7 Sweet Vegan Ways to Use Halloween Candy (Beside Stuffing It In Your Mouth) 

There’s just too much vegan Halloween candy simply due to the fact that Thanksgiving and Christmas are right after this dreaded holiday.

Donating candy is a noble choice if you literally have a bag left (try the Gratitude Strategy to give back to military personnel, veterans, and first responders), but only amounts in between. If you don’t (still too much to do yourself and a pitifully small amount to donate) it’s time to start baking (and share those baked goods).

Are Halloween candies vegan?

Before you grab your oven mitts and start baking, it’s a good idea to first organize your Halloween inventory. can prevent you from doing so.

When sorting, include gelatin, eggs, carmine, honey, dairy products (listed as milk, milkfat, butterfat, or whey), and confectionery glaze (also known as “shellac”). Keep an eye out for candies. Sort these into non-vegan piles and dispose of them however you like.

Vegan Recipes for Leftover Halloween Treats

From reinvented candy barks to amazing vegan brownies, here are 7 sweet ways to use leftover Halloween candy.

Black Tap Tavern

1 vegan crazy shake

Perhaps you’ve seen these indulgent milkshake creations at Black Tap Tavern locations, or stumbled upon these architecturally sound desserts via Instagram.

Crazy shakes may look wild and complicated, but you can definitely make them at home. I used New Leaf’s Choc’ Rockin’ Vegan Freakshake recipe as a starting point and added candies from there. This particular sweet monster features a deep chocolate milkshake topped with vegan store-bought brownies, chocolate sandwich cookies, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and nut butter cups.

Got extra vegan gummy worms? Toss them in and balance the chocolate with a fruity punch. Get creative and complete your masterpiece with leftover candy.

Note: You’ll want someone to share this with … and two oversized straws.
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Cocomels

2 Caramelized apple

Did you buy too much coco mel caramel? Make caramel apples by melting them in coconut milk.

You can use plain caramel or use the sticky caramel coating as glue for other Halloween candies. Vegan chocolate drops, crushed nut butter cups, mini marshmallows, and even crushed cookies are great additions to other basic caramel apples.
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Schlu’s kitchen

3 vegan dirt cake

Often called dirt and worms or dirt pudding, this super-simple dessert is the perfect canvas for all your leftover Halloween gummies. This particular recipe features a creamy vanilla base, but you can always substitute a homemade pudding layer for your trusty box of vanilla or chocolate instant mixes (try Simply Delish).

Whether you’re 5 or 50, there’s something very appealing about this pudding and crumbled cookie treat. Note: Gummy worms are a traditional topping, but any gummy will do.
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i mean marley

Four Vegan M&M cookies

Replace chocolate chips with chocolate gems in your next batch of cookies. These easy vegan M&M-encrusted treats will take care of any leftover candy-coated chocolates. If you’re not ready for something even sweeter, go ahead and make the dough and freeze it until a craving strikes.

This rock-solid recipe also makes a container for other chocolate-based candies.From chopped nut butter cups to coconut bars, everything works when folded into this buttery dough.

Note: Mars M&Ms are not vegan, but that’s fine if your Halloween inventory includes Choco Yums from YumEarth or Dark Chocolate Gems from UNREAL.
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beaming baker

Five peanut butter cup brownie

Vegan Nut Butter Cups are perfectly designed foods, but even perfection can be perfection. Magic happens when you dust a soft, gooey brownie with chocolate-coated nut butter.

Pro-tip: You can not only swirl the nut butter crumbs in the dough, but you can also sprinkle them liberally on top for a mouth-watering pool of melty nut butter and chocolate. These are bake sale worthy.
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Conscious Plant Kitchen

6 Cupcakes filled with candy bars

Cupcakes are fine, but have you noticed that in every baking show on TV, there’s always a filling? A surprise pop of flavor and texture elevates a humble cupcake to a divine dessert.

Here’s how to hack it. Fill the paper liners as usual with your favorite vanilla or chocolate cupcake recipe. Pop half inch chunks of leftover caramel or chocolate based candy on top before baking ( No need to press down, the dough will rise and cover the candy as it bakes).

Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them with your favorite buttercream or dipping them in vegan ganache and garnishing with shredded candies.
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alter eco

7 candy bark

Any chocolate bark is fine. Throw on pretzels, popcorn, gummies, dried fruit, chopped candy bars and whatever else you have left over.

Note: The recipe below calls for a drizzle of white chocolate. Be sure to use vegan white chocolate, or omit it entirely.

To make the bark base, melt a plain or salted chocolate bar, smooth it on parchment paper, then toss it over the remaining candy. Break it into pieces.
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Tanya Flink is a digital editor at VegNews, a writer and runner in Orange County, California.