The holidays are the time when we enjoy food the most. We gather with our families, cook amazing meals, and eat tasty things and we just want to forget about everything and find comfort in food. This is all amazing, and in many cultures all around the world, it is said that food is something that brings people together. However, what happens when you have chosen a lifestyle that not every member of your family follows, or what happens when you need to pick treats for those members of your family that don’t eat meat or dairy products? Use this ultimate vegan candy guide for the holidays to find out what you can do to make sure that everyone is included and that you don’t accidentally purchase something that you or your loved ones cannot consume.
Can you eat all candy?
The first question that everyone new to this lifestyle has, is if they can eat all the candy bars and sweets that are available on the market. The unfortunate answer is that not all candy is vegan but there are a lot of sweets that are vegan-friendly and that don’t have any animal-derived ingredients.
If you are not sure what you need to look out for, there is a list of ingredients that you should pay attention to and know if that is safe or unsafe for you to eat.
In most cases, if the sweets or the candies are vegan-friendly, it is going to be stated on the package. Nevertheless, in some cases, you will have to go to the list of ingredients to make sure that the ingredients are actually what the manufacturer says there are, and if you cannot see any stamps on the package itself, you can check and see what the label says.
When it comes to ingredients that you need to look out for, you should know that dairy products are animal-derived. This includes milk, butter, milk fat, butterfat, whey, and similar ingredients. If you see any of this on the label, then you should know that the product is not vegan-friendly. This is most commonly found in caramels and candy bars.
You should also pay attention if there are any eggs on the label, however, they are pretty rare to be found in most candies and sweets, but if you want to purchase something similar to cake, you should know that it most likely contains eggs.
You should check the label for gelatin because this comes from boiled skin, ligaments, or tenders of animals. There are a lot of gelatin substitutes nowadays so most sweets are not made with it. Nevertheless, you should check to see if the label includes it. You should also check to see if Carmine or confectioners glaze, or shellac can be found in the list of ingredients. They are derived from insects or insect skeletons so they are not vegan-friendly.
Once again, there are a lot of substitutes for all of these ingredients, and nowadays most new candies and sweets that are available on the market are vegan-friendly, but that is not the case with products that have been on the market for decades.
Which products are vegan?
Now that you know what you should be aware of, this begs the question of which products are vegan. We all want to know if sweets that bring that sense of nostalgia are safe for us to eat, and people ask are Starburst vegan.
When it comes to Starbust, unfortunately, they are not vegan, but there are a lot of other candy bars, gummies, and sweets that are not made with any animal derivative ingredients.
You should know that products like skittles, smarties, sour patches, red vines, and even fun dip, dots, and airheads are completely vegan.
These candies were popular when we were young and you probably loved them growing up. If you see them anywhere on the shelves in your grocery store, you should know that they are completely safe for you to eat and bring to holiday parties.
When it comes to candy bars you have a lot of options as well. You can choose turpo treats, Nelly’s organic, vego, enjoy life, gigantic, and even go max go as your to-go candy bars for the holidays. These are completely meat and dairy free, and they are safe for you to eat.
If you are craving gummies, you should first check if they contain any gelatin. As we previously mentioned this is the only ingredient that can be found in gummies that would not be vegan friendly, and you should check to see if instead of gelatin, the substitute is used. The good news is, most of the gummies nowadays are completely safe for everyone to eat but you should read the label just in case.
If you’re looking for names, then you should know that healthy hippo naturals, California gummy bears, candy kittens, smart suites, wholesome, and JOM are just some of the many products that you can consume without wondering if they are safe for you to eat.
For those who are interested in chocolates and for those who prefer chocolate instead of any other types of candies and sweets, you should know that there are a lot of options that are completely safe for you to consume during the holidays. They include Notty, UnReal, loveraw, Jojo’s, go max go, hu kitchen, free 2b foods, and so on.
When it comes to vegan-friendly caramels, you can opt for brands like hey boo, sanders, and amella caramels amongst others. If you are looking for chews, you can go with jelly belly, pac pac sacks, smartsweets, yumearth, and so on.
On the market, you can also find vegan lollipops, marshmallows, and pretty much every other sweet and dessert that will make you happy. There are a lot of options nowadays so you don’t have to limit yourself or skip dessert or snacks just because you are vegan. If you want to be completely safe then you can just make a dessert or your own, prepare it in your home, and share it with your loved ones during the holidays.