From creators.yahoo.com
By Robin Raven
From chocolate chip swaps to tangerine pumpkins, three vegan authors shared the easy tricks (and store-bought finds) that make Halloween sweet for everyone
Vegan Halloween treats don't mean giving up the sugar rush. With a few swaps, nearly any Halloween favourite can be made vegan, whether it's for trick-or-treaters, a party spread, or a bowl of something sweet during a scary movie. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means more parties and more reasons to have a plan.
Marla Rose, author of Fun, Festive and Fabulous: Vegan Holidays for Everyone, told me, "The joy of celebrating Halloween or any other special occasion isn't diminished as a vegan; it's only amplified. With just some simple swaps, it's not only possible to create all the fun you remember from holidays past but easy and delicious."
Start with simple ingredient swaps like vegan chocolate chips
It's easy to make treats like pumpkin muffins with oats, dry cranberry and pecan nuts, without any animal-based ingredients.
(Elena Veselova / Shutterstock)Many popular Halloween recipes are already almost vegan. Rose suggested starting with a simple swap, like using vegan chocolate chips in a recipe that calls for traditional ones. The texture and baking behaviour of vegan chocolate chips should be the same as any other chocolate chips, so the rest of the recipe doesn't need to change. Enjoy Life and Simple Truth Organic are just two of the brands that make vegan chocolate chips.
The same logic applies to other pantry staples. A flax egg in place of a chicken egg or vegan butter in place of dairy butter works in most cookie, brownie, and bar recipes without any other adjustments.
Turn fruit into tangerine pumpkins, banana ghosts, and Frankenstein cups
Halloween cute pumpkin orange fruit with gummy candy stem that also works with celery as the top stem for the healthiest option.
(Stephanie Frey / Shutterstock)"One healthy vegan option is to gently peel tangerines, leaving them whole, and place a tiny stick of celery in the middle so it looks like a cute little pumpkin!" said Jackie Day, author of The Vegan Way, a bestselling guide to going vegan.
Halved bananas with chocolate chip "ghost eyes" are a Halloween snack kids can assemble themselves, and they're vegan without any substitutions.
(Shah Gardazi / Shutterstock)Bananas work just as well. Halve peeled bananas and set each piece with the curved side facing up, then press two raisins or chocolate chips into each one as "ghost eyes." The result is a fruit ghost that's far from spooky.
For a Frankenstein fruit cup, fill a small clear cup with green grapes and tuck in a few berries as the eyes and nose. Alternatively, layer orange slices, cantaloupe, and blackberries in a cup for a fruit salad in Halloween colours. Kids probably won't notice that these snacks are healthier than candy, and they're just as fun to serve to adults at a party. There's no age limit on cute fruit.
Swap dairy for oat milk or another plant-based milk
Oat milk replaces dairy milk cup for cup in most baking recipes and in a pumpkin spice latte, and most guests won't notice the swap.
(Nata Bene / Shutterstock)Oat milk is one of the most popular plant-based milks, and it can replace dairy milk cup for cup in most recipes. That's good news for vegans, and anyone who is lactose intolerant will appreciate it, too. Better yet, the non-vegans in the group probably won't notice the substitution. Oat milk is delicious in a pumpkin spice latte or in any cookie or cake recipe that calls for milk. Other plant-based milks to consider include coconut, almond, flax, hemp, and walnut milk.
Stock up on Halloween candy that's already vegan
Colourful skittles candies close up.
(Au_Cr / Shutterstock.com)Finding Halloween candy that's already vegan isn't difficult. Jasmin Singer, author of The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan and the memoir Always Too Much and Never Enough, said, "It's not hard finding vegan Halloween candy. VegNews offers a comprehensive vegan Halloween candy guide for those who are curious." The guide is updated every year, and the 2026 edition is already out.
Package of plant-based vegan Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
(melissamn / Shutterstock.com)Accidentally vegan candies that are easy to find at any drugstore include Red Vines, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Twizzlers, Dots, and Airheads. For a candy bar fix, Go Max Go makes vegan versions of the classics, and brands like No Whey! Foods, Unreal, and YumEarth sell Halloween-sized bags. Even Hershey's and Reese's now offer plant-based versions of their best sellers.
As always, check the label: gelatine, milk, carmine, and confectioner's glaze are the usual non-vegan ingredients hiding in candy. Recipes also change, and the same brand can use different ingredients in different countries, so this list reflects U.S. products as of VegNews's 2026 guide. Some vegans avoid sugar processed with bone char, which labels don't disclose; if that's a concern, check with the manufacturer before buying in bulk.
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