Every now and again, it's OK to sneak in a sweet treat! It can seem especially daunting for new vegans –- or those considering the lifestyle –- to think they have to "give up" chocolate or other sweets. But where there's a will, there's a way! The good (and the sometimes the bad) news is that there is a vegan substitute for just about anything! So don't despair, you don't have to choose tricks over treats just because you're vegan! Here's a tasty little guide on where you can find sweet treats this Halloween!
Go Max Go
Oh my, is this what vegan heaven looks like? Go Max Go has a variety of products to appease your sweet tooth, offering vegan versions of your favorite candy bars!
Thumb's Up (like Butterfingers)
Snap! - (like Nestle Crunch)
2-fer - (like Twix)
Buccaneer (like 3 Musketeers)
- Jokerz (like Snickers)
- Twilight (like Milky Way)
- Mahalo (like Mounds)
Thumb's Up (like Butterfingers)
Snap! - (like Nestle Crunch)
2-fer - (like Twix)
Buccaneer (like 3 Musketeers)
Surf Sweets
Vegan gummy bears! Surf Sweets come in a variety of fun, fruity flavors and are made with organic sweeteners. No gelatin here! In addition to gummy bears, Surf Sweets come in a fruity ring shape and even gummy worms -- perfect for Halloween! Jazz up a haunted cocktail or make a vegan version of dirt pudding cups!
Vegan Dirt Pudding Cups Recipe:
Crush some chocolate vanilla cream cookies*
Make chocolate pudding. JELL-O pudding is actually vegan! Use these instructions to learn how to make pudding using soy milk.
Use So Delicious CocoWhip in place of Cool Whip. (Check the refrigerator aisle where Cool Whip is located at your local grocery store.)
Directions: Alternate layers of of pudding and CocoWhip in a clear glass or bowl. Top with crushed Oreo cookies and place a few Surf Sweets gummy worms on top of the "dirt."
* A note about chocolate vanilla cream cookies. Oreo brand cookies are "accidentally vegan," however, they and many other brands contain palm oil, a type of oil found in many (too many) food and household products that is leading to the destruction of Orangutan habitats. One brand we found to be palm oil-free was Earth Fare's Chocolate Vanilla Cram Cookies. Be a label reader! If the palm oil is sustainably sourced, it will usually say on the package or the company's website.
Surf Sweets are also available in Halloween treat packs for sharing! BUT, speaking as an environmental nonprofit, the drawback to these (or any individual serving packs) is the extra plastic waste. Whenever possible, buy in bulk and use sustainable or reusable packaging to make your own "snack packs!"
Vegan Dirt Pudding Cups Recipe:
Crush some chocolate vanilla cream cookies*
Make chocolate pudding. JELL-O pudding is actually vegan! Use these instructions to learn how to make pudding using soy milk.
Use So Delicious CocoWhip in place of Cool Whip. (Check the refrigerator aisle where Cool Whip is located at your local grocery store.)
Directions: Alternate layers of of pudding and CocoWhip in a clear glass or bowl. Top with crushed Oreo cookies and place a few Surf Sweets gummy worms on top of the "dirt."
* A note about chocolate vanilla cream cookies. Oreo brand cookies are "accidentally vegan," however, they and many other brands contain palm oil, a type of oil found in many (too many) food and household products that is leading to the destruction of Orangutan habitats. One brand we found to be palm oil-free was Earth Fare's Chocolate Vanilla Cram Cookies. Be a label reader! If the palm oil is sustainably sourced, it will usually say on the package or the company's website.
Surf Sweets are also available in Halloween treat packs for sharing! BUT, speaking as an environmental nonprofit, the drawback to these (or any individual serving packs) is the extra plastic waste. Whenever possible, buy in bulk and use sustainable or reusable packaging to make your own "snack packs!"
Enjoy Life
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Enjoy Life offers a variety of dairy-free treats! Just in time for Halloween, Enjoy Life has special Halloween candy packs: Dark Chocolate Minis, Ricemilk Chocolate Minis, Ricemilk Crunch Minis and Variety Chocolate Minis, but their dark chocolate and "milk" chocolate candy bars are readily available year-round! Enjoy Life also has a line of chocolate chips for baking, cookies and more! Many available at your local grocery store!
Make sure to read the labels, just in case. The Ricemilk Crunch bars and minis contain honey which many vegans exclude from their diet. A quick note about cocoa butter. Although cocoa butter contains the word "butter," it is vegan and dairy-free. Cocoa butter is a vegetable fat derived from the cocoa bean.
Make sure to read the labels, just in case. The Ricemilk Crunch bars and minis contain honey which many vegans exclude from their diet. A quick note about cocoa butter. Although cocoa butter contains the word "butter," it is vegan and dairy-free. Cocoa butter is a vegetable fat derived from the cocoa bean.
Dandies
Isn't life just dandy? Dandies Marshmallows are vegan, and in addition to the regular vanilla-flavored marshmallows, seasonally, Dandies offers pumpkin-flavored marshmallows (around the fall season) and vanilla-peppermint marshmallows (around the winter season)! Whey are Dandies so great? They contain absolutely NO gelatin, meaning no animals were harmed to make these fluffy delights!
So go on, grab a pack and roast one on a campfire or backyard fire pit this winter and make a S'more with your favorite vegan chocolate! Warm up with a cup of vegan hot chocolate (use cacao, Hershey's chocolate syrup, or just warm up some chocolate-flavored soy milk) and top it with some pumpkin marshmallows for a taste of fall or peppermint ones for a minty winter sweet treat.
Need some more inspiration? How about some Pumpkin Dandies Rice Krispy Treats? Just follow the directions for making regular Rice Krispy Treats, but substitute Dandies marshmallows and vegan margarine such as I Can't Believe It's Not Butter's new vegan butter or Miyoko's Kitchen vegan butter.
So go on, grab a pack and roast one on a campfire or backyard fire pit this winter and make a S'more with your favorite vegan chocolate! Warm up with a cup of vegan hot chocolate (use cacao, Hershey's chocolate syrup, or just warm up some chocolate-flavored soy milk) and top it with some pumpkin marshmallows for a taste of fall or peppermint ones for a minty winter sweet treat.
Need some more inspiration? How about some Pumpkin Dandies Rice Krispy Treats? Just follow the directions for making regular Rice Krispy Treats, but substitute Dandies marshmallows and vegan margarine such as I Can't Believe It's Not Butter's new vegan butter or Miyoko's Kitchen vegan butter.
Unreal
It's unreal! UnReal brand candy offers vegan-friendly sweets made from organic and sustainable ingredients.
Products:
Peanut Butter Cups:
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
Crispy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Gems:
Milk Chocolate Gems
Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems
Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems
Products:
Peanut Butter Cups:
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
Crispy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate Gems:
Milk Chocolate Gems
Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems
Dark Chocolate Crispy Quinoa Gems
Justin's Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
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Even though not marked on the package, Justin's Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are vegan! Just be sure to buy the dark chocolate peanut butter cups. The other flavors are not vegan. And even though palm oil is listed in the ingredients, Justin's has committed to using sustainably-sourced palm oil.
Annie's
Annie's Homegrown offers a number of vegan and organic items including gelatin-free fruit snacks and cookies.
Bunny Patch Fruit Snacks flavors include: grape, strawberry, tropical, citrus, berry and pink lemonade. For Halloween, there's organic Bunnies & Bats Berry Fruit Snacks in berry patch fun-sized packs.
Annie's also offers a line of vegan, bite-sized cookies including: Organic Chocolate Chip Bunny Grahams, Gluten-Free SnickerDoodle Bunny Cookies, and Gluten-Free Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Cookies.
Bonus! Annie's Homegrown uses 100 percent recycled paperboard!
Bunny Patch Fruit Snacks flavors include: grape, strawberry, tropical, citrus, berry and pink lemonade. For Halloween, there's organic Bunnies & Bats Berry Fruit Snacks in berry patch fun-sized packs.
Annie's also offers a line of vegan, bite-sized cookies including: Organic Chocolate Chip Bunny Grahams, Gluten-Free SnickerDoodle Bunny Cookies, and Gluten-Free Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Cookies.
Bonus! Annie's Homegrown uses 100 percent recycled paperboard!
Dream Chocolate Bars
Dark Chocolate Dream Bars are dairy-free chocolate bars made by The Hein Celestial Group and are usually pretty easy to find at most grocery stores. Chocolate bar flavors include: Pure Dark, Almond, Rice Crunch, and Creamy Sweet.
Endangered Species Chocolate
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Eat chocolate and do good at the same tim? Win! Endangered Species Chocolate donates 10 percent of its net profits to species and habitat conservation.
Endangered Species Chocolate is an American-made chocolate that uses fair trade beans from West Africa sourced from sustainable farming practices. The chocolate bars and chocolate bark are all natural and select flavors are certified vegan and organic.
Endangered Species Chocolate is an American-made chocolate that uses fair trade beans from West Africa sourced from sustainable farming practices. The chocolate bars and chocolate bark are all natural and select flavors are certified vegan and organic.
Yum Earth
Vegan, organic and gluten-free candy. Yum Earth's mission is to use the simplest flavors, colors and ingredients and steer clear from artificial ingredients. Look for organic pops, gummy bears, bats and jack-o'-lanterns, licorice, fruit snacks and candy corn. Yum!
Made'casse
Made'casse (pronounced Mah-day-kas) is an old French word for Madagascar, where Made'casse products, such as chocolate and vanilla, are made. Made'casse's mission is to make chocolate entirely in Madagasgar to hep increase the local economy and support local farmers.
The chocolate bars are vegan, but may contain traces of milk from equipment so they are not suitable for people with dairy allergies. Chocolate bar flavors include: Sea Slat & Nibs Dark Chocolate, Mint Crunch Dark Chocolate, Salted Almond Dark Chocolate, Pure Dark Chocolate Bar, and more!
The chocolate bars are vegan, but may contain traces of milk from equipment so they are not suitable for people with dairy allergies. Chocolate bar flavors include: Sea Slat & Nibs Dark Chocolate, Mint Crunch Dark Chocolate, Salted Almond Dark Chocolate, Pure Dark Chocolate Bar, and more!
Where to Buy
Check your local grocery or specialty store! You'll be surprised what brands you can find there. If you are in Jacksonville, Florida, where The Girls Gone Green is based, check out Native Sun, Grassroots Market, or Sweet Pete's! Sweet Pete's carries a few of the Go Max Go candy bars and has its own line of vegan caramels! Nothing says fall like caramel (yum!) If you're not local, you can order Sweet Pete's online.
Check out other specialty stores as well such as Earth Fare, Lucky's Market and Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's actually carries its own brand of vegan marshmallows! Also, check out the location finder tools on the candy manufacturer's websites.
Can't find what you're looking for? Order online!
Here's a few places to try:
Natural Candy Store
Amazon
Vegan Essentials
Vegan Store
Check out other specialty stores as well such as Earth Fare, Lucky's Market and Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's actually carries its own brand of vegan marshmallows! Also, check out the location finder tools on the candy manufacturer's websites.
Can't find what you're looking for? Order online!
Here's a few places to try:
Natural Candy Store
Amazon
Vegan Essentials
Vegan Store
Additional Resources
There's a lot of "accidentally vegan" items out there. That mean, the manufacturer may not have intended them to be vegan and they may not be marked so, but they are vegan-friendly. Check out this list from PETA for some accidentally vegan items or check out "VegNews" Magazine's handy Halloween Candy Guide.
Are you the DIY type? Try your hand at making your own chocolate! Here's a recipe for homemade vegan chocolate from Minimalist Baker.
Are you the DIY type? Try your hand at making your own chocolate! Here's a recipe for homemade vegan chocolate from Minimalist Baker.
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