[2010 Update: I can't believe how many different Easter candies show up every year. I've added quite a few this year. I even added a category for pre-filled plastic eggs.

Some items to note: 1) Cadbury's Creme Eggs don't have gluten listed in their ingredients this year. Yay! 2) The original Reese's peanut butter eggs and even the small size do not have gluten in the ingredients. However, there is wheat flour in the the Reese's miniature candies that are foil-wrapped, including the mini Reester Bunnies. Boo!

I've done my best to make accurate updates, and will continue to do so as I find more this month. If you happen to find a mistake, or question the gluten safety of the candy, please add a comment below so everyone can read and benefit from the discussion. Thanks, and have a Happy Easter!]

So I’ve been shopping at our local discount and grocery stores for gluten-free Easter candy. You’ll find my list of Safe and Unsafe Candy below. My determination of “Safe Gluten-Free Candy” and “Unsafe Candy” is based solely on me reading package labels at the stores in my area. After each “unsafe” candy, I have noted why I chose to consider it unsafe. Whether it has gluten in the ingredients or the possibility of trace amounts due to cross-contamination,  you can decide for yourself. Please keep in mind that products do vary their packaging and labeling, so it’s always best if you read the labels yourself. However, I know sometimes that isn’t always possible, especially this time of year when our kids are going to community egg hunts. So, here’s what I found in our stores. I hope it helps and gives you peace of mind while you enjoy the “Safe” Easter candies.

Safe Gluten-Free Candy

Jelly Beans

• Gimbal’s Jelly Beans
• Jelly Belly Jelly Beans (including original and sour flavors)
• Just Born Jelly Beans (including original fruit flavored, licorice flavored (black), berry flavored, and spice flavored)
• Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans (including fruit smoothie flavors)
• Lifesaver Jellybeans
• Mike and Ike Jelly Beans
• Nerds Bumpy Jelly Beans (Wonka) (Be careful. This had cross-contamination warnings on the packages I found last year.)
• Russel Stover Pectin Jelly Beans
• Spree Jelly Beans (Cherry, Lemon and Green Apple)
• Starburst Jellybeans (original, tropical, and red fruits)
• SweeTart Jelly Beans (Be careful. This had cross-contamination warnings on the packages I found last year.)
• Teenee Beanee Jelly Beans (including Island Breeze, Americana Medley, and Country Retreat flavored packages)

Plastic Eggs Pre-filled with Candy

• Bee Flowers and Fairies Egg Hunt (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bee Sport Ball Eggs (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bee Noah’s Ark Easter Egg Hunt (includes Smarties, Super Bubble bubble gum, Taffy Werks, Jelly Bean Werks, and Lemonheads)
• Bug Collector Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Mmmm…Cupcakes Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Peace and Love Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Dress Up Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Farm Friends Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Game Time Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Glow in the Dark Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Red Hots, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Nighttime Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Outdoor Adventure Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Pet Shop Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Rainforest Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Speedster Cars Candy Filled Egg Hunt (includes Ferrara Pan jellybeans, Tropical Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Chewy Lemonhead and Friends, Jaw Busters)
• Wonka Egg Hunt with a Golden Egg (includes Nerds, Laffy Taffy, and SweeTarts)
• Wonka Egg Hunt Zero Gravity (includes Nerds, Laffy Taffy, and SweeTarts)
• Wonka Egg Hunt Hard 2 Find (includes Nerds, Runts, and SweeTarts)

Other Easter Candy

• Almond Joy Eggs
• Andes Creme de Menthe Thins
• Brach’s Jelly Bean Nougats
• For Butterfinger candy, look under Nestle
• Cadbury Chocolate candy manufactured by the Hershey Company in the US. 1-800-468-1714
  • Cadbury Caramello Bunnies (as found Mar. 2009)
  • Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate Bunny
  • Cadbury hollow milk chocolate egg filled with Cadbury mini-eggs — No gluten ingredients are listed, however “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients.
  • Cadbury mini-chocolate eggs – Royal Dark and Dairy Milk Chocolate — No gluten ingredients are listed, however “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients: [Milk chocolate ingredients: "milk chocolate (sugar; milk; chocolate; cocoa butter; lactose; soy lecithin; PGPR, emulsifier; artificial and natural flavors); sugar; contains 2% or less of: cornstarch; gum acacia; artificial color (yellow 6 lake; blue 2 lake; yellow 5; blue 2; red 40); ethyl vanillin artificial flavor."]
  • Cadbury Creme Eggs — This year, the regular and mini eggs I found did not have gluten listed in the ingredients. However, “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients. (Last year “Glucose (wheat)” was listed in the ingredients. Many Celiacs consider the glucose, even from wheat, to be gluten-free due to all the processing.)
  • Cadbury Caramel Eggs — This year, the regular and mini eggs I found did not have gluten listed in the ingredients. However, “Natural Flavors” is listed in the ingredients. (Last year “Glucose (wheat)” was listed in the ingredients. Many Celiacs consider the glucose, even from wheat, to be gluten-free due to all the processing.)
  • Cadbury Orange Creme Eggs
• Carousel Bubble Gum Eggs
• Carousel Easter Egg Surprise Lollipops (as found Mar. 2009)
• Charms Blow Pops and Blow Pop Minis
• Cry Baby Eggs
• Dairy Good Easter bunnies (chocolate flavored, foil-wrapped)
• Dairy Good Easter eggs (chocolate eggs)
• Dairy Good Chocolate and White Chocolate Crosses
• Disney Princess plastic eggs with candy and stickers inside
• Dove Chocolate products are all gluten-free according to a message on their consumer line (1-800-551-0704).
  • Dove Chocolate Eggs (including milk chocolate, milk chocolate almond, peanut butter, and dark chocolate varieties)
  • Dove Fairy Bunny hollow milk chocolate
  • Dove Solid Chocolate Bunnies, milk chocolate Ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, milkfat, lactose, chocolate processed with alkali, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors). Allergy Information: May contain peanuts.
  • Dove Solid Chocolate Bunnies, dark chocolate
  • Dove Truffle Eggs
• Dubble Bubble Eggs (egg-shaped bubble gum) and Speckled Bubble Gum
• Easter Bunny Egg-head family filled with Power Candy
• Farley’s Kiddie Mix includes Now & Laters, Jawbreakers, Super Bubble bubble gum, Tootsie Roll Midgees, Sassy Tarts and Smarties
• Florida Natural Healthy Treats fruit snacks eggs (as found Mar. 2009)
• Frankford Marshmallow Chicks and Bunnies
• Fun Dip (Wonka)
• Gimbal’s candies, all varieties (see allergen statement)
• Hershey’s chocolate candy
  • Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bunnies, Springtime Flowers, and Crosses
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate hollow egg with candy-coated milk chocolate eggs inside
  • Hershey’s candy-coated milk chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Speedy Bunny and Princess Bunny
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate hollow Bunny
  • Hershey’s milk chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Marshmallow Eggs
• Hershey’s Bliss chocolate candy
  • Hershey’s Bliss milk chocolate eggs with a meltaway center
  • Hershey’s Bliss dark chocolate eggs
  • Hershey’s Bliss Hollow Milk Chocolate Bunny
• Hershey’s Kisses
  • Hershey’s Kisses filled with Caramel
  • Hershey’s Kisses with Almond
• Lifesaver hard candies – Original and Pastels
• Lifesaver Eggsortment (including jellybeans, gummies and pops)
• Lifesaver Gummies – Original, and Bunnies and Eggs
• Lindt white and dark chocolate bunnies as well as Lindt Chocolate Carrots did not have any gluten listed in the ingredients, but are at risk of cross-contamination. (See Lindt listing below.)
• Melster Chocolate Flavored Marshmallow Bunnies
• M&M’s — original, peanut, Speck-tacular Eggs, and Bunny Mix
• Mounds Eggs (as found Mar. 2009)
• Nestle’s Nest Eggs (Nestle’s Crunch Nest Eggs are not gluten-free.)
• Nestle’s milk chocolate Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s creamy caramel Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s Butterfinger chocolate Nest Eggs
• Nestle’s Butterfinger Creme Eggs
• Palmer Holiday Candy see their website for gluten-free candy. One of our readers, Kristin, also noted in the comments that she found that the hollow chocolate bunnies that had hard candy eyes and other body parts often stated that they were “processed with wheat.” The ones that were simply chocolate and wrapped in foil didn’t have that statement.
  • Palmer’s Bunny Bites foil-wrapped eggs (includes both soft caramel and peanut butter flavors)
  • Palmer’s Baby Binks hollow milk chocolate bunny
  • Palmer’s Bunnyettes (milk chocolate)
  • Palmer’s Butter Cream Flavored eggs
  • Palmer’s Carrot Patch Pete (solid milk chocolate bunny)
  • Palmer’s Fudge Filled Big Ears (foil-wrapped bunnies with big ears)
  • Palmer’s Hollow Bunnies (milk flavored and milk chocolate flavored)
  • Palmer’s Little Beauty milk chocolate bunny
  • Palmer’s Milk Chocolate Flavored and premium milk chocolate eggs
  • Palmer’s Peanut Butter Filled  chocolate eggs
  • Palmer Poppin’ Rockin’ Egg (hollow egg filled with Pop Rocks)
  • Palmer’s Soft Caramel Cups
  • Palmer’s Super Sports Balls
  • Palmer’s Quax hollow milk flavored candy duck (“The Yummy Ducky”) — Be careful with this one. In one store, this statement was included on the boxes: “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and other tree nuts.” In other stores, this statement was not on the boxes. Made in different facilities?
• Peeps (all shapes and colors) — “Gluten Free”
• Peeps milk chocolate covered marshmallow
• PEZ candy
• Pixy Stix Green Grass (Wonka)
• Giant Pixy Stix (Wonka)
• Pop Rocks in plastic egg
• Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate candy
  • Reese’s Easter Assortment Eggs (including peanut butter eggs, white peanut butter eggs, and miniatures) – This does not include the foil-wrapped mini eggs, which do have gluten.
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup miniatures
  • Reese’s Pieces Pastel Eggs
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs – large and small size, but not the foil-wrapped mini eggs (see Unsafe list below)
  • Reese’s Reester Bunny — large size only, but not the mini-sized (see Unsafe list below)
• Ring pops
• Sixlets
• Skittles eggs and fun-size
• Smarties candy rolls “Contain none of the following: gluten (from wheat, barley, oats and rye), milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, or soybeans.”
• Snickers mini’s
• Sour Patch Bunnies
• Starburst fruit chews – funsize
• Swedish Fish Eggs soft and chewy candy
• Sunny Seed Drops chocolate covered sunflower seeds
• Tootsie Rolls (including midgees and fruit rolls)
• Tootsie Pops
• Wonka Everlasting Gobstopper Eggbreakers
• Wonka Giant Pixy Stix
• Wonka Hoppin’ Nerds
• Wonka Runts Freckled Eggs
• York Peppermint Patties
• Zachary real chocolate Marshmallow Eggs
• Zachary solid milk chocolate Bunnies
• Zipperz Lollipops (as found Mar. 2009)

Unsafe Candy (may contain gluten)

Jelly Beans

• Brach’s Jelly Bird Eggs (includes classic, black, orchard fruit, and premium tiny jelly-bird eggs) — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.”
• Brach’s Hawaiian Punch Jelly Beans — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.”
• Sour Patch Jelly Beans — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, wheat, milk, soy, cashew nuts.”

Other Easter Candy

• Brach’s Chocolate Bunnies — “malt extract” is listed in the ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment that also manufactures products containing peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.”
• Child’s Play Easter Mix — “Packed on equipment that also manufactures products containing peanuts, tree nuts and wheat.” (as found Mar. 2009)
• Chick Feed sunflower seeds “May contain wheat, peanuts, and tree nuts.”
• Ferrero Rocher candy — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Frankford Cookies and Creme Eggs — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Frankford Crispy Eggs (milk chocolate flavored) — “malt extract, milk and soy” listed in ingredients. “Manufactured in a facility that also processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Frankford solid milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Galerie Edible Easter Grass (imported from Germany) — “May contain wheat.” on label
• Hershey’s miniatures — “malt” listed in ingredients. “Allergy Information: May contain wheat.”
• Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme eggs — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Kit Kat Bunny Ears and Kit Kat minis — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Lindt Chocolate — Lindt US website addresses the question of gluten with this note: “Unfortunately, at this time we cannot guarantee that Lindt chocolate is gluten free. Our white and extra dark (70% cocoa and above) chocolate products by nature do not contain barley malt. However, because they run on the same production lines as other products there is a chance of cross contamination.”
• Lindt Lindor Truffles Eggs — “malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Lindt Assorted Chocolates with smooth filling — “barley malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Lindt milk chocolate bunnies (Gold Bunny, wrapped in gold foil) — “barley malt extract” listed in ingredients
• Lindt Bugs & Bees — “wheat and barley malt powder” in the ingredients.
• Lindt mini eggs, mini lamb, lamb, and mini chicks — “barley malt powder” listed in ingredients
• Mayfair Kid’s Play basket stuffers (including Fuit Chews, Teaberry Gumballs, Spout Bubble Log, Atomic Fireballs, Super Bubble bubble gum, Easter Pops, Jawbreakers, Airheads, Lemonhead, and Smarties) — “Packed in a facility that processes peanuts, nuts, milk products, soy protein, wheat, eggs and sesame seeds.”
• Mighty Malts Speckled Malted Milk Eggs — “malted barley and wheat flour” are listed in the ingredients.
• Milky Way minis — “malted barley” in ingredients
• Milky Way Bunnies — surprisingly, no gluten was listed in the ingredients; “Allergy Information: May contain peanuts, tree nuts, egg and wheat.”
• Nestle Butterfinger Egg with pieces in chocolate (this does not include the foil-wrapped eggs or the fun-size butterfingers) — “Made on equipment that also processes nuts and wheat.”
• Nestle Crunch Nest Eggs — “Barley Malt” listed as an ingredient. “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• PAAS eggs — “malt” listed in ingredients
• Palmer Holiday Candy see their website for gluten-free candy. One of our readers, Kristin, also noted in the comments that she found that the hollow chocolate bunnies that had hard candy eyes and other body parts often stated that they were “processed with wheat.” The ones that were simply chocolate and wrapped in foil didn’t have that statement.
  • Palmer’s Double Crisp chocolate candy (including Bunnies, Bunnyettes, Pops, Chick a Dees, Bunny Munny and Eggs) — “barley malt” listed in ingredients
  • Palmer’s Lil’ Crispy chocolate bunny — “malt” listed in ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter, and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s My Little Bunny — “barley malt” listed in ingredients; “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s Cookies ‘n Creme Eggs — “bleached wheat flour” is listed in ingredients. “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter, and tree nuts.”
  • Palmer’s Crispy Peanut Butter flavored eggs — “malt” listed in ingredients.
  • Palmer’s Eggbert Double Crisp — “Barley malt” listed in ingredients.
  • Palmer’s Quax hollow milk flavored candy duck (“The Yummy Ducky”) — Be careful with this one. In one store, this statement was included on the boxes: “Manufactured on equipment which processes wheat, peanut butter and other tree nuts.” In other stores, this statement was not on the boxes. Made in different facilities?
• Peter Rabbit real milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts and wheat.”
• Peter Rabbit hollow milk chocolate bunny — “Manufactured on shared equipment that processes peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, wheat and egg.”
• Reese’s milk chocolate and peanut butter eggs (mini eggs foil-wrapped individually) — “wheat flour” listed in the ingredients
• Reese’s mini-Reester Bunnies — “wheat flour” in ingredients
• Russel Stover chocolate candy — With the exception of the jelly beans, every RS product I looked at had a similar statement of cross-contamination: “Products have been produced on shared equipment with peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and wheat.” Some of their products had additional allergens listed to those above.
• Snickers Eggs — “Allergy Information: May contain tree nuts, egg, and wheat.”
• Snickers Creme Sports Eggs — “Allergy Information: May contain tree nuts, egg, and wheat.”
• SpongeBob Squarepants Eggs plastic egg with sour candy and stickers — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds and wheat.”
• SpongeBob Squarepants gummy Krabby Patties — “Manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts, almonds and wheat.”
• SweetTart Gummy Bunnies (Wonka) — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
• Trolli Gummi Bunnies — “Packaged on equipment that also packages products containing traces of milk, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and/or soy protein.” (as found Mar. 2009)
• Twix — “Wheat Flour” listed in ingredients (as found Mar. 2009)
• Twizzlers candy
  • Twizzlers Tweeters — “wheat” listed as an ingredient (as found Mar. 2009)
  • Twizzlers Rainbow Twists — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
  • Twizted Strawberry Blast pull-n-peel candy — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
  • Twizzlers Strawberry Mini Bars — “wheat” listed as an ingredient
• Whitman’s Sampler — “Allergy Information: Products have been processed on shared equipment with tree nuts and wheat.”
• Whoppers Robin Eggs (includes mini-Robbin Eggs, too) — “barley malt and wheat flour” in ingredients
• Wonka’s eggs — “oat flour” listed as an ingredient; “Made on equipment that also processes peanuts, nuts and wheat.”
• Wonka Easter Nerds Rope — “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”
• Wonka Mix-Ups (including SweeTart chews, Laffy Taffy, SweeTarts, and Nerds) “Made in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.”

.

Notable Links:

• More information about Jelly Belly candy.
• Information on allergen-free Easter candy can be found at Sure Foods Living.
• Gluten Free Is Life also has a list of Easter candy safe for the gluten-free diet.
• Check out the recipe for making Chocolate Eggs in a Cookie Basket.
• More gluten-free candy lists for Halloween Candy and Valentine Candy.