Are Smarties Vegan?
Smarties are vegan-friendly, so long as you don’t eat any of them with a dairy product on top. It’s easy to miss that the sweet-filled jelly beans have a dairy ingredient in them.
However, if you’re concerned about dairy, you can check the ingredient label for questionable ingredients.
What is Smarties?
Smarties chocolate candy has always been associated with Halloween. They come in various flavours such as orange, cherry, lemon, lime, grape, strawberry, and raspberry. The original version was created in 1937, and Mars Incorporated now owns them.
The website of the smarties candy company states: “Smarties were first made in 1937 by the Hershey Company. In 1939, they introduced their new ‘Lemon’ flavour. Since then, there have been many different flavours, including Orange, Cherry, Grape, Strawberry, Lemon.
They are often found at parties or during trick-or-treating. In addition to being delicious, they also contain no artificial ingredients and are gluten-free.
However, some people believe that Smarties ingredients are not allowed in a vegetarian diet because they contain dairy-derived ingredients.
This myth started in the 1970s when Nestlé changed their recipe from powdered milk to condensed milk. Many people believed this meant Nestle added animal ingredients into their candy bars.
This is simply untrue. Condensed milk is made up of lactose (milk sugar) and water. Lactose is naturally occurring in cow’s milk, but it does not mean that any other animal-sourced ingredients are used to make the candy.
Are Smarties Candy Rolls Vegan?
Yes! These sweet candy rolls are vegan candy! They are made without any animal-based products and are therefore completely vegan.
Also, they do not contain any gelatin either. That is because gelatin is collagen derived from animals.
Hence, we can say that these sweets are 100% vegan.
Which candies are vegan?
There are several types of candies that are vegan-friendly. Some examples include:
• Jelly Beans – Jelly beans are made up of corn syrup, glucose, natural flavouring, citric acid, and colourings. Hence, they are considered to be vegan-friendly products.
• Lollipops – Lollipop candies are usually made out of corn syrup, dextrose, sucralose, sorbitol, and artificial colours. Therefore, these candies are also vegan products. Also, they do not contain gelatin.
• Gum Drops – Gumdrops are gum arabic, starch, glycerin, food colouring, and propylene glycol. Hence, they are safe for vegans too.
• Hard Candies are made up of sugar, corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, natural flavours and artificial flavours, and dyes. Hence, they are also safe for vegans. In addition, they do not contain gelatine.
How to make vegan hard candies?
If you have a sweet tooth and are craving vegan diet candy, making your hard candies without animal products is the perfect solution. Here are two recipes for you to try:
- Chocolate Candy Recipe
Ingredients
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions
Combine sugar, cocoa powder, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla extract in a large pot. Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed.
Put the mixture on medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the oil slowly while stirring constantly. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Once it has thickened, please remove it from heat.
Let cool before pouring them onto wax paper. Let cool completely before cutting into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
- Fudge Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Mix sugars, baking soda, cream of tartar, and shortening together in a bowl. Add molasses and water and mix well.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low and continue heating until mixture turns golden brown.
Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Mix well. Pour fudge onto parchment or wax paper. Allow cooling completely before cutting into squares.
What else should I know about making candy?
To ensure that your candy is free of gluten, check if it contains any wheat flour. If so, replace it with rice flour.
Chocolate chips can be substituted for chopped nuts, making sure that they are certified gluten-free.
Those who are allergic to peanuts need to look for peanut butter-based candies.
Also, if you have diabetes, you may want to avoid using honey as a sweetener. Instead, use agave nectar or maple syrup.
If you want your candy to last longer, then store it in the refrigerator.
Last Words
Smarties are one of my favourite childhood treats. They are delicious and fun to eat. However, I am glad that many vegan options are now available on the market. Now, I can enjoy this treat whenever I want!
Do you like Smarties? Have you tried making them yourself? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
