Original Red Licorice Twists Review
Hollow wheat-based red licorice twists with six ingredients. Vegan: the maker calls them vegan-friendly and the label has no animal ingredients or cane sugar.
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Is Original Red Licorice Twists Vegan?
Yes, this product is confirmed vegan and cruelty-free.
The brand has confirmed that this product is vegan. We have reviewed the ingredient list and found no animal-derived components.
Our Verdict
Pros & Cons
What We Love
- Six-ingredient label with no animal-derived ingredients
- Manufacturer states Red Vines are vegan-friendly
- No cane sugar, so no bone-char concern
- Free of milk, egg, soy, peanuts and tree nuts per retailer allergen data
- Low price per tray at major US retailers
Room for Improvement
- Brand statement only, no third-party vegan certification
- Contains wheat, so not suitable for gluten-free diets
- Uses synthetic Red 40 dye
- Mostly sugar with almost no nutritional value
Our Full Review
Red Vines Original Red Twists are vegan: American Licorice Company calls them vegan-friendly, and the six-ingredient label contains nothing from an animal.
Ingredients and nutrition
The list is corn syrup, wheat flour, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, artificial flavor and Red 40. There is no gelatin, beeswax, shellac, milk or egg. Because the sweeteners are corn syrups rather than cane sugar, the bone-char question that affects many candies does not apply.
A 3-twist (30 g) serving has 100 calories, 0 g fat, 15 mg sodium, 12 g added sugar and 1 g protein. That is close to Twizzlers Strawberry, which has a longer list with cane sugar, palm oil and mineral oil.
Two points to weigh: - The vegan claim is the brand's own; there is no third-party vegan certification. - Red 40 is synthetic, not carmine, but some strict vegans avoid it over historical animal testing of dyes.
Who should buy or skip
Buy them if you want a cheap, gelatin-free chewy candy, or if you avoid bone-char sugar. Skip them if you are gluten-free, since every twist is made with wheat. If you avoid synthetic dyes, Red Vines Made Simple uses radish extract for color instead. Check the label on chocolate-covered Red Vines, which this rating does not cover.
Full breakdown: https://spvegan.com/best/are-red-vines-vegan
How We Tested
Assessed from the manufacturer's ingredient list, the nutrition label and published buyer reviews. Not taste-tested by SP Vegan. Ingredients checked November 2026.
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Reviewed by
SP Vegan Editorial Team
Our team of dedicated vegans independently tests and verifies every product we review. We contact brands directly, analyse ingredient lists, and check certification status — so you can shop with confidence.
Learn about our process