Top 5 Brands of Gluten Free Candy

As awareness of food allergies and celiac disease grows, so do options for finding and enjoying candy that is gluten free. While gluten free candy was once a niche industry, major players in the candy market have stepped to the plate with a broad menu of treats for those who must avoid wheat. The following brands represent a combination of quality and product diversity that will satisfy the vast majority of palettes.

First on our list is the venerable See's candy. See's offering of gluten free candy is so broad that they actually call out those items that do contain gluten. In other words, the selection of candy not available to those avoiding gluten is quite small. All of See's allergen information is accessible via a link at the bottom of their website.

Next up is Nestle. While not quite as genteel as See's, Nestle does offer up several commercial favorites, and many do not contain gluten. The company identifies products that are gluten free, but also cautions consumers to read the ingredient list and warns that recipes can be changed. That being said, Baby Ruth, Butterfinger, and Bottlecaps are all in the gluten free category.

Pamela's Products is next on the list with a dedicated product line of gluten free treats. While Pamela's offerings are more on the baking side of sweets, their variety of cookies and mini-cookies fit well in a Halloween mix. This is a niche company that focuses on natural ingredients and wheat free products.

For hard candy, GoNaturally provides popular flavors of organic, gluten free treats. These candies are made by hand in Amish country and represent the best of "old fashion" treats enjoyed by previous generations. The ingredients used are local and all natural.

The final brand is market giant Jelly Belly. All products offered by the company are gluten free and representative as safe for those with celiac disease. Though the main product line consists of jelly beans, the variety of flavors is seemingly endless and the consumer is spared from reviewing product labels.

Working with the five brands above, any household can have a tempting and tasty gluten free candy bowl. If these products cannot be found at a local store, they can be easily located online. Gluten free certainly does not mean giving up the treats.

Lapid, Nancy, "Gluten Free Candies", About.com
"See's Allergen Information", See's Candies