A Celiac's Favorite 13 Gluten Free Candy and Sweets for Valentine's Day

I received free samples of some of the gluten free candy and sweets listed below (Munk Pack, Welch's Fruit Snacks and products from the Lovely Candy Company). However, all views and opinions are my own - and I only feature products I really love!

Now that February is officially only a few days away, Valentine's Day finally seems close enough to talk about a true love that many of us actually share: the love of sweets, treats and candy, of course! To be honest, I'm picky when it comes to dessert. In fact, most nights, I'd honestly prefer a big batch of my homemade vegan granola over a scoop of ice cream. In the four+ years since my celiac diagnosis, though, I've gotten to taste a fair share of tasty gluten free desserts. And while I often enjoy baking my own gluten free treats, sometimes a girl just likes having some chocolate chip cookies or gluten free candy easily on hand.

So, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share 13 of my favorite gluten free candy, vegan dessert ideas and everything in between!

Whether you are looking for a gluten free cookie that's free of the top eight allergens, want a paleo dessert that's just as delicious as it is primal-friendly or want to expand your vegan candy options, this gluten free candy round up will have you drooling... and ready to enjoy one extra sweet gluten free Valentine's Day.

1. Enjoy Life Foods Cookies and Protein Bites

When people ask me for an easy gluten free dessert that everyone will love, I often point them in the direction of Enjoy Life Foods. All of Enjoy Life Foods' products are free of gluten and 14 common allergens, but you'd never guess it. Enjoy Life Foods offer two kinds of cookies - crunchy and soft baked - and I'm personally partial to the crunchy side, which taste especially delicious when sprinkled on smoothie bowls or yogurt parfaits. If you want a secretly healthy dessert, I'd also suggest reaching into a bag of Enjoy Life's protein bites. These are similar to my homemade protein balls, and come in flavors like Sunseed Butter, Cinnamon Spice and Cranberry Orange. Traditional truffles ain't got anything on these healthier bliss balls!

2. Snackin' Free Paleo Graham Crackers

Craving a paleo dessert for Valentine's Day (or any other day of the year, of course)? Then you'll love Snackin' Free, a California-based paleo cafe. All of their foods are free of gluten, grains, dairy, soy and peanuts, and they also offer several vegan desserts and savory treats. I got the chance to try Snackin' Free a few years ago, and was blown away by how good their paleo products were, from grain free breads to paleo granola. My favorite paleo treat from Snackin' Free, though, would have to be their graham crackers. Crunchy, lightly sweetened but not sugary and delicious eaten alone, as mini s'mores or as toppings on smoothie bowls or yogurt. You could say that I fell in love at first bite.

3. Kalot Superfood Fruit and Cashew Butter

Okay, maybe this nut butter isn't technically a candy or a "sweet," but it is one of the tastiest dessert-flavored nut butters I've ever tasted. I've tried both the chocolate version (made with Chocolate Chips and Chia Seeds) and the white chocolate version (made with white chocolate, strawberries and chia seeds) of this cashew butter, and I was surprised to prefer the white chocolate flavor. However, both are equally creamy, dreamy and surprisingly healthy (featuring ingredients like cashews, dates, coconut oil and cacao butter). I've found these nut butters at my local Whole Foods Market and on Amazon. If you're significant other is a nut butter fanatic and hasn't tried this, well, your Valentine's Day gift shopping just got a lot easier!

4. Lovely Candy Company Licorice and Honey Truffles 

Wondering what candy is gluten free? Two gluten free candy options are these goodies from the Lovely Candy Company! Although I'm not usually a huge candy person (shocking, I know), I couldn't turn down samples from the Lovely Candy Company after I saw that all of their candy is gluten free, kosher, and free of artificial flavors, colors and trans fats. Of the products I tried, their gluten free strawberry licorice was my number one favorite. I especially love that their vegan licorice is free of high fructose corn syrup, and that it is's chewy without sticking to your teeth and is sweet without tasting fake or sugary.

If you're looking for gluten free chocolate that everyone will love, though, you'll love my second favorite candy that I tried: Lovely Candy Company's Dark Chocolate Honey Truffles! The chocolate coating is rich and bitter, which pairs well with the sweet honey filling. As a bonus, these truffles only contain two simple ingredients (honey and chocolate liquor). Chocoholics rejoice!

5. So Delicious Cashew Milk Ice Cream

I've shared my love for So Delicious's cashew milk ice cream line before, but no gluten free dessert round up would be complete without mentioning them! So Delicious also offers coconut milk ice cream, but I think their vegan ice cream flavors made with cashew milk are even tastier. My favorite flavor is the Salted Caramel Cluster ('cause, I mean, what could be better than creamy vegan ice cream + salty clusters of caramel?!?), but their vegan vanilla ice cream is the perfect pairing for cookies or cake.

6. The Good Scone Cupcakes and Cookies

If you looked in my parent's pantry, you'd think we live off of the Good Scone's Vanilla Cake Mix...and you wouldn't be totally wrong. The Good Scone's cake mixes can be baked into a variety of gluten free and vegan desserts from cakes (of course), cupcakes and (my mom's favorite) cookies. In fact, we've whipped up gluten free sugar cookies using The Good Scone's cake mix for the past two Christmases, and even the gluten-eaters in our family dove right in. (As an FYI, I was an ambassador for The Good Scone back in 2016, but this review is as unbiased as a gluten free cookie lover can write it!).

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "Make your #ValentinesDay extra sweet with some of this #college #celiac's fave 13 #glutenfree (+ several #vegan & #paleo) candy and sweets! A sugar high has never been so #allergyfriendly - or delicious! http://bit.ly/2Gp2FgX"

7. Welch Fruit Snacks and Fruit Rolls

Another gluten free candy I've recently fallen in love with are Welch's Fruit Snacks and Fruit Rolls. When I'm craving something chewy but a little sweeter than my regular dried fruit, I've been reaching for either of these gluten free candies from Welch's. Both are gluten free, fat free and free of preservatives, and, in my opinion, the more fruity flavors are available to choose from, the better! These gluten free candy options are more sugary than some of the other gluten free desserts on this list, but these fruit snacks always make me smile and think of my childhood after-school treats.

8. Sejoyia Coco-roons

OMG. There are almost no words to explain how delicious these secretly healthy desserts actually taste. These superfood cookies are gluten free, vegan, paleo, organic and non-GMO thanks to a mix of ingredients like dried coconut, cashew flour, coconut nectar and maple syrup. So far, I've tried two of Coco-roon's many flavors (I was lucky enough to win some Coco-roons in an Instagram giveaway!), and Salted Caramel is my favorite. These paleo cookies are soft enough to crumble on your tongue and only taste lightly sweetened. If you're not a fan of coconut, these gluten free cookies might not be the right dessert for you since the coconut flavor is pretty prominent. If your taste buds are anything like mine, though, prepare to meet your new favorite cookies.

9. Pamela's Products Chocolate Cake

One of the first gluten free desserts that I made and my family liked was the chocolate cake from a Pamela's products mix...and, almost five years later, everyone (including my gluten-eating dad and sis) still requests the same cake for special occasions. Pamela's chocolate cake is rich, moist and deliciously fudgy, and you can bake it as a vegan cake as well. Usually we use Pamela's chocolate frosting mix, but this last Christmas, we used Pamela's salted caramel frosting mix instead. Let's just say that the cake didn't last long - and I ate my fair share of it, which is unusual for me!

10 Munk Pack Protein Cookies

Gluten free cookies just got upgrade! Thanks to ingredients like brown rice protein and gluten free oat flour and fiber, these thick gluten free cookies are packed with 18 grams of vegan protein and 6 grams of fiber. My favorite flavor is Coconut White Chip Macadamia. There's something magical about combining a soft, fluffy cookie with crunchy coconut flakes and vegan white chocolate chips. (Drooling yet? I know I am!)

11. Canyon Bakehouse Brownies Bites

If you need to eat a gluten free diet, you've probably stumbled upon the gluten free goodness that is Canyon Bakehouse (and if you haven't, you need to fix that ASAP). As delicious as their gluten free bread is, though, their brownie bites will always have a special place in my family's heart (and our stomachs!) Crunchy on top, chewy in the inside and packed with chocolate...what more could you want from a gluten free dessert?

12. Pascha Chocolate

You know that a gluten free chocolate is good when I eat it straight from the bag and not in my granola or baked goods like usual...and Pascha's new rice milk chocolate is that kind of good. Over Christmas break, mom and I whipped up five mini loafs of pumpkin bread (using this awesome gluten free and vegan pumpkin bread recipe) and topped them with Pascha's dark chocolate and white chocolate chips. Considering the fact that we devoured all five loafs in a little over a week, I'd say that this gluten free and vegan chocolate is a definite winner.

Like this post? Then tweet me some love by clicking here: "Make your #ValentinesDay extra sweet with some of this #college #celiac's fave 13 #glutenfree (+ several #vegan & #paleo) candy and sweets! A sugar high has never been so #allergyfriendly - or delicious! http://bit.ly/2Gp2FgX"

13. Cappello's Paleo Cookies

Would you believe that I'd never tasted gingersnap cookies until last Christmas? And I have Capello's to thank for making me addicted! Capello's offers a variety of paleo cookies, pasta and pizza, but so far, their paleo chocolate chip cookies and gingersnaps are my favorite. I mean, what's more heavenly than finding a paleo and vegan cookie that you can bake and devour in 20 minutes or less?

There's no bad day to enjoy a bar of gluten free chocolate or a decadent vegan dessert, but there's also no better time to show yourself some sweet love than Valentine's Day! Whether you're looking for a sweet paleo dessert for your partner in crime or allergy friendly candy that every child can enjoy, this gluten free candy round up hopefully pushed you in the right direction.

Now for the hard part: deciding which sweet treat to try first!

*I received free samples of Munk Pack, Welch's Fruit Snacks and products from the Lovely Candy Company in return for editorial consideration. However, all views, opinions and photographs are my own. Thank you for supporting what supports Casey the College Celiac!*



What's your favorite kind of candy? Any Valentine's Day plans?