Hi Chelsea , welcome aboard ! The issue you raise with sugar is about the wide spread use of a substance called " bone char " made from cattle bones, that most commercial sugar is filtered with . Sneaky , huh ? So , for a vegan , that is to be avoided . Stick with sugar that bears the vegan certification , like Florida Crystals organic sugar . As far as instant oatmeal goes , my first thought , is why use it ? It is highly processed , with a high glycemic index number .  I would use either whole oat groats , or steel cut oats , and just soak them overnight , which will make them much faster and easier to cook , reduce the phytic acid content , and also make them easier to digest . As far as being vegan , oats in and of themselves are vegan , it is when you buy a packaged , sweetened , flavored , highly priced version that you will run into ingredients that are either not vegan , or just plain not healthy . Good luck , and Be Well !!