Figuring out what candy is vegan is confusing and often complicated. In this complete 2023 guide to Vegan Halloween Candy, you’ll quickly find something to satisfy your sweet tooth to have the best-ever Halloween celebration!
Jump to:
- 2023 Vegan Halloween Candy
- What Candy Ingredients Are Vegan?
- What candy ingredients are not vegan?
- Accidentally Mainstream Vegan Candy
- Can Vegans Eat Chocolate?
- Vegan Chocolates and Caramels
- Can Vegans Eat Chewy Candy?
- Vegan Hard Candy and Chews
- Other Vegan Halloween Treats
- This list of vegan Halloween candy was compiled using the following sources:
- More Vegan Halloween Recipes and Tips!
If your kids are anything like mine, they live for candy! And maybe you doo too! After all, Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore!
Halloween is their favorite holiday, right behind Christmas. The candy they collect while trick-or-treating is the primary reason.
It can be confusing to sort through the small ingredient labels to determine which Halloween candy is vegan.
So many brands add extra ingredients, and something you think is vegan might not be. However, there are a lot of choices out there for those following a vegan lifestyle.
In this article, you will find a list of ingredients to look out for and suggestions for Halloween candy, whether you like hard, chewy, or chocolate treats!
2023 Vegan Halloween Candy
This list has been verified vegan as of September 2023. However, companies often change ingredients. Some candies listed may have changed their formula if you read this at a later date.
Also, note that some candies listed may be made with granulated sugar. When candy made in the United States uses granulated sugar, it is difficult to determine if it is vegan-friendly as some granulated sugars produced in the U.S. use bone char as a filtering agent. If this issue bothers you, skip the candy listed as “accidentally vegan” since it cannot be determined one way or the other where the sugar in the sweet comes from.
What Candy Ingredients Are Vegan?
When you look at ingredient labels, you will likely find ingredients you may not know or understand.
To help you read ingredient labels, below is a list of vegan-friendly ingredients, meaning they are not derived from animals or animal products.
While these ingredients are vegan, they are not necessarily healthy. After all, this is candy we’re talking about.
- Cacao butter
- Brown rice syrup
- Organic sugar
- Soy Lecithin
- Rice Milk
- Almond Milk
- Soy Milk
- Carnauba Wax
What candy ingredients are not vegan?
These ingredients in candy and chocolate are NOT vegan and should be avoided if following a vegan lifestyle.
- Gelatin
- Bone Char
- Honey
- Whey
- Casein
- Albumen
- Food Grade Way
- Carmine
- Shellac
- Confectioners Glaze
- Anything with Milk
Accidentally Mainstream Vegan Candy
Below is a list of candy brands you can find in almost any store that is vegan-friendly. Most of these are not labeled vegan, so I call them accidentally vegan! It is also important to note that these candy brands are made with cane sugar. Cane sugar produced in the United States potentially uses bone char to bleach the sugar. As mentioned above, feel free to skip this section if this is a concern for you.
- Skittles
- Twizzlers
- Jolly Ranchers
- Smarties
- Sour Patch Kids
- Swedish Fish
- Air Heads
- Dots
- Charms Blow Pops
- Dum Dums
- Fire Balls
- JUJY Fruits
- Now and Laters
- Brachs Lemon Drops
- Brachs Starlight Peppermint Candy
- Hubba Bubba Gum
- Fun Dip
- Lemonheads
- Gobstoppers
- Mike and Ike Original Fruit
- Pixy Stix
Can Vegans Eat Chocolate?
Yes, vegans can eat some types of chocolate. As the name implies, milk chocolate contains milk and is unsuitable for vegans. The same is true for most types of white chocolate.
However, many types of dark chocolate are vegan. I recommend checking the ingredient label to be sure. The chocolates and caramels listed below have been verified vegan.
Vegan Chocolates and Caramels
- Cocomels: These caramel sweets are vegan and made with coconut sugar! There are more types, including sea salt; some are covered in chocolate!
- Enjoy Life Chocolate: These chocolate bars come in dark and milk chocolate. Made with rice milk, they are allergy-friendly and vegan! In the fall, you can also find them in snack sizes for trick-or-treat! They are also nut-free and gluten-free, making them an excellent alternative for kids with allergies.
- Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: Come in almond and cashew butter! Be sure to get the dark chocolate and not the milk chocolate variety!
- Endangered Species Dark Chocolate: This fair-trade organic chocolate is delicious and vegan-friendly!
- Hu Salty Dark Chocolate: This dark chocolate is fair trade, vegan friendly, and comes in a variety of flavors!
- Alter Eco Super Dark Chocolate: All super dark chocolate is vegan. However, the other types of chocolate in this line are not.
- Unreal Chocolate Gems: Similar to M&Ms. These come in peanut and crispy gems. They use natural dyes for colored candy shells.
- Unreal Chocolate Peanut Butter or Almond Butter Cups: Look for the dark chocolate variety!
- Unreal Chocolate Coconut Bars: These will hit the spot like the popular Mounds candy bars!
- Little Secrets Dark Chocolate Pieces: These candies are similar to M&Ms. They come in plain, peanut butter, sea salt almond, sea salt peanut butter, and toasted coconut.
- Ocho Coconut Minis and Bars: These delicious bars are reminiscent of Almond Joy and Mounds. Around Halloween, they come out with snack-size bars!
- Free2B Foods Sun Butter Cups: These chocolate cups come in mint and sun butter! It is perfect for kids with allergies to nuts and dairy!
Can Vegans Eat Chewy Candy?
When looking for chewy candy to enjoy, you have to be careful that it doesn’t contain gelatin or beeswax. Some chewy candies may also contain milk or butter. Take a look at the ingredient label.
Many mainstream chewy candies for vegans, such as Skittles, Swedish Fish, and Sour Patch Kids, are accidentally vegan! Below is a list of more hard and chewy candy brands that are not as mainstream.
Vegan Hard Candy and Chews
Wholesome Life Delish Fish: This brand has numerous types of candy. Their most popular is the Delish Fish, similar to Swedish Fish. They also have other sweets, including candy canes and Cinnamon Organic Bears.
- Yum Earth Organic Candies: This brand has organic lollipops, licorice, gummy bears, and more!
- Smart Sweets: These treats are gluten-free, plant-based, and non-GMO. You’ll find peach rings, sweet fish, gummy bears, and sour kids!
- Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks: These popular organic fruit snacks can double as a treat for Halloween!
- Lovely Organic Chewy Candies: Similar to Starburst, these candies are organic, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free!
Other Vegan Halloween Treats
- Oreos Minis: These snack-size Oreo cookies are a great vegan treat for your trick-or-treaters!
- Cracker Jacks: The ever-so-popular Cracker Jacks come in small individual bags with a prize!
This list of vegan Halloween candy was compiled using the following sources:
- Vegan Candy List by Urban Tastebud
- Which candies are vegan? by Peta
- The VegNews Guide to Vegan Candy by The VegNews
More Vegan Halloween Recipes and Tips!
Please comment below if you found this article helpful or have any additional questions. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more family-friendly vegan recipes!
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