Allergy-Free Easter and Passover Candy Round-Up 2014 (Online Stores)

By Kelley Lindberg

Easter is later than usual this year, so the Easter Bunny won’t be making his rounds until April 20. That means the ol’ Bunny still has time to order his allergy-safe Easter candy from online stores that make allergy-safe candy for him to tuck into those baskets! And Passover is from April 14 – 22, so there’s still time for your Passover candy, too. This week, I’ll focus on online sources for allergy-safe holiday candies, because if you need to order your candy online, you’ll want to order it asap. Next week I’ll look at the candy you might find in local stores.

Several great online manufacturers and grocers offer allergy-friendly chocolates and candies for every holiday and just about every type of allergy. Especially if your family must avoid multiple allergens, these online suppliers might be your best bet.

• Amanda’s Own Confections: http://www.amandasown.com/ They offer a whole line of chocolate goodies for Easter and Passover, as well as jelly beans and other candies, all dairy-free, peanut-free, nut-free, egg-free, and gluten-free.

• Vermont Nut Free: http://www.vermontnutfree.com/ Their chocolates are peanut-free and nut-free, but they do have milk and egg warnings on them. Check out their chocolate bunnies, caramel bunnies, buttercream bunnies, chocolate lambs, Easter fudge, chocolate eggs, and chocolate crosses. (Their chocolate is not kosher.)

• Divvies: http://www.divvies.com/ Peanut-free, nut-free, dairy-free, and egg-free chocolate bunnies and jelly beans. (They don’t mention whether their products are kosher.)

• YumEarth. http://www.yummyearth.com/ YumEarth candies (lollipops, gummy bears, sour beans, sour worms) are corn-free, as well as being free from the big 8, and they use natural colorings and flavorings. They’re available on the Yummy Earth website, in health food stores, and from Amazon.com. Their website says they’re now sold at Walgreens, so you may find them locally, too! (Certified Kof-K kosher parve.)

• Indie Candy: http://www.indiecandy.com/ This website is fantastic for people with multiple food allergies, corn allergies, and those avoiding artificial colorings. Their candies are free from all the Top 8 and sesame and artificial colorings, and they have several candies free from corn, too. They have a large selection of confections in a rainbow of flavors, like mango, key lime, and watermelon, and you can search by your specific allergy needs. All of their ingredients are Feingold diet safe. They also offer corn-free gummies and marshmallows!

• Peanut Free Planet: http://www.peanutfreeplanet.com/ This site sells candy from lots of different manufacturers, including Vermont Nut Free and Amanda’s Own. You’ll find chocolate, jelly beans, and all sorts of allergy-friendly groceries.

• Natural Candy Store: http://www.naturalcandystore.com/. This site focuses on natural ingredients, and they have an advanced search feature that lets you search for candy free from the specific ingredients you choose! You can also search by Feingold-safe candy and other special diets. They even have biodegradable plastic Easter eggs. http://www.naturalcandystore.com/

• Gimbal’s Fine Candies: Gimbal’s offers jelly beans in 41 flavors, as well as fiery LavaBalls and licorice Scottie Dogs, all free from the Top 8 allergens. http://www.gimbalscandy.com/

• Oriental Trading Co.: http://www.orientaltrading.com/ Remember, Easter eggs and Easter baskets don’t have to be filled with candy. Oriental Trading Company offers a bazillion (I counted them) little novelty toys that fit inside Easter eggs or into Easter baskets, and you can buy them by the dozen or more. And for the ultimate in time-saving, you can even buy plastic eggs pre-filled with little toys. Now THAT’s a helpful Easter Bunny.

Hoppy shopping!