There are numerous soft drinks to choose from these days, but few carbonated beverages have been around for as long as Dr Pepper. We’ll come back to the drink’s heritage shortly, but first let us tackle the question on every fizzy drink-loving vegan’s lips: does Dr Pepper taste of pepper? Oh, not that one. We mean, is Dr Pepper vegan?
The good news for vegans, especially those partial to the Doc P, is that, yes, Dr Pepper is indeed vegan. Now that we’ve got that sorted, let’s delve a little deeper into the product and its ingredients (and find out if there is any pepper contained within it!).
What Is Dr Pepper?
Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink that is often assumed to be a cola, perhaps due to its colour. Technically though, it is not a cola but rather a “fruit-flavoured soda” (at least in the United States). Unless there are some fruit-based ingredients contained within the elusive “flavourings” mentioned in the ingredients (see below), we are not wholly convinced by that classification. There were rumours that prune juice makes up part of the unknown flavourings, but Dr Pepper refutes that.
The drink dates back to 1885, meaning it was produced commercially a year before the more successful Coca Cola and eight years before Pepsi. Early on in the beverage’s life, it was marketed with various medical claims including that it “aids digestion and restores vim, vigour, and vitality.” They don’t tend to make such claims these days, however.
Although the Dr Pepper drinks are sold in the United States under the parent company, Keurig Dr Pepper, in other areas of the world they are produced and sold under license by rivals Coca Cola (United Kingdom and South Korea) and PepsiCo (Canada, Australia and New Zealand).
Ingredients of Dr Pepper: Does Dr Pepper Contain Actual Pepper?
Er… no. Disappointingly, there are seemingly no spices, pepper or otherwise, contained within this fizzy beverage. At least we don’t think so… as we’ll explain shortly. First let’s run through the ingredients listed for the regular version of Dr Pepper:
Carbonated Water, Sugar, Colour (Caramel E150d), Acid (Phosphoric Acid), Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Flavourings including Caffeine, Contains a Source of Phenylalanine
Carbonated Water
Unless anyone knows something we don’t, neither water nor carbon dioxide use animals for the purposes of producing carbonated water. Hence this is obviously fine for vegans to consume.
Sugar
Although there have been some concerns about sugar not being vegan due to the use of bone char in its production, this is becoming increasingly rare and we are confident the sugar used in Dr Pepper is vegan friendly.
Caramel Colour (E150d)
Caramel colour E150d, also known as acid-proof caramel or soft-drink caramel, is produced by heating carbohydrates that are usually obtained from plant sources such as molasses, malt syrup or wheat. Lactose (from milk) can be used to produce E150d, but Dr Pepper states their products are free from milk, so this is not the case here.
Phosphoric Acid
This inorganic chemical compound is produced in the lab using various processes, and though it is more commonly found in soap and cleaning products, it is not a particularly strong acid.
Aspartame
An artificial sweetener made from plants, and hence is fine for vegans to consume. Although there have been concerns about the intake of the ingredient from a health perspective, numerous studies have found it to be safe (based on reasonable levels of consumption).
Acesulfame K (E950)
Another artificial sweetener, and this one was discovered by accident by a German chemist who clearly wasn’t following safety protocols in the lab when he put his finger in his mouth after touching the chemical in question (don’t try that at home, kids!). Fine for vegans.
Potassium Sorbate
This food preservative is produced by neutralising sorbic acid with potassium hydroxide, obvs. Without getting our chemistry set out and taking vids of the various reactions, we’ll just have to assure you that there’s nothing here that stops it being vegan.
Phenylalanine
Although some versions of the ingredients of Dr Pepper state that the drink “Contains a Source of Phenylalanine” there is likely to be only very small amounts as this amino acid is contained within the abovementioned aspartame, which itself is only included in relatively small quantities.
Flavourings, Including Caffeine
Now this is the only section of the ingredients that could feasibly contain something derived from animals. Because these can be classified as commercial trade secrets, food and drink producers are permitted to be pretty darn vague here by using the term “flavourings” as a catch-all for things that don’t fall into other categories.
In theory, there could be something from animals here, but Dr Pepper state that their products are “Free From: Celery, Cereals Containing Gluten, Crustaceans, Eggs, Fish, Lupin, Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Soya, Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites”. We’re pretty darn sure there are no chunks of meat in there, so we’re happy to conclude that any flavourings they have added are indeed vegan-friendly.
Nutritional Value of Dr Pepper vs Coke & Pepsi
Here we compare the nutritional values (or lack of them!) of Dr Pepper to those of Coca Cola and Pepsi. All refer to the standard beverage from each company.
| Typical Values (Per 100ml) | Dr Pepper | Coca Cola | Pepsi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 85kJ/20kcal | 180kJ/42kcal | 170kJ/41kcal |
| Fat | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| of which saturates | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Carbohydrate | 4.9g | 10.6g | 11g |
| of which sugars | 4.9g | 10.6g | 11g |
| Protein | 0g | 0g | 0g |
| Salt | 0g | 0g | <0.01g |
As you can see, Dr Pepper contains roughly half the sugar of the equivalent drinks from Coca Cola and Pepsi. Almost 5% sugar is still not brilliant, of course, but if you are fond of colas, it’s better than 11% sugar! Though, there are plenty of artificial sweeteners on top of that.
Are All Varieties of Dr Pepper Vegan?
There have been several varieties over the years, with more tending to appear in the USA than anywhere else. At present, in the United Kingdom, there are just two options: the regular Dr Pepper drink or Dr Pepper Zero.
The only difference in terms of the ingredients of the two drinks is that the Zero version doesn’t have any sugar added. All the other ingredients are the same. As such, Dr Pepper Zero is also fine for vegans to consume. And it contains just 0.5kcal per 100ml of drink, so it’s a better option for those who want to reduce their calorie intake or avoid sugar.
Dr Pepper Conclusions
As we have seen above, all Dr Pepper drinks sold in the UK are vegan friendly as they contain no ingredients that are derived from animals. Like most fizzy drinks, it is probably a good idea to limit your consumption, especially of the version that contain 5% sugar. But from a purely vegan perspective, there’s nothing contained within Dr Pepper to cause any concern.