Vegan Halloween Guide

BY: KD ANGLE-TRAEGNER

« LAST UPDATE: 24 September 2021 »

PUBLISHED: 19 October 2019

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Halloween is America’s second-favorite holiday, and what’s not to love? It’s filled with candy, costumes, and fun.

For vegans, traditional Halloween activities can be confusing to navigate. From trick or treating to food to cocktails, there’s a lot to know.

This guide will help show the way.

First, I’ll answer frequently asked questions. Then I’ll teach you how to make homemade food colorings for creating colorfully spooky treats. Next is the giant vegan Halloween candy shopping guide, followed by a wide variety of vegan recipes to plan frightfully tasty foods. Lastly, I’ll cover vegan spirits (pun intended).

This guide has everything you’ll need to plan, create, and enjoy the perfect vegan Halloween.

QUICK NAVIGATION

QUICK FACTS

CATEGORY
Holiday

MIN TO READ
3

RECIPES TO MAKE
36

Vegan Halloween Guide

BY: KD ANGLE-TRAEGNER

PUBLISHED: 19 October 2019  »  LAST UPDATE: 24 September 2021

Share42
Tweet
Pin4
Reddit
Buffer

Halloween is America’s second-favorite holiday, and what’s not to love? It’s filled with candy, costumes, and fun.

For vegans, traditional Halloween activities can be confusing to navigate. From trick or treating to food to cocktails, there’s a lot to know.

This guide will help show the way.

First, I’ll answer frequently asked questions. Then I’ll teach you how to make homemade food colorings for creating colorfully spooky treats. Next is the giant vegan Halloween candy shopping guide, followed by a wide variety of vegan recipes to plan frightfully tasty foods. Lastly, I’ll cover vegan spirits (pun intended).

This guide has everything you’ll need to plan, create, and enjoy the perfect vegan Halloween.

QUICK NAVIGATION

QUICK FACTS

CATEGORY
Holiday

MIN TO READ
3

RECIPES TO MAKE
36

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers (and advice) to some of the most commonly asked vegan questions.

A picture of the interior of home decorated for the holiday of Halloween with pumpkins.

Frequently Asked Vegan Questions

By far, this is the most-asked question asked about celebrating Halloween as a vegan.

To be honest, there is no right answer. I posed the question on Twitter and received lots of varying responses from vegan parents.

Some avoid the non-vegan candy issue by not participating in trick or treating at all and instead engage in other activities like hayrides, corn mazes, or fall festivals.

Then there is the sort and swap approach; swapping out vegan candies for any non-vegan ones.

The donate approach is where non-vegan candies are collected and donated to non-profit organizations or other organizations in need.

Finally, check with local vegan groups to see if they are organizing a trick or treat (commonly a trunk or treat) event. If they are not, consider organizing one of your own!

Of all the situations that young vegans face, social situations may be the most difficult. Luckily, all it takes is just a little planning ahead to change that.

Check with the parents beforehand to get an idea of what types of food they’ll be serving. Offer to bring a vegan dish or side to share with the group.

No one can resist a treat, bring some vegan ones to share too.

If you want to go all-out, ask your child to help make goodies bags filled with vegan candy and various Halloween-themed trinkets to pass out to party-goers. They’ll be excited to help pick out the items, which will make it extra fun for them to pass them out at the party.

If your child is having a sleepover at a non-vegan friend’s house, check with the parents about sending food with them for their meals. Send along enough for your child to share with their friend (like a frozen vegan pizza perhaps), or pack something like a box of vegan mac and cheese. Pick foods that are premade or easy to make.

This question is great and more common than you might think. Generally speaking, treat shopping for a costume like you would any other clothing.

Animal-based materials to avoid:

  • Leather or other exotic skin
  • Wool
  • Fur
  • Feathers

And because veganism is consistent anti-oppression, I’d also throw in avoiding costumes that are:

  • Racist
  • Ableist
  • Sexist
  • Classist

Other bad ideas include dressing up as someone who is LGBTQIA+ or trans or stealing someone else’s culture.

There’s plenty of costumes out there without trampling on race, ability, gender, orientation, or the culture of a group of people.

 

Homemade Food Coloring (All Natural + Vegan)

Because artificial colors are everywhere.

A variety of bowls and jars with various homemade food dyes in them (red, green, yellow, blue, purple).

How to Make Homemade Food Coloring

I am not a fan of artificial food colors.

These toxic chemicals masquerading as food, artificial food colors are possible through the wonder of chemistry and the industry of oil drilling. Studies have shown various adverse health effects from ingesting them. And, did you know that artificial food colors undergo animal testing to ensure their safety as a food additive? It’s true.

Relatedly, animal testing sucks and can yield dangerous results when physicians treat patients using medicine based on the results of these studies.

Every time a holiday approaches, the artificial colors go on sale. Magazines, blogs, and videos feature impossibly cute and creative treats made with a variety of unnatural colors achieved through the magic of artificial colors.

There’s a better way; make bright, vivid colors at home.

Look at those colors! Yellow, red, purple, green, and even blue. Easy to make, these colors come from everyday ingredients found in your fridge or pantry. Trust me, it’s not complicated or expensive.

Click here for the full step-by-step homemade food coloring tutorial.

 

Shopping Guide

This is a gigantic list of vegan Halloween candy, chocolates, and treats for all the ghosts and ghoblins you meet.

Halloween pumpkin lantern on hand / head jack o lantern evil funny faces holiday decoration on halloween nature background.

What Types of Candy are Vegan?

Sadly, the giant bags of cheap Halloween candy sold contain animal products in one way or another. Sometimes the ingredients are obvious, like milk chocolate, for example. Other times the ingredients are less obvious, like confectioner’s glaze, which is made from beetle secretions.

And then there are the candies that are technically vegan but contain ingredients with ethical issues, more on that in a minute.

Before you head to the store, it’s a good idea to know which animal-derived ingredients to watch out for in treats.

Look for the following on labels:

  • Beeswax: Made from bees
  • Carmine: Made from cochineal insects
  • Confectioner’s Glaze or Pharmaceutical Glaze: Made from lac insects
  • Gelatin: Made from animal bones and tendons
  • Milk products (Milk, milkfat, cream): Made from cows, goats, sheep

But these ingredients aren’t the only things to consider.

Other Ethical Issues

It’s impossible to talk about chocolate and sweets without also mentioning the origins of their ingredients because they are not as cruelty-free as one might think.

Find out why by clicking open the link below.

While made of technically animal-free ingredients, artificial food colors and refined sugar have vegan problems. So does palm oil, and so does chocolate.

First, artificial food dyes are subject to animal testing.

Second, refined sugars can be processed using charred bone fragments from animals. Even bone char-free sugar has ethical issues. Thousands of Haitian laborers are indentured or enslaved on Dominican sugar plantations (often calling themselves “slaves in freedom”) and living in terrible conditions to bring sugar to the United States.

Animals are losing their homes through deforestation for palm oil production.

Finally, a large amount of chocolate comes from child labor, slavery, and trafficking. 

Veganism is anti-oppression and intersectional.

Environmental racism, food deserts, poverty, and enslavement are all vegan issues.

Vegan Ethics & Theory in Real Life

When looking at topics like chocolate, artificial food colors, and refined sugar, it’s important to remember the definition of veganism:

“Veganism denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment.”

The key here is “as far as is possible and practical.”

We live in an imperfect non-vegan world filled with people from all types of circumstances and privileges faced with ethical obstacles at every turn.

What is practical for one may not be possible for another.

In this way, veganism must be flexible.

Veganism and Halloween Candy

What does this have to do with Halloween candy? Well, a lot.

Accessibility and expense are two of the most-often cited reasons people stop being vegan.

Stores are packed with giant bags of cheap Halloween candy, and most of them contain one type of animal product or another. And then there are the technically vegan treats but the chocolate isn’t fair-trade, or the candy contains artificial colors, palm oil, or refined sugar.

Sure, there are plenty of great vegan candies made with natural colors and unrefined sugar also available, it’s true. But many brands come in smaller packages and are pretty expensive, especially if you’re passing them out to strangers.

Cost is certainly an issue, but so is accessibility. Unfortunately, many vegan brands are only available in natural or specialty markets or online, instead of in mainstream or discount stores.

In this way, sometimes vegan candy isn’t possible or practical.

Changing Traditions

Something I’m fond of saying is, “Don’t give up traditions, change them.”

Halloween is America’s second-favorite holiday of the year. That’s big because it means that a lot of people participate in holiday traditions like trick or treating for candy. Whether passing out candy at home or hitting the neighborhood with a little trick or treater, no one wants to be left out.

As vegans trying to help the most animals, we must find ways to make sure that veganism is accessible to people of all access and privilege.

Buying organic, artificial dye-free candy made with unrefined sugars and fair-trade vegan chocolate is best.

But if you can’t, you can still choose the best option for your circumstances, whatever they may be.

Avoiding chocolate and buying technically vegan candy (that may contain artificial ingredients or refined sugar) is still better than buying non-vegan candy, for example.

Vegan Halloween Candy

This shopping guide has four parts: Vegan Candy, Technically Vegan Candy, Chocolate, and Snacks & Other Treats.

Use the tabs to select the list you wish to see.

The vegan candy on this list is free from animal products and ingredients that contain artificial food colors, palm oil, or refined sugars. This candy was selected because they come in larger, multipacks making them perfect for parties or passing out to trick or treaters.

You’ll find these candies in some large box stores like Target, as well as in all-natural grocery stores or health food markets.

If you’re unable to find them locally, buying them online is another option. The Natural Candy Store is a one-stop-shop for all vegan Halloween candy needs. There’s no vegan candy this place doesn’t carry.

Vegan Candy

Other vegan Halloween candy is available in single-serving or small individually-wrapped portions.

Look for the following brands:

Do you make a vegan candy that isn’t listed? Contact me.

Technically vegan candy is candy where its ingredients are technically free from animal products but have other ethical issues to consider.

You’ll find these candies in most grocery stores and drugstores, often in large multipacks. Generally speaking, these candies are some of the cheapest options for passing out candy to trick or treaters.

Note: The candy on this list is vegan but may contain artificial food colors, refined sugar, or palm oil.

Technically Vegan Candy

  • Airheads
  • Brach’s Orange Slices
  • Brach’s Root Beer Barrels
  • Brach’s Star Brites
  • Charms Blow Pops
  • Chick-o-Sticks
  • Cry Babies
  • Dots
  • Dum-Dums
  • Fireballs
  • Hubba Bubba bubblegum
  • Jolly Ranchers (lollipops and hard candy)
  • Jujubees
  • Jujyfruits
  • Laffy Taffy (some varieties)
  • Lemonheads
  • Mambas
  • Mary Janes (regular and peanut butter kisses)
  • Now and Later
  • Panda Licorice
  • Pez
  • Runts
  • Skittles
  • Smarties (U.S. Brand)
  • Sour Patch Kids
  • Starbursts (vegan in the UK only. US contains gelatin)
  • Super Bubble
  • Swedish Fish (some contain beeswax, check label)
  • Sweet Tarts
  • Twizzlers
  • Vimto (Candy Floss, Candy Spray)
  • Zots

Do you make a technically vegan candy that isn’t listed? Contact me.

When it comes to chocolate, there are more issues to consider than whether or not it contains animal-based ingredients; there are ethical considerations too.

A large amount of chocolate comes from child labor, slavery, and trafficking; it’s hard to know if the chocolate you’re buying is involved.

Check for a fair-trade certification or notice on the label. If the package doesn’t mention fair-trade, check the Chocolate List from the Food Empowerment Project. It’s a list of companies that make vegan products containing chocolate not sourced from areas where child labor and slavery are most pervasive. 

Vegan Chocolate & Confections

You’ll find these candies in some large box stores like Target and well-stocked grocery stores. They are also available for purchase online. These candie are available in small multipacks making them the ideal choice for parties and trick or treaters.

The following chocolate treats are vegan (no animal-derived ingredients as well as no artificial colors, refined sugar, or palm oil). Each chocolate is either labeled as fair-trade or recommended (or had a mixed rating) by the Food Empowerment Project:

  • Unreal
    Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
    Chocolate Crispy Quniona Gems
    Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
    Chocolate Peanut Gems
More Vegan Chocolate

The following chocolate treats are vegan and available in bulk, but it’s unknown where they source their chocolate from:

Even More Vegan Chocolate Options

The following brands offer vegan chocolate in single-serving portions or in multipacks that are not individually wrapped (fair-trade options noted):

Do you make a vegan chocolate or confection that isn’t listed? Contact me.

Even though sugary treats are typical during Halloween, it doesn’t mean that they all have to be sweet. Instead of chocolate or candy, pass out snacks instead.

A few good options that come in snack pack sizes (and multipacks):

  • Potato Chips
  • Pretzels
  • Nuts
  • Fruit Leather
  • Cracker Jacks

Some companies offer special Halloween assortments of their regular products.

Other affordable options for trick or treaters are fresh fruit like apples, oranges, or even bananas. 

Do you have a suggestion for a vegan Halloween snack that isn’t listed? Contact me.

Reading Food Labels:

What Halloween candies are vegan?

Any candy that does not contain animal ingredients is considered vegan. Look for common animal-derived ingredients such as milk, milkfat, cream, beeswax, carmine, confectioner’s glaze, or gelatin before purchasing.

Vegan Halloween Recipes

Find something delicious and spooky to eat.

Two slate platters filled with Halloween-shaped sushi pieces with spooky spiderwebs in the background.
A jar of stuffed mushrooms that look like eyeballs in a jar sitting next to a platter of the same mushroom eyeballs.
Several baked falafel fingers sitting on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Eight cheesy witch finger breadsticks sitting on a wooden table.
Three bowls of pizza soup with crusts that look like a pumpkin sitting on top of a grey counter.
A blue plate of mummy bites with two different dipping sauces sitting on a white background.
Three stuffed peppers (one green, one orange, one yellow) cut into jack-o-lanterns sitting on a black background.
A plate of tea sandwiches that are cut into ghost shapes sitting on a plate.
A closeup of a woman wearing a white shirt from neck to waist holding a tray of brightly colored smoothies.
An orange jack-o-lantern bowl sitting on a white plate with fall leaves scattered about.
A cooked pie where the top crust is cut into skull shapes sitting on a black table with an old spoon sitting on a red napkin.

Savory Vegan Halloween Recipes

  1. Halloween Sushi
    Euphoric Vegan
  1. Mushroom Eyeballs
    Vegan Yack Attack
  1. Baked Falafel Fingers
    Vegan Richa
  1. Halloween Pizza Soup
    Ve Eat Cook Bake
  1. Mummy Bites
    Veggies Don’t Bite
  1. Cheesy Witch Fingers
    Ve Eat Cook Bake
  1. Ghost Tea Sandwiches
    Vegan Dollhouse
  1. Mad Scientist Smoothies
    Fork and Beans
  1. Chili Mac Pepper Jacks
    Spabettie
  1. Jack O’Lantern Salad
    Cadry’s Kitchen
  1. Skull Pot Pie
    Healthy Slow Cooking
 
A closeup of a eight bat truffles sitting on a purple tabletop.
A white plate with four chocolate mummy cupcakes sitting on a black tabletop with an extra cupcake beside it.
A closeup of a cupcake with white frosting and two "bites" with red oozing from them sitting on a grey speckled countertop.
Closeup of rows of white meringue ghosts on a white table.
Rows of light green and dark green cookies with google eyes sitting on a baking rack with a white background.
Three "brain cupcakes" sitting on a wooden table.
A close of of vanilla cupcakes with mint green frosting and decorative pumpkins on top sitting inside black and orange striped wrappers.
Several VooDoo pastry dolls propped up on a counter with a skull and jar of eyeballs in the background.
A closeup of four pumpkin spice oreos with a white background.
Four black coffin cakes on sticks sitting on a black shiny plate.
An array of caramel apples with different toppings sitting on an assortment of cake stands sitting on a wooden table.