Gluten free candy list
38 US Halloween candies, checked 2026-09-24 directly against each maker's own gluten free page or current ingredient list. Four print a gluten free claim on the pack, from Hershey or Just Born. Twenty six more have no wheat, barley or rye in the recipe but no gluten free claim. Eight, Twizzlers, Twix, Milky Way, Whoppers and a few surprise chewy candies, contain gluten outright or carry a may contain warning.
Quick answers: popular Halloween candy
- Whoppers: not gluten free, the malted milk center lists malted barley and wheat flour.
- Twizzlers: not gluten free, Strawberry Twists list wheat flour.
- Milky Way: not gluten free, the fun size lists malted barley.
- Twix: not gluten free, the fun size lists wheat flour.
- Reese's: standard Peanut Butter Cups list no gluten ingredients, and Reese's Miniatures Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups carry Hershey's gluten free claim.
- Skittles: Original lists no gluten ingredients but makes no gluten free claim.
- Starburst: Original lists no gluten ingredients but makes no gluten free claim.
- M&M's: Milk Chocolate lists no gluten ingredients but makes no gluten free claim.
Three different claims, not one
Gluten free claim on the pack means the maker itself makes a gluten free claim, which under FDA rules means the product tested under 20 parts per million. It is the maker's own legal claim, not a third party certification: Hershey's own page says these products "qualify as gluten-free using standards established by the US Food and Drug Administration," and never uses the word certified. No gluten ingredients per manufacturer means we read the current ingredient list and found no wheat, barley, rye or malt, but the maker prints no gluten free claim and has not tested for cross contact. Contains or may contain covers both a candy with a gluten grain in the recipe and one whose maker will not rule out shared-line gluten traces. All three groups can sit on the same store shelf, and only the label on your exact bag settles it. The Celiac Disease Foundation and Celiac Canada publish their own general candy lists; this page adds the manufacturer link and check date for every row plus the stacked halal, kosher and vegan read most lists skip.
Halloween 2026 candy: a gluten free claim on the pack
These are the only candies on this page where the maker itself makes a gluten free claim. Hershey's own gluten free page names a short, specific list of four products; Just Born's FAQ states it offers gluten free products under the Peeps, Mike and Ike and Hot Tamales names, and Peeps' own package copy, recorded on Open Food Facts, includes a printed gluten free line. Just Born adds its own caveat in the same FAQ: some of its products are made or packed in a facility that also handles products that are not gluten free, so it asks shoppers to read the label carefully.
| Candy | Gluten status | Allergens declared | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey's Kisses, Milk Chocolate | Likely OK Gluten free claim on the pack | Milk, soy | Hershey gluten free page | 2026-09-24 |
| Reese's Miniatures, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups | Likely OK Gluten free claim on the pack | Milk, peanuts, soy | Hershey gluten free page | 2026-09-24 |
| Mounds, Dark Chocolate and Coconut King Size | Likely OK Gluten free claim on the pack | Milk, soy | Hershey gluten free page | 2026-09-24 |
| Peeps, Pink Marshmallow Chicks | Likely OK Gluten free claim on the pack | Gelatin; may contain milk | Just Born FAQ + OFF | 2026-09-24 |
Halloween 2026 candy: no gluten ingredients, not certified
This is the largest group. Every ingredient list here, read directly from the manufacturer or Open Food Facts today, has no wheat, barley, rye or malt. None of these carry a gluten free claim on the wrapper, and several (Jolly Rancher, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger) come from makers, Hershey, Ferrero, that do not publish a cross contact statement at all. Tootsie Roll Industries is the exception in the other direction: its own FAQ states that "all of our confections are gluten free" and that it uses no wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale or spelt, which is a company statement rather than a claim printed on the wrapper. Read all of these as likely OK on today's label, not a guarantee.
| Candy | Gluten status | Allergens declared | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, standard | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, peanuts, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| M&M's Milk Chocolate | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, soy (may contain peanuts) | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| 3 Musketeers | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Eggs, milk, soy (traces peanuts) | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Starburst, Original | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Gelatin | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Skittles, Original | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Jolly Rancher Hard Candy | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Brach's Classic Candy Corn | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Gelatin, sesame | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Smarties (Smarties Candy Co.) | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Laffy Taffy, Banana | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Hot Tamales | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | Just Born FAQ + OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Mike and Ike, Original Fruits | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | Just Born FAQ + OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Tootsie Pop | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, soy | Tootsie FAQ + OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Charleston Chew, Vanilla | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Eggs, milk, soy | Tootsie FAQ + OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Junior Mints | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Soy (traces eggs, milk) | Tootsie FAQ + OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Life Savers Gummies | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Gelatin only | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| York Peppermint Pattie | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Eggs, milk, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Milk Duds | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Baby Ruth | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, peanuts, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Airheads, variety bites | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Sour Patch Kids | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Swedish Fish | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | None declared | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Now and Later, Original Mixed Fruit | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Butterfinger | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, peanuts, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Heath Bar, standard | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, tree nuts (almond), soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Almond Joy | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Milk, tree nuts (almond), soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| SweeTarts, Mini Chewy | Likely OK No gluten ingredients | Eggs | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
Halloween 2026 candy: contains or may contain gluten
Two different problems sit in this table. Twizzlers, Twix, Milky Way, Whoppers and SweeTarts Soft and Chewy Ropes list wheat flour or malted barley outright, a straight gluten grain in the recipe. Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers, Warheads and Haribo Goldbears are the cross contact case: none of the three lists a gluten grain as an ingredient, but Trolli's own printed traces statement names gluten, Warheads' own label says the candy is made on equipment that also processes wheat products, and Haribo's US FAQ says that because it uses wheat containing ingredients in some products it cannot rule out contact with gluten. For celiac disease, both problems mean avoid, not just the first one.
| Candy | Gluten status | Allergens declared | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twizzlers, Strawberry Twists | Concerns Contains gluten | Gluten (wheat flour), soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Milky Way, fun size | Concerns Contains gluten | Gluten (malted barley), eggs, milk, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Twix, fun size | Concerns Contains gluten | Gluten (wheat flour), milk, soy (traces peanuts) | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Whoppers, Original Malted Milk Balls | Concerns Contains gluten | Gluten (malted barley, wheat flour), milk, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| SweeTarts, Soft and Chewy Ropes | Concerns Contains gluten | Gluten (wheat flour), gelatin | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Trolli, Sour Brite Crawlers | Concerns May contain gluten | Gelatin; traces egg, gluten, milk, tree nuts, peanut, soy | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Warheads, Extreme Sour Hard Candy | Concerns May contain gluten | Peanuts, soy; the label says it is made on equipment that also processes wheat products | OFF | 2026-09-24 |
| Haribo Goldbears | Concerns May contain gluten | Traces of gluten per Haribo's own FAQ | Haribo US FAQ | 2026-09-24 |
One bag, four checks: Twizzlers gluten, halal, kosher and vegan
A gluten list alone misses the rest of the question. Twizzlers Strawberry Twists fail a gluten check on wheat flour alone, yet the same bag reads differently against three other diets, which is the stacked view PlatePal runs on every scan instead of one answer at a time.
| Profile | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten | Concerns | Enriched wheat flour is the second ingredient on the US Strawberry Twists label. Not gluten free. |
| Halal | Likely OK | No gelatin, pork or alcohol in the ingredient list. No halal certification mark. |
| Kosher | Likely OK | Open Food Facts records an Orthodox Union mark on this bag. Check your own pack for the printed symbol before relying on it. |
| Vegan | Likely OK | No dairy, egg or gelatin in the ingredient list. Not certified vegan. |
Allergen and gluten alerts are always free
PlatePal treats gluten and the full Big 9 allergen list as a safety feature, not a premium one, so both stay free on every scan with no account needed. The allergen scanner covers cross contact language and the Big 9 in more depth, and are Cheerios gluten free walks through a single cereal box variety by variety the same way this page walks through 38 candies.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good gluten free Halloween candy list for 2026?
Hershey's Kisses Milk Chocolate, Reese's Miniatures Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and Mounds carry Hershey's own gluten free label. A much longer group, Skittles, Starburst, M&M's, Jolly Rancher, Brach's Candy Corn, Smarties, Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish among them, has no wheat, barley or rye in the current ingredient list but makes no gluten free claim. Twizzlers, Twix, Milky Way and Whoppers contain wheat or malted barley outright. The full 38-item table above sorts all three groups.
Are Skittles and Starburst gluten free?
The current US ingredient lists for Skittles Original and Starburst Original have no wheat, barley or rye, and the package records we read carry a gluten free flag. Neither carries a third party gluten free certification, and we found no Mars gluten free product list to check against, so PlatePal reads both from the ingredient list and calls them likely OK rather than certified.
Is candy corn gluten free?
Brach's Classic Candy Corn's current ingredient list, sugar, corn syrup, salt, honey, gelatin, sesame oil and colors, has no wheat, barley or rye. It carries no gluten free certification, and it does declare sesame, a major allergen, alongside gelatin.
What is the difference between no gluten ingredients and certified gluten free?
No gluten ingredients means the printed ingredient list has no wheat, barley, rye or malt, read directly off the label. A gluten free claim means the maker itself says gluten free, which in the US requires testing under 20 parts per million under FDA rules. The first is our own read of the ingredients; the second is the manufacturer's own legal claim, which is not the same as a third party gluten free certification. None of the 38 candies here carries a third party certification we could confirm. Neither one covers cross contact on shared lines unless the label says so separately.
Which Halloween candy contains gluten?
Twizzlers Strawberry Twists list enriched wheat flour outright. Twix and Milky Way both use a wheat or malted barley ingredient in the cookie or nougat. Whoppers' malted milk center is made with barley malt and wheat flour. SweeTarts Soft and Chewy Ropes use wheat flour, while the original chewy SweeTarts formula does not, so check the exact bag. Warheads Extreme Sour Hard Candy lists no gluten grain, but its own label says it is made on equipment that also processes wheat products.
Is Haribo gluten free?
No. Haribo's own US FAQ says that because it uses wheat containing ingredients in some Haribo products, it "cannot rule out entirely the possibility" that its products or ingredients have come into contact with gluten, and that its products "may therefore contain traces of gluten." It tells shoppers to check the printed ingredient list.
Does may contain gluten mean the candy is unsafe for celiac disease?
It means the maker will not guarantee a gluten free result, usually because of shared equipment rather than a gluten ingredient in the recipe itself. Trolli's Sour Brite Crawlers, for example, list no wheat ingredient but carry a printed traces warning that includes gluten. For celiac disease, treat any may contain warning as a real risk, not a formality.
Does PlatePal check gluten and allergens at the same time as halal or kosher?
Yes. Every scan checks gluten and the full Big 9 allergen list alongside halal, kosher, vegetarian and vegan in one pass, shown as a stacked result rather than separate apps. Allergen and gluten alerts are always free, with no account needed.
What this page is not
Allergens. PlatePal screens ingredient data, so this page is information and not medical advice. A recipe can change before the data does, and shared equipment never appears in an ingredient list. Always read the label on the package in your hand, and follow your allergist or doctor over any app.
Religious status. A screening result is not a religious ruling. Certifiers and schools of thought differ, and PlatePal does not rank them. For anything you hold yourself strictly to, ask a qualified authority or the certifier you already follow.
Data checked on 2026-09-24. Formulations change; verify your package.
See also the halal snacks list and the kosher candy list for the same Halloween bowl checked against faith based diets instead of gluten. For your own bag, use the allergen scanner or the web food checker.
Sources
- The Hershey Company: Gluten Free products page, naming four products that "qualify as gluten-free using standards established by the US Food and Drug Administration" Checked 2026-09-24.
- Ferrara Candy Company: FAQs, no site-wide gluten free list Checked 2026-09-24.
- Just Born: FAQs, gluten free brand statement Checked 2026-09-24.
- Tootsie Roll Industries: FAQs, gluten free statement Checked 2026-09-24.
- Haribo USA: FAQ, gluten traces statement Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Peeps Pink Marshmallow Chicks Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, standard Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: M&M's Milk Chocolate Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: 3 Musketeers Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Starburst Original Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Skittles Original Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Jolly Rancher Hard Candy Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Brach's Classic Candy Corn Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Smarties (Smarties Candy Co.) Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Laffy Taffy, Gone Bananas Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Hot Tamales, chewy spicy candies Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Mike and Ike, Original Fruits Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Tootsie Pop Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Charleston Chew, Vanilla Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Junior Mints Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Life Savers Gummies Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: York Peppermint Pattie Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Milk Duds Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Baby Ruth Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Airheads, variety bites Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Sour Patch Kids Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Swedish Fish Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Now and Later, Original Mixed Fruit Chews Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Butterfinger Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Heath Bar, standard Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Almond Joy Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: SweeTarts, Mini Chewy Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Warheads, Extreme Sour Hard Candy Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Twizzlers, Strawberry Twists Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Milky Way, fun size Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Twix, fun size Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Whoppers, Original Malted Milk Balls Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: SweeTarts, Soft and Chewy Ropes Checked 2026-09-24.
- Open Food Facts: Trolli, Sour Brite Crawlers Checked 2026-09-24.