Vegan Candy List (2026): Which Popular Candies Are Vegan?

Most fruity, chewy and hard candies are vegan. Gummies, marshmallow candies, chocolate and anything with a glossy coating are where it goes wrong. This list covers popular candy in the US, plus a section on sweets sold in Ireland and the UK, and it's updated every time we check a new one.

Candies we've checked

Our full verdicts, with the ingredient that decides each one.

Candy	Status	What decides it
Skittles (Original, Sour, Tropical)	Vegan	Gelatin dropped around 2010.
Twizzlers Twists	Vegan	No animal ingredients listed.
Airheads Bars	Vegan	Bars are vegan; several Airheads spin-offs aren't.
Blow Pops	Vegan	No gelatin, dairy or honey.
Ring Pops	Vegan	Classic hard candy passes; Ring Pop Gummies contain gelatin.
Jolly Rancher hard candy	Vegan	Hard candy and lollipops pass; check gummies.
Altoids	Depends	Classic tins contain gelatin; Arctic sugar-free mints don't.
Haribo	Some	Nearly all Haribo uses gelatin. Sour S'ghetti is the US exception.
Starburst (US)	Not vegan	Original Fruit Chews contain gelatin.
Nerds	Not vegan	Several flavors use carmine; Gummy Clusters add gelatin.
Mike and Ike	Not vegan	Confectioner's glaze.
Cadbury Bournville	Not vegan	Skimmed milk powder on the label since 2021.
Dark chocolate	Depends	Often dairy-free; check for milk fat and milk powder.
Oreos	Vegan	No milk in the recipe; may contain milk traces.
Fondant	Depends	Some brands use gelatin or animal glycerin.

Other popular candy at a glance

We haven't written full pages for these yet. The verdicts below come from the US labels as reported in the sources at the end of this page. Read the bag before you buy.

Candy	Status	Notes
Sour Patch Kids	Vegan (US)	No gelatin in the US; the UK recipe contains gelatin.
Swedish Fish	Vegan	No gelatin; check peg bags for beeswax.
Dots	Vegan	No gelatin.
Jujyfruits	Vegan	Carnauba wax, not beeswax.
Dum Dums	Vegan
Smarties (US)	Vegan	The US candy, not Nestlé's chocolate Smarties.
Atomic Fireballs	Vegan	Carnauba wax coating.
Red Vines	Vegan	On PETA's gelatin-free list.
Haribo Goldbears	Not vegan	Gelatin and beeswax.
Brach's Classic Candy Corn	Not vegan	Confectioner's glaze, gelatin and honey.

Vegan sweets in Ireland and the UK

Many sweets sold here use different recipes from their US namesakes, and several big brands removed gelatine and insect colors in the last decade. These are commonly reported as vegan or not; check the pack, where allergens and a vegan or vegetarian mark are usually printed.

Sweets (UK and Ireland)	Status	Notes
Skittles	Vegan	No gelatine or cochineal.
Starburst	Vegan	UK chews are made without gelatine.
Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles	Vegan	Gelatine removed in 2015.
Swizzels Love Hearts, Parma Violets, Refreshers, Drumstick Lollies	Vegan	Reformulated without gelatine.
Haribo Rainbow Strips Z!ng	Vegan	Labelled vegan.
Haribo Goldbears, Tangfastics, Starmix	Not vegan	Gelatine.
Maynards Bassetts Wine Gums	Not vegan	Gelatine.
Cadbury Bournville	Not vegan	Milk powder on the label since 2021.

The ingredients that decide most candy

Read the last few lines of the ingredient list first. That's where coatings and colors live, and they cause most of the problems.

Gelatin sets gummies, chews and marshmallows. It's made from animal skin and bones, and it's the most common reason a candy isn't vegan.
Confectioner's glaze (also called shellac, resinous glaze or E904) gives jelly beans and coated chews their shine. It comes from an insect.
Carmine (also called cochineal extract or E120) is a red color made from insects. Look for it in red, pink and purple candy.
Milk turns up as milk powder, whey or butterfat in chocolate, caramels and creamy chews.
Beeswax coats some gummies and jelly beans.

Candy that's glossy, gummy, red or chocolate-based deserves a second look. Hard candy and lollipops are the safest bets.

Halloween and seasonal candy

Seasonal shapes don't always share the everyday recipe. A brand's regular candy can be vegan while its pumpkin or heart-shaped version uses gelatin or a glaze. We check seasonal products separately as they come out.

FAQ

What makes candy not vegan?

Four ingredients decide almost every candy verdict: gelatin (animal skin and bone), confectioner's glaze or shellac (an insect resin), carmine (a red color made from insects) and milk in chocolate or creamy chews. Beeswax and honey are the next most common.

Are gummy bears vegan?

Most aren't. Classic gummy bears, including Haribo Goldbears, are set with gelatin. Gummies set with pectin, starch or agar can be vegan, so look for those words on the label.

Is dark chocolate vegan?

Often, but not always. Many dark chocolate bars add milk fat or milk powder, and some brands that used to be dairy-free have changed. Cadbury Bournville is the best-known example.

Is sugar vegan?

Sugar itself contains no animal products, but some US cane sugar is filtered through bone char. Most vegans eat it anyway. We flag it as a grey area rather than a reason to rule a candy out. More on sugar.

Which candy is vegan?

Most hard candy, lollipops and fruity chews without gelatin are vegan, such as Skittles, Twizzlers, Airheads Bars, Blow Pops and Jolly Rancher hard candy. Gummies, marshmallows, chocolate and glossy-coated candy are the ones to check.

Is chocolate vegan?

Milk chocolate isn't. Many dark chocolates are dairy-free, but some, such as Cadbury Bournville, list milk. Check the ingredients, not just the 'may contain' line.

What sweets are vegan in the UK?

Skittles, UK Starburst, Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles and several Swizzels sweets are commonly listed as vegan. Most Haribo and Wine Gums contain gelatine.

Vegan Candy List: Popular Brands Checked