I LOVE gummy candies. Unfortunately, a lot of gummy candies on the market contain animal products. Gelatin- which comes from animal bones. Beeswax- which comes from beehives. Shellac- which comes from the lac bug. And carmine- which is a beetle that is crushed to make the colour red. That's right, when you're not eating vegan candies, you're likely eating bugs and bones. Yummy 🙁 The good news is that I made it my mission to find over 40 gummy candies that are actually vegan!
I spent hours researching all things vegan gummy candy, decoding ingredients, and getting excited for halloween. AKA the time of year to buy large buckets of candy and pretend like you are going to give it all away. (haha, yeah right).
Can you believe that I don't have a single gummy candy around my house to help me get through this research? That's gotta change immediately!
Some of the candies I found are very easy to find everywhere, and some are more specialty candies that would be perfect for gifts or just indulging.
If you discover any more vegan gummies, let me know in the comments. 🙂
Sour Patch Kids
They make my mouth hurt just thinking about them because I can eat WAY too many of these sweet and sour candies. If anyone has ever eaten too much sour candy you know what that feels like!
Fuzzy Peach
They remind me of being a kid, sugar coated on the outside, very sweet and chewy in the middle.
Swedish Berries
Perfectly sweet little berry shaped candies. Oddly delicious when you mix them into vegan movie theatre popcorn.
Swedish Fish
Soft, chewy, kinda waxy... but almost in a good way if that's possible.
Twizzlers
Me and my best friend used to turn these into an evil weapon as kids, and would whip each other with them... don't do that. It hurts! As soon as I get a bag of these, I rip them open and let them get stale. Call me crazy, but I love how they get hard and extra chewy.
Redvines
In my opinion, the sad cousin of Twizzlers. They just aren't as good to me!
Dots
Always remind me of Halloween because I would get mini boxes of these in my trick-or-treat bag.
Skittles
I don't know if these are really considered a gummy candy, but because they are EVERYWHERE, I thought it was a good idea to include them for vegan candy emergencies.
Air Heads
Soft and chewy, I haven't had these very often in my life, but if I remember correctly they are similar to Laffy Taffy.
Jujyfruits and Jujubes
I'm pretty sure these are common in the US but not in Canada, so I can't say I know them well. We do have something called Jujubes in Canada, but they are a totally different candy, and unfortunately not usually vegan.
Brach's Mandarin Orange Slices
Most of Brach's candy isn't vegan at all, but these ones managed to sneak through. Woot woot!
Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks
I've seen these hanging out at many health food stores, but have yet to pick them up because I didn't know they were vegan! Note to self: buy immediately.
Realfruit
Someone is picking up on the vegan trend because Dare Candy Co. have recently released several vegan candies, proudly stating on the front of the package that they are gelatin free. Woot woot!
Squish
One of my very favourite friends introduced me to Squish candy by giving it to me as a gift. They currently have 9 different vegan gummy candies on their site, and you can easily find them by selecting the vegan category! I'm in LOVE with this line of Canadian candy.
Surf Sweets
This line of gummies is new to me, but I can't wait to try them. I love how they proudly declare on their site that they have gummies for vegans. Those fruity bears are calling my name!
Gin Gins
If you are a fan of ginger you will love these. Slightly sweet with a very strong ginger flavour, they are chewy like taffy. Also great to soothe and upset stomach!
Lovely Candy Co.
While not all of their candies are vegan, the Lovely Candy Co. declares right on their site if they are vegan or not, making it super easy to shop.
Seitenbacher Happy-Fruits
I love how these come in cool flavours such as black currant and passion fruit.
Trujoy Sweets
All vegan candies all the way! I love the idea of chewy peppermint chocolate candies. The perfect stocking stuffer!
Tasty Brand
I haven't yet sampled these but they sure look tasty! 😉 I love that they have 5 different gummy options and all of them are totally vegan.
I hope you loved this collection. I know I can't wait to get my hands on these.
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Dan says
Correction needed... Allura Red, AKA FD&C Red 40, is not made from crushed beetles and hasn't been, ever. It's a petroleum product. Doesn't make it safe, and if your veganism goes all the way to extinct animals then don't eat it, but it's made in a lab from petroleum byproducts.
On the other hand, many red lipsticks use carmine for coloring, and that IS made from crushed lac and cochineal insects, as are some food dyes (Natural Red 4, not Red 40) and clothing dyes; although not much used in the US it's common in places like Mexico. By US law, ingredient lists that contain this pigment must say "cochineal extract" or "carmine," so if the ingredients don't include that it's probably insect-free. In the EU the laws are similar, although the red tint in pharmaceuticals is now made in a lab rather than crushing insects.
Jen says
So excited! Today I stumbled across Mamba fruit chews at my local Real Canadian Superstore! There could be less packaging, but they are quite yummy.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh yum!
Sammi says
Yeh they sell 50cents ea at our plaid
Tina says
Mambas have changed their recipe, adding gelatin, and are no longer vegan as of December 2019. https://www.mamba.us/faq/
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no! What a bummer. I will remove them from this list. THanks!
Nemo says
I do I am a12 year old girl with a big hart for animals so stfu that is your opinion so keep it to your self
sussan says
Hi Sam
Did you call all these companies and inquire about the source of gelatine? This way you would have the most authentic answer l guess. Normally they do reply to emails as well.
I wonder why they wouldn't write things like "gelatine free" to make it easier to the consumer.
Cheers!
Sam
Sam Turnbull says
Hi sussan, I did contact some companies, but mostly I just read and analyzed the ingredient list.
abbie says
almost all of these have red 40 dye in them which is made from beetles 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Abbie, red 40 is actually vegan-friendly. Here is an article on it. Enjoy!
Elizabeth Beckhusen says
Very excited for a minute there...before I read your Dare Real Fruit Gummies review. States clearly that gelatin is in them and does not tell us what kind. Spent so much at the store they gave us a box of Dare products...not even the veggie crackers work for us because of skim milk powder in every damn unlikely thing possible
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Elizabeth, if you see in my article, not all Dare products are vegan at all, they just have a few options that have a gelatin-free logo on the front of the packaging as you can see in my photo. Hope that helps clarify.
Akiko says
Just a thought. Most of these, if they don't say they're specifically vegan, chances are they're not vegan. It's the sugar, if all it says is "sugar" chances are it's refined sugar, which isn't vegan. Some "vegans" may feel refined sugar is an OK pass, but the process involves bone char, so this vegan says no pass (personal feeling)....lol. I make my own gummies, using agar-agar, or kanten. ^_^
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Akiko! It would depend on where the candy is made. As far as I know using bone char in sugar isn’t very common anywhere other than the states as far as I know. Always good to double check with the brand you are purchasing. I use Redpath here in Canada and they say on their site that it’s vegan-friendly. A good tip is that organic sugar is always vegan.
Victor says
I’ve found vegan inexpensive gummy candies at ikea.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh great tip!!
Efraim says
In Europe Biona and Goody Good offers vegan candies (also in the UK).
In the UK I like Colin The Caterpillar sweets (especially the sour!) sold in Marks & Spencer.
PS I've seen Bärenfamily (from Paraguay) in Germany https://www.rootsofcompassion.org/Baerenfamily-Organic-Wine-Gums
Sam Turnbull says
Great tips!
Efraim says
<3
Lynnae says
Im hungry!
Lucas says
I don’t know if anyone already mentioned this but Sprouts has a bulk gummy candy option that’s vegan that you can buy per lb (in Colorado, at least).
Sam Turnbull says
Great to know!
Jus E says
It’s technically vegan because there are no animals in them however red 40 is tested on animals!
Bob says
They test every single batch of dye on animals?
Jazmyne says
I would love it if you could do one on vegan marshmallows. I used to eat jet puff by itself but I cant anymore since giving up animal product.
Sam Turnbull says
The only brand of vegan marshmallows that I know of are Dandies. Enjoy!
Lindsey Kay says
I love Dandies! They make the best rice krispies treats! Ppl ask why my treats are so good, I mention the vegan mallows & butter, & they write it down or text msg themselves the info! Haha! 🙂
Autumn S says
Trader Joe’s has vegan Marshmallows. 🙂
Ida says
Theres also the brand: Katjes.
Though I don't know if it exists any other places than Denmark or Europe...
Sam Turnbull says
Ooooo! I'll have to look for them!
Lisa says
Black Forest Organic Sour Heads are no longer vegan. They changed the recipe and now use gelatin.
Sam Turnbull says
Hmmmm it still says they are vegan on their site. Good idea to check tho to be sure!
Lisa says
I have a feeling that ingredient list on their website is outdated. They changed the image to the new green packaging, but that is the packaging that has gelatin listed on the back. 🙁
Lisa says
p.s. It is entirely possible that I am losing my mind, but I almost cried in the store when I saw the ingredients list!
Sam Turnbull says
oh what a bummer!!
lily says
Perhaps i bought an older batch, but the yellow package sour heads of Black Forest gummies is vegeterian at my local Krogers, but the green package sour heads of Black Forest gummies did contain gelatin.
Leena says
Thank you for this list. My daughter is now 4, but at age 2, we learned that she is severely allergic to gelatin. After eating Haribo hummy bears, she had anaphylaxis and was rushed to the ER. For now, we are keeping her away from gummy treats, but the vegan ones seem to be a good option, as she tested positive for pork/beef gelatin.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh so interesting! Vegan gummies would definitely be a safe option for her then 🙂
Nelly says
Hi, Trader Joe’s Gummies contains no gelatin! https://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-flyer/article/4430
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!!
Ava says
And marshmallows!!
Trevor says
J. Luehders Vegan Soft Gummy Candies are also vegan! I saw them at our local Fry's grocery store here in AZ (aka Ralph's/QFC/Fred Meyer-all Kroger). Just wanted to share since I didn't see it practically on any vegan candy lists anywhere!! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Oh wonderful! Never heard of them, great to know. Thanks, Trevor 🙂
Harshil shah says
Are lifesavers gummies vegan??
Sam Turnbull says
You can see here that the fourth ingredient is gelatin, so no, they are not vegan.
Sophie says
Are Maynards sour cherry blasters vegan?
Sam Turnbull says
The ingredients are sugar, glucose syrup, modified corn starch, tartaric acid, citric acid, concentrated pear juice, artificial flavours, colour (with tartrazine), so yes, they are vegan 🙂
Safee says
Are you sure Sour Patch is still vegan? As far as I know, they are now advising customers to avoid the product if they want to avoid animal by-products, rather than disclosing whether or not they actually use them under their proprietary "Natural and artificial flavor".
Sam Turnbull says
They are according to PETA and VegNews. After a google around I didn't find any notice that they weren't vegan.
Safee says
Thanks! However, I was concerned about the "Natural and artificial flavoring" ingredient. Apparently PETA doesn't really look into that, so I'm still kinda unsure...
Stormy larue says
It clearly states gelitan on sour patch kid. Also, depending on the company determines if red 40 has gelitan. Flip your candy over and flip your phobe out, then read the ingredients and Google.
Safee says
Gelatin can be plant-based or animal-based.
Sam Turnbull says
Unfortunately, gelatin is always animal-based. Sometimes agar-agar (which is vegan) gets mislabeled as gelatin, but I would assume this is a rarity and there would be no easy way to find out.
Travis Conner says
Nope he’s right about the dye for sure!
Sam Turnbull says
Sometimes ingredients can vary from country to country, even with the same product, so yes it's always a good idea to check. The sour patch kids I have always laid my hands on, don't contain gelatin as you can see in this photo. Enjoy!
Emily says
I just came across Black Forest Organic Sour Heads which are vegan. Thanks for this list!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome!! I love finding new vegan treats 🙂
Suha says
Do gummy pizzas from Netherlands contain Pork?
Sam Turnbull says
I have no idea, you'll have to look at the ingredients. I live in Canada 🙂
Monica says
Black Forest Organic Sour Heads are vegan? I know all the other organic gummies from black forest are made with pork..
Kim says
Skittles aren't vegan. They contain gelatin.
Sam Turnbull says
Nope, they don't contain gelatin. You can read the ingredients on their site here.
V says
Red 40 is not vegan
Sam Turnbull says
According to vegan.com it is as it is derived from coal and not animal products.
Alex says
They don't anymore. They changed the recipe a few years back. 🙂
Anna says
I think you just have to check the packaging for skittles. I purchased a bag to hand out for Halloween and noticed glycerin is an ingredient. However their website does not have that ingredient listed. So perhaps the ingredients are different depending on the kind of skittles you purchase.
Anna says
Oops I totally take that back! I mixed up the blow pop bag with the skittles! Which is a relief because I’d take skittles over a blow pop any day!
Seth says
Any good options for vegan chocolate that actually tastes good?
Sam Turnbull says
That's a great idea for a post! 🙂 I don't know what kind of chocolate you like, but there are lots of brands available. In the meantime you could try my fruit and nut chocolate 🙂
Holley says
Oreos, some Girl Scouts cookies (thin mints!) and I use vegan chocolate chips to melt and dip strawberries in. Very yummy!
jay says
I gave my friend as a gift two packs of the exact same gummies of "real fruit" because it said here they were began, but he called angry 2 days ago saying I did it on purpose or something then he made me read the contents and it said gelatin we made uo of course but to leave it clear THOSE ARE NOT VEGAN PEOPLE
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's too bad that happened! Not all Real Fruit brand gummies are vegan, just the ones that are shown that have the "gelatin free" yellow symbol in the top right hand corner of the package as seen in the picture above. Sorry for the confusion.
Anna says
Sounds like your friends needs to get in touch with reality and drop the paranoia.
Sue says
Why isn't EVERYTHING vegan? sigh.
Sam Turnbull says
One day it will be! I believe! 🙂
Viviana Salguero Coto says
Someday all the people will be vegan. But I think in won't happen in our lifetime. It gives me hope about my grandchildren, maybe.
Chris says
Surf sweets aren't vegan. They contain gelatin which are animal bones.
Chris says
I found this out recently. As I was excited to get gummy worms. . .they're not vegan at all. Sigh.
Sam Turnbull says
Not all of them are, but they have a whole vegan section. You can check it out here.
Chris says
No I just bought the gummy worms a few days ago. In the ingredients are gelatin.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, the gummy worms are not in their vegan section, and are not vegan. The sour worms on the other hand, are in their vegan section and are indeed vegan.
Chris says
Ugh why cant they make the regular ones vegan? *hangs head*
Sam Turnbull says
Send them a request, maybe they will!
donna says
The skittles have a e-number in them witch is called e120 witch is beetles blood in them so if you are vegan or vegetarian I wouldn't eat them as I am as well vegetarian !!!
Sam Turnbull says
That ingredient was recently removed from Skittles, so they are actually totally suitable now 🙂
Diane says
Wow! So excited to hear that main stream companies are providing vegan options. Thought my candy days were over. Thanks for sharing
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome Diane! 🙂
Nancy says
How about the sugar used in the gummys? Is it bone char free?
Sam Turnbull says
For the candies that are labelled as specifically vegan, I am sure they are good to go. For the other candies, my guess is it would depend on where they are produced. Bone char in sugar in Canada is very rare, so if they were produced in Canada for example, I wouldn't think so. The best route would be to contact the companies directly.
Nancy Coakley says
This is fantastic! I only recently discovered the horrible truth about my fave candies and was ready to give them up. This list makes me very happy!!! Thank you. xo
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! So happy I could help Nancy 😀
mary says
Dala Horse Swedish Gummies. gelatin free
Sam Turnbull says
Perfect! Thanks for letting us know Mary 🙂
Andrea says
My husband is addicted to nuts.com for their cashews. We recently ordered the vegan Peach Rings for our daughter. Packed with peach flavor and the cost for a pound is great. It was like Christmas morning when she tried them. They also have watermelon and several other vegan choices. Thanks for the great list, I'll pass it on to my daughter.
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's great to know! I will have to add them to the list 🙂
Shirley Fox says
THANK YOU1
Angela Patino says
I love that the vegan word is spreading but I hate that when a vegan or PETA supports the use of unsustainable palm oil which results in the killing of thousands of orangutans like the Skittles on this post. Please educate people of this fact and stop supporting these companies.
Sam Turnbull says
Actually, you might be happy to know that skittles uses 100% certified sustainable palm oil! Surprisingly good news! You can find that info here on the Mars site (which owns Skittles under the Wrigley brand). On this Orangutan-Friendly Sustainable Palm Oil Treat List, and in this letter from Wrigleys. So snack away guilt free my friend 🙂
MJ says
Awesome! Thank you for the list!
Sam Turnbull says
My pleasure!
Maia says
Wow, a lot of these must have stopped using gelatin recently. I distinctly remember Swedish fish and Skittles having gelatin, which is why I haven't had them in a long time.
Sam Turnbull says
I'm not sure if the recipe changed or not, but they are both good to go, and even on the PETA approved list 🙂
Robin says
Great list! Just a heads up about Surf Sweets, only some of their candies are vegan. The gummy bears and worms have gelatin in them so make sure you get "fruity" bears instead 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you 🙂 Yes, that's right, but luckily if you go to their site, they have a button called "gummies for vegans" so it's pretty easy to find out which ones!
Kayt says
Mambo are SOOOOO good!
Sam Turnbull says
I will have to try them!
steph says
Goody Goodstuff http://goodygoodstuff.com/en/ brand! They are awesome 🙂 And taste exactly like what i remember gummies tasting like. Peach rings, cherry, cola bottles!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh amazing! I will have to add them in too. Thanks Steph!
Tracey says
THANK YOU for this!!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome 🙂
Dana Lasswell says
LOL!!! I feel like my gummy candy binges are perfectly acceptable!!! If anyone says anything about processed sugar right now I won't be able to hear them with my fingers in my ears and the ginger candy in my mouth! Thanks for the fun post. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! I'm with you. So happy you like the post! I thought it was good timing for halloween 🙂
mOm says
Heard a piece on CBC Radio Noon today about a mom whose son chose to be vegan at 8 years old. One of his problems was gummy candies. I hope he and his mom find this blog.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, I heard part of that too, but was annoyed because the woman was so misinformed on modern nutrition, so I had to turn it off. Missed the gummy part! I hope he does find his way! 🙂
Catherine says
Sour cherry blasters from Maynard are also vegan!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh amazing! I remember those! I will add them to the list. Thanks Catherine 🙂
Delia says
I have been using the Annie's fruit chewies as bribes to keep my son sitting still when I clip his fingernails - works like a charm! I know, I know but it was quite a struggle to keep him still before I started with these and he is not allowed to eat candy on a regular basis - a little for holidays and this kind for nail trimming but that's it. They are really tasty too!
Sam Turnbull says
Ooh so excited to try them! And don't worry, I don't judge. When I was a teen, I think I was officially the worst babysitter ever, I would bribe the kids with ice-cream. Good thing I got out of that career path! Haha
Shira Isenberg says
The Tasty brand ones are very yummy! Those are the gummies we give our kids as treats. No artificial crap in them either!
Sam Turnbull says
Oooh so excited to try them! You have lucky kids 🙂