Q: Pam – My child is going trick-or-treating for the first time this year and she has a milk allergy. I know I will have to remove some of the candy from her bag, but is there any dairy-free candy that she can eat?
A: Alisa Fleming – Updated! When it comes to miniature chocolates and candy bars, most have not yet reached the realm of dairy-free. Unless one of your neighbors was kind enough to stock one of the dairy-free candy items from my recommended list, or is giving out full-size dark chocolate bars that are made without milk ingredients,* I would consider all of the chocolate items in your child’s Halloween loot off limits.
Surprisingly, candy corn and their pumpkin cousins are typically dairy-free, but vegans and those with egg allergies should use caution as egg whites are usually a main ingredient for that signature texture.
Sneaky Sweets
Beyond chocolates, some surprising candies do contain milk ingredients.** Put up the red flag when you spot those popular tootsie rolls, caramels, and “cream” hard candies. Regular hard candies like butterscotch discs are sometimes dairy-free, made with mostly corn syrup and artificial ingredients, but rogue brands include a touch of real butter, so use caution.
Dairy-Free Candy Lists
Fortunately, this still leaves your child with many sweets to enjoy. Here are some great Halloween lists of dairy-free candy options:
- Alisa’s Favorite Halloween Treat List (dairy-free / vegan / gluten-free) from: Go Dairy Free
- Vegan Lists (dairy-free / egg-free / gelatin-free) from: VegNews and PETA Kids
- Food Allergy List (dairy-free / gluten-free / egg-free / nut-free / soy-free) from: Sure Foods Living
- Pareve Candies (dairy-free) from: Oh Nuts – Reader Dayna suggested her favorite, Nutty Chews from Paskesz. Oh Nuts carries the Paskesz line and also identifies many other pareve sweets.
Dairy-Free Halloween Tips
Also, the following includes additional tips, warnings, and ideas to help your child safely enjoy some dairy-free candy and other Halloween treats:
1) Many food allergy moms stock “safe” candies and chocolates at home (see my recommended list for some potential chocolates for your little one) and they swap out the “bad” candies for an assortment of safe ones when their child returns home.
2) Those miniature versions of full-sized candy packages and candy bars may actually possess different ingredients or be made in a different facility than their larger cousins. So don’t assume they are safe even if you are used to sharing the regular-sized candies with your little one. Check the ingredients!**
3) Another food allergy mom trick is to deliver “safe” candies to a few friendly neighbors, so that they can give those treats to your child.
4) Half of the Halloween fun is playing dress up! Once they’ve donned their best costumes your child can help greet trick-or-treaters while enjoying their own allergy-friendly treats at home.
5) Make some homemade dairy-free candy; your child may even enjoy the process of helping out. Some great recipe options are:
- Homemade Candy Corn (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)
- Peanut Butter Twix Bars (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
- Gummy Bears (gluten-free, nut-free)
- 4-Ingredient Mounds Bars (vegan, gluten-free, top allergen-free)
- Lemon Candy Corn (vegan, gluten-free, nut-free)
- Peanut Butter “Truffles” (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
- Cashew Joy Candy Bars (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
- Eclair Bon Bons (vegan, gluten-free, top allergen-free)
- Peppermint Patties (vegan, gluten-free, top allergen-free)
- Peanut Butter Snickers (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
- Homemade Kit Kats (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free)
*Still check to make sure the chocolate is appropriate for the severity of the allergy at hand. Chocolate is typically at high risk for cross-contamination with milk ingredients in processing.
**To help you read those candy labels, see our Dairy Ingredient List.
15 Comments
this is kind of urgent, are laffy taffys dairy free? i’m sick and can’t have dairy, and i didn’t even think about it having dairy.
Sorry Alexander, but I don’t have any here to look at! This site looks like it has some ingredients up -> http://www.niftynuthouse.com/product.php?productid=516
Dum dums are vegan.Chick o sticks are also vegan.
Thanks Mache!
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Alisa, so does buffered lactic acid contain milk?
Hi Jennifer – See our dairy ingredient list for an easy guide to all questionable ingredients, including lactic acid – http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2
Mini Oreos were always a favorite treat of mine on Halloween; they make individual packages and tubs that can be handed out!
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Those are great ideas, but common candies that are dairy free include: starburst, skittles, blow pop lollipops, dum dums, bubble gum, candy sticks (previously called candy cigarettes), gummy fruit snacks, fun dip, pixie sticks, jolly ranchers, laffy taffy, – this is what the kids will get – so check the labels and if they are good, then enjoy. My daughter has a dairy allergy and she simply swaps with friends/brother and in the end everyone is happy.
Blow pops actually aren’t dairy free
Jolly Ranchers are not dairy free.
Hi Daphne, good news, they are! I think you may be confusing ingredients like sodium lactate with dairy. Here’s our researched dairy ingredient list for your reference – http://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2 – to note, under labeling laws, if it was dairy derived, this would have to be noted on the ingredient statement. To date, I have not seen a dairy lactate in a product in the U.S.
I apologize. It has been years since I checked the package, but I think they used to contain buffered lactic acid, just like ring pops and many other clear sugar candies. I have been pulling jolly ranchers out of my kiddo’s candy bag for years. Now that he is too old to trick or treat, I learn this! Poor kid.
Consider it a blessing in disguise – I don’t think eating less candy is a bad thing! 🙂