Gluten Freedom - Halloween Treats

Halloween is synonymous with “sugar rush”, but banishing it completely takes out all the fun. When else can kids load up their pillowcases with enormous amounts of candy, skip through the neighbourhood with smiles galore, and count the seconds to sort their stash as soon as they get home?

For a lot of kids, it can also end with a night full of disappointments. While some mainstream treats are gluten-free there are plenty that aren’t, especially with cross-contamination as a possibility.

Whether you want to round out your kids’ goodies, have alternatives on hand for trick-or-treaters, or want to do something special for a relative or neighbour, here are some of my top picks for gluten-free Halloween treat options, that are natural, too.

Pure Fun Lollipops

Pure Fun lollipops are USDA Certified Organic, allergen-free, vegan, gluten-free, and kosher. They’re sweetened naturally, and use only all-natural fruit-based colors and flavorings. Unique flavors include Go Goji Berry and Pure Pomegranate, making them anything but ordinary.

Yummy Earth Organics

Another lollipop company, Yummy Earth also makes candy drops, and produces both in jumbo bags, making it easy to distribute to your trick or treaters. They’re also easily found, such as in grocery stores and Costco. Everything the company makes is allergen-free and gluten-free.

Spun City Organic Cotton Candy

For something a little different, consider old-fashioned cotton candy without any artificial ingredients. Gluten-free and vegan, choose from nostalgic flavors like grape and cherry vanilla.

Nature’s Path

Already a popular breakfast option for many celiacs, Nature’s Path makes their Enivrokidz Koala Chocolate Crispy Rice Bar in a treat size that comes in a twelve-pack. Chocolate upon chocolate, these bars are all-natural, gluten-free, and a best-seller.

Candy Tree

While most licorice contains wheat as an ingredient, Candy Tree gives you the alternative, with organic, gluten-free licorice laces, twists, and bites. Yummy flavors include strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and the traditional anise (black). If you can't track 'em down through your local health food store, buy them through Amazon.

Goody Good Stuff

Using all-natural fruit juices and extracts, Goody Good Stuff has made a gluten-free, vegetarian, fat-free, and most-allergen-free line of gummy candies that taste amazingly identical to “regular” ones—without containing traces of gluten. They are Halal and Kosher certified, and include four vegan flavors.

Surf Sweets

Surf Sweets sells fruit juice sweetened gummies and jellybeans that are all-natural, organic, and gluten and casein-free. They have snack-pack sized versions of their jelly beans, gummy bears, and sour berry bears, along with a Spooky Spider variety just for Halloween!

Funky Monkey Snacks

Funky Monkey Snacks make all-natural, freeze-dried slices and pieces of fruit with nothing else added. Free of added colour, flavors, sugar, and preservatives, they’re a sweet, crunchy snack that’s good for you, too. Though they don’t offer snack-sized bags for trick or treaters, they are a yummy fruit-filled treat that you’re kids will love. They’re also completely gluten-free and certified Kosher.

Chocolate Emporium

If you want to indulge in things you miss, definitely check our Chocolate Emporium. Not only do they have a lot of favourites that are hard to find (chocolate covered everything), they also have plenty of Halloween themed items like chocolate Spider Pops, butterscotch Scarecrow Pops, mini foiled pumpkins, Sunbutter Cups, and more. Even better? The huge majority are completely allergen-free, though a few contain soy, egg or gluten.

Treats without the tricks.

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Laurie Sadowski is a freelance writer and vegan who really loves food. After being diagnosed with celiac disease, and hearing the words, "what DO you eat?" one too many times, she decided to author a series of cookbooks entitled The Allergy-Free Cook. Visit her at lauriesadowski.com and theallergyfreecook.com.