First, let’s look at the key points of an m&m. It’s actually one of the few candies in the wide world of chocolate that can’t be made at home and that’s because of the candy coating (the crunchy shell). Like jelly beans, having the crunchy chocolate shell requires special manufacturing equipment, and it’s not something most individuals are willing to purchase.
So then, what do you do if you have food allergies? You purchase candy from No Whey Chocolate. Also know, they don’t use any animal products and are suitable for those on a vegan diet.
My Top Pick: No Whey Foods
I learned about this amazing company many years ago from a fellow food allergy parent and was shocked to see that they make candy without any of the US top allergens (wheat, milk, egg, soy, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, sesame). They’re also gluten free, sell all vegan products, and ship nationwide. They quite literally tick all the boxes where restricted diets are concerned.
There are some flavors they simply don’t sell such as a peanut m&m like product, but not to worry. They have some options with sunflower seed butter for those who would like sweet treats that remind them of peanut butter. No Whey not only offers these m&m like products, but a variety of sweet treats including chocolate lollipops, chocolate bars, and a selection of snazzy truffles (these make great gifts).
I also want to call out the fact that they sell soy free chocolate and soy free white chocolate products. A lot of dairy-free alternatives contain other major allergens, making it difficult for those who have multiple allergies to find safe sweet treats to enjoy.
If you’d like the dairy free m&m like product (also a vegan m&m like product) you’ll want to purchase the No Whey Foods Choco NoNo’s. They’re free from artificial colors and artificial flavors which is two more points in their favor for anyone keeping score.
If you need holiday candy (and other special occasions), they also have special editions that come out each year. It’s still the same product, but with a different bright color on the crunchy shell. Their Easter product for example has the shells in more pastel tones and they have a Christmas edition that’s red and white. The Valentine’s Day version is also red and white.
No Whey! Foods Choco NoNo’s Ingredients
Vegan Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Rice Syrup Powder, Unsweetened Chocolate, Sunflower Lecithin (Emulsifier), Gum Arabic, Carnauba Wax, Pectin, Spirulina Extract (Color), Fruit and Vegetable Juice (Color) Salt, Natural Vanilla, Natural Flavor
No Whey Chocolate Key Takeaways:
- Vegan Milk Chocolate (no animal byproducts in any of their candies)
- Top 9 Allergen Free Chocolate Candy
- No Artificial Coloring or Artificial Ingredients
- Kosher Pareve
- Made in a Dedicated Top 9 Free Facility (HUGE deal especially if you have a milk allergy or soy allergy)
- Not sold in a wide range of stores, best way to purchase is online. The shipping can feel steep in price if you’re only ordering a few items, so keep an eye out for sales.
Related: Top 9 Allergy Free and Gluten Free Candy (vegan options included)
Creative Ways to Use Dairy Free M&Ms
If you know anything about me, it’s that I’m always trying to push the boundaries of free-from products, and also create experiences for free-from kids and adults that they normally don’t have access to. Here are a few of my projects with notes that feature the No Whey Choco NoNo’s. I hope this inspires you to try to make something fun at home.
Pie Cakes
For this, I baked small chocolate cake rounds, and did a crumb coat on each one. Then, I applied a decent top coating of frosting, then applied the candies before the frosting had time to set (once it sets, nothing will easily adhere to it).
I then used Wilton tip 47 (basket weave tip) to create the piping on the outside to look more like pie crust. I also tinted my white frosting light brown with a little organic ground cinnamon.
Is it a perfect pipe job? Nope. This is one of my creations from my earlier days of piping when I was still getting the hang of things. Who knows, maybe I’ll go back and make these again one day.
Gravity Cake
When my kids were younger I happened to see a cake artist make a gravity cake and instantly thought: I have to figure out how to make something like this one day for my kids with food allergies. It was just so stunning. Well, my day finally came, and this is something chocolate lovers will want to make as well. I’ll warn you though, gravity cake takes a lot more than a pie cake.
First, you’ll need some kind of shapable granola bar or crispy rice product. For those with food allergies, Made Good Foods and Blake’s Seed Based are great companies to look into. You’re also going to need parchment paper and large/thick rods/skewers to hold everything together.
You’ll lay out your parchment paper, then put out all of the bars you’re going to use. Squish them together as best as you can, then shape them into an arc shape. You also need to insert at least two rods into the bottom of your arc.
Next, melt down a lot of chocolate. You’re going to need enough to completely cover the arc. I find that a double boiler is a great way to do this as you can properly temper the chocolate (something professional candy makers do). Whilst the chocolate melts down, prepare all of the candy because once you pour, you have to move. You’ll also want to open a bag of the chocolate no no product, perfectly. This is going to be at the top of your arc to make it look like candy is falling out of the bag.
Now, we coat and decorate. Pour your melted chocolate all over your arc. Every tiny bit needs to be covered. If needed, use a silicone brush to help move things along. Now, whilst the chocolate is still wet, carefully place the choco no no bag on the top. Angle it just right because once the chocolate dries, it’s set. The first gravity cake I ever made, the angle of the bag is off by about 15 degrees and it still bugs me to this day.
Now, place your candies on the arc. Move quick to make sure the adhere nicely. Once the candy is on, use a knife to move any chocolate away from your arc that shouldn’t be there. Doing this now will make removing it later much easier. On an arc I made, I didn’t do this, then I had to carefully cut away thick set chocolate.
Finally, let the arc sit and set. When the chocolate is about half way set, you can move it to the fridge or freezer if you’re impatient and want things to move along. Once it’s set solid, insert it into the top of your cake, then pour more candy on the top of the cake so it looks like there’s candy all over.
Related: want to see more vegan chocolates and vegan candies? Check out this article.
More Dairy Free M&Ms to Choose From
I know this article may seem like an ode to the No Whey brand, and it is a little, but only because of how free-from their products are. They’ve created something so amazing, however, I know some of you will want candies with different m&m flavors like peanut, or perhaps you’re happy to have non-vegan ingredients. No matter the reason, let’s look at similar products that are all dairy free.
YumEarth Choco Yums
YumEarth Choco Yums isn’t a product I can personally gush about because of the shared equipment. My child with a milk allergy is one of the 30% of people who can’t have food made on shared equipment with what they’re allergic to. Unfortunately, YumEarth uses shared lines and thing about candy, especially chocolate, is that you’ll want to avoid shared lines as much as possible if you have a food allergy and can’t tolerate trace amounts. It has to do with residue on the equipment.
Now, for those who can have shared equipment, know that I’ve heard SO much positive feedback about this candy. This is a vegan brand and honestly, I love that so many of their main ingredients are organic (overall as brand, not specifically this product).
Their Chcoco Yums are available year round in the regular flavor, and you can also get special editions for Easter, Valentine’s Day, and other major holidays. One product I really want to point out though isn’t this candy, it’s their Gingerbread House!! They offer a limited holiday run and it comes with all the free-from and vegan candy you’ll need to make a stunning treat.
Back to the dairy free M&Ms: Whilst some of their products are certified gluten-free, this isn’t one of them. It could be that they will be in the future, so be sure to check their website if this is a concern for you. Additionally, most of their products are organic as well (this product isn’t one of their fully organic options but does have a few organic ingredients).
YumEarth Choco Yums Chocolate Candies Ingredients
semi-sweet chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, and vanilla extract), cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic powdered sugar, organic acacia gum, organic spirulina (color), colored with concentrate (carrot, radish, blackcurrant, sweet potato), organic turmeric extract (color), corn protein, organic carnauba wax.
YumEarth Choco Yums Key Takeaways:
- They Use Fair Trade Chocolate
- No Artificial Food Dye or High Fructose Corn Syrup
- No Animal By-Product Used (suitable for a vegan diet)
- Shared Equipment with Major Allergens
- Sold in a lot of grocery sores, including Whole Foods.
- They offer holiday multi-pack bags where you get the mini size bags for sharing, think Valentine’s Day.
Delicious Vegan Desserts Featuring Candy
- Chocolate Peppermint No Nos Cookies (No Whey has a peppermint version of the m&m-like candy)
- Homemade Candy Bar Recipe (Gluten Free, Egg Free, Dairy Free, Top 9 Free, Vegan)
- Candy Cookie Bars (this uses the No Whey Choco NoNo’s)
- “Peanut Butter” Blossoms (No Whey now has a faux Hershey’s Kiss called Smooches and I’ve made several cookie flavours with them)
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UNREAL Chocolates
This is another great brand to look into if you can tolerate foods made on shared equipment with dairy products and anything else you may be allergic to. Die to the ingredients in some of their products, as well as the shared equipment, this is another brand I won’t be able to tell you much about from a personal take. One of my kids has had a few bites of their products and didn’t LOVE them, but that’s just one person.
UNREAL offers quite a few chocolate candy products, including a dairy free m&m like product. Whilst it is made on shared equipment with milk, it has the big bonus (in my opinion) of being a mostly organic product. In this day and age, that’s something I can appreciate so much.
UNREAL Dark Chocolate Quinoa Gems Ingredient List
dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, cane sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla), organic cane sugar, organic quinoa crisp, gum acacia, colored with (beetroot juice, spirulina extract), organic tapioca syrup, carnauba wax.
Made on shared equipment with milk chocolate.
UNREAL Dark Chocolate Peanut Gems Ingredient List
Dark Chocolate (Chocolate Liquor, Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Vanilla), Roasted Peanuts (Peanuts, Peanut Oil), Organic Cane Sugar, Gum Acacia, Colored With (Beet Juice, Spirulina Extract), Organic Tapioca Syrup, Carnauba Wax.
Contains: Peanuts. Made on shared equipment with milk chocolate.
Justin’s
This is a great brand for those who want organic ingredients, fair trade chocolate, and overall less sweet candies (they also have snack products). In fact, Justin’s is one of my go to brands for candy for my child who requires an organic diet for medical reasons. Said child LOVES all of the products from Justin’s, especially the dark chocolate almond cups and the white chocolate version as well.
If you can tolerate food made on shared equipment with milk and other major allergens, Justin’s is seriously at the top of my list. Not only my kiddo enjoy the products, but I have several organic eating friends (without food allergies) who enjoy this brand as well.
Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Pieces Ingredients
Organic Peanut Butter Coating (Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Kernel Oil, Organic Peanut Flour, Organic Peanut Butter [Organic Ground Peanuts], Organic Rice Starch, Sea Salt, Organic Soy Lecithin), Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Cacao Beans, Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Sunflower Lecithin [Emulsifier]), Organic Cane Sugar, Color Added (Organic Carrot, Organic Turmeric, Organic Spirulina, Organic Blackcurrant), Water, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Rice Starch, Organic Tapioca Maltodextrin, Organic Carnauba Wax, Citric Acid. (Organic, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, Responsibly Sourced, Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa)
Contains: Peanuts, Soy. Produced on equipment that also processes Tree Nuts, Eggs, Milk, and Wheat.
Justin’s Key Takeaways:
- Organic is at the Forefront of Their Ingredients
- They Use Fair Trade Chocolate and Orangutan Friendly Palm Oil
- Certified Organic and Certified Gluten Free
- No Artificial Food Dye or Artificial Ingredients
- Suitable for a Vegan Diet (or vegetarian)
- Shared Equipment with Major Allergens
- Sold in a lot of grocery sores, including Whole Foods.
Related: Oreo Cookie Cousins (better than the original Oreo, and GF + V + Top 9 Free)
Answering Your Questions About Dairy Free M&Ms
Does the m&m company sell a vegan m&m?
At this time of this publishing, no, the m&m company doesn’t sell a vegan m&m product. I’m sure their parent company has plans for one in the future though because several big name US candy products now have a vegan option. There’s a vegan Kit-Kat as well as a vegan Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, and some brands are getting gluten free certified as well.
Whilst I can’t vouch for the equipment or facility, for those who follow a vegan diet by choice or can tolerate shared equipment with major allergens, there are some very cool products available.
Do you know of an allergy friendly Swedish Fish product?
Check out Smart Sweets (Sweet Fish), and Surf Sweets (DelishFish). My kids have had both and whilst they enjoyed them, they’re not huge fans of that type of candy in general, so I can’t tell you if these are totally awesome or just OK products.
Are the Little Secrets m&ms dairy free?
The coated chocolate candies that Little Secrets makes is not dairy free. In fact, they contain a lot of major allergens. Their brand, in my opinion, is a great option for those who are looking for a more organic peanut butter m&m type product, as well as other candies.
I have purchased the Little Secrets brand for my child without food allergies, and they seem to really like the dark chocolate nougat bars a lot.
Can these candies be stored at room temperature?
Depending on where you live and the current season, yes, these candies can be stored at room temperature. What I’ve personally found is that storing them in the fridge is the easier way to go in summer months. Whilst our summers aren’t insanely hot, there was a little melting happening on super hot days. Usually in June, if there’s any candy in the house, I pop it all in the fridge for the kids and no one seems to mind.
If you have hot summers, store candy in the fridge during the summer. If you live in a location that’s pretty warm year round, for best results, I’d store chocolate candy in the fridge al the time, but that’s just me.
Are any of the dairy free m&ms also egg free?
Great news! All of the brands I shared in this article are also egg free options. Anytime you see the term “vegan”, that indicates no milk (or dairy products), no eggs, no honey, no bone char, and no other animal products.
Are these options free from gelatin?
Yes, these vegan confectionery treats are all free from animal based gelatin. Anytime you see the term vegan or plant-based, this will indicate there isn’t any gelatin. However, there can be ingredients such as agar to take place of the gelatin when making free-from treats.
Are dairy free chocolates also lactose-free?
Yes, when you see the term dairy free on packaging (or websites/product info), that means there aren’t any milk products in the ingredients, thus making it lactose-free as well. Terms such as non-dairy and plant-based also indicate milk free, and therefore lactose-free.
Are these candies a good replacement for m&ms in baking?
Absolutely. Now, I’ve never actually baked with m&ms, so you may want to ask someone without a milk allergy to do a taste test for you, but in my experience, the No Whey No Nos are a great substitute in baking. I’ve used them mainly for cookies though. I haven’t had any melting issues, however, I bake cookies at 325f/160c. I’m not sure what would happen at a higher temperature, or for more than 18 – 20 minutes.
Do these products taste good even though there’s no milkfat?
I’ve asked my taste testers to try a lot of these products and they’ve assured me that yes, even without milkfat, the dairy free versions taste good. Free-from foods have come a long way in the past 20 years, and the best part is that we’re now living in a time where the free-from items taste just as good as the originals. Different, but just as tasty (it wasn’t always this way).
As long as you manage your expectations and don’t expect the exact same taste, I think you’ll be happy. The candies have that satisfying crispy m&m exterior with a pop of indulgence in the middle.
