Does gluten-free mean that Halloween has to be something that you cannot celebrate? No, it does not. It means it is time to get creative and take control of Halloween so that gluten-free does not mean missing out on the fun.
The five tips below can help you to make sure that your child gets to spend a great day without the fear of consuming a treat that will play some awful tricks on him! On the upside, there is a considerable amount of candy that is actually gluten-free! It is not as hard as you think to find some. A good rule of thumb when in doubt about something is to call the manufacturer. You can even do an online search to locate some very reputable listings of gluten-free candies.
1. Take charge
Throw your own Halloween party. If you take charge of the day, then you get to prepare the treats and have peace of mind knowing that you are preparing gluten-free treats. You can combine gluten-free items with non candy items like plastic spider rings, which ultimately add to the fun and overall Halloween spirit.
2. Fairtrade
Stock up on gluten-free candy at home. Play “Let’s Make a Deal” with your child where you trade out candy containing gluten for sweet treats that do not. You can also buy the candy back! Of course, you will have to be on the losing end of the trades to ensure a happy goblin!
3. Be the class mom
If your child’s school is having a Halloween party, you want to be sure that you are present to make sure that the treats, that your child is presented with, are gluten-free. Bring a big bag of gluten-free options to share with the class.
4. Make it less about the candy
Focus less on the treats, and more on the fun of getting dressed up for the big day. Make it about the decorating, and carving of the pumpkin. Take photos and then scrapbook the fun in an album, and make it a yearly event.
5. Set the rules early on
Make sure that you set the rules early on about taking candy out of the bag and eating it. Purchase the candy you are going to use for “Let’s Make a Deal” together. Remind your child several times before the big day about your “deal” day.
Relax and have fun. Celebrate the month with all the things that make Halloween fun besides just the candy – crafts, pumpkin picking, pumpkin carving, and enjoying the falling leaves. Try not to stress as it will work out fine with a bit of preparation and planning!
The Halloween Candy List:
- Airheads (regular and sour only)
- Almond Joy (except Joy Pieces Candy)
- Atomic Fireballs
- Baby Ruth
- Bit-O-Honey
- Black Forest Gummies
- Boston Baked Beans
- Butterfinger Bar Only in fun size, singles, and share pack (Butterfinger Bites, Butterfinger Minis, Butterfinger Cups, and special holiday-shaped Butterfinger items are NOT considered gluten-free).
- Candy Corn – Ferrara Pan and Brach’s Natural Sources is GF. Check all other brands
- Charleston Chew
- Charms Blow Pops
- Dum Dum Pops
- Goobers
- Haribo gummy candies (the juicy variety is NOT GF)
- Heath Bars
- Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate (not Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate)
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar (1.55 oz only)
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar (1.45 oz only)
- Hot Tamales
- Jelly Belly candies
- Jolly Ranchers – per their website While JOLLY RANCHER Candies have not been fully evaluated to qualify as gluten-free by FDA standards, they do not include any gluten-containing ingredients.
- Junior Mints
- Laffy Taffy (Laffy Taffy Ropes and Fruitarts Chews are all GF)
- Lemonheads
- M&Ms (regular and peanut, avoid pretzel and crispy)
- Milk Duds
- Necco Wafers
- Oh Henry!
- Payday
- Peeps candies – be sure to check the labels on these to confirm
- Raisinets
- Redhots
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (seasonal shaped items and unwrapped minis are not GF)
- Reese’s Pieces Candy (Reese’s Pieces Eggs are NOT GF)
- Ring Pops
- Rolo Caramels in Milk Chocolate Candies (Rolo Minis are not GF)
- Sixlets
- Skor Toffee Bars
- Skittles
- Smarties
- Snickers
- Sno-Caps
- Sour Patch Kids
- Starburst
- Surf Sweet Gummies
- Swedish Fish
- Sweet Tarts
- Three Musketeers
- Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops
- Welch’s Fruit Snacks – all varieties
- Wonka Fun Dip
- Wonka Pixy Sticks
Candy list from: https://ajoyfulblissfullife.com/2020-gluten-free-halloween-candy/
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