Which Halloween Candies Are Vegan?

As the temperature drops to the tune of leaves falling, it's time to think about pumpkin pies, apple cider, and Halloween candy. The spooky season, after all, simply isn't complete without a bag (or two!) of sweets. But if you follow a vegan diet, it can be tricky treating yourself to an array of sweets, just like you did as a child. At least, that's why you might think: There are actually plenty of popular candies that are free of animal ingredients; it's just a matter of knowing what they are before perusing the candy aisle (or your kids' stash). To get you started, we've listed a selection of Halloween candies that are vegan-friendly, below.

Related: These Halloween Cookies Are Truly Frightening and Totally Delicious

If you have a soft spot for classic candies, you'll be happy to know that Dum-Dums are safe for vegans. The lollipops are available in a range of flavors, but you can order single flavors for themed occasions. (Something tells us a combo of black cherry, orange, and purple grape would be perfect for Halloween.)

Thanks to Skittles, you can taste the rainbow while avoiding animal ingredients. The colorful bite-sized candies are available in a variety of flavors, so you can be sure that there will be something for everyone on Halloween night.

Perfectly tangy and sweet, Brach's lemon drops are right at home in a vegan lifestyle. Their peppermint candies, mandarin orange slices, and Cinnamon Imperials are also vegan, but their cinnamon discs are not.

Smarties, another classic candy, are also safe for vegans. In fact, they get the green light for multiple dietary restrictions, as they're free of major food allergens (including eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, soy, and wheat). What's more, Smarties are gluten-free.

Despite their gummy texture, Twizzlers are free of gelatin and other animal ingredients. This is true for the classic red version as well as their rainbow twist candy. The latter has carnauba wax, but this is a plant-based alternative for beeswax.

Airheads Bars and Airheads Xtremes are free of animal-based ingredients. However, other Airheads products—including Airheads Xtremes Bites—contain non-vegan ingredients, like gelatin and carmine, a food coloring derived from cochineal, a type of bug.

Believe it or not, but DOTS Gumdrops contain zero gelatin. In fact, it appears that all the variations (including the tropical and sour flavors) are gelatin-free. The gumdrops are also free of gluten, nuts, and peanuts, making them safe for multiple dietary requirements.

There's something about extra sweet about wearing your candy as jewelry. Such is the case with Ring Pops, a hard candy that's suitable for vegans. Their gummy versions contain gelatin, though, so you'll want to skip those.

During Halloween season, keep an eye out for Enjoy Life's seasonal chocolate minis. These individually wrapped chocolates are vegan and allergen-free, so you can have your chocolate and eat it, too.