It’s February, folks! And you know what that means, chocolate! Whether you’re surprising a crush, spoiling your significant other, treating your co-workers or picking up candy for your kids to hand out at school, you’re probably wondering just which brands of chocolate and candy are gluten-free.
This can be tricky, as so much of the candy catered towards Valentine’s Day is seasonal and some of your most reliable gluten-free candy brands can make Valentine-specific treats that contain gluten or are prepared in shared facilities.
While we have done some general candy guides in the past, this Valentine’s Day we’ve decided to highlight the specialty Valentine’s Day candy to make sure that you and your families have a sweet and yummy day free of hidden gluten. Turn to our handy guide to get some much needed clarity in the sea of red and pink wrappers!
A few quick points before we dive into the list of candies:
We have compiled a list here of the most common Valentine’s Day candies. The actual list of available treats is never-ending and we weren’t able to include everything, so please be diligent about researching any other candies you are thinking of buying. Also, please comment below on any candies we’ve missed to let our readers know what the status is!
Also, always read ingredients! Manufacturers are constantly changing ingredients and production methods and while this list is researched and up to date, it’s still super important to make a strict habit of label reading. If you are unclear about something, you can always contact the manufacturer for the most current information.
What’s the deal with chocolate?
While chocolate in its pure, raw form is gluten-free, this doesn’t mean that you can automatically trust store-bought chocolate. Sometimes gluten ingredients are added to chocolate, such as barley malt for a sweeter taste or cookies and candies containing gluten. There is also a cross contamination risk for chocolates that are manufactured in areas containing gluten ingredients. Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s dive in to see which candies are gluten-free.
Gluten-Free
Dove Milk Chocolate
Dove Red Velvet Swirl
Dove Dark and Milk Chocolate Hearts
Dove Milk Chocolate and Strawberry Swirl
Baby Ruth
Almond Joy
Butterfinger
Gimbal’s (jelly beans, sour jelly beans, sour heart shaped gumdrops, heart shaped cherry candy, heart shaped cinnamon candy, scottie dog licorice)
Hershey’s Kisses (including milk chocolate, pink and red foil kisses, caramel and cherry cordial creme filled)
Junior Mints (heart shaped)
Jelly Belly Conversation Jelly Beans
Betty Crocker Fruit Snack Valentine Minis and Valentine Hearts
Lifesavers Candy & Stickers
Pink & Red M&Ms
M&Ms Sweet Sayings
*Peeps Valentine Marshmallow Products (by Just Born)
**Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
Necco Conversation Hearts
Tootsie Rolls with conversation messages and Valentines Pops
Starburst Candy n’ Stickers
Starburst Jelly Beans
Wonka Laffy Taffy Valentines Candy
Charms Valentines Pops
Pez Valentines Candy
*Their ingredients list modified food starch, but Just Born has stated that this is corn starch in all of their products.
**Reeses Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Cups are NOT gluten-free. Also be very wary of other brands that manufacture peanut butter cups as they may not be gluten-free. Always read the labels!
Not Gluten-Free
Dove Dark Chocolate Truffle Hearts
Hershey’s Hugs
Milk chocolate cherry M&Ms
Ghiradelli Boxed Chocolates
Lindt Lindor Truffles
Lindt Chocolate Mints
Mrs. Field’s assorted chocolates
Russel Stover Boxed Candy
Mayfair Conversation Hearts
Brach’s Conversation Hearts
Balmer cuddly cuties chocolate teddy bears and dogs
Brach’s candies
Elmer Chocolate boxed Valentine’s Candy
York Peppermint Patty Hearts
Sweetarts
Jolly Rancher Valentine Candy
Wonka Nerds Valentine Candy
Want my personal opinion regarding the tastiest, chocolatiest, sweetest treat out there? If you really want to show your significant other some love or want to win over your gluten-free crush, pick them up some Liz Lovely Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Mint Cookies. Trust me. You can thank me later. YUM!
As most of us have friends or family members adhering to gluten-free diets, share this post so that they can use this handy list as well!
Leave a comment