Gluten-Free Candy List

Those who follow a gluten-free diet have numerous choices when shopping for candy, including popular favorites such as Butterfinger candy bars and Jelly Belly jelly beans. It's also possible to find specialty gluten-free candy from brands like YumEarth. But not all candy is safe for people who must avoid gluten.

Listed below is the best available information regarding gluten-free candy, and also treats that are known to contain gluten. Keep in mind that candy brands may be discontinued or reformulated. They might also be re-bagged—which can change the gluten status. Candy listed as gluten-free in the U.S. may not be gluten-free in other countries, including Canada.

Reach out to candy manufacturers directly to get the most recent information about whether or not a particular treat contains gluten. Some brands include the information on their website, while others require that you email or call them directly.

Ferrara Candy

Ferrara makes several popular brands of candy, including some that were formerly Nestle products. Ferrara suggests customers use the Contact Us form on its website to inquire about specific candies. It does not provide allergen or gluten-free lists on the site.

According to a spokesperson for the company, these are the gluten-free candy options from Ferrara:

• Atomic Fireballs
• Black Forest Gummies and Fruit Snacks
• Bob’s Sweet Stripes
• Boston Baked Beans
• Brach’s Candy Corn (plus many other Brach’s candies—check labels)
• Ferrara Gummies and Jellies (gum drops, orange slices, etc.)
• Jawbreakers/Jawbusters
• Jujubes
• Jujyfruits
• Lemonheads (Regular and Chewy)
• Now & Laters
• Rain-Blo Gumballs
• Raisinets 
• Red Hots
• Sathers Cherry Sours
• Sathers Gummies
• SweeTarts (original variety is gluten-free, check labels on other varieties)
• Trolli Gummies and Fruit Snacks (all except Sour Brite Bites and Twisted Sour Brite Crawlers)

Ferrara candy that may contain gluten includes:

• Bottlecaps
• Chuckles
• Fun Dip
• Fruit Stripes
• Gobstoppers
• Laffy Taffy
• Nerds
• Nips
• Pixy Stix
• Runts
• Spree
• Stretch Island Fruit Strips
• Super Bubble

Ferrero (formerly Nestle)

In 2018, Nestle sold its confectionary business to Ferrero, another candy manufacturer; a few brands were sold to Ferrara, a related company. So even though Nestle is still commonly associated with certain treats, you will no longer see the Nestle name on popular candies such as Butterfinger, Crunch, or Baby Ruth.

To get more information about each brand, it's best to visit the particular candy's website or the Ferrero website. According to a spokesperson for the company, these Ferrero candies are gluten free:

• Butterfinger Original, Singles, Share Size, Fun Size, Minis
• Butterfinger Bites
• Tic Tacs
• Nutella

These Ferrero candies are not gluten-free:

• 100 Grand
• Baby Ruth
• Butterfinger Crisp
• CRUNCH
• Ferrero Rocher
• Golden Gallery Signature
• Kinder Bueno
• Kinder Joy

Hershey's

Hershey's maintains a list of gluten-free candies on its website. Hershey's says that the foods listed as gluten-free do not contain the protein from wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut, triticale, farina, vital gluten semolina, malt vinegar or protein derivatives of these foods. If the grain is present, the level has been reduced to less than 20 parts per million.

However, Hershey's advises that the best way to know if a product is gluten-free is to check the product label. The following Hershey's candies are listed on the website as gluten-free:

• Almond Joy (all except for Almond Joy Pieces candy)
• Brookside Dark Chocolate Fruit and Nut Snacks (only some are listed as gluten-free, including Açaí and Blueberry, Dark Chocolate Açaí and Blueberry, Dark Chocolate Pomegranate, Dark Chocolate Covered Almond, and Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds flavors)
• Heath Bars (all)
• Kisses (only some varieties are listed as gluten-free, including Caramel-Filled, Hugs, Cherry Cordial Crème, Mint Truffle, Milk Chocolate, Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate, Candy Cane, Kiss Deluxe, and 7-ounce Giant Kiss)
• Milk Chocolate Bar (some sizes)
• Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds (some sizes)
• Milk Duds (all)
• Mounds (all)
• Nuggets (only some are listed as gluten free, including Milk Chocolates, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, Special Dark Chocolate with Almonds, Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate with Toffee and Almonds, Special Dark Chocolate)
• PayDay (all including PayDay Snack Bites)
• Reese's Fast Break bar
• Reese's Nutrageous bar (standard and king size)
• Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (all except for seasonal shaped items)
• Reese's Pieces (all except for Reese's Pieces Eggs)
• Reese's Unwrapped Mini Minis (milk chocolate and white)
• Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cups (all except for seasonal shaped items)
• Rolo Creamy Caramels in Rich Chocolate (all except for Rolo Minis)
• Skor Toffee Bar (all)
• Special Dark Snack Bars
• York Peppermint Patties (all except for York Pieces Candy, Sugar Free Peppermint Patties, York Minis, and 5-ounce York Shapes)

Some Hershey's products are known to contain gluten, such as the Kit Kat bar, which contains wheat. Also, you always need to avoid seasonal items such as Cadbury Creme Eggs and Reese's pumpkin-shaped candies—even if their ingredients are free of gluten, they may be manufactured on shared lines or in a shared facility. Contact Hershey's by email, phone or text at 800-468-1714 if you have specific questions.

Impact Confections

Impact makes Warheads sour candies and other products. Many of the company's products are considered gluten-free, but be careful, as multiple candies have similar names but very different allergen profiles.

Impact Candy products lists the following products as gluten-free. Those products with an asterisk (*) are manufactured on equipment that processes wheat or in a shared facility:

• Hotheads Worms*
• Melster Circus Peanuts*
• Melster Compound Coated Creme Drops*
• Melster Compound-Coated Marshmallow
• Melster Chocolate-Covered Creme Drops*
• Melster Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow
• Melster Peanut Butter Kisses*
• Melster Salt Water Taffy*
• Melster Sanded Marshmallow*
• Warheads Colossal Sours
• Warheads Extreme Sour Hard Candy*
• Warheads Extreme Sour Hard Candy Minis
• Warheads Sour Candy Canes*
• Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes*
• Warheads Sour Dippers
• Warheads Sour Dippin’ Pucker Packs
• Warheads Sour Dippin’ Rings
• Warheads Sour Jelly Beans*
• Warheads Sour Pops*
• Warheads Sour Worms*
• Warheads Super Sour Double Drops
• Warheads Super Sour Spray Candy
• Warheads Twisted Taffy

Impact products that are NOT gluten-free include:

• Warheads Sour Twists (contains wheat)
• Warheads Sour Coolers (contains oat fiber)

Jelly Belly

Jelly Belly makes jelly beans in an ever-expanding array of colors and flavors. According to the company, "All Jelly Belly beans are gluten-free, dairy-free, gelatin-free, vegetarian, and OU Kosher." But consumers need to take packaging into consideration.

Other types of candy made by Jelly Belly are known to contain gluten. Jelly Belly products that contain gluten include:

• Black Licorice Buttons
• Chocolate Bridge Mix
• Chocolate Deluxe Mix
• Chocolate Malt Balls
• Licorice Bridge Mix
• Licorice Pastels
• Seasonal Malt Balls

Seasonal products and seasonal mixes may also contain ingredients that are not gluten-free. To get the most up-to-date information, contact Jelly Belly at 800-522-3267.

Just Born

Just Born makes Mike and Ike and several other popular candies. The company is in the process of updating package labels to include gluten-free statements where appropriate. In the meantime, you may need to be careful to read product labels. Some products that are identified by the company as gluten-free may be subject to cross-contamination.

According to Just Born, the following candies are gluten-free:

• Mike and Ike Original Fruits
• Mike and Ike Mega Mix
• Mike and Ike Berry Blast
• Mike and Ike Tropical Typhoon
• Mike and Ike Jolly Joes
• Peeps
• Hot Tamales
• Goldenberg's Vintage Peanut Chews

According to a spokesperson for the company, there are a wide variety of Peeps products, some of which are co-manufactured or co-packaged (and are labeled as such). The Peeps made in the Just Born facility are gluten-free, but products that are not entirely manufactured and processed by Just Born may not be.

Justin's Nut Butters

Peanut butter cup candies from Justin's Nut Butters are certified gluten-free. The product choices include:

• Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
• Dark Chocolate Cashew Butter Cups
• Dark Chocolate Crispy Peanut Butter Cups
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Mini Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Mini Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• Mini White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
• White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Justin's is certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization, which requires products to contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten.

Mars Wrigley

Mars Chocolate is one of the largest candy makers worldwide. The company makes M&M's, Dove, Snickers, and other products, as well as Wrigley products. The company does not maintain a gluten-free list of products. Instead, it urges gluten-free consumers to check labels and promises to call out any wheat, barley, and rye ingredients by name.

Mars Wrigley products include:

• 3 Musketeers
• 5 Gum
• Altoids
• American Heritage Chocolate
• Amicelli
• Ballisto
• Big Red
• Doug
• Eclipse
• Ethel M Chocolates
• Galaxy
• Goodness Knows
• Hubba Bubba
• Juicy Fruit
• Lifesavers
• m&m's
• Maltesers
• Mars
• Milky Way
• Orbit
• Skittles
• Snickers
• Starburst
• Twix
• Winterfresh
• Wrigley's Extra
• Wrigley's Spearmint

Smarties

All Smarties candies made by Smarties Candy Company are gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease, according to the company website. However, some Smarties products are not manufactured by the Smarties Candy Company. The company recommends checking the product’s ingredients.

Smarties candies include:

• Giant Smarties
• Giant Smarties Pops
• Love Hearts
• Mega Smarties
• Original Smarties
• Smarties Candy Money
• Smarties In a Pouch
• Smarties Lollies
• Smarties Mega Lollies
• Smarties Mega Tropical Lollies
• Smarties Theater Box
• Tropical Smarties
• X-treme Sour Smarties

Spangler

Spangler sells several varieties of candy that are (or were) produced by other companies, including several varieties of Smarties, Dum Dums (lollipops), and Necco Wafers. They also make seasonal products. According to the company, its packaging has information and symbols noting allergens in products (it shows wheat and gluten separately).

The website lists some products as gluten-free:

• Circus Peanuts
• Dum Dums
• Saf-T-Pops
• Spangler Candy Canes

You can also use the search function on the Spangler website to find gluten-free candy, and you'll find that Smarties candies packaged by the Spangler company and mixed bags of Smarties and Dum Dums are listed as gluten-free.

However, the company notes that re-bagged items may not be free from gluten. Check the back of product for these three indicators that a product is safe:

• Address line on the back of the bag: Manufactured by Spangler Candy Company, Bryan, Ohio, 43506 USA.
• The current Spangler allergen statement: "This product does not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, or gluten. It has been manufactured on dedicated equipment."
• UPC code begins with “0 30800.” This is the code for Spangler's manufacturing facility. 

The company also suggests that you direct questions about ingredients to info@spanglercandy.com, or call 888-636-4221.

Sweet's Candy Co.

Sweet's Candy makes a wide variety of loose candies, including saltwater taffy, chocolate jelly sticks, jelly beans, gummy bears, cherry sours, fruit sours and others. They also make bundles for gift boxes and corporate gifts.

According to the company, Sweet's uses recipes that are gluten-free. In addition, all candies made by Sweet's are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. 

Tootsie Roll

Tootsie Roll Industries makes a variety of candy products and says that all of its confections are considered gluten-free. According to the company website, "We do not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt or any of their components, and that includes our dusting on our conveyor belts." You can contact the company with specific concerns or for updated information.

These are the gluten-free candies manufactured by Tootsie Roll Industries:

• Andes
• Candy Blox
• Candy Carnival
• Caramel Apple Pops
• Cella's Cherries
• Charleston Chew
• Charms
• Child's Play
• Cry Baby
• DOTS
• Dubble Bubble
• Fluffy Stuff
• Frooties
• Fruit Chews
• Fruit Chew Pops
• Junior Mints
• Mini Bites
• Nik-L-Nip
• Razzles
• Sugar Babies
• Sugar Daddy
• Tootsie Pops
• Tootsie Rolls
• Wack-O-Wax

YumEarth

YumEarth makes organic, allergy-friendly sweets. Its products are gluten-free and free from other top allergens, such as dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, egg, and soy.

You can buy YumEarth's products online or at many retailers. Choices include chewy candy, chocolates, fruit snacks, gummy bears, hard candy, jelly beans, licorice, lollipops, seasonal treats and sour candy.

Other Types of Candy

There are many other popular treats made by various companies. Some types of candy, however, like candy buttons and candy necklaces, can be made by different companies, so it is difficult to determine their gluten status.

The following products are indicated as gluten-free:

• Mary Janes (made by Atkinson's)
• Bit-O-Honey (made by Pearson's)

Holiday Candy

Finally, check out these lists of different candies and holiday products:

• Gluten-Free Candy Boxes (boxed candy you might give as gifts)
• Gluten-Free Candy Canes
• Gluten-Free Chocolate Bars (premium and gourmet chocolate bar options)
• Gluten-Free Easter Candy
• Gluten-Free Gum