Let’s be honest… is there anything better than a sweet treat to elevate parties and special occasions??? If you want a fun and affordable way to provide sugary indulgences, opting for candy is a no-brainer!
But, here’s the tea: not all candies are made equally. A LOT of them contain artificial colors and color additives that aren’t the best for the body… hardddd pass from us. But don’t stress just yet, this doesn’t mean you have to give up candy altogether!
You just need better candy options, baddie! Which is why we’ve done the digging to find them. We’re giving you girls our list of US-made candies that skip out on artificial color, so you can keep enjoying your sweet treats stress-free.
Let’s plunge our hand into that candy bowl and see what we’ll find:
Treat Yourself: 10 Candy Without Artificial Colors Made in USA
First and foremost, we need to talk about what artificial colors even are. This will realllyyy help you understand why you need to avoid candies that contain them! They’re bad news babe, and we’re gonna tell you why.
Are Artificial Colors Safe?
The short answer? Nooope.
If it tells you anything, the Food and Drug Administration has SUPER strict regulations on color additives, requiring them to be pre-approved before they’re even allowed to be used.
Each color has its own associated risks to your body and health, whichhhh is why we recommend avoiding them all.
What Do Artificial Colors Do To The Body?
We’re not the first (or the last) to raise concerns about artificial color being used in candy. The nine artificial dyes approved in the US are likely carcinogenic, cause hypersensitivity, contribute to behavior problems, or lack proper tested.
Those aren’t the only harmful effects artificial colors have on our health: they can increase inflammation, disrupt the immune system, worsen liver health, interfere with digestive enzymes, impact cell development like the list just goes on and on. Red flags alllll around. 🚩
What Candy Does NOT Have Artificial Colors?
Black Forest
It’s time to switch out your food-coloring-filled gummy worms for these USDA organic gummies from Black Forest!
They’re just as juicy and delicious as the gummies you’re used to, but they’re made with actual ingredients and colors. Sooo you still get those bright colors that you know and love, but their color sourcing comes from real plants. Huuuge win.
YumEarth
YumEarth is a GREAT option if you wanna switch to dye-free candy. Want something chewy and sour? Sour littles. Want Skittles but don’t want the artificial dye? Get these Organic Giggles. Did someone say classic fruit chew? Oh, you prob meant Organic Chewys.
Okay, okay… you get the gist! The point is, their candies are free from artificial dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and most common allergens. They’re your one-stop-shop!
Unreal Candy
Believe it or not, the best thing about Unreal Candy isn’t that they have dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and peanut options it’s their promise to never use artificial colors or dyes!
That’s right, both of their chocolate-filled treats have a hard outer shell that’s colored by veggies, and veggies alone. They also use sustainable ingredients, which we’re HUGE fans of. 10/10 choice.
Mollycoddled Hash Slinger
You may not typically think of candy floss (or, cotton candy), as a delectable sweet treat for grown-ups but that’s because you haven’t shopped from this brand before!
This company says they wanted to create cotton candy that appealed to adults, making the treat more sophisticated and less artificial. After all, the dye is just for aesthetics anyways! Not only do they skip out on artificial dyes, they also use non-GMO pure cane sugar and natural extracts.
They note to be aware that if you choose the birthday cake flavor, because the sprinkles do contain dye but there are plenty of other options to choose from!
Justin’s
Justin’s is another great option if you want a chocolate treat, but you don’t want something chock-full of unhealthy ingredients and artificial colors.
Toss out your M&M’s and reach for these babies instead! You can choose either dark chocolate peanut butter or dark chocolate peanut which are both DELICIOUS. Not only are they free of artificial colors and tasty, they’re also organic!
Lovely Candy Co
Everyyyyone loves lollipops, but not everyone likes the unnecessary fake dyes and artificial colors in lollipops, right??? That’s why Lovely Candy Co made a healthier option using organic cane sugar, natural flavors, and organic fruit and vegetable juices for color.
If you’re like us and can’t get enough of this company, they also have a handful of other artificial-color-free options on their site! Time to fill that treat-yourself candy drawer, guys!
Vermont Country Store
If you’re reading this disappointed that jelly beans haven’t made the list… we have the best news for you. This company makes jelly beans that use natural ingredients to color and flavor their candy.
There are also 18(!!!) different flavor options, which they list for your convenience on their site. Run, don’t walk, to the link to grab yourself a bag!
Taffy Town
Laffy Taffy??? Never heard of her. We’re switching allll our taffy needs to taffy town, babe. Manufactured right in the heart of Salt Lake City, this company skips out on everythingggg artifical.
They use real fruit puree for that 100% natural, 100% real, 100% American-made quality. They’re free of most allergens, like tree nuts, peanuts, and gluten, but they do use egg whites and milk for a creamier consistency!
Honest Bites
If you’re a licorice fan, don’t worry we’ve got a healthier alternative for you, too. Honest bites makes their red licorice WITHOUT all of those super toxic red food dyes, YAYYY.
They still have that bright, inviting color, they just use fruit and vegetable juices as opposed to artificial colors and flavors! They’re also sugar-free and keto-friendly, which are all added benefits.
Torie & Howard
If you’re the type of person who wants just a quick grab-and-go treat throughout your day, you need to check out this brand. They’ve got both chewie-fruities and hard candies, perfect for putting into your purse to grab throughout the day,
Each option is gluten-free, USDA organic certified, anddd of course, contains no artificial colors or flavors. They’re flavorful, natural, and aren’t insanely toxic. Win x3.
Which of these candies are you adding to YOUR cart???
When you realize that you have SOOO many naturally colored and flavored candy options, you’ll never go back to that toxic, unnatural sh*t. And, when you can buy it from an American-made source, all the better. That means it’s not only better for you, but better for the environment, local economy, and laborforce. LOVEEE
Which candies are you most excited to try? Do you have any go-to’s that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments!
If you wanna satisfy that sweet tooth even more, you gotta check out our list of Halloween candy made in the USA, anddd our organic halloween candy made in the USA options! For everything you wanna know and more about American-made products, check out our blog! And to keep filling your cart up with USA-made goodies, take a look at our shop!
