If you or your loved ones have food allergies, finding sweet treats for the holidays can be challenging. But don’t worry, there are plenty of great companies that make treats you can have! Here are 10 amazing allergy friendly sweet gifts you can safely give (and get) this holiday season
The holiday season is coming up fast, and if you or someone you love has food allergies, now is a great time to be looking for alternative treats for gift giving. While I am all about eating less sugar, I also know that having sweets on occasion is a awesome. Plus, it’s great to have options for kids for last minute holiday school parties or stocking stuffers.
All of these treats (except for Avenue Sweets) are items that we have had and really love. They are high quality, great tasting, and are available either in stores or online, so they are accessible, too. Out of all of these, the Amore di Mona chocolates and caramela are probably my absolute favorite, they are superb.
Happy gifting (and eating!)
Please remember to always check labels and call manufacturers if you have severe food allergies and need to double check ingredients. Ingredients and manufacturing locations often change, so check labels frequently and don’t just rely on my information shared here.
10 Allergy Friendly Sweet Gifts
Amore di Mona chocolate
Amore di Mona chocolates and caramels are so good! My sister bought me some for Christmas a year or 2 ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Their products are free of tree nuts, peanuts, gluten, dairy, egg, fish, and soy. They are 3rd party tested for allergens as well. Their chocolates are high quality and delicious, I highly recommend them!
Gimbal’s Candy
Gimbal’s candy makes some awesome jelly beans and licorice scotty dogs. I’ve tried their jelly beans and love them, but I haven’t tried their licorice scotty dogs yet (my mom says they are good though!). I love that Gimbal’s candy is top 8 allergen free, so my kids can enjoy this, too. They use real fruit juice, so their flavors are really good. My whole family loves their jelly beans, especially the heart shaped ones.
Cocomels dairy free caramels
Another one of my favorite dairy free treats is Cocomels coconut milk caramels. They are pretty yummy and come in several flavors, the coffee flavors are my favorite. Their chocolate covered caramels are good, but I haven’t tried their bites yet.
Their caramels are nice for recipes, too, but they usually don’t last long enough to add them to a recipe 😉 These are made in a facility with nuts so they are not suitable for people with severe nut allergies.
Smashmallow marshmallows
One of my favorite treats is SmashMallow marshmallows! I found some at a local store a while ago and fell in love with them (their website is super fun, too). I’ve tried their mint chip and cinnamon churro flavors, but haven’t tried their other flavors yet (mocha sounds awesome).
These are made with natural ingredients, use organic sugar, and are gluten free and dairy free. So good! They make rice crispy treats as well but I haven’t tried those yet.
Avenue Sweets dairy free nut brittles and caramels
Avenue Sweets makes some dairy free nut brittles and caramels as well. I haven’t tried these myself yet, but I found them online and added them to my list of things I want to order for the holidays (I’ll probably share on Instagram if I order these!). These are made in a facility with nuts, so they aren’t suitable for people with nut allergies.
Enjoy Life cookies and chocolate
If you’re looking for allergy friendly cookies in a pinch, Enjoy Life Foods makes some delicious soft baked cookies (which I love best) or their crispy cookies (which make great crumb crusts).
Their double chocolate cookies and snickerdoodle ones are great, but they have a gingerbread one that I haven’t tried yet! They are all top 8 allergen free and many large grocery stores are starting to carry these as well, so they aren’t usually too hard to find locally.
Free 2b treats
One of the treats my kids really love are the candy cups from Free 2b. The SunCups used to have small amounts of dairy in them, but they are now made completely dairy free, which is awesome!
They are top 12 allergen free, so they are perfect for people with multiple food allergies, and they are delicious! They also make chocolate bark, but we haven’t tried that yet.
YumEarth Organic candy
We’ve been loving the YumEarth organic licorice these days when we go to our local health food store. The YumEarth brand makes candies that are organic, gluten free, vegan, and nut free, and they taste amazing! We’ve love the lollipops and the licorice, but haven’t tried some of their other products yet (on our list!).
Cella’s chocolate cherries
When we’re looking for a quick sweet treat that our kids can have, several stores around us carry the Cella’s Dips chocolate covered cherries. Cella’s chocolates are made in a nut free and gluten free facility, and the dipped dried cherries are dairy free (the regular dark chocolate covered cherries have a small amount of dairy in them).
They are made by the Tootsie Roll company, which produces a lot of nut-free candies (including the Tootsie Roll and Junior Mints).
Missy J’s carob treats
If you happen to be sensitive to chocolate, or have interstitial cystitis (IC people often have flare ups from chocolate), then Missy J’s carob treats are a great option. I have tried many of their products, and I love the PB+J cups and their truffles.
I haven’t yet tried their cookies or their bark. They are lower in sugar than regular chocolates, they are vegan (yay, no dairy!), and are delicious. They are made with nuts and made in a facility with nuts, so they aren’t suitable for people with severe nut allergies.
If you have IBS and are on a low FODMAP diet, you may need to be careful about eating too much carob at once. I do okay with a little bit at a time, but I can’t eat too much carob since it is higher FODMAP.
Homemade Sweet Treats
If you don’t want to buy your sweets, here are a few allergy friendly treats that you can make at home:
- Gluten Free Cookie Brittle
- Homemade Chocolate Bars
- SunButter Jam Cups
- Almond Butter Cups
- Gluten Free Cookie Bars
- Almond Joy Minis
- Coffee Toffee Chocolate Bark
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and healthy living blogger based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist