The Great Hunt for Safe Gluten Free Easter Candy
The hunt is on! Kids finding those eggs in the backyard have nothing on us grown-ups trying to find gluten free Easter candy at the grocery store! That is, if you’re not prepared.
I found myself in the Easter candy aisle of the grocery store the other day, picking up bag after bag, wondering what was gluten free. I know there is a lot of candy out there that is not labeled gluten free, but is indeed gluten free. There is also a lot of candy out there that isn’t safe, either due to gluten ingredients or cross contamination during production.
Not having time to google product after product at the store, I was quickly inspired to do my Easter candy research at home and write this post. I’m aware that Easter is SO early this year and the Easter bunny is very quickly on his way, so hopefully I’ve gotten this finished in time to help you!
Researching and writing this gluten free Easter candy post was an emotional up and down journey unlike any I have yet faced in writing this blog. But, I’m confident that through all the googling, label reading, and ambiguous statements from candy companies that I’ve found the best of the best safe gluten free Easter Candy out there.
Phases of My Unexpected Journey for Safe Gluten Free Easter Candy
Confused and Dismayed
Wandering into Walmart’s Easter candy aisle about a week ago and totally unprepared, I was immediately bewildered by the fact that hardly any candies were labeled gluten free. I also only knew of one or two products from last year whose safety I was absolutely sure of. “This is not good,” I think. There have to be a lot of other gluten free eaters out there right now feeling the same way 🙁
Excited and Energized
I’ll write a gluten free Easter post to help people! I love Easter and I love this time of year! I’m also going to be able to eat A LOT of gluten free Easter candy in the name of research!
Frustration and Worry
After verifying the safety of a few products I was already pretty certain of being gluten free, I felt like I wasn’t adding many more to my list. Figuring out if these Easter candies are indeed gluten free is also in no way straight forward.
- There are hardly any candies that are labeled gluten free. Butterfinger, and perhaps one other, were the only ones I saw that said “GLUTEN FREE.” I didn’t see any at all that are certified gluten free.
- It’s hard to tell if the ingredients are even gluten free, given nebulous ingredients such as “Natural Flavors” listed.
- Then there’s the worry of cross contamination during production. I started emailing and messaging the candy companies as to whether or not products were gluten free, as it is totally unapparent from labels in many cases.
- Companies emailed me back with responses that either completely deterred me from considering a product as a safe option, or left me with EVEN MORE QUESTIONS. When asking about the ingredients and safety of a specific product, I’d often get back blanket allergen statements that referred to all their products.
Hopeful and Relieved
My emails have been answered (though mostly ambiguously), I’ve exhausted the ingredient, nutrition, and possible cross contamination information available on the candy companies’ websites. I decided to get back out there and headed to Kroger hoping to find at least a few of the gluten free Easter candies on my list.
And I FOUND A TON, Y’ALL! I felt like I was able to get such a good variety of gluten free Easter candy! The little kid inside me was so very excited by all the gluten free options available to me. I was relieved I was able to find so many of these things at just one store. My five year old will definitely be excited by the Easter Bunny’s haul this year too!
***While I went to Kroger, it seems like the majority of the products listed in this post are available at Walmart and Target as well.
So, yay! A happy ending to my gluten free Easter candy hunt adventure!
A Clash of Ambiguities
I’m going to give it to you straight, people. There were many times when a candy seemed like it should be gluten free given its ingredients as well as examples of people with gluten sensitivities eating that candy often without issue. But with the same candy it’s company would be extremely shady about backing it up and giving any details concerning risks for cross contamination.
Was everything a clear YES or NO to being gluten free? Definitely not, but I’ll tell you what I found through my research. I only included candy on this list that I concluded to be safe to eat if you have celiacs or extremely sensitive to gluten cross contamination in another way. I’ll tell you what I think is safe and what I bought for me and my family. You can take this all and run with it. You will definitely be better off than I was when I started this crazy gluten free Easter candy journey!
I have celiacs and though neither of my children have been diagnosed (yet…), they still eat a lot of what I eat—for convenience and because it means less gluten on my hands and in my kitchen. When it comes to Easter candy, I still buy them mostly GF as there are usually leftovers and that way I get to help eat it!
As is often the case when looking up if something processed is gluten free, there’s not a simple yes or no. Many types of candy do not have any naturally gluten containing ingredients, but are subject to cross contamination.
I did not use any other gluten free blogs to make this post, but went right to the candy manufacturer’s website to ensure accuracy. When allergens weren’t apparent from their website, I contacted them directly.
With all that said, let’s get to the good stuff!!!
The Gopher, The Candy, and The Internet
Chocolate Gluten Free Easter Candy
Hersheyland Products
Images by Hersheyland.com
As you can see from the images above, Hersheyland includes gluten free Easter candy from a number of brands under the Hersheyland family. Hersheyland’s gluten free statement was one of the most straight-forward, helpful, and comforting than any other major candy company I came across, with the exception of Tootsie Roll Industries which doesn’t use gluten ingredients in their products at all.
Here is Hersheyland’s gluten free statement –
“A food bearing a gluten free claim does not contain any gluten-containing grains (e.g., wheat, rye, barley) or ingredients derived from gluten-containing grains, unless the ingredient has been processed to remove gluten. In accordance with US Food and Drug Administration regulations, foods labeled “gluten free” must meet these requirements and contain less than 20 ppm gluten.”
According to Hersheyland.com, “the current products listed below have been fully evaluated and qualify as gluten-free using standards established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
- Reese’s Easter Milk Chocolate Miniatures Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese’s Easter White Crème Miniatures Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese’ Mallow-Top Marshmallow Crème with Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Hershey’s Kisses Springtime Milk Chocolate Giant Candy
- Hershey Kisses Easter Milk Chocolate Candy
- York Dark Chocolate Peppermint Pattie Eggs
- ROLO Easter Cream Caramels in Rich Chocolate Candy
- Almond Joy Coconut and Almond Chocolate Snack Size Eggs
- Hershey’s Kisses Egg Hunt Milk Chocolate
- Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Candy Carrot
Some pretty good options, right? Hersheyland has other gluten free non-seasonal products of course, but these are the Easter focused ones. Here is the link where Hersheyland lists additional gluten free candy.
Marshmallow Gluten Free Easter Candy
Peeps
Peeps win the marshmallow category. They make such a bright, colorful addition to Easter baskets as well. They also check off that classic Easter candy box for those of us having trouble letting go of non-GF candies that we used to eat before diagnosis.
Classic Peeps are labeled gluten free—so are the Dr Pepper, Blue Raspberry Icee, Rice Krispie Treat, Sour Strawberry, Cotton Candy, and Fruit Punch flavors! I’m not the biggest Peeps fan, but I’m very intrigued by some of these flavors!
Tootsie Roll Product Gluten Free Easter Candy
Not quite chocolates, not quite taffy. Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Roll Industries’ related products are in a category all of their own. Tootsie Roll Industries deserves a lot more love in the gluten free world as ALL of their products are gluten free.
“At this time, all of our confections are gluten free. We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts. We do use corn and soy products in the manufacturing of our products.” – Tootsie Roll Industries
They even have a mixed bag of Easter candy. They also sell many, many non-seasonal candy products throughout the year, including a lot of lesser known candies. Here is a breakdown of Tootsie Roll Industries’ gluten free Easter candy offerings.
Tootsie Rolls
I love Tootsie Rolls, they are so addicting. They are also the perfect size for stuffing in Easter eggs. Tootsie Rolls also come in festive green and pink wrappers for Easter. I got my daughter into them too. She said “Be sure to tell the Easter Bunny to bring Tootsie Rolls and jelly beans.” Sweet little girl has no idea about the haul she’s about to get this year as a result of this post!
Tootsie Pops
Tootsie pops won’t fit in eggs of course, but are still a great addition to your Easter basket, and it’s like two candies in one!
Child’s Play Easter Mix
Tootsie Rolls’ Easter Basket Mix includes Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Tarts, Tootsie Fruit Chews, and DOTS—sweet!
Tootsie Roll Eggs
An exciting addition to the Easter line up! Tootsie Roll now makes little Tootsie Roll Easter eggs!
Blow Pop Sweet & Sour Swirls
Another two-treat-in-one candy. These yummy suckers have a bright Easter egg looking decorative swirl design.
Springtime DOTS
This fruit flavored gummy candy comes in a bright blue and green flowery springtime box featuring the fruity flavors of Grape, Mango, Strawberry, and Pineapple.
Andes Crème de Menthe Eggs
I didn’t see these when I did my Kroger trip, though they are supposed to be available there. I’m excited to try them, it looks like they are supposed to be available at Kroger, Target, and Walmart.
Fruity Gluten Free Easter Candy
In addition to the fruity candies listed above under the Tootsie Roll products, these fruity gluten free Easter candies are also up for grabs for your baskets and hunts.
Sour Patch Kids Bunnies
First they’re sour, then they’re sweet! Sour Patch Kids are a big favorite of mine, and Sour Patch Bunnies?! So cute! They emailed me their allergen statement, which is lengthy, but states that they test for gluten and other allergens and will state the presence of any such allergen on the label.
Dum-Dums Bunny Pops
Made on dedicated equipment! Here’s the allergen/gluten statement from Dum-Dums:
“This product does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat or gluten. It has been manufactured on dedicated equipment. This product is gluten-free.”
Peanut Butter Gluten Free Easter Candy
If you aren’t allergic to peanuts, here’s some more delicious gluten free Easter Candy options. Reese’s are also chocolates, and owned by Hersheyland, so these are listed above under Hersheyland as well.
- Reese’s Easter Milk Chocolate Miniatures Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese’s Easter White Crème Miniatures Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese’s Mallow-Top Marshmallow Crème with Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
The first two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are classic favorites. I was very intrigued by the Mallow-Tops, but didn’t come across it in my shopping.
Reeses Pieces Carrots
These look so cute in Easter baskets! I bought these last year and my (then) 4 year old was just thrilled with them.
Butterfinger
Who doesn’t love Butterfingers?! And thank the gluten free gods, Butterfingers are even labeled gluten free!
Jelly Bean Gluten Free Easter Candy
Jelly Belly
You gotta have jelly beans on Easter! Jelly Belly states that their candies are gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, fat-free and vegetarian-friendly.
Gluten Free Gopher and the Candy You Should STAY AWAY From
Sadly, here are some brands that I was hopeful might have some gluten free Easter Candy options, but they indeed, did not.
CADBURY Candies?
CADBURY’s about page was pretty straight forward on this issue as you can see below.
“Are CADBURY U.S.A. products gluten free?
No CADBURY U.S.A. product is gluten free.” – CADBURY U.S.A
This is particularly worrisome as I’ve seen at least two other posts on gluten free Easter candy that lists CADBURY is being a safe option! 🙁
Any Big Chocolate Bunnies?
Apart from a $10 bunny on Amazon from No Whey!, I struck out on finding a safe big chocolate bunny for y’all. Hershey’s makes chocolate bunnies, but they were not listed on their gluten free list, so I’m not including them on this post as an option.
What about M&M & Dove candies?
M&M and Dove are both owned by MARS Wrigley. I contacted them after M&M’s allergen information was no where to be seen on their website.
“Currently, Mars Wrigley Chocolate products do not have a gluten-free claim. If a product includes a gluten-containing ingredient, the ingredient statement will list the gluten source (e.g., wheat, barley, rye, oats). The pack is the most accurate source of information. We recommend that you check the ingredient statement and any allergen statements on the pack each time before consuming our product.
Please note that whether or not the product includes a “may contain” statement, it is never labeled as gluten free because we cannot guarantee that it is gluten free despite the cleaning and other protocols that we use at our sites.” – MARS Wrigley North America
A cover-your-butt statement that’s pretty unhelpful for those worried about cross-contamination? Yes, indeed! While many of their products may be fine, eat at your own risk if you are sensitive to cross contamination.
What about Thompson Mini Milk Chocolate Eggs?
You know Thompson Mini Milk Chocolate Eggs, the pretty bright foil ones? The company states that there are no gluten containing ingredients, but there may be a risk of cross-contamination during production.
The Return of the Gopher – Fun Easter Alternatives to Candy
Instead of going wild trying to find all the gluten free Easter candy, maybe just get a couple favorites and make a delicious gluten free Easter treat instead. You could make sugar cookies that are shaped like bunnies, Easter eggs, or flowers and decorate them!
You can always throw some little toys in the Easter eggs too! In past we’ve put little toys like super balls, temporary tattoos, stickers, and sticky hands in Easter eggs and my daughter was delighted.
The Last Word
I hope you have a magical Easter filled with a lot of delicious gluten free candy and other sweet treats!
If you have a vacation coming up to Disney World, Gatlinburg, or Hilton Head this Spring or Summer check out my gluten free vacation posts for the can’t miss GF eats!
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