Tea
The Dunkin Donuts premium hot tea is a quality pyramid-style sachet providing a very good flavor of green tea.
Ingredients:
- Steeped Green Tea
Nutritional information (per 8 oz. of brewed tea):
- Calories 0
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 0mg
- Total Carbohydrate 0g
- Dietary Fiber 0g
- Total Sugars 0g
- Includes 0g Added Sugars
- Protein 0g
- Caffeine 70+mg
Tea Varieties
The drink which is made from steeped leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant is considered to be true tea. This tea has nothing added to it, and is always considered vegan. There are many varieties of true tea, and this is dependent on how the tea is processed.
- Black tea – a deep brown-colored tea, with a reddish tint, this is fully oxidized, and results in a bold tea which tastes earthy
- Green tea – this tea is not oxidized and tastes a little nutty with added herb notes, and will be light green with some yellow hints
- White tea – also not oxidized, this tea is very delicate and has a slightly sweet flavor to it, and its color will be light yellow with green hints
- Pu’erh tea – a lighter to dark red tea, this is a tea which is a little oxidized and aged, with a combination coloring of green and black teas
Final Thoughts
Green tea is a naturally vegan-friendly beverage, providing antioxidant benefits and can aid in healthy weight loss. When you are wanting to enjoy a cup of green tea, whether hot or iced, be sure to check the ingredient label for the brand, just to be sure no added ingredients have been included which can keep your chosen green tea from being non-vegan.
Related Questions
Is Green Tea good for you?
Green tea provides a myriad of health benefits. It is a hydrating beverage which contains bioactive compounds which can reduce inflammation. It is a stimulant which can help improve brain function without jittery side effects like coffee. It can help to boost your metabolism to lose weight, or maintain a healthy weight. Really, the list goes on, so just for these reasons alone, green tea is good for your health.
Is Green Tea good for kidney stones?
Kidney stones are formed when there are abnormally large amounts of minerals, like calcium, building up in the urinary tract. These minerals clump themselves together to form crystals and painful stones. Research has shown that green tea extract, when applied to calcium oxalate crystallization, the crystals become flatter. These flatter crystals can create less stable kidney stones, which can be broken up more easily.
Is Green Tea gluten-free?
Green, black, and white tea are typically gluten-free. However, if they contain additives or flavoring, the tea may not be gluten-free. If you have celiac or gluten-sensitivity, is it best to opt for a certified gluten-free brand.