A Guide to Vegan Candies

Following a vegan diet means striving to be totally animal-free in your food choices—including the candy you might choose to eat as a treat. Going vegan doesn't mean you have to go without candy though. Some candies don't use animal-derived products, meaning they're vegan-friendly.

The candies shared below work well for any of the usual events and seasons that feature candy—Valentine's Day Halloween, Easter, and Christmas—and birthday party gift bags. Some individually wrapped candy is suited for offering at the checkout registers of stores or tossing from a float during Mardi Gras. Here's what you need to know about vegan candies.

What Makes Candy Vegan?

Vegan candy meets the food restrictions of a vegan diet. Veganism is an eating pattern that excludes animal products such as dairy, eggs, and meat. It also excludes animal-derived products like honey and gelatin. Candies that don't contain these ingredients would qualify as vegan sweets.

Is Vegan Candy Healthy?

Although vegan candy would meet the vegan diet restrictions, it isn't automatically healthy. The level of healthiness would be based on the ingredients and nutrients.

Vegan candies might be labeled as plant-based snacks. However, vegan sweets can be considered ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods are ones with little-to-no whole-food ingredients.

They may also be low in protein and fiber but high in salt, saturated fat, and sugar. For example, some vegan candies, like Twizzlers, contain 35 grams (g) of carbohydrates, including 17g of sugar, in just a few pieces.

Vegan Candies By Type

Many varieties of candy are vegan-friendly. You'll be able to enjoy the following types, from gum to lollipops to powdered candies.

Bubble Gum

• Big League Chew
• Hubba Bubba

Chewy Candy

• Airheads
• Cocomels
• DOTS
• Jujubes
• Jujyfruits
• Laffy Taffy
• Mamba
• Now and Later
• Skittles

Crunchy Candy

• Chick-O-Sticks
• Nerds

Hard Candy

• Atomic Fireballs
• Bottle Caps
• Brach's Lemon Drops
  
• Gobstoppers
• Jolly Ranchers
• Pez
• Zotz

Licorice

• Red Vines
• Twizzlers

Lollipops

• Charms Blow Pops
  
• Dum Dums
• Ring Pops
  

Powdered Candy

• Fun Dip
• Pixy Stix
  

Tips

You can still enjoy vegan candy if you're following a vegan diet or not. One thing to keep in mind is to make sure the candy falls in line with allowed foods in a vegan diet. Other than honey and gelatin, ingredients to avoid include:

• Casein
• Carmine or cochineal
• Shellac
• Whey

Also, remember that vegan candies can be ultra-processed, so enjoy these treats in moderation. You don't have to avoid processed foods, but most are best eaten in limited amounts.

A Quick Review

Store-bought vegan candy—from fizzy drops to caramel and peanut butter bars—contains none of the usual ingredients you avoid in a vegan diet. However, just because vegan candy is vegan, that doesn't mean they're healthy. If you decide to eat them, try to eat them in moderation and check the label to ensure you're not eating any animal-based ingredients.