Is Heinz Ketchup Vegan? (And Other Heinz Products)

Yes - Heinz Tomato Ketchup is vegan. The ingredients are tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices. There are no animal-derived ingredients anywhere on the label, and the UK formulation has not changed. This is one of the most-checked products on this site. New vegans often do a double-take on familiar condiments - but you can reach for Heinz ketchup without worrying.

Heinz products that are vegan

• Heinz Tomato Ketchup - all varieties including reduced sugar, organic, and the glass bottle version. All vegan.
• Heinz Baked Beans - the classic tin is vegan. Haricot beans in tomato sauce with no animal products.
• Heinz Tomato Soup (condensed, original) - the standard condensed tomato soup is vegan. Check the label on “cream of” varieties.
• Heinz BBQ Sauce - the original smoky BBQ sauce contains no animal ingredients.
• Heinz Seriously Good Vegan Mayo - plant-based by design, made with pea protein instead of egg. The one to reach for.
• Heinz Yellow Mustard - vegan.

Heinz products that are NOT vegan

• Heinz Salad Cream - contains egg yolk. The classic recipe has always included egg and this has not changed.
• Heinz Seriously Good Mayonnaise (standard) - contains egg. Only the labelled “Vegan” version is plant-based.
• Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup - the “cream of” variant contains dairy cream. Not vegan, unlike the plain condensed version.
• Heinz Cream of Chicken Soup - contains chicken and dairy. Not vegan.
• Heinz Beanz with Sausages - the sausages are pork-based. The plain Beanz tins are fine, but not the sausage variety.
• Heinz Spaghetti Hoops with Sausages - same issue. The sausages are pork.

Is Heinz Salad Cream vegan?

No - Heinz Salad Cream contains egg yolk as a core ingredient. The egg gives Salad Cream its thick, creamy texture and distinctive tangy flavour. There is no vegan version of Heinz Salad Cream currently available.

If you need a vegan dressing with a similar character, Hellmann’s Vegan Mayo works well as a base. Add a small splash of white wine vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and a little mustard to get closer to the Salad Cream flavour profile. Several supermarket own-brands also produce vegan salad-style dressings - check the free-from section.

Is Heinz Baked Beans vegan?

Yes - Heinz Baked Beans are one of the most reliably vegan products in any UK kitchen. The ingredient list is straightforward: haricot beans, tomato sauce, water, sugar, modified cornflour, salt, and spice extracts. No dairy, no egg, no meat anywhere in the recipe.

The full Heinz Beanz range including Snap Pots and multipack tins is vegan. The only Heinz bean products that are not vegan are the varieties that include added sausages, where the sausages are pork-based. Stick to the plain “Beanz” tins and you are always safe.

What about Heinz soups?

The key thing to check with Heinz soups is whether the variety is a “cream of” style. The original condensed Tomato Soup is vegan, but Cream of Tomato Soup contains dairy cream and is not. The same principle applies across the range - plain tomato, vegetable, and minestrone soups tend to be vegan, while cream-based varieties and anything chicken or meat-flavoured will not be.

Heinz sells a large number of soup varieties and formulations can change. If in doubt, scan the barcode using Is It Vegan? to check the current ingredients against our database.

Why do people ask whether ketchup is vegan?

Ketchup seems like an obviously plant-based product, but new vegans quickly learn that processed foods often contain hidden animal derivatives. Common culprits include gelatine (used as a stabiliser in some sauces), lactose, casein, and E-numbers derived from animals. Heinz Tomato Ketchup contains none of these - the recipe is genuinely simple and plant-based throughout.

The confusion is understandable because similar condiments in the same fridge - particularly Heinz Salad Cream and standard mayonnaise - do contain egg and are not vegan. Ketchup is one of the safe ones.

For more on hidden animal ingredients in UK food products, see our hidden animal ingredients guide or use the barcode scanner to check any product on the spot.