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Serving Only The Best Real Turkish Lokum
The short answer: traditional Turkish Delight (lokum) is naturally vegan. It's made from cornstarch, sugar, and flavourings — no gelatine, no dairy, no eggs. However, not all Turkish Delight sold in the UK is vegan. Here's what to watch for.
Authentic lokum has been made the same way for over 200 years: cornstarch and sugar are slowly cooked together to form a gel, then flavoured with ingredients like rosewater, fruit essences, or spices. There's no need for gelatine because the starch provides the characteristic chewy texture.
The traditional recipe uses only plant-based ingredients:
This means traditional Turkish Delight is naturally free from animal products. It's also naturally gluten free, as cornstarch contains no wheat, barley, or rye.
Some manufacturers have altered the traditional recipe to make production faster or cheaper. Watch out for these non-vegan ingredients:
Gelatine. Some modern recipes use gelatine as a setting agent instead of cornstarch because it's faster and easier. Gelatine is derived from animal bones and connective tissue, making it completely unsuitable for vegans and vegetarians. If a Turkish Delight contains gelatine, it's not traditional lokum — it's a modern imitation.
Dairy products. Some specialty or "gourmet" versions include cream, milk powder, whey, or even cream cheese to create richer flavours or creamier textures. These are innovations, not traditional recipes. Chocolate-coated Turkish Delight bars (like Fry's) almost always contain milk chocolate, making them unsuitable for vegans.
Non-vegan food colourings. Certain red food colourings, particularly Natural Red 4 (E120), also known as cochineal or carmine, are derived from crushed insects. If you follow a strict vegan diet, check the ingredients for E120 or cochineal. Most traditional Turkish Delight uses plant-based colourings or no colouring at all.
Honey. While rare, some artisan or specialty versions use honey instead of sugar. Honey is not considered vegan by most definitions, as it's an animal product produced by bees.
One potential concern for strict vegans is sugar processing. Some white sugar is filtered through bone char (charcoal made from animal bones) during the refining process. While the bone char doesn't end up in the final product, some vegans prefer to avoid sugar processed this way.
If this concerns you, look for Turkish Delight made with certified vegan sugar, organic sugar (which is never processed with bone char), or beet sugar (which doesn't require bone char processing). At Sultan Delights, we use sugar that meets vegan standards.
When shopping for Turkish Delight, follow these steps:
Every variety of Sultan Turkish Delight is vegan. We use no gelatine, no dairy, no animal fats, and no animal-derived ingredients of any kind. Our Turkish Delight is also gluten free and halal, making it suitable for a wide range of dietary requirements.
We offer 10 flavours, all vegan:
All varieties are made using traditional methods with cornstarch, sugar, and natural flavourings. We're transparent about every ingredient — full lists are available on each flavour page.
We don't currently hold a Vegan Society certification, but all of our ingredients are plant-based. We use traditional recipes with cornstarch as the setting agent (never gelatine), and avoid all dairy, eggs, and animal-derived additives. We're transparent about every ingredient, and full lists are available on each flavour page.
No. Traditional Turkish Delight is made with cornstarch, which is naturally gluten free. All Sultan Delights varieties are gluten free and safe for people with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity. However, always check labels on other brands, as some modern recipes may use wheat-based thickeners.
You can order directly from Sultan Delights. We deliver across the UK with next-day tracked shipping. Build your own box of 50 pieces from 10 flavours for £22.95 including delivery. All our Turkish Delight is made using traditional vegan recipes.
Gelatine is sometimes used in modern recipes as a shortcut. Traditional Turkish Delight requires slow cooking of cornstarch and sugar for up to an hour, carefully monitoring temperature and consistency. Gelatine sets much faster and is easier to work with, but it's an animal product and produces a different texture. Authentic Turkish Delight uses only cornstarch for its characteristic soft, delicate chew.
Yes. Cream of tartar is a plant-derived byproduct of winemaking. It's a crystalline acid that forms naturally during wine fermentation and is completely vegan. In Turkish Delight recipes, cream of tartar prevents sugar from crystallizing and helps create a smooth, stable texture. It's used in very small quantities and has no animal origins.
Turkish Delight is still a sugar-based confection and should be enjoyed as an occasional treat. However, traditional Turkish Delight contains no artificial additives, preservatives, or processed fats. It's made with simple, plant-based ingredients: cornstarch, sugar, and natural flavourings. Unlike many vegan sweets that use palm oil or hydrogenated fats, authentic Turkish Delight contains no added fats at all. It's also naturally gluten free, making it suitable for people with multiple dietary requirements.