The question almost always arrives with a bit of suspicion: if creatine comes from meat, how can it be vegan? The short answer is that the creatine you buy does not come from meat. And the long answer is even better for people who do not eat meat: they are precisely the ones who notice the difference most.
Yes, it is vegan. The creatine monohydrate in supplements and functional foods is produced by chemical synthesis, from sarcosine and cyanamide. No animal raw material goes in.
In food it only exists in meat and fish. Legumes, grains, nuts and vegetables have none. So people who do not eat meat depend only on what the body makes, 1 to 2 g a day.
And that is why they respond more. The muscle stores of vegetarians and vegans are 20 to 30% lower. When they supplement, the difference shows more than in people who eat meat every day.
1. Where creatine is found in food
Creatine is made in the liver and kidneys and stored in the muscles. The same happens in animals, which is why it appears in meat and fish, and nowhere else. The numbers per 100 g, raw:
| Food | Creatine per 100 g | For 3 g you would need |
|---|---|---|
| Beef steak | 3.4 to 4.5 g | About 80 g, raw, with no cooking losses |
| Salmon | 2.0 to 2.5 g | About 140 g |
| Chicken breast | 1.2 to 1.8 g | About 200 g |
| Eggs | Traces (0.1 g) | Not realistic |
| Milk and dairy | 0 g | – |
| Legumes, grains, nuts, vegetables | 0 g | – |
And cooking loses 15 to 30%: a grilled steak brings less creatine than the same steak raw. A typical omnivore eats 1 to 2 g a day; a vegetarian eats zero.
2. What happens to people who do not eat meat
The body keeps producing creatine, but not replacing what meat would bring. The result has been measured: muscle stores 20 to 30% lower. It is not a deficiency, nor a health problem. It is a lower starting point, and that is why, in studies, vegetarians and vegans tend to respond more visibly to supplementation. They start from further away, so the path to full stores is more noticeable.
In practical terms: if you are vegetarian or vegan and you train, creatine is probably the supplement where the difference between taking it and not taking it is biggest. The dose is the same as everyone's: 3 g a day.*
3. Is creatine monohydrate vegan?
Yes. Creatine monohydrate is made in a factory, by synthesis, with no animal matter, and it is the same molecule found in meat. What is worth checking on the label is the rest of the product:
- Capsules: many are gelatine, of animal origin. Powder does not have that problem.
- Bars and foods with creatine: it depends on the other ingredients. White chocolate, milk powder or honey take the product off the vegan list, even if the creatine is the same.
In the CORIAL Creatine Bars: the Fudge Brownie has no animal ingredients (dates, almonds, oats, pea protein, chicory fibre, creatine monohydrate and dark chocolate). The Creamy Coconut has white chocolate, which contains milk: it suits vegetarians, not vegans. Both may contain traces of other nuts.
4. How much to take and how
3 g of creatine a day, every day, including days without training. No loading phase: with 3 g a day the stores fill in 3 to 4 weeks, and loading only shortens that time. There is no right time of day; there are consecutive days. For people who struggle to keep up with powder, the simplest way is to fit the dose into something you already eat: a bar as a snack, for example. Each CORIAL Creatine Bar has 3 g of creatine (3.5 g of creatine monohydrate), 8 g of protein and 5 g of fibre.
Fudge Brownie: the day's dose, no meat and no shaker
Dates, almonds, oats, pea protein and dark chocolate, with 3 g of creatine per bar. Box of 18.
See the Fudge Brownie →5. Frequently asked questions
Yes. It is produced by chemical synthesis, with no animal raw material. What may not be vegan is the gelatine capsule or the other ingredients of the product.
No. It only exists in relevant amounts in meat and fish. Legumes, grains, nuts and vegetables have none.
Yes. Muscle stores are 20 to 30% lower, because they depend only on what the body makes, 1 to 2 g a day.
The same dose as everyone: 3 g a day, every day.*
The Fudge Brownie has no animal ingredients. The Creamy Coconut has white chocolate, which contains milk, so it is vegetarian but not vegan.
*Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise. The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of creatine. Authorised claim, Reg. (EU) 432/2012.