Creatine for Vegetarians and Vegans: Why You Might Benefit More

Yes, creatine is worth considering if you're vegetarian or vegan, and you may get more out of it than meat eaters do. Creatine comes mainly from meat and fish, so people who don't eat them start with lower stores in their muscles. In trials, vegetarians who took creatine saw bigger rises in muscle creatine, and in some studies bigger gains in lean muscle, than meat eaters on the same dose (Kaviani et al., 2020).

The supplement itself is almost always vegan. Creatine monohydrate is made in a factory from two simple chemicals, not from animal products. The only thing to check is the capsule, if you buy capsules: some are gelatin.

Quick answers

Why vegetarians start lower

Your body keeps most of its creatine in your muscles and uses up a small amount every day. Roughly half of what you lose is replaced from food, mostly meat and fish, and your liver and kidneys make the rest (Kreider et al., 2017). Take away the food half and your body has to manage on what it makes. It doesn't fully make up the gap.

In one study, vegetarians had lower total creatine in their thigh muscle before supplementing than non-vegetarians did: 117 versus 130 mmol per kg of dry muscle (Burke et al., 2003). That's about 10% less. It isn't a deficiency in any medical sense. Vegetarians aren't unwell because of it. But it leaves more room for a supplement to top up.

What happens when vegetarians take it

Muscle and strength. The best direct comparison is that 2003 trial. Forty-two adults, some vegetarian and some not, did the same 8-week weight-training program while taking creatine or a placebo. Everyone on creatine gained more lean tissue and bench-press strength than the placebo groups. The vegetarians on creatine gained more muscle creatine and more lean tissue than the meat eaters on creatine, and did more total work in the strength tests (Burke et al., 2003).

A 2020 systematic review pulled together nine studies and reached the same broad conclusion: creatine raised muscle and blood creatine in vegetarians, often to levels above those seen in meat eaters, and improved lean mass and strength. Whether vegetarians gain more performance than meat eaters was mixed. The reviewers also rated most of the studies at moderate to high risk of bias, so treat the size of the effect as uncertain (Kaviani et al., 2020).

Memory. In a trial of 121 young women, five days of 20 g a day of creatine led to better memory scores than placebo in the vegetarians, but made no difference to memory in the meat eaters (Benton & Donohoe, 2011). The authors called their results preliminary. It's a single short study at a loading-level dose, so it's interesting rather than settled. Our guide to creatine and your brain covers the wider research, including a 2003 trial in vegetarians.

How much to take

The same as anyone else: 3 to 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day. Our creatine calculator gives you a number from your bodyweight.

You don't need a bigger dose because you're vegetarian. Lower starting stores mean there's more room to fill, and the standard dose fills it. You can load for a week if you want results sooner, but it isn't necessary: 3 to 5 g a day gets you to the same place in about a month.

Expect the scale to go up a little in the first few weeks. Creatine pulls water into your muscles, and people who start with lower stores can notice that more. It's water inside the muscle, not fat, and not the puffy, bloated kind. Our guide to creatine bloating explains the difference.

Choosing a vegan creatine

• Powder is the simplest. Plain creatine monohydrate powder has one ingredient, so there's nothing animal-derived to worry about.
• Capsules: check the capsule shell. "Vegetable capsule" or "HPMC" means plant-based. "Gelatin" means it isn't.
• Flavored powders and gummies can contain gelatin, carmine (a red coloring made from insects) or other animal-derived ingredients. Read the full ingredient list.
• A vegan logo saves you checking, but it's a convenience, not a quality mark. You still want a testing seal like NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport or USP Verified.

The products in our best creatine comparison are all plain, unflavored monohydrate powders, so any of them works. If you're holding a tub you're not sure about, run it through our creatine checker.

Who should check with a doctor first

The same people as for anyone: if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medicines that affect your kidneys, talk to your doctor before starting. Creatine also slightly raises creatinine on a blood test, which can make healthy kidneys look worse on paper, so mention it before any blood work. More in is creatine safe?

Questions people ask

Should vegetarians take creatine?

It's worth considering. Vegetarians have lower creatine stores in their muscles because creatine comes mainly from meat and fish, and in trials they often gained more muscle creatine and lean tissue from supplements than meat eaters did.

Is creatine vegan?

Creatine monohydrate is made synthetically, not from animals, so plain powder is vegan. Some capsules are made from gelatin, and some flavored products contain animal-derived ingredients, so check the label.

How much creatine should a vegan take?

3 to 5 g of creatine monohydrate a day, the same as anyone else. You don't need a bigger dose.

TD

Written by Tom D

Tom has trained in the gym for years and has taken 5 g of creatine every day for about a decade, with magnesium on and off for most of the year. Reading the research behind supplements started as a hobby; this site is where he writes it up. He isn't a doctor or dietitian, so every claim links to the study behind it.

Sources

1. Kaviani, Shaw & Chilibeck 2020, Creatine for vegetarians vs omnivores: systematic review (IJERPH)
2. Burke et al. 2003, Creatine and weight training in vegetarians (MSSE)
3. Benton & Donohoe 2011, Creatine and cognition in vegetarians and omnivores (Br J Nutr)
4. Kreider et al. 2017, ISSN position stand on creatine safety and efficacy (JISSN)

We link to the original study wherever we can. Read how we grade evidence and choose products.