Ah, those famous chocolatey, malty balls. Lighter than air and all that (which I know to be true as I tried it out many times when I first saw that advert!). Manufactured by Mars, Maltesers are massively popular in the UK.
Are Maltesers vegan?
Unfortunately, no. Maltesers are not vegan as they contain milk powder and whey from milk. Here’s a full list of Maltesers ingredients including the offending items:
Maltesers Ingredients UK
Sugar, Skimmed Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Glucose Syrup , Barley Malt Extract, Cocoa Mass, Palm Fat, Lactose and Protein from Whey (from Milk), Emulsifiers (Soya Lecithin, E492), Wheat Flour, Palm Kernel Fat, Palm Kernel Oil, Raising Agents (E341, E500, E501), Wheat Gluten, Salt, Glazing Agent (Pectins), Natural Vanilla Extract, Milk Chocolate contains Milk Solids 14% minimum, Milk Chocolate contains Vegetable Fats in addition to Cocoa Butter
Are dark Maltesers vegan?
Mars recently extended their range to include Dark Maltesers. Reported as being available in the UK from 20th June 2022. Queue vegans up and down the country getting very excited and assuming that as they are dark chocolate there’s a good chance they will be vegan right? Sadly not. Much like the original Maltesers, Dark Maltesers are not vegan due to the fact that they also contain milk powder and whey powder. Full list of Dark Maltesers ingredients:
Dark Maltesers Ingredients UK
Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Barley Malt Extract, Skimmed Milk Powder, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Palm Fat, Cocoa Butter, Wheat Flour, Glazing Agent (Gum Arabic, Zein), Palm Kernel Fat, Raising Agents (E341, E500, E501),Palm Kernel Oil, Wheat Gluten, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Whey Powder (from Milk), Natural Vanilla Flavouring, Salt, Humectant (Glycerol), Milk Chocolate contains Vegetable Fats in addition to Cocoa Butter
I’m surprised at what seems to be a real lack of effort on the part of big brands like Mars to at least make new products vegan friendly.
I mean would it really take much to swap out the milk powder for a vegan friendly alternative? Coconut, soy, cashew, rice. It’s not like they are short of options.
Seems like a no brainer to attract new consumers while keeping your current consumers (who I’m willing to bet wouldn’t notice a difference). OK, rant over. Thankfully, as I can attest to, there are currently some great vegan alternatives to Maltesers.
Can you get vegan Maltesers?
Maltesers is the brand name belonging to Mars and currently they do not offer any vegan versions of their popular chocolate. However, thankfully, as I can attest to, there are currently some great vegan alternatives to Maltesers.
Best Vegan Maltesers Alternatives
Ballers by Doisy & Dam
Move over Maltesers, there’s a new vegan friendly malty treat in town. These delectable little bites have a malty crunch, coated in velvety dark chocolate.
I’m not a massive chocolate eater these days but I’ve had these a couple of times now and I think they’re fantastic.
You can pick these up in most Holland & Barrett stores and they’re also available online. If you like these you’ll be pleased to here that Doisy & Dam also do a great vegan alternative to M&Ms!
Choccy Rocks Moofreesas by MooFree
Looking for a delicious vegan alternative to Maltesers? Say hello to Moofreesas (loving the name).
These little malt balls are covered in rich, Rainforest Alliance “milk” chocolate and are completely vegan. They’re also gluten and soy free.
You can pick these up online from MooFree direct or various other well known site like The Vegan Kind. It looks like they are also available in some Waitrose stores.
Magibles (Gnawbles) by Creative Nature
According to Creative Nature “These Gnawbles are the closest thing to vegan maltesers!”. Although I guess they would say that wouldn’t they. So I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
Gnawbles come in a range of flavours: “Creeamy Mylk Chocolate” (which is obviously the closest in taste to actual Maltesers), “Cheeky Choc Hazelnot” and “Super Salted Caramel”.
As well as being vegan they are all wheat, gluten, soy and nut free. So they really have all bases covered on the allergy front!
MaltyBites by Hadleigh Maid
The final vegan alternative Maltesers on our list. MaltyBites made by Handleigh Maid. Not one I’ve tried personally to be honest but the reviews sound promising so they are on my list to try out! And according to the team at The Vegan Kind they taste a lot like Maltesers.
Homemade Vegan Maltesers by Susiechef
If none of the above options are quite doing it for you then you could always make your own! Here’s a great, easy to follow recipe for vegan Maltesers. If you do decide to have a go at making your own please report back and let me know how it goes!
What’s the best option for Vegan Maltesers?
As you can see, despite the fact that there is no actual vegan version of Maltesers, there are plenty of good alternatives, maybe even great alternatives – although I’ll let you try out the above options and be the judge of that yourself.
Personally I’m a big fan of Ballers and if you’re a dark chocolate fan like me I think you’ll love them. Enjoy the taste testing!
Please note: While full care has been taken to provide accurate information at the time of writing, manufacturers may change the ingredients of their products art any time. Please always check the label yourself before consuming.
I’m the founder and editor-in-chief at GetVedgy. As a former meat eater who only recently made a commitment to veganism, I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple of years researching the subject. It felt like a good idea to share what I’ve learnt and help to answer the questions I’ve had that no doubt many others’ will also have.