Easter Candy

Gluten-Free Easter Candy, Updated March 2012
By Jane Anderson, About.com Guide
Updated March 01, 2012
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
Wondering what gluten-free Easter candy is available this year to place in your child's Easter basket (or to enjoy yourself)? Here's the list, updated as of March 2012, of gluten-free Easter candy — as you'll see below, there are plenty of options you can use to make up a really nice gluten-free Easter basket.

Unless otherwise noted, these candies are considered by their manufacturers to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, which makes them "gluten-free" according to the currently accepted definition.

One note: there seems to be plenty of debate each year over whether Cadbury Creme Eggs are gluten-free or not. In the U.S., Cadbury Easter products are made by Hershey's, which does not consider them to be gluten-free due to the potential risk of gluten cross-contamination in manufacturing.

However, the eggs appear to contain no gluten ingredients (Hershey's will specify any gluten-containing ingredients on the label). So the bottom line is, use caution with Cadbury Creme Eggs, and eat them at your own risk — they may contain trace gluten due to shared manufacturing lines or facilities.

Here's the list of gluten-free Easter candy. If you're wondering about the gluten status of a candy product not on this list, you should be able to find information on it in my main candy article, Gluten-Free Candy. Happy Easter!

Gluten-Free Easter Candy

• Easter-themed Dove chocolate products, including Dove chocolate Easter bunnies, Dove egg-shaped candies and Easter-themed Dove bars
• Easter-themed M&Ms chocolate products (EXCEPT for pretzel M&Ms), including M&Ms solid milk chocolate Easter bunny, M&M candies in Easter colors, and egg-shaped M&M candies
• Plain milk chocolate regular-sized Hershey's Kisses in Easter-themed foil wrappers (for more on the gluten status of Hershey's Kisses products, check out Are Hershey's Kisses Gluten-Free?)
• Jelly Belly jelly beans (INCLUDING licorice flavor jelly beans) and all Jelly Belly specially themed Easter packages
• Easter-themed Starburst candy, including jelly beans and special Easter candy packages
• Easter-themed Tootsie Roll candy, including Dubble Bubble Easter egg-shaped bubble gum, Tootsie Pops, Charms Blow Pops and Charms Candy Carnival products
• Necco Candy Eggs Peeps marshmallow treats by Just Born (check the label to make sure it states "gluten-free" below the list of ingredients)
• Kraft Bunny Mallows and Egg Mallows (marshmallow Easter-themed treats)

Again, these candies are considered gluten-free to 20 parts per million. If you have any questions about a specific product, contact the manufacturer.