We’re celebrating the spookiest day of the year with scary movies, pumpkin carving, and our favorite vegan candy. VegNews editors conducted a thorough search of the Target candy aisles, inspecting each shelf for animal-free sweets—right down to the ingredients label.

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Is candy vegan?

While not all candy is vegan, this doesn’t mean vegans don’t have plenty of options when it comes to these sweet treats. Thankfully, companies have started displaying “vegan” logos on packaging as plant-based eating has become more mainstream. Still, not all vegan-friendly candy will be labeled as such.

When there’s no vegan label to be found, it’s best to read the ingredients. You could be missing out on a lot of accidentally vegan candy if your only guide is a vegan marker. When reading candy labels, keep your eyes peeled for these common animal ingredients:

  • Dairy: Often listed as milk, milkfat, and whey
  • Confectioner’s glaze: Derived from insects, also known as “shellac”
  • Carmine: Derived from insects
  • Gelatin: Commonly used in gummy candy, made from boiled tendons, ligaments, or skin of pigs and cows

Vegan candy at Target

Thankfully, this big box retailer has countless vegan options in the candy aisle. Grab a cart (you’ll need one) and fill it to the brim with these 21 vegan-friendly treats.

VegNews.DumDumsDum Dums

1 Dum Dums

These mini suckers have stood the test of time—every generation loves them. With 17 flavors, there’s a lollie for everyone.
Get them here

VegNews.AirHeads@dulcespop_/Instagram

2 Airheads

Half the fun of these stretchy sweets is molding them like silly putty. Think of it as treating yourself with a toy you can snack on.
Get them here

VegNews.RingPopRing Pop

3 Ring Pops

Really, Ring Pops are just ordinary suckers … yet they somehow taste ten times better because they’re candy bling.
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.FruitbytheFootFruit by the Foot

4 Fruit by the Foot

Rolled into a ball or eaten straight off the lining, there’s no wrong way to enjoy this sweet treat.
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.LaffyTaffyLaffy Taffy

5 Fun-Sized Laffy Taffy

This candy can be a bit polarizing—particularly the banana flavor. Even if you’re not a fan, at least read the wrapper for a good pun. Note: only the fun-sized varieties are vegan—the regular sizes contain eggs.
Get them here

VegNews.SmartiesSmarties

6 Smarties

As of 2015, the family-run company was selling 2 billion Smarties rolls a year. Apparently, Smarties are here to stay.
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.SkittlesSkittles

7 Skittles

This might not be what the doctors mean when they say “eat the rainbow,” but we’re going to ignore that thought for the sake of Halloween.
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.TwizzlersTwizzlers

8Strawberry Twizzlers

These Twizzlers will do the trick for licorice-lovers.
Get them here

VegNews.JustinsJustin’s

9 Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 

Justin’s nut butter cups are the vegan equivalent of Reese’s. Target sells both full-sized and minis. And you deserve full-sized treats.
Get them here

VegNews.AnniesAnnie’s Homegrown

10 Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks

If kids had the opportunity to create their own dietary guidelines, gummies, and fruit snacks would definitely be a food group.
Get them here

VegNews.Gushers@homeisnorthhaven/Instagram

11 Gushers

90s throwback! While our palates have matured, there’s no doubt these squishy, artificially flavored snacks will thrill anyone under the age of 12.
Get them here

VegNews.GogoSqueez@jenf_25/Instagram

12 Gogo Squeez

Squeezable fruit is all the rage at the lunch table. Vegan-friendly flavors of this applesauce brand include apple, apple cinnamon, apple strawberry, apple banana, and a special Halloween pack in Raspberry Rush and Berry Madness.
Get them here

VegNews.MamaChiaMamma Chia

13 Mamma Chia Squeeze

The parents might steal these from their kids. The fruity flavors include Blueberry Açai, Strawberry Lemonade, and Wild Raspberry. With all the candy we’ll be consuming, we could use a little fruit.
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.OreoOreo

14 Oreo Minis

No one can pass up milk’s favorite accidentally vegan cookie.
Get them here

VegNews.FigNewton@celebrateall365/Instagram

15 Fig Newtons

Were we the only ones who loved Fig Newtons as kids? These figgy bars aren’t just for old people!
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.LarabarLÄRABAR

16 LÄRABAR

With flavors such as Cherry Pie, Apple Pie, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, you can bet these fruit-and-nut bars will be gone before the night is over.
Get them here

VegNews.ClifBarClif Bar

17 Clif Bars

Go for the nut butter-filled varieties or the minis. They’re still sweet but offer a more robust nutritional profile than your standard Halloween candy.
Get them here

VegNews.AngiesBoomChickaPop@costcobuys/Instagram

18 Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn

Candy can be divisive. Everyone loves kettle corn. The choice is obvious.
Get them here

VegNews.TargetHalloween.UtzUtz

19 Utz Halloween Bats & Jacks Single-Serve Pretzel Snacks

It’s an unspoken rule that every Halloween haul must include a pack of holiday-themed pretzels.
Get them here

VegNews.KoolAid@pauthalemarket/Instagram

20 Kool-Aid Jammers

This Halloween, we’re filling our cauldrons with Kool-Aid.
Get them here

VegNews.yumearthhalloweencandy.yumearthYum Earth

21 Yum Earth Halloween Organic Gummy Fruit

These vegan Hallowen-themed gummy treats, in bat and vampire teeth shapes, are a true delight.
Get them here

For more vegan Halloween treats, read:

Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include shopping links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.

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