Halloween treat bowls are full of sweets that look vegan and aren't — gelatine, beeswax glaze and cochineal hide in most "fruit" ranges, and reading every wrapper at the supermarket at 9pm on 31 October isn't realistic. This guide ranks the vegan sweets actually worth buying for Halloween 2026, plus the ones that trip people up every year.
- Haribo Vegan Mix and M&S Vegan Percy Pigs are the two easiest wins for Halloween 2026 - buy both.
- Original UK Skittles and Starburst have been gelatine-free since 2010 and 2019 respectively, making them safe grab-bag fillers.
- Skip standard Haribo Starmix and Maoam Stripes - both still rely on gelatine or beeswax glaze in 2026.
- Swizzels' Drumstick Squashies, Parma Violets and Refreshers cover nut-free, allergy-friendly vegan sweets for trick-or-treat bags.
Why this matters
Vegan sweets are one of those categories where the label lies by omission. Gelatine (rendered from pork or beef bone) turns up in most gummy and chewy sweets, beeswax glaze coats a lot of "shiny" jellies, and cochineal — crushed insects — still shows up as a red colouring in some cheaper Halloween multipacks. None of that gets flagged on the front of the bag.
There's a second problem specific to Halloween: individually wrapped mini sweets generate a disproportionate amount of plastic for the size of the treat. A single multipack of 30 mini sweets can mean 30 separate wrappers in the bin by midnight. If you're already checking ingredient lists for vegan sweets, it's worth also looking at vegan sweets for kids' lunchboxes for everyday swaps that create less waste year-round, not just at Halloween.
How this list was ranked
Each sweet here was checked against its published ingredient list for the usual non-vegan flags: gelatine, beeswax glaze, carmine/cochineal, and milk-derived glazing agents. Availability across major UK supermarkets going into Halloween 2026 mattered too — a technically vegan sweet nobody stocks isn't useful for filling a bowl on the night. Sweets that show up in most UK supermarkets and have a clear, brand-confirmed vegan status rank highest.
The ranked list
Haribo Vegan Mix — the mainstream pick
Haribo launched a dedicated Vegan Mix in the UK in 2021, replacing gelatine with fruit pectin across the whole bag. It looks and chews close enough to the original Starmix that most trick-or-treaters won't notice the difference, and it's now stocked in most major supermarkets in the standard sharing-bag format.
This is the one to grab if you want a single bag that solves the whole bowl. Verdict: Buy.
M&S Vegan Percy Pigs — the nostalgia swap
M&S introduced a vegan version of Percy Pigs in 2019, dropping the gelatine and beeswax glaze that the original range still uses. The vegan version is sold as a clearly labelled separate line, so there's no guesswork at the shelf.
It's slightly pricier than own-brand alternatives but it's the closest vegan sweet to a genuine nostalgia hit for adults handing out treats. Verdict: Buy.
Original UK Skittles — the safe default
Skittles removed gelatine from the UK recipe back in 2010, and the original fruit flavour has stayed vegan since. It's one of the few sweets you can buy in almost any corner shop on 31 October without checking the label twice.
Stick to the original fruit variety — some limited-edition Skittles flavours have used different formulations, so check the pack if you're buying anything outside the standard bag. Verdict: Buy.
Original UK Starburst — the chewy backup
Starburst reformulated its UK recipe to remove gelatine in 2019, making the original fruit chews vegan. It's a good backup to Skittles if you want variety in texture across the bowl rather than two fruit-chew sweets that taste similar.
As with Skittles, this applies to the standard original bag — specialty or limited editions aren't guaranteed to match. Verdict: Buy.
Swizzels vegan range — the bulk-bag filler
Swizzels confirms Drumstick Squashies, Parma Violets and Refreshers as vegan and gelatine-free, and all three come in cheap bulk multipacks aimed at exactly this kind of trick-or-treat filling. They're also nut-free, which matters if you're handing sweets to a mixed group of kids with allergies.
They're not the most exciting sweet in the bowl, but they're the most practical for buying in volume. Verdict: Buy.
SmartSweets — the low-sugar wildcard
SmartSweets is a Canadian plant-based brand using stevia instead of most of the sugar, sold in the UK mainly through online vegan and health-food retailers rather than mainstream supermarkets. It's a genuinely different option if you're handing out treats to kids on a lower-sugar diet.
Availability is the catch — it's not a shelf you'll find at the local Tesco, so it needs planning ahead rather than a last-minute top-up. Verdict: Consider.
Standard Haribo Starmix and Maoam Stripes — the trap
Both of these are Halloween multipack regulars, and both still contain gelatine (Starmix) or a beeswax-based glaze (Maoam Stripes) in their standard UK formulations as of 2026. They sit on the same shelf as the vegan alternatives above, which is exactly how they end up in vegan-labelled treat bowls by accident.
If a multipack doesn't say "suitable for vegans" on the front, assume it isn't. Verdict: Skip.
Comparison table
| Sweet | Vegan since | Watch-out ingredient (non-vegan versions) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haribo Vegan Mix | 2021 | Standard Haribo uses gelatine | Buy |
| M&S Vegan Percy Pigs | 2019 | Original Percy Pigs use gelatine + beeswax | Buy |
| Skittles (original UK) | 2010 | Some limited editions differ | Buy |
| Starburst (original UK) | 2019 | Limited editions not guaranteed | Buy |
| Swizzels (Squashies, Parma Violets, Refreshers) | Confirmed by brand | N/A | Buy |
| SmartSweets | Formulated vegan | Limited UK stock | Consider |
| Haribo Starmix / Maoam Stripes | Not vegan | Gelatine / beeswax glaze | Skip |
What to avoid
- Anything without a "suitable for vegans" label on the front of pack — if it's not stated, don't assume the fruit-flavoured chew is automatically gelatine-free.
- Shiny-coated jellies and gummies — the shine is frequently a beeswax or shellac-based glaze, which rules out most non-labelled jelly sweets even when the base gummy itself might be fine.
- Red or pink sweets from smaller or budget brands — cochineal/carmine (crushed insect-based colouring) still turns up in cheaper multipacks more often than premium ones.
Where to buy
- Check the front-of-pack vegan logo first, ingredient list second — the logo is the fastest filter, but always cross-check the ingredient list on anything without one, since labelling rules don't require every product to state it either way.
- Buy mainstream vegan ranges (Haribo Vegan Mix, M&S, Skittles, Starburst) in supermarkets — they're stocked in standard aisles at standard multipack prices going into Halloween 2026.
- Order niche brands like SmartSweets ahead of time — online vegan retailers carry them, but supermarket stock is patchy, so don't leave it until the week of 31 October.
If you're rethinking the whole bowl rather than just the sweets inside it, cutting the plastic wrapping down is worth a look too — zero-waste swaps for eating on the go covers ways to reduce single-use packaging that apply just as well to a treat bowl as a lunchbox.
FAQ
What are the best vegan sweets for Halloween 2026?
Haribo Vegan Mix and M&S Vegan Percy Pigs are the easiest picks for Halloween 2026 because they're widely stocked and clearly labelled. Original Skittles and Starburst back them up as cheap, supermarket-standard fillers.
Are Skittles vegan in the UK?
Yes, original UK Skittles have been vegan since the recipe dropped gelatine in 2010. Limited-edition flavours aren't guaranteed to match, so stick to the standard fruit bag.
Is Haribo Starmix vegan?
No, standard Haribo Starmix still contains gelatine. Haribo's separate Vegan Mix, launched in the UK in 2021, is the gelatine-free alternative to buy instead.
Are Percy Pigs vegan?
The original Percy Pigs are not vegan because they use gelatine and beeswax glaze. M&S sells a separate Vegan Percy Pigs line, introduced in 2019, that removes both.
How much do vegan sweets cost compared to regular sweets?
Mainstream vegan ranges like Haribo Vegan Mix and Skittles sit at roughly the same price as their standard counterparts in UK supermarkets. Niche vegan-only brands like SmartSweets typically cost more due to lower volume and online-only distribution.
Is Starburst vegan in the UK?
Yes, original UK Starburst has been vegan since a 2019 reformulation removed gelatine. As with Skittles, limited editions can differ from the standard bag.
What ingredients should I check for on Halloween sweet labels?
Look out for gelatine, beeswax glaze, shellac, and cochineal or carmine colouring, which are the most common non-vegan ingredients in Halloween sweets. A front-of-pack "suitable for vegans" label is the fastest way to skip the ingredient check entirely.
Where can I buy vegan sweets for trick-or-treating?
Haribo Vegan Mix, M&S Vegan Percy Pigs, Skittles and Starburst are stocked in standard aisles at most UK supermarkets. Niche brands like SmartSweets are mainly available through online vegan or health-food retailers, so order those ahead of Halloween.
One last thing
The sweets aren't the only source of waste in a Halloween bowl — every one of the mainstream vegan options above still comes individually wrapped in plastic, which is the trade-off nobody mentions when a brand markets itself as vegan. Buying fewer, larger-format bags rather than lots of tiny multipacks cuts down on wrapper count without changing what's actually in the sweet.
