Is Madelaine Petsch Vegan? She Has Never Eaten Meat in Her Life
Every other celebrity on our vegan list has a before and an after. Madelaine Petsch doesn’t have a before. The Riverdale star has never eaten meat. Not once, not as a toddler, not on a dare. Raised in Port Orchard, Washington by South African parents who grew much of the family’s food in their own garden, she was vegetarian from birth and made the last step herself: “I turned vegan at 14.”
That makes her something genuinely rare: a person for whom meat was never food in the first place. There’s no conversion story to tell, which is exactly the story.
QUICK ANSWER
Yes, Madelaine Petsch is vegan, fully since age 14, and she has never eaten meat in her entire life. She's still listed among vegan celebrities in the current 2026 roundups, with zero reports to the contrary, ever.
Last fact-checked: July 7, 2026
The bok choy dress
In February 2017, weeks after Riverdale premiered, Petsch did her first PETA campaign wearing an outfit made entirely of bok choy, under the tagline “Turn Over a New Leaf”. The same year, peta2 crowned her its Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity. New show, new fame, and the first thing she did with it was cabbage couture.
Her practical side is just as consistent. The Women’s Health meal-plan interviews read like a nutrition checklist: “Protein is something I really have to be aware of in every meal, or else my energy levels just go completely down hill.” Overnight oats with chia for omega-3s, broccoli steak with black beans for dinner. Nineteen years of practice shows.
The vegan timeline, tap to expand
1994: born into a vegetarian household
Her South African parents raise her on fresh produce from the family garden in Washington State. Meat simply never appears on her plate.
2008: fully vegan at 14
She drops dairy and eggs by her own decision, years before fame.
January 2017: Riverdale premieres
Cheryl Blossom makes her famous overnight.
February 2017: the bok choy campaign
peta2 ad in an outfit of leafy greens, plus the Hottest Vegetarian Celebrity 2017 title.
Riverdale years: vegan fake blood
Her own words on set: “I made sure the blood was vegan!” Cheryl Blossom's dramatic scenes, cruelty-free.
2024/25: The Strangers trilogy, still vegan
She leads and executive-produces the horror trilogy; the current vegan celebrity roundups still list her, quoting her garden childhood.
Fact or fiction?
She ate meat as a kid and quit later. Fact or fiction?
Fiction. She has never eaten meat in her life. Raised vegetarian from birth, vegan since 14.
She made Riverdale use vegan fake blood. Fact or fiction?
Fact. “I made sure the blood was vegan!” is a direct quote.
Her PETA outfit was made of kale. Fact or fiction?
Fiction, barely. It was bok choy. Close enough to fool a quiz, which is why we asked.
Quiz: how well do you know vegan Madelaine?
Five questions, no cheating
1. When did she last eat meat?
2. How old was she when she went fully vegan?
3. What vegetable was her PETA outfit made of?
4. What did she insist on for Riverdale's gory scenes?
5. Where did her family's food largely come from?
Is Madelaine Petsch still vegan in 2026?
Everything says yes. There’s no fresh 2026 interview quote, but her veganism isn’t a diet she adopted, it’s the only way she has ever eaten, which makes a quiet reversal about as likely as Cheryl Blossom apologizing. The 2026 roundups still list her, and no contradicting report has ever existed.
More vegan celebrity checks:
- Is Sadie Sink vegan? Gen Z’s other spotless record
- Is Billie Eilish vegan? Also started young, got loud
- Is Evanna Lynch vegan? From Luna Lovegood to vegan entrepreneur
Photo: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Frequently Asked
FAQ - What readers ask
Fact or fiction?
She ate meat as a kid and quit later. Fact or fiction? Fiction. She has never eaten meat in her life. Raised vegetarian from birth, vegan since 14. She made Riverdale use vegan fake blood. Fact or fiction? Fact. “I made sure the blood was vegan!” is a direct quote.
Is Madelaine Petsch still vegan in 2026?
Everything says yes. There’s no fresh 2026 interview quote, but her veganism isn’t a diet she adopted, it’s the only way she has ever eaten, which makes a quiet reversal about as likely as Cheryl Blossom apologizing.
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