(Note: This article is written by a person that lives in the United States! Some candy ingredients vary from country to country, so it's always best to double check.)
Just because you’re vegan doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Halloween trick-or-treating festivities! Whether you’re vegan and just looking for some vegan-friendly treats to giveaway, or if you’re raising your children vegan and want to know what they can safely pick up on their trick-or-treating expedition, this blog will help you figure out what to look for.
This article will focus mostly on treats to giveaway, but don't forget about non-food goodies as well, like stickers, temporary tattooes, yo-yo's, rings, vampire teeth.. Go stop by your local party store for more ideas!
Ingredients to watch out for:
Gelatin
Carmine, or Natural Red 4 (not to be confused with Red 40, which is safe!) This is a red food dye common in a lot of red colored candies, derived from crushed up bugs (specifically the female cochineal insect).
Shellac, or “Confectioner’s Glaze," which is made from the secretions of the lac insect, used to coat certain candies to make them appear glossy (sooo necessary, I know).
Milk
Egg
Honey
Unfortunately, "confectioner's glaze" is an ingredient that is found in a lot of candies that would otherwise be vegan, like Junior Mints, Hot Tamales, Good n' Plenty, and so on.
Vegan-Friendly Candy & Treats
Some of these are common and can probably be found at your grocery store. Some are specialty items that may have to be ordered online.
Common Treats:
Airheads
Charms Blow Pops
Chips: brands like Lay's have vegan-friendly flavors, like original and BBQ. Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos are also vegan friendly!
CryBabies
Dum Dums Lollipops
Dots
Fun Dip
Jolly Ranchers
LaffyTaffy
Oreos
PixyStix
Pretzels - maybe not the first thing that comes along when you think of Halloween treats, but a lot of companies sell small Halloween bags to give away!
Skittles
Smarties (not to be confused with Nestle Smarties which are NOT vegan!)
Sour Patch
Swedish Fish (some have beeswax, so be sure to double check!)
SweeTarts (Original ONLY- be careful with this one because I think the "chewy" type are more common as Halloween treats, which are NOT vegan because they contain egg albumen.)
Twizzlers
Less common: These are mostly from smaller companies that may also require you to have them shipped to your house, so these will be less cost efficient. Maybe just buy these for yourself 😉
UnReal Nut Butter Cups: take your pick between dark chocolate peanut butter cups, dark chocolate almond butter cups for an allergy-friendly option, and dark chocolate crispy peanut butter cups!
These come individually wrapped, so they're great for giving out at treats. These are sold at some shops (I'm able to buy them at Fairway in NYC), but you can also purchase online.)
UnReal Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars - similar to Mounds/Almond Joy, but vegan!
Enjoy Life Halloween Dark Chocolate Minis and Ricemilk Chocolate Minis
(Some other flavors they have contain honey, so be careful and be sure to double check before purchasing!)