Vegetarian Alternatives For Non - Veg Candy

Meera Naveen
Feb 26, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Jun 24, 2024

If you've decided to become vegetarian or just simply limit meat in your diet, here are some things to know:

Some things you may not expect have animal fat/meat in them.

This includes various types of candy and treats such as:

Jell - O, Starburst, gummies such as gummy bears and worms, Sticky Pig Candy Strips, Krabby Patties candy, Airheads bites, gumdrops, candy corn, Altoids (breath mints), Nerds, Hi - Chew, Welch's, and other chewy and gummy candies.

Many candies with a red color contain gelatin as well, so whenever you want to buy a candy that's red or is gummy/chewy, be sure to check the ingredients list to see if there's any gelatin or not.

Other treats that might contain gelatin include marshmallows, licorice, and some caramel candies, so when approaching these, make sure to check the ingredients list as well. (If you want to know more, other desserts such as Panna Cotta, Mousse, and some puddings, sprinkles, jams, jellies, juices, glazed pop - tarts, cereals - such as Lucky Charms and Frosted Mini - Wheats, and creamy items contain gelatin, as well as gel pills. Alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine might contain it, along with packaged nuts like peanuts. Pectin is plant - based and it's okay. So ALWAYS check ingredients and brands carefully)

So, what are some vegetarian alternatives to these popular candies and sweets?

Trader Joe's Vegan Marshmallows. (Trader Joe's has a lot of vegan products, so it's a good store in general if you're looking for good alternatives)
Jelly Belly Gummies.
Project 7 Gummies.
Sour Patch Kids (called Very Bad Kids in France). These are supposed to be vegan and not contain gelatin, but just check in ingredients just in case because it might be different internationally.
Annie's Homegrown Candy.

Of course, you can also create gelatin - free candy and sweet alternatives at home, since of course homemade is always better, cheaper and healthier.

Gelatin Alternatives:

Agar powder. This is usually made from ingredients like seaweed. Although it might not be the best substitute for everything, it's still good for things like mousse and jam.
Tapioca and corn starch.
Pectin.
Vegan jellies/gum. (Guar gum and xanthan gum is an example - you can only use very little)
Carageenan.

So, all in all, gelatin can come in all forms and sizes through candies, sweets, cereals, jellies, jams, juices, alcohol, gums, breath mints, glazes, pills, sprinkles, etc.

The best way to handle it is to always check the ingredients list in every item you buy (or just foods and ingredients listed above) to completely make sure it is vegan/vegetarian. Many, many products have some gelatinous ingredients in today's world, so if you want to limit animal products or just basically animal fat and meat, it's better to be safe than sorry by following these rules.