If you enjoy baking or even making your own candy, you’re probably familiar with the little discs known as candy melts.
The most ubiquitous brand of this confection is made by Wilton Industries, which notes that they come in many colors and flavors and are designed for melting and coating treats from cake pops to pretzels. But are candy melts vegan?
Candy melts, unfortunately, are typically not suitable for a vegan diet. This is because the majority of candy melts contain dairy ingredients such as milk solids, which are extracted from cow’s milk.
Although candy melts aren’t pure chocolate, they are available in a chocolate flavor. This chocolate-flavored variant usually includes ingredients like cream powder, whey powder, and lactose, all of which are derived from dairy.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at the ingredients in the most common candy melt brands as well as explore vegan options for those who want to do some creative baking with candy melts.
Why Are Candy Melts Not Vegan?
We’ve been fooled into thinking candy melts aren’t made from animal products on more than one occasion simply by seeing them piled up in craft stores like Michael’s.
The typical list of candy melts ingredients includes sugar, milk solids, hydrogenated vegetable oil, flavorings, and colorings.
Each plays its part, from sweetness and texture to color and shine. However, while milk solids are the main issue for vegans, that’s not the only issue.
If you really want to get technical, some refined sugars are bleached using bone char – the charred skeletal remains of animals. Of course, not all sugar is processed this way, but it’s something to be aware of for those diligently committed to a 100% vegan diet.
The comments section of a Wilton’s blog post reveals that the company “can’t guarantee that refined sugars were not processed with Bone Char.”
In addition, a company representative noted that “Some products may be at risk of cross-contamination with animal products processed on the same equipment or in the same facility.”
Although to be honest, it’s quite normal for vegans to still consume products that may have been produced in such facilities.
What Can Vegans Use Instead of Candy Melts?
Candy melts are a great coating for desserts, and there are some vegan substitutes.
However, many of these contain chocolate and are normally not vegan due to the presence of dairy. But don’t lose hope if you want to get creative in the kitchen with melted confections!
Gefen Wonder Melts, Leiber’s Colored Decorating Bars, vegan white chocolate (such as the Enjoy Life brand), and custom vegan royal icing without eggs are all potential stand-ins for candy melts.
The latter involves finding vegan powdered sugar as well as aquafaba – the liquid that comes with a can of chickpeas. Alternatives may not always be as easy to melt or come in as many colors, but they also don’t make you compromise your values.
If you’re motivated to melt some confections and drizzle your desserts with them, the extra effort will pay off in the end when you have a delicious guilt-free dessert.
Vegan Candy Melts
Finally, with the rising popularity of the vegan diet and new taxes placed on animal-derived products in some areas of the world, it appears that companies are increasingly willing to make vegan versions of their products, which can have a significant environmental impact.
In fact, vegan candy melts and even vegan chocolate may already be on the shelf at your grocery store. And while in many places they are clearly labeled as vegan, labeling standards can vary by region, so it’s good practice to read the ingredients if you are strictly adhering to a vegan diet.
They might cost a bit more, but the expansion of vegan alternatives makes it easier for those interested in adopting a vegan lifestyle to do so without feeling like they are missing out.
Any vegan candy melt or vegan substitute will not only be dairy-free, but it will use alternative sugars (such as coconut sugar) that do not require bone char for processing. Bone char is often used to decolorize cane sugar, so not all sugars are processed this way. Choosing products with sugars sourced from bone char-free processes ensures adherence to vegan standards.
Vegan candy melts use non-dairy alternatives instead of milk solids, ensuring that their sugar is sourced from bone char-free processes. While availability may vary, and prices can be slightly higher due to the sourcing of specialty ingredients, they are a testament to the evolving confectionery world – where taste and ethics can coexist.
Summary
While conventional candy melts aren’t vegan-friendly, the growing availability of vegan candy melts and other alternatives is starting to make sustainable and ethical products easier to find.
Remember, a vegan diet doesn’t mean you have to abandon indulgence. Rather, it’s about finding delicious, sustainable alternatives that align with your values – and over time, that gets easier!
