There are two versions of Irn-Bru energy drinks: Regular version and sugar-free version.
Are they both safe for vegans?
To quickly answer, both versions of Irn-Bru energy drinks are vegan friendly.
However, it’s much better, and it would make you an educated consumer if you’ll still analyze Irn-Bru’s ingredients. If you want to know more about Irn-Bru’s ingredients and why they’re vegan, keep on reading.
Let’s start.
Page Contents
Nutrition Facts of Irn-Bru Energy Drink
To start, let’s read the nutrition facts of a single Irn-Bru energy drink:
| Name of Nutrient | Irn-Bru Energy (330ml) |
| Energy | 153 calories |
| Carbohydrates (of which sugar) | 36g (36g) |
| Salt | 0.25g |
| Caffeine | 120mg |
| Niacin (Vitamin B3) | 15.84mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.386mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.475mcg |
| Protein | 0g |
Ingredients in Irn-Bru Energy Drink
The following are the ingredients used to create a single Irn-Bru energy drink:
- Calories
- Caffeine
- Carbohydrates
- Sugar (in regular version only)
- Salt
- Niacin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Sweeteners: Aspartame and Acesulfame K (In sugar-free versions only)
- Preservative E211
- Carbonated water
- Taurine
- Quinine
- Citric acid
- Ammonium ferric citrate
- Colours: Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R
Are the Ingredients in Irn-Bru Energy Drink Vegan?
Irn-Bru’s ingredients are 100% safe for vegans and even vegetarians.
| Ingredients | Is It Vegan-Friendly? |
| Caffeine | Yes |
| Carbohydrates | Yes |
| Sugar (Regular version) | Yes |
| Salt | Yes |
| Niacin | Yes |
| Vitamin B6 | Yes |
| Vitamin B12 | Yes |
| Aspartame (Sugar-free version) | Yes |
| Acesulfame K (Sugar-free version) | Yes |
| E211 | Yes |
| Carbonated Water | Yes |
| Taurine | Yes |
| Quinine | Yes |
| Citric Acid | Yes |
| Ammonium ferric citrate | Yes |
| Sunset Yellow FCF | Yes |
| Ponceau 4R | Yes |
Is the Caffeine in Irn-Bru Energy Drink Vegan-Friendly?
The caffeine of Irn-Bru energy drinks is vegan-friendly.
Caffeine’s source is plant species. Sixty plant species has caffeine, one of which is tea leaves. This makes caffeine safe for vegans.
Caffeine is the ingredient known to keep you awake throughout the day, but it can also be used to:
- stimulate and manage your central nervous system
- improve your memory
- minimize your body fatigue
- enhance your exercise performance
Is Irn-Bru full of caffeine?
Irn-Bru does contain some caffeine, but it’s not as high as what you might find in a strong cup of coffee or those energy drinks that promise to give you superpowers.
Of course, everyone reacts to caffeine differently, so it’s still a good idea to be aware of how much you’re sipping and how it affects you personally.
How Much Caffeine Is in Irn-Bru Energy Drink?
There’s 120mg of caffeine per can of Irn-Bru energy drink.
This amount of caffeine is enough to keep you fully awake throughout the day. It’s also under the limit intake for caffeine which is 400mg per day.
Always avoid consuming more than 400mg of caffeine per day.
This is because too much caffeine can have harmful effects on your body like:
- Rapid heart rate
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Muscle breakdown
- Minor addiction
- Loss of bladder control
- High blood pressure
- Digestive issues
- Fatigue
Is There Sugar in Irn-Bru Energy Drink?
A regular version of Irn-Bru energy drink has 36g of sugar.
For a beverage, this amount is too much sugar. It’s over the limit of the recommended intake for sugar. More about sugar is here below.
Is the Sugar in Irn-Bru Energy Drink Vegan-Friendly?
Surprisingly, some sugars aren’t vegan. The sugar used for Irn-Bru energy drinks is not specified. However, several websites confirmed Irn-Bru energy drink is safe for vegans and even vegetarians.
To only choose sugar that’s vegan, try to look for words like unrefined and raw sugar. This indicates that no bone char was used in the process.
Side Effects of Sugar
Several health establishments recommend that sugar intake per day should be no more than 24g for women and 36g for men. Exceeding that limit can lead to side effects like:
- Weight Gain
- Stress
- Increased Risk of Heart Disease
- Higher Risk of Developing Acne
- High Blood Pressure
Is the Artificial Sweetener in Irn-Bru Energy Drink Vegan?
The two artificial sweeteners of the sugar-free version of Irn-Bru energy drink is vegan-friendly.
The sugar is replaced with two artificial sweeteners for the sugar-free version of Irn-Bru energy drink: Aspartame and ace-K.
The first artificial sweetener used for Irn-Bru energy drinks is aspartame. Generally, it’s considered vegan.
Its main ingredients are phenylalanine and aspartic acid. Both of its main ingredients are not sourced from animals.
The second artificial sweetener is ace-K. It contains salt minerals and has no animal ingredients throughout the creation of ace-K. This makes it safe for vegans.
Keep in mind that artificial sweeteners still has side effects. It’s less harmful than sugar, but it can still give you health problems.
Is the Taurine in Irn-Bru Energy Drink Vegan?
Irn-Bru’s taurine is safe for vegans to consume.
Taurine is a type of amino acid that’s often added to energy drinks.
Taurine can be found in meat, fish, and dairy. However, taurine in energy drinks and supplements is often synthesized. Thus, making taurine vegan-friendly.
Taurine is a critical amino acid, but it doesn’t help make protein like other amino acids do. It has a lot of functions in our bodies.
It also has certain benefits like:
- improving the health of your heart
- fighting diabetes
- protecting your liver cells
- boosting your exercise performance
To explain more about why taurine is in most energy drinks, here’s a video explaining it for you:
Is Irn-Bru Energy Drink Healthy?
Drinking energy drinks like Irn-Bru aren’t unhealthy as long as you don’t do binge drinking.
As much as possible, drink Irn-Bru energy drink moderately. Avoid relying on it as a way to energize your day.
There are a lot of ways to get energized without energy drinks like:
- Drinking plenty of water
- Exercising
- Get sufficient amount of sleep
What type of drink is Irn-Bru?
Irn-Bru is a unique and popular carbonated soft drink from Scotland. It’s often described as a “fizzy” or “sparkling” beverage. It has a distinctive orange color and a flavor that’s hard to compare to anything else.
Irn-Bru is often referred to as “Scotland’s other national drink” next to whisky.
How Many Cans Of Irn-Bru Energy Drink Should You Consume Per Day?
To be safe from harmful effects, only limit yourself to one can of Irn-Bru energy drink per day.
Drinking more than one can of the regular version can make you consume a lot of sugar. This can be a severe problem for your health.
The sugar-free version shouldn’t be consumed too much since it still has side effects when consumed too much due to the caffeine.
Is Irn-Bru Energy Drink Keto-Friendly?
The regular version of Irn-Bru energy drink isn’t keto-friendly. However, the sugar-free version of Irn-Bru energy is considered keto-friendly.
The regular version of Irn-Bru isn’t considered keto-friendly because it has a lot of sugar. On the other hand, Irn-Bru has an energy drink free from sugar which is regarded as keto-friendly.
If you’re on a keto diet, it would be best to choose the sugar-free version.
Where Can You Buy Irn-Bru Energy Drink?
To buy Irn-Bru energy drinks, you have two options. You can either buy them through physical stores, or you can order them online.
If you like buying products through physical stores, here are two physical stores that have both versions of Irn-Bru energy drink:
- Target
- Walmart
However, if you want to buy it online, here are a few sites that you can check out:
How Many Flavors Does Irn-Bru Energy Drink Have?
There’s only one flavour of Irn-Bru energy drink, but it has two versions.
The two versions are the regular version and the sugar-free version.
Other Vegan-Friendly Energy Drinks
Besides Irn-Bru energy drinks, there are also other vegan-friendly energy drinks. I made a list for you below, take a look at it, and you may see other vegan-friendly energy drinks that you like.
Final Thoughts
The two versions of Irn-Bru energy drink are both considered vegan-friendly.
The caffeine used for most energy drinks like Irn-Bru energy drink is typically extracted from plant species. This makes the caffeine in the ingredient of Irn-Bru energy drink vegan-friendly.
The sugar from the regular version and the two artificial sweeteners (Aspartame and Ace-K) are also considered safe for vegans to consume.
The sugar in Irn-Bru isn’t specified, but credible websites indicate Irn-Bru is 100% safe for vegans and vegetarians.
Taurine is also an ingredient that’s vegan-friendly which is typically added in energy drinks. Taurine generally is found in animals, but the taurine added in energy drinks are synthesized.
Even if the Irn-Bru energy drink is vegan, it’s still not healthy to consume too much. Irn-Bru energy drinks will become harmful to your health if you don’t drink energy drinks moderately.
If your reason for drinking an Irn-Bru energy drink is just to get energy, there are other options. For example, drinking a lot of water and exercising can give you power. Always keep this in mind to stay healthy.