Is Creatine Vegan? What Vegan Creatine Is Made From

If you eat a plant-based diet, creatine is one of the few supplements where your diet really changes the picture. Creatine occurs naturally in meat and fish, so vegans and vegetarians get little from food. This guide answers whether creatine is vegan, what vegan creatine is made from, why it matters more for plant-based eaters, how much to take, and which forms are vegan.

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• Yes, creatine monohydrate is usually vegan. Supplement creatine is made in a lab from two starting chemicals, sarcosine and cyanamide, not from meat or fish.
• Check the rest of the product: gelatin capsules and gelatin gummies are not vegan. Look for plant cellulose capsules or a plain powder, ideally with a vegan certification.
• Plant-based eaters start lower. About half of the body’s daily creatine comes from food, mainly meat and fish, and vegetarians have lower creatine stores.
• Brain studies in vegetarians are encouraging: in two randomized trials, creatine improved memory test results in vegetarians.
• Muscle gains may be larger: in a training study, vegetarians taking creatine gained more muscle creatine and lean tissue than meat eaters taking it.
• 3 to 5 g a day is the common amount. Split larger amounts to avoid an upset stomach.

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Is Creatine Vegan?

Creatine itself is a small compound made from amino acids. Your body makes some of it, and the rest comes from food, where it is found mainly in red meat and seafood (Kreider et al., 2017). So creatine from food is not vegan, but creatine in supplements is a different story.

Creatine monohydrate for supplements is made by chemical synthesis. A manufacturer’s filing with the FDA describes the process: a solution of sodium sarcosinate is heated and cyanamide is added, and the creatine that forms is purified and dried (FDA GRAS Notice No. 931). Neither starting material comes from animals, which is why plain creatine monohydrate is generally suitable for vegans.

What can make a creatine product not vegan

• Capsule shells. Many capsules are made of gelatin, which comes from animals. Vegan capsules use plant cellulose (often listed as hypromellose or HPMC).
• Gummies. Most gummies are set with gelatin. Vegan gummies use pectin instead.
• Added ingredients. Some flavors, colors and blends include animal-derived ingredients. Check the full ingredient list.
• Certification. A vegan certification mark on the label is the easiest way to confirm the whole product qualifies.

Why Creatine Matters More for Vegans and Vegetarians

Your body uses up about 1 to 3 g of creatine a day. About half of that normally comes from the diet, and the rest is made in the liver and kidneys from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine (Kreider et al., 2017). About 95 percent of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscle and about 5 percent in the brain and other tissues, where it acts as a quick energy reserve (Kreider et al., 2017). Without meat or fish, less creatine comes in, and vegetarians have been found to have lower creatine stores (Kreider et al., 2017). The methyl group for making creatine comes from methionine, and our guide to TMG and creatine explains how TMG connects to that step.

What the brain research shows

• Working memory and reasoning. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial of 45 young adult vegetarians, 5 g of creatine a day for 6 weeks improved scores on a working memory test and a reasoning test compared with placebo (Rae et al., 2003).
• Memory. In a double-blind trial of 128 young women, 20 g of creatine a day for 5 days improved memory in the vegetarians but not in the meat eaters (Benton and Donohoe, 2011).
• Muscle and strength. In an 8-week resistance training trial of 42 adults aged 19 to 55, vegetarians started with less creatine in their muscles than meat eaters. Everyone who took creatine gained more phosphocreatine, bench press strength and lean tissue than those on placebo, and the vegetarians taking creatine gained more muscle creatine, lean tissue and total work than the meat eaters taking it (Burke et al., 2003).

For more on creatine and the brain, see creatine and cognitive health: what the science says.

How Much Creatine Should Vegans Take?

• 3 to 5 g a day is the common daily amount, and the 6-week vegetarian trial above used 5 g.
• A gentle start: 3 g a day raises creatine stores gradually over about 4 weeks (Kreider et al., 2017).
• A faster start uses a larger amount split through the day for about 5 days, as in the 20 g study above, before dropping to a daily amount. It is optional, and larger single servings are more likely to upset the stomach.
• Take it every day. Timing matters less than consistency; with a meal or a drink is easiest.

Which Creatine Forms Are Vegan?

Plain creatine monohydrate powder is usually vegan. Capsules are vegan only when the shell is plant cellulose rather than gelatin, and gummies only when they are set with pectin rather than gelatin. Check the label for the capsule shell or gelling agent, and look for a vegan certification if that matters to you.

For how powder, capsules and gummies compare on dose, cost, sugar and results, see our full guide to creatine powder vs pills vs gummies. Our own Creatine Monohydrate powder, 5 g per scoop, is coming soon.

How HCl, micronized and other forms compare is covered in creatine HCl vs monohydrate.

Bloating and Fasting

Large loading amounts can add a little water weight, and a single large serving can upset the stomach, so 3 to 5 g a day, split if you take more, keeps both to a minimum. Plain creatine monohydrate has no sugar, fat or carbohydrate, so it is unlikely to break a fast. More detail on both in our creatine forms guide.

If you are wondering whether creatine will make you gain weight, our guide to creatine side effects explains why the early gain is mostly water.

Vitamin D3 raises a similar question, since most of it is made from lanolin; see vegan vitamin D3.

A Vegan Supplement Checklist: Creatine and Vitamin D3

Creatine and vitamin D3 raise the same question for plant-based eaters: the nutrient can be vegan, but the source and the packaging decide.

Our Vitamin D3 + K2 Drops use D3 from lichen with K2 in MCT oil from coconut, and are vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, soy free and dairy free, at 2,000 IU of D3 per drop. Our Creatine Monohydrate powder, 5 g per scoop, is coming soon.

Safety and Who Should Check First

Creatine is one of the most studied supplements. Research reviewed by the International Society of Sports Nutrition found short and long-term use to be safe and well tolerated in healthy people (Kreider et al., 2017). Check with your clinician first if any of these apply:

• Kidney problems, or medicines that affect the kidneys.
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
• Under 18.

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5 g of creatine monohydrate in every scoop, the top of the standard 3 to 5 g daily range.

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Sources

• Kreider RB et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. DOI
• AlzChem Trostberg GmbH. GRAS Notice No. 931: Creatine monohydrate. US Food and Drug Administration, 2020. FDA
• Rae C et al. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2003. DOI
• Benton D et al. The influence of creatine supplementation on the cognitive functioning of vegetarians and omnivores. The British Journal of Nutrition, 2011. DOI
• Burke DG et al. Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetarians. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2003. DOI

Frequently Asked Questions

Is creatine vegan?

Creatine monohydrate supplements are usually vegan, because they are made in a lab from sarcosine and cyanamide rather than from animals. Check that capsules use plant cellulose and gummies use pectin, not gelatin.

What is vegan creatine made from?

Sodium sarcosinate and cyanamide, two starting chemicals that react to form creatine, which is then purified and dried. Neither comes from animals.

Is creatine monohydrate vegan?

Plain creatine monohydrate is generally vegan. The capsule shell, gummy base or added flavors decide whether the finished product is.

Do vegans need creatine?

Vegans make some creatine in the liver and kidneys but get little from food, and vegetarians have lower creatine stores. In two randomized trials, creatine improved memory test results in vegetarians.

How much creatine should a vegan take?

3 to 5 g a day is the common amount. Follow your product label.

Which creatine form is best for vegans?

Plain creatine monohydrate powder is the simplest vegan choice. Capsules work if the shell is plant cellulose, and gummies if they use pectin instead of gelatin. For the full comparison, see creatine powder vs pills vs gummies.

Does vegan creatine work the same as regular creatine?

Yes. Supplement creatine monohydrate is made the same way whether or not it carries a vegan label; what changes is the capsule, gummy or added ingredients.

Do vegetarians get more out of creatine?

They may. Vegetarians start with lower stores, and in an 8-week training study the vegetarians taking creatine gained more muscle creatine than the meat eaters taking it.

Is creatine HCl vegan?

The creatine itself is made synthetically, so it is usually vegan. As with any form, check for gelatin capsules and other animal-derived ingredients.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.