Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Each year, it seems like more manufacturers identify candy as gluten-free, widening the choices for candy-loving kids and parents alike. Today, those who follow the gluten-free diet have numerous choices, including various long-time kid favorites such as Nestle's Butterfinger candy bars and Jelly Belly jelly beans.

It's usually possible to find gluten-free-labeled specialty candies, such as the gluten-free, vegan lollipops available from Yummy Earth. But since your friends, neighbors, and school likely will pass out more mainstream treats on Valentine's Day, on Halloween night, or before the holidays, it's helpful to know which ones are safe, given that there's no easy way to test food for gluten.

Here are the latest U.S. gluten-free lists of candies, plus links to manufacturers' websites. If you're looking specifically for Christmas, Valentine's, Easter, or other holiday candy, head to the bottom for holiday-specific links, including candy canes, Easter bunnies, and candy gift boxes.

A Note on Potential Changes

Please remember to use these lists only as a guide, since ingredients and formulas can change at any time. In some cases, a product made at one location may be listed as gluten-free, while the same product made at a different location may not be gluten-free.

Also, note that candy listed as gluten-free on the U.S. list may not be gluten-free in other countries, including Canada.

Always check the packaging and ingredients before consuming any candy, even if it does appear on a gluten-free list.

Hershey's (Kisses, Mounds & Reese's)

Hershey's maintains a list of gluten-free candies and updates it several times each year. As of fall 2018, the following Hershey's candies are considered gluten-free to less than 20 parts per million:

Almond Joy (all except for Almond Joy Pieces candy)

Mounds (all)

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses

Hershey's Special Dark Kisses (but not the Special Dark candy bar; see below)

Hershey's Filled Chocolate Kisses, only in the following flavors: Milk Chocolate, Chocolate Filled with Caramel, Chocolate Filled with Cherry Cordial Creme, Vanilla Creme, Dark Chocolate Filled with Mint Truffle, Pumpkin Spice (available in the fall), Meltaway Milk Chocolates, Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate (avoid all other flavors of Kisses)

Hershey's Hugs

Hershey's Nuggets, only in the following flavors: milk chocolate, milk chocolate with almonds, special dark chocolate with almonds, and extra creamy milk chocolate with toffee and almonds)

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar, only in the 1.55 oz. size

Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar, only in the 1.45 oz. size

Hershey's Air Delight

Hershey's Milk Duds (all)

Heath Bars (all)

Payday (all)

Reese's Fast Break bar

Reese's Nutrageous bar

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (all except for Reese's unwrapped minis and seasonal shaped items, such as Valentine's hearts)

Reese's Pieces (all except for Reese's Pieces Eggs)

Rolo Caramels in Milk Chocolate (all except for Rolo Minis)

Skor Toffee Bar (all)

York Peppermint Pattie (all except for York Pieces candies, York Minis, and York Shapes)

The following Hershey's products are NOT gluten-free:

Hershey's Special Dark Bar (note that this is confusing since several other Special Dark products are considered gluten-free, so make sure you know what you're buying)

Hershey's Cookies 'N' Creme Bar

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Drops

Hershey's Miniatures (any flavor, including flavors that are considered gluten-free in larger sizes)

Mr. Goodbar

Symphony Bar

Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolate

Hershey's Kisses that do not appear on the gluten-free list above

Warning

Be careful as you choose between Hershey's products, as the gluten-free list can be confusing: for example, the Hershey's Nuggets Special Dark flavor is considered gluten-free, but the Special Dark chocolate bars are not.

Generally, with Hershey's, you always need to avoid seasonal items such as Cadbury Creme Eggs (both Easter and Halloween versions) and Reese's pumpkin-shaped candies—even if their ingredients are free of gluten, they likely are manufactured on shared lines or in a shared facility.

Hershey's says it will list any ingredients containing wheat, barley, rye, oats, and malt on the label, and will disclose shared equipment or shared facilities on the label. Hershey's gluten-free list also includes baking chips and bars, cocoa products and syrup. Always check the list prior to buying, as items seem to change frequently.

Contact Hershey's at 800-468-1714 if you have specific questions.

Mars Chocolate

Mars Chocolate makes M&M's, Dove, Snickers, and other 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 also will call out any wheat cross-contamination risks on the label, but may not declare possible barley or rye cross-contamination. Some gluten-free consumers are reporting that they now react to Mars candies that previously had been labeled "gluten-free," so be very careful with Mars products, even if you've previously eaten them without issue.

Generally speaking, the following Mars Chocolate products do not contain any gluten ingredients. However, they may be subject to cross-contamination. I can't emphasize enough that you should always check the label before purchasing any of these products.

Mars Chocolate products with no gluten ingredients:

M&M's (EXCEPT for pretzel-flavored M&M's, which contain wheat, and crispy M&M's, which contain barley malt). Note that some special seasonal and temporary flavors also have a risk of cross-contamination because they're made on equipment or in facilities that also use gluten-containing ingredients. For example, in 2018 some special flavors available in some stores, such as Mint M&Ms, were labeled "may contain traces of wheat." This has been common over the past three to four years for M&Ms. Always check the label for "may contain" warnings and other ingredients.

3 Musketeers Bars (all flavors)

Milky Way Midnight Bar (not the original Milky Way Bar)

Milky Way Caramel Bar

Dove Chocolate products (all flavors EXCEPT for milk chocolate cinnamon graham/cookies and cream, and some holiday varieties, such as milk chocolate truffles)

Snickers Bars (all flavors)

Munch Nut Bar (the customer service representative urges consumers to check the labels on this one)

The following Mars Chocolate products either contain gluten or are subject to significant gluten cross-contamination:

M&M Pretzel flavor and Crispy flavor

Some packages of seasonal flavored M&Ms—in the past this has included White Chocolate, Mint and M&M Coconut flavors

Milky Way Bar (original)

Mars Bar

Mars Combos (a snack mix)

In busy times of year (such as Halloween) Mars uses additional alternative facilities to make its candy, and some of those facilities can introduce cross-contamination risks (I've seen this occur frequently with flavored M&M varieties).

"The ingredient statement on each wrapper is the best source for this information," the company said in a statement. However, note again that the company does not disclose barley and rye cross-contamination risks.

Always double-check the label as the information can be confusing.

If you have questions, contact Mars Chocolate at 800-627-7852.

Nestle USA

Nestle USA labels a handful of candies and chocolate as "gluten-free," meaning the company has tested them and confirmed that they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. These candies include:

Butterfinger bars, but only in fun size, singles, and share pack (Butterfinger Bites, Butterfinger Minis, Butterfinger Cups, and special holiday-shaped Butterfinger items are NOT considered gluten-free)

Goobers

Nips (including both regular and sugar-free)

Raisinets (including Cranberry and Dark Chocolate flavors)

Toll House morsels and chunks (most, including the popular semi-sweet and milk chocolate morsels, are labeled gluten-free—look for those with a "gluten-free" designation)

Additional Nestle products contain no gluten ingredients but have not been tested for trace gluten. The company doesn't consider these to be gluten-free (they may contain traces of gluten from cross-contamination).

Nestle will label potential gluten cross-contamination, a customer service representative says. In addition, Nestle says it will disclose all gluten ingredients (not just those containing wheat) on its products' labels.

The following Nestle candies have no gluten ingredients:

Baby Ruth

Bit-O-Honey

Milk Chocolate

SweeTARTS

Oh Henry!

Sno-Caps

Wonka Pixy Stix

Laffy Taffy (including Laffy Taffy Rope)

Wonka Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip

The following Nestle candy products are NOT gluten-free:

Butterfinger Crisp Bar

Butterfinger Giant Bar

Butterfinger Snackerz

Butterfinger Medallions

Butterfinger Jingles

Butterfinger Hearts

Butterfinger Pumpkins

Kit Kat Bar

Wonka Nerds

Wonka Bar (all flavors)

Chewy Spree

Wonka Gummies

Wonka Kazoozles

Everlasting Gobstopper

100 Grand Bar

In some of these products, the ingredients themselves are gluten-free, but the candies are processed in a facility that also processes gluten. Others (like Kit Kat Bars) contain wheat.

Note that there's some controversy over whether Sweetarts should appear on the "not gluten-free" or the "no gluten ingredients" list. Sweetarts contain both maltodextrin and dextrin, which can be made from wheat and barley (although they're highly processed ingredients that would be rendered legally gluten-free by that processing).

Some people seem to do fine with Sweetarts, while others do not.

Nestle does not include Sweetarts on the "gluten-free" list but does not provide any additional information on the product beyond the ingredients list, so you'll need to use your best judgment on whether to consume them.

Contact Nestle USA at 800-225-2270 if you have specific questions.

Tootsie Roll Industries

Tootsie Roll Industries, which also makes Charms products, says that, as of fall 2018, all of the companies confections are considered gluten-free except Andes cookies. "Tootsie does not use wheat, barley, rye, oats, triticale, spelt, or any of their components, either as ingredients or as part of the manufacturing process. Corn and soy products are used during the manufacturing process," the company says.

According to Tootsie Rolls Industries, the following candies are gluten-free:

Tootsie Rolls

Fruit Rolls

Junior Mints

Frooties

Dots

Tropical Dots

Crows

Cella's Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries

Cella's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries

Junior Mints

Dubble Bubble

Charleston Chew

Junior Caramels

Tootsie Pops

Tootsie Peppermint Pops

Caramel Apple Pops

Fruit Smoothie Pops

Tropical Stormz Pops

Child's Play

Charms Blow Pops

Charms Super Blow Pops

Charms Pops

Zip-A-Dee-Mini Pops

Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy

Sugar Daddy Pops

Sugar Mama Caramels

Charms Squares

Charms Sour Balls

Charms Candy Carnival

Pops Galore

Andes

Sugar Babies

These gluten-free Tootsie Roll products also are peanut-free and nut product free, according to the company.

Contact Tootsie Roll Industries at 773-838-3400.

Smarties

Most of Smarties' line of products (with some exceptions, see below) is considered gluten-free and vegan in the U.S. (see note below for information on Canada) and is made in a gluten-free facility, according to the company.

However, Smarties sells its products to different "re-baggers" as well as various retail outlets. Since a re-bagger buys products from many companies and then places them in different packaging, only re-baggers can verify whether their manufacturing plants are free of gluten or other allergens.

"If the UPC number on the packaging begins with '0 11206,' you can be assured that the product was packaged in one of our manufacturing facilities," which means it should be gluten-free," the company says. Smarties Gummies contain no gluten ingredients but are manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat-containing products (along with peanuts, milk, and soy).

Note that Smarties sold in Canada contain wheat flour—always check the label to make sure you're buying the gluten-free type.

Contact Smarties through the company's website.

Wrigley

Wrigley's online gluten-free statement is pretty cagey. It says most products are gluten-free but some might not be, and failing to specify which is which.

A statement provided by a customer service representative says that all Wrigley products in the U.S. are considered gluten-free except for Altoids Smalls Peppermint Mints (which always have contained the gluten ingredient wheat maltodextrin).

Wrigley also makes:

Creme Savers

Lifesavers

Skittles

Starburst

and in the U.S., these products are free of any gluten sources, according to the company.

Contact Wrigley at (800) 974-4539.

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." This includes licorice-flavored gluten-free Jelly Belly jelly beans (in most cases, licorice candy contains wheat). Jelly Belly also makes gluten-free candy corn for Halloween.

However, other Jelly Belly candies, including Chocolate Malt Balls, Chocolate Bridge Mix, Licorice Bridge Mix, Black Licorice Buttons and Licorice Pastels, are NOT gluten-free. In addition, seasonal mixes sold around the holidays contain the malt balls, and so are not gluten-free.

Contact Jelly Belly at 800-522-3267.

Necco

Necco probably is best known for its small sugar Valentine heart candies—the pastel-colored ones that say "Be Mine" and "True Love"—but my daughter's candy stash often turns up a few Necco products every Halloween, as well.

According to Necco, the following products do not contain gluten from wheat, rye, oats or barley:

Necco Wafers

Necco Chocolate Wafers

Candy House Candy Buttons

Canada Mint, Wintergreen and Spearmint Lozenges

Mary Jane

Mary Jane Peanutbutter Kisses (available for Halloween only)

Banana Splits Chews

Mint Julep Chews

Haviland Thin Mints, Wintergreen Patty, Nonpareils and Chocolate Stars

Skybar

Sweethearts (for Valentine's Day only)

Conversation Hearts (available for Valentine's Day only)

Mary Jane peanut butter kisses (for Halloween only)

Contact Necco at 781-485-4800.

Ferrara Candy Company

Ferrara makes such brands as Bob's (well-known for candy canes) and Brach's. According to the company, the following candies contain no wheat, rye, barley or oats:

Candy canes (Bob's, Brach's, Lemonhead & Friends, Red Hots)—these also are considered allergen-free

Atomic Fireballs

All gummies (Black Forest, Ferrara, Sathers, Trolli)

All jellies (Gum Drops, Orange Slices)

Bob's Sweet Stripes

Boston Baked Beans (contains peanuts)

Brach's Wild 'N Fruity Gummi Worms

Brach's Candy Corn (processed in a facility that also processes wheat)

Brach's Cinnamon Disks/Imperials

Brach's Conversation Hearts

Brach's Jelly Bean Nougats (processed in a facility that processes wheat)

Brach's Lemon Drops (Kosher)

Brach's Halloween Mellowcremes (processed in a facility that processes wheat)

Cherry Sours

Fruit Snacks (Ferrara, Black Forest, Trolli)

Gumballs

Jawbreakers/Jawbusters

Jelly Beans

Juju's

Jujy's

Lemonheads

Lemonheads & Friends Conversation Hearts

Tropical Chewy Lemonhead

Chewy Lemonhead & Friends

Berry Chewy Lemonhead

Cherryhead

Grapehead

Now & Later

Red Hot's

Impact Confections Inc.

Impact makes Warheads sour candies, which always seem to wind up in our Halloween stash. Many of the company's products are considered gluten-free, but be careful, as multiple candies have similar names but very different allergen profiles:

Carousel/Color-Blaster Pops (considered gluten-free)

Lollipop Paint Shop (considered gluten-free; made on equipment that processes soy)

Warheads Extreme Sour Hard Candy (considered gluten-free; contains soy; equipment shared with peanut and milk products)

Warheads Extreme Sour Hard Candy Minis (considered gluten-free; equipment shared with milk and soy products)

Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes (considered gluten-free; equipment shared with peanut products)

Warheads Sour Jelly Beans (made in a facility shared with wheat , peanuts, milk, egg, and soy)

, peanuts, milk, egg, and soy) Warheads Super Sour Double Drops (considered gluten-free; facility shared with egg products)

Warheads Super Sour Spray Candy (considered gluten-free)

Warheads Sour Dippers (considered gluten-free; equipment shared with soy products)

Warheads Sour Candy Canes (contain soy; made in a facility shared with wheat , peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, and soy)

, peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, and soy) Melster Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow (considered gluten-free; contains milk and soy, made on equipment that also processes peanuts)

Melster Compound-Coated Marshmallow (considered gluten-free; contains milk and soy, made on equipment that also processes peanuts)

Melster Chocolate-Covered Creme Drops (considered gluten-free; contains milk and soy, made on equipment that also processes peanuts)

Melster Compound Coated Creme Drops (considered gluten-free; contains milk and soy, made on equipment that also processes peanuts)

Melster Salt Water Taffy (considered gluten-free; contains milk and soy, made on equipment that also processes peanuts)

Melster Peanut Butter Kisses (considered gluten-free; contains peanuts, milk, and soy)

Melster Circus Peanuts (considered gluten-free; contains peanuts, made on equipment that processes milk and soy)

Melster Sanded Marshmallow (considered gluten-free; made on equipment that processes peanuts, milk, and soy)

Melster Coconut Toasties (considered gluten-free; made on equipment that processes peanut, milk, and soy)

Impact Convections products that are NOT gluten-free include:

Warheads Sour Twists (contains wheat)

Warheads Sour Coolers (contains oat fiber)

As I said, many of these have very similar names, so be very careful to double-check labels—it's easy to make a mistake!

Tic Tac Mints

Tic Tac mints are produced by the Italian confection manufacturer Ferrero and have been sold for more than 40 years.

According to the company, Tic Tac mints do not contain any ingredients derived from the gluten grains wheat, barley, rye, oats or triticale (a form of wheat).

Justin's Nut Butters

This isn't technically a candy, but stores sell Justin's Nut Butters gluten-free-certified peanut butter cups around Halloween as treats. The product choices include:

dark chocolate peanut butter cups

milk chocolate peanut butter cups

white chocolate peanut butter cups

mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups

mini milk chocolate peanut butter cups

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

Just Born

Peeps marshmallow treats, made by Just Born, used to appear only at Easter, but in recent years, we've seen Halloween Peeps shaped like pumpkins and ghosts, Christmas Peeps in the shape of trees, and heart-shaped Peeps for Valentine's Day.

According to Just Born, all the company's marshmallow candies that are safe from cross-contamination will state "gluten-free" on the package by the ingredients listing (Note: recently, I've run across numerous packages of Peeps that carry this warning: "May contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, and wheat." The ones with this warning are usually the more exotic flavors. Definitely double-check the packaging on all Peeps, even if the product is something that has stated "gluten-free" in the past.). The modified food starch used in the products is corn starch, according to the company. Just Born also makes Mike and Ike Candies.

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

Mike and Ike Berry Blast

Mike and Ike Italian Ice

Mike and Ike Jolly Joes

Mike and Ike Lemonade Blends

Mike and Ike Original Fruits

Mike and Ike Redrageous

Mike and Ike Tangy Twister

Mike and Ike Tropical Typhoon

Mike and Ike Zours

Mike and Ike Jelly Beans

Mike and Ike Hot Tamales

Goldenberg's Vintage Peanut Chews

Sweet's Candy Co.

Sweet's Candy makes saltwater taffy, chocolate jelly sticks, jelly beans, gummy bears and other candies. All are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. A customer service representative tells me that Sweet's makes only gluten-free products, but does package other products (some of which may contain gluten) in the same facility.

Gourmet Chocolate and Holiday Candy

As you've no doubt realized, some chocolate candies are gluten-free while others are not. Still, if you're in doubt about the gluten-free status of a product, contact the manufacturer's customer service personnel directly at the numbers listed with each entry above.

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