Reese's peanut butter cups are a popular candy, especially around Halloween. But are Reese's peanut butter cups gluten-free? Here is all you need to know before eating the original Reese's cups and the variety of flavors.
When it comes to finding gluten-free candy, it's not always easy. Thankfully, some companies make flavors that everyone loves that are gluten-free.
Reese's peanut butter cups are an absolute favorite candy in our house. The peanut butter filling inside a creamy chocolate later is just amazing! We love having them around, but are they gluten-free?
Reese also has a variety of seasonal flavors they release, such as the eggs and Christmas trees, which are a favorite too. So, let's delve into the details to find which flavors of Reese are gluten-free and safe to consume!
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The Short Answer - Are Reese's gluten-free?
Most Reese's peanut butter cups are gluten-free, except for the seasonal varieties. Read on to find out which varieties are safe and which ones are not safe to consume.
The company says they have several different varieties of Reese's peanut butter cups that are gluten-free. They also have a "Gluten Free" label on many of their products.
However, it is important to note that they are not certified to be gluten-free by the Gluten Intolerance Group. Hence, if you are celiac, I would suggest staying cautious when eating Reese due to the possibility of cross-contamination.
Ingredients in Reese Peanut Butter Cups
According to Hershey's, the company that makes Reese's peanut butter cups, the original ones have the following ingredients.
Milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, milk fat, lactose, lecithin (soy, PGPR), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, TBHQ, and citric acid.
Based on the above list of ingredients, the Reese Peanut Butter Cups are gluten-free.
Reese Allergy Notes
Reeses's peanut butter cups contain peanuts, milk, and soy, making these not completely a food allergy-friendly candy. They are gluten-free; however, this means Reese's peanut butter cups are not safe for nut-free, dairy-free and soy-free diets.
Peanuts - Reese contains peanut butter in the candy and should not be eaten by anyone with a peanut allergy.
Dairy - All of the varieties of Reese's contain skim milk in the chocolate, making it not dairy-free.
Soy - The chocolate that Reese uses contains soy through soy lecithin.
Which Reese varieties are not gluten-free?
According to Hershey's, the only varieties of Reese's peanut butter cups that are not gluten-free are seasonally shaped items.
- Reese's Easter Peanut Butter Eggs and any
- Reese's Hearts Candy
- Reese's Christmas Trees
- Reese's Pumpkin Halloween Candy
- Plus any more new seasonal shapes, such as Halloween bats, and white ghosts.
- REESE'S TAKE 5 Pretzel, Peanut and Chocolate Candy Bars - These are another Reese candy bar I found is not gluten-free as it contains Enriched Wheat Flour.
But if you get the regular shapes peanut butter cups in your Halloween bucket, they should be gluten-free.
Note: If you find Reese's Easter, Halloween, or holiday milk chocolate and white chocolate varieties of miniature peanut butter cups, these are gluten-free. This includes miniatures found in cardboard-shaped bunnies, hearts, plastic candy bags, and candy canes.
Why Are Seasonal Reese’s Not Gluten-Free?
Although most of the seasonal Reese's don't contain any gluten ingredients, they are made in a facility that produces products containing gluten ingredients, so there is a risk of cross-contamination in the manufacturing process. Hence the seasonal Reese's are not considered gluten-free.
Which Reese's Are Gluten-free?
You might not know this, but there are several different specialty varieties of Reese's that are gluten-free. Here is the complete list from Hershey's website, but I have included the popular ones below:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups + Mini & King Sizes
- Reese's Pieces Candy
- Reese's Nutrageous Candy Bar
- Reese’s White Creme Peanut Butter Cups + Mini sizes
- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with Potato Chips
- Reese's holiday peanut brittle peanut butter cup
- Reese's with Pretzels Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups - YES, the ones with pretzels are actually gluten-free.
- Reese's FAST BREAK Peanut Butter Nougat Candy Bars
- Reese's Franken-Cup Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese's Organic Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Always double-check any variety before eating it to ensure it is gluten-free.
Are Reese's Puffs Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Puffs are not gluten-free because the ingredient and nutrition label has a warning that the cereal may contain wheat ingredients due to cross-contamination.
Conclusion
Reese's peanut butter cups are gluten-free, except for the seasonal varieties. However, they do contain other top allergens such as dairy, nuts, and soy. Always check the labels of any candy you eat to ensure it is safe to consume with any known allergies.
Similar candy
If you can't have peanut butter but want to enjoy something similar to Reese's peanut butter cups, you're in luck. Companies like Free2be make a similar candy called their sunflower butter cups that use sun butter, which is made from sunflower seeds instead of peanuts. You can even find different companies like Justin's that make almond butter cups.
You can even make your own homemade gluten-free peanut butter cups or use your favorite nut or nut-free butter. They are super simple to make and perfect for sharing with loved ones around the holidays.
Which Candy is Gluten-Free?
Wondering about some of your other favorite candies and other ingredients and if they are gluten-free? Check out some of these. If you don't see a product or ingredient you're interested in, feel free to drop a comment below or send me a message. I'll be happy to look into it for you.
Feel free to share this article with friends and family to help more people know how to help keep loved ones gluten-free.
Kathy Linaker says
Nice article....however no mention about sugar & corn syrup which have so many negative health issues. I can't eat gluten, but look for sugar in ingredients first, which saves the trouble of looking for gluten if sugar is included. Stay healthy everyone!