A variety of Halloween candies are gluten-free while others are not. Some may have no gluten-containing ingredients but still not be safe for those with celiac disease due to manufacturing. Sometimes the miniature version of a gluten-free candy won’t be gluten-free due to the manufacturing process!
It’s always best to read labels and check regularly, in case ingredients or facilities have changed. If you’re unsure, contact the manufacturer directly.
Gluten-Free Candy List
Hershey’s keeps an updated list on their website. Their gluten-free candies include:
Almond Joy – All Except Almond Joy Pieces Candy
Heath
Hershey’s milk chocolate kisses
Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (1.55oz only)
Mounds
Payday
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – All Except Seasonal Shaped Items
Rolo Caramels in Milk Chocolate Candies – All Except Rolo® Minis
York Peppermint Patties – All Except York Pieces Candy, Sugar Free Peppermint Patties, York Minis, and York Shapes (5 oz.)
Mars Chocolate does not specifically label any of their products gluten-free, but state that they will include any gluten-containing ingredients on their labels. The following Mars candies contain no gluten ingredients on their labels:
M&Ms (except pretzel, crispy, and potentially seasonal items)
Milky WayCaramel Bars (not the original Milky Way Bar)
Snickers Bars
3 Musketeers
Dove Chocolate products (all flavors EXCEPT for milk chocolate cinnamon graham/cookies and cream, and some holiday varieties, such as milk chocolate truffles)
Nestle calls out a few of their candies as being gluten-free, these include but are not limited to:
Butterfinger Bars, fun-size
Butterfinger Bars, single
Goobers
Raisinets
They also have candies with no gluten-containing ingredients, but not labeled gluten-free, including:
Baby Ruth
Sweet Tarts
Laffy Taffy
Oh-Henry!
Sno-caps
Pixy Stix
The following Nestle products, among others, are not gluten-free
Kit Kat
Nerds
100 Grand
Enjoy Life has a range of chocolate bars that are gluten-free including:
Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Bar
Enjoy Life Ricemilk Chocolate Bar
Enjoy Life Ricemilk Crunch
Enjoy Life Winter Dark Chocolate Minis
Additional gluten-free candies include:
Mike and Ike
Kerr’s Fiesta Pops
Tootsie Rolls
Junior Mints
Tootsie Pops
Jelly Belly Beans
Dots
Charleston Chew
Smarties
Skittles
Starburst
Lifesavers
Atomic Fireballs
Lemonhead
Red Hot’s
Tic Tacs
To learn more about gluten and candy, please watch the recording of our Facebook Live video, where Beyond Celiac staffers discuss gluten-free Halloween candy:
Halloween Ideas for Parents of a Gluten-Free Child:
Make a game of sorting the candy after the trick or treating.
Our Director of Scientific Affairs, Amy Ratner, did this with her daughter Amanda, who has celiac disease: Amanda would trick-or-treat with the other kids, accepting whatever was given to her. At the end of the night they would sort out the candy that contained gluten. For each gluten-containing candy, Amy gave Amanda one gluten-free candy. It helps to have different sizes, too—if Amanda got a King-sized Twix bar, she could exchange it for a King-sized Hershey’s chocolate bar.
Let your child use the gluten-containing candy as “currency.” They can exchange candy for little toys, a trip to the movies, or more TV time.
If they are old enough, talk to your child about the fact that they may not be able to eat all the candy, but they can still have a lot of fun.
Skip the trick-or-treating and have Halloween fun at home or with friends or family who understand and will help you keep your child safe.
Host a “Trunk or Treat” event at a local park or parking lot with friends and family that know which candies are safe!
Additional Resources for a Celiac-Safe (and fun!) Halloween: