Halloween is my favorite holiday, and like for me, for many it’s an excuse to get creative, dress up, and be someone else for the night. Was your childhood dream to be an astronaut? It’s never too late. Halloween’s the perfect chance to relax, let go of the pressures of adulthood and everyday life, and just have fun.
I mean a holiday that involves arts & crafts and tons of tasty treats…I’m in!
But for many the scary part of Halloween is actually the treats. Food-centered holidays are stressful when you are dealing with food allergies, intolerances, and preferences. Especially for those with young children.
Whether I’m on the giving or receiving end of trick-or-treating, as someone with dietary requirements I always try and be conscious of others in similar situations.
Many manufacturers like Tootsie Roll Industries have labeled treat-or-treat “fun-sized” candy bags with peanut-free & gluten-free seals, which is really helpful. I’d recommend grabbing a pre-labeled bag and being able to enjoy handing out or eating candy knowing that all the options in your bag are safe (for those with peanut and/or gluten troubles). It’s by far the easiest way.
DISCLAIMER: Always read the labels as products may be repackaged with items containing allergens and products may be produced differently between countries, including between the U.S. and Canada. Always read the labels and check manufacturers’ websites for the most up-to-date information and allergen guides.
Since not all individual candies are labeled or sealed, I’ve made a list of some of the most popular Halloween handout candies and chocolates, categorized them, and included some tips for identifying non-vegan and non-gluten-free ingredients on labels. Please remember to use these lists only as a guide, since ingredients and formulas can change at any time.
Note: Please always double check ingredients and check with parents before giving children any food. I will not be held liable for any accident occurring due to the use of this list. It is meant as a guide only.
VEGAN-FRIENDLY CANDY
If you’re checking for vegan-safe candies, make sure the following common candy ingredients are NOT listed.
Gelatin
Gelatin is made from animal bones, skin, and connective tissues.
Casein, Milk Fat, Whey, & Milk Byproducts
Casein is a protein derived from cow or sheep’s milk, and may still appear in non-dairy products so always double check the label. It may also be listed as casein, calcium caseinate, or sodium caseinate.
Whey is another ingredient found in a surprising amount of foods including candies, and is a byproduct of cheese-making.
Beeswax & Honey
Beeswax is more commonly used in beauty products, but both are produced by worker bees in hives and therefore is not a non-animal byproduct.
Confectioner’s Glaze
This glaze is also known as natural glaze, food glaze, resinous glaze, and shellac. Confectioner’s glaze comes from the hardened resinous material secreted by the lac insect and therefore is a bug byproduct and not vegan. It’s used to coat candies, pills, and more.
Carmine
The bright red dye used to color food and more is also a bug byproduct, a beetle byproduct to be specific. The color is produced by drying, crushing and boiling the beetle bodies to extract the pigment.
Refined Cane Sugar
Sugar from sugar cane is often processed with bone char and therefore unacceptable to most vegans.
Now that we’ve talked through the gross stuff—even if you’re not vegan you’ve got to admit some of it’s pretty grody—let’s get to the good news: there are plenty of mainstream candies that are vegan friendly!
Here are some of the most common ones:
- Smarties (the chalky American version, not the chocolate British versions)
- Airheads
- Dots
- Dum Dums
- Charm’s Blow Pops
- Sour Patch Kids
- Brach’s Root Beer Barrels
- Jolly Ranchers
- Jujyfruits
- Jujubes
- Twizzlers
- Skittles
- Sweet Tarts
Of course there are several completely vegan brands that I buy specifically for Halloween sweets because they are just so dang delicious, including:
- Enjoy Life
- Cocomel’s
- Justin’s Dark Chocolate PB Cups
GLUTEN-FREE CANDY
Slightly easier to identify ingredient-wise than vegan, gluten allergies and intolerances have increased over the last several years.
Many food items—candy included—contain gluten in often hidden and unexpected ways. Keep a lookout for the following:
Wheat (obviously) & Wheat Derivatives
Wheat derivatives can appear on labels listed as wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, and more.
Malt & Malt Derivatives
These can be listed as malted barley flour, malted milk or milkshakes, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring, malt vinegar, and more.
Rye & Barley
Triticale
A cross between wheat and rye.
As a reminder please always read the label of any food product you buy if “gluten-free” is not specified on the label.
Also note that many that are listed as gluten-free below may have seasonal versions that may not be gluten-free or subject to cross-contamination.
If you’re gluten-free or gluten-sensitive, hopefully you’ll find bunches of these sweet treats in your trick-or-treating bags this year:
- Hershey’s Mounds
- Milk Chocolate + Special Dark Kisses
- Hugs
- Milk Duds
- Heath Bars
- Paydays
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups + Pieces
- Rolo Caramels (not Rolo Minis)
- Score Toffee Bars
- Mar’s M&M’s (not pretzel or crispy versions)
- 3 Musketeers Bars
- Milky Way Caramel Bars
- Snickers Bars
- Nestle’s Fun Size Butterfinger Bars (other sizes/shapes are subject to cross-contamination)
- Goobers
- Raisinets
- Baby Ruths
- Nestle’s Milk Chocolate
- SweeTarts
- Dum-Dums
- Skittles
- Jujufruits
- Jujubes
- Ring Pops
- Push Pops
- Lemonheads
- Hot Tamales
- Mike & Ikes
- Swedish Fish (may vary by country)
- Necco Wafers
- Bottlecaps
- Runts
- Smarties (the chalky American version, not the chocolate British versions)
- Sour Patch Kids (gluten-free, but not certified)
- Oh Henry!
- Laffy Taffys
- Wonka Fun Dip
- Bit-O-Honeys
- Tootsie Rolls
- Junior Mints
- Dots
- Double Bubble Bubble Gum
- Tootsie Pops
- Charms Blow Pops
- Sugar Babies
- Lifesavers
I’m sure there are several more that are gluten-free, but these are some of the most common gluten-free treats given out on Halloween.
GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN CANDY
I'm sure there are more, but overlapping ones from the two lists above include:
- Smarties (the chalky American version, not the chocolate British versions)
- Airheads (gluten-free, but not certified)
- Dots
- Dum Dums
- Charm’s Blow Pops
- Sour Patch Kids (gluten-free, but not certified)
- Jujyfruits
- Jujybes
- Skittles
- SweeTarts
TOP 8 ALLERGEN CANDIES
Lastly, the following list includes candies that do not contain the top 8 allergens (wheat, milk, soy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish or shellfish) as an ingredient.
- Smarties (the chalky American version, not the chocolate British versions) & candy necklaces
- Ring Pops
- Push Pops
- Jujyfruits
- Jujubes
- Lemonheads & Friends
- Jelly Belly Jelly Beans
- Hot Tamales
- Mike & Ikes
- Swedish Fish (may vary by country)
- Sour Patch Kids
- Necco Wafers
- Dums -Dums
- Dubble Bubble Bubble Gum
- Charms Blow Pops
- Lifesavers
- Skittles
- Bottlecaps
- Wonka Fun Dip
- Runts
DISCLAIMER: Many candies may not have ingredients listed specifically but unless the “certified gluten-free” logo appears on the label, there is always a chance of cross contamination so enjoy at your own risk.
