From Milky Ways and Milk Duds to the original milk chocolate Hershey’s bar, there are quite a few Halloween treats to be aware of if you follow a vegan diet. These dairy-based chocolates are obviously non-compliant, but even seemingly-innocent treats can contain traces of animal products.
Check the label next time you eat a pack of traditional gummy bears or Starbursts, and you’ll find gelatin—a substance made from the collagen in animal or fish bones, tissues, and tendons–on the ingredient list. Think twice before eating any red or pink candies too, because even those unassuming little boxes of Wonka Nerds contain carmine, an insect-derived ingredient used for coloring. Additionally, watch out for glossy-shelled candies like Mike and Ike. They contain confectioner’s glaze, an ingredient made of tree sap that often contains bugs.
Thankfully, you won’t have to cave to milk, bugs, and bones if you read your labels carefully and stick to this list of vegan Halloween candies. Some of the options below won’t be any different from the classic goodies you collected back in your trick-or-treating days (it turns out Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish aren’t sentient creatures after all), but there are even some new “healthier” plant-based candies on the market that are definitely worth a try.
1. Skittles
That’s right – tasting the rainbow is a vegan-friendly sensation. This hasn’t always been the case, but Skittles have been officially gelatin-free since 2009.
2. Hunny Bon Sweets
Founded by Certified Health Coach and dedicated vegan Kimberly Silver, Hunny Bon is the first sweet shop of its kind. From chocolate-covered chia seeds to sour gummy worms, every candy is organic, vegan, made from clean ingredients, and even boosted with superfoods.
3. Airheads
Nothing to worry about here – just a whole lot of dairy-free, egg-free, animal protein-free artificial flavors in these classic fruit strips.
4. Unreal Snacks
Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady may not eat strawberries, peppers, mushrooms, eggplants, or coffee to avoid inflammation, but he does love Unreal candy. If Brady’s infamously strict diet leaves room for these chocolates, they must be the real deal. Choose from Crispy Quinoa or Peanut Dark Chocolate Gems, or indulge in some Dark Chocolate Almond or Peanut Butter Cups. Just steer clear of the Milk Chocolate Gems, as they contain dairy.
5. Twizzlers
Plot twist: Despite being red AND gummy, this classic licorice doesn’t contain any animal-derived ingredients.
6. Eating Evolved
“Chocolate: It’s food, not candy” may be their mantra, but Eating Evolved still deserves a top spot on everyone’s favorite candy list. The primal chocolate bars are a perfect balance of dark and sweet, while the coconut butter cups, (especially the limited edition pumpkin spice flavor) will make you question why peanut butter has gotten all of the attention.
7. Jolly Ranchers
The only concern with these suckers is that they contain Lecithin, which can be plant-based, but also may be sourced from eggs. Peta lists Jolly Ranchers as vegan, but if you’re a strict vegan, it might be best to avoid them.
8. Justin’s Dark Chocolate PB Cups
Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are heavenly, and they’re dairy-free. The milk and white chocolate varieties do contain milk, but everyone knows dark is the best anyway.
9. Swedish Fish
That’s right, these gummy fish are another traditional candy that you don’t have to part with if you’re vegan.
10. Wholesome Candies
If you want to elevate your Swedish Fish game, these DelishFish are made from all organic and non-GMO ingredients you can recognize. Wholesome also offers vegan gummy bears, worms, and chews in their Surf Sweets line, and they have a “vegan” filter on their website to make your search easier.
11. Smarties
These little guys have been unintentionally vegan since 1949. No gelatin. No dairy. No bug-based dyes.
12. Dum-Dums
So there’s at least one thing you’ll know if you come across the infamous “mystery” flavor in a bag of Dum-Dums: it’s vegan-friendly.
13. Blow Pops
Not to be confused with their chocolate-containing older siblings, Tootsie Pops, Blow Pops are free from animal ingredients.
14. Yum Earth Organic Candies
Offering lollipops, fruit snacks, licorice, jelly beans, sour twists, and other hard candies that are organic, non-GMO, and vegan, Yum Earth is another forward-thinking brand in the sweets business. All of their products are currently dairy-free, but some contain eggs, so they’re working to make all of their candy vegan-friendly by the end of 2017.
15. Sour Patch Kids
Yes, Sour Patch Watermelon is also vegan.
16. Dots
Dots are another gelatin-free way for vegans to get their fix of fruit chews.
17. Endangered Species Dark Chocolate
Instead of simply avoiding animal ingredients when selecting a candy bar, you can actually help save endangered animals by purchasing this decadent dark chocolate. 10% of the company’s net profits are donated to their GiveBack partners, which currently include the Wildlife Conservation Network and Rainforest Trust.
18. Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate
Free from the top eight major allergens and artificial ingredients, Enjoy Life Foods offers some serious crowd-pleasers. Their new line of Halloween minis includes crunchy, dark, and rice milk chocolate varieties, providing the perfect substitutes for traditional milk chocolate bars.
19. Now and Later
Starbursts don’t make the cut since they contain gelatin, but original Now and Laters make the perfect vegan chews. The new Shell-Skocked and Sour varieties are not vegan though, so stick with the classic.
20. Alter Eco Chocolate
Fair-trade-certified dark chocolate? Yes, please. A few of Alter Eco’s flavors are made with butter, but you’ll be blown away by the bars that are entirely plant-based, like Dark Quinoa and Deep Dark Sea Salt.
As long as you stick to this list and keep an eye out for dairy, gelatin, carmine, and confectioners glaze, you can easily steer clear of animal-derived ingredients this Halloween. For even more vegan Halloween candy options, check out this extensive list from VegNews or this page from the official PETA website.