You can start your day with a breakfast without palm oil if you know what to watch for. Below we discuss common breakfast foods, which ones contain palm oil, and some easy palm oil free substitutions.
Sometimes you have time for a homemade breakfast and sometimes you need to grab and go. Here are choices for palm oil free breakfasts.
Most of us have palm oil in the morning without even realizing it.
Breakfast without palm oil
Toast, English muffins, croissants, and bagels
One brand for palm oil free English muffins, bagels, and bread is Dave’s Killer Bread products.
Dave’s Killer Bread: all products
Dave’s Killer Bread confirmed they don’t use palm oil in their products.
Other breads typically contain palm oil derivatives in many forms. Bread manufacturers use palm oil derivatives to keep them shelf stable, to make them larger/fluffier, to make them more dense, and/or to add to mouth feel.
Watch for ingredients such as:
DATEM
Monoglycerides
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
Calcium Stearoyl Lactylate
Mono- & Diglycerides
Distilled Monoglycerides
Ethoxylated Mono- & Diglycerides
If you make your own bread, use Yeast without Sorbitan Monostearate which is often sourced from palm oil.
The only palm oil free yeast we’ve found — just “yeast” is listed in the ingredients — is:
Red Star Active Dry Yeast: in the three-pack
Spreads without palm oil
What are you putting on your toast, bagel, or English muffin?
Peanut butter: Use protein-packed palm oil free peanut butter but be sure to read labels. Also, avoid “no stir” labeling. (“No stir” is a marketing buzzword code for “it includes palm oil.”
Avocado
Please note, margarine and imitation butters typically contain palm oil.
Doughnuts, muffins, and pastries
We have yet to find doughnuts and pastries without palm oil. Pre-made desserts most always contain palm oil.
While it’s common to see doughnuts and other bakery items at the office and at meetings, do your best to avoid them.
Avoid packaged bakery snacks, including PopTarts. These contain palm oil as do most cookies.
Erin Baker’s Breakfast Cookies:They’ve confirmed they make all of their flavors without palm oil.
Make your own muffins, and store them in the freezer for a fast, palm free breakfast when you need it.
Bacon, ham, and sausage
In the United States, you can typically find palm oil free bacon, sausage, and ham. Some brands we use include:
Kirkland Sliced Bacon, Naturally Hickory Smoked: from Costco
Banquet Brown ‘N Serve Original 10 Fully Cooked Sausage Links
Pancakes and waffles
Many frozen waffles and pancakes contain palm oil ingredients. Read labels. One that’s doesn’t contain palm oil is:
Van’s Organic Original Frozen Waffles
You can easily make your own with flour, sugar, eggs, pure vanilla extract and baking powder.
Be sure to use pure vanilla extract as imitation versions typically contain Propylene Glycol or other palm oil derivatives.
Make batches of pancakes and waffles and freeze them. In this way, you can enjoy them when you need a fast breakfast.
100% pure maple syrup
Do watch for syrup. Many bottles contain Mono- and Diglycerides. Always choose 100% maple syrup to avoid palm oil derivatives.
Whipped cream
Hold the whipping cream — it contains palm oil in the form of Mono- & Diglycerides.
Add pure maple syrup and any types of berries, and/or sliced banana. You won’t miss the whipped cream.
French toast
Use Dave’s Killer Bread, eggs, pure vanilla extract, and milk without Vitamin A Palmitate.
Add pure maple syrup, pure cinammon, real butter, and fruit, and you have a delicious, filling breakfast without palm oil.
Eggs
There’s a lot you can do with eggs. Choose organic eggs if you can.
Hard boil them in advance for a quick breakfast on the go. You can also take a few minutes at home to poach, scramble, fry, etc. If you have time, add onion and peppers.
Salsa is typically palm oil free if you buy it, and it’s great on eggs.
You can make a frittata in advance. Look online for egg casserole and fritatta recipes. You can add in anything you have: sausage, bacon, spinach, herbs, tomatoes, onion, garlic, cheese, potatoes, etc. Top with avocado.
Note, palm oil free egg substitutes and replacers may contain Vitamin A Palmitate and/or Vitamin E which can be made with palm oil.
Frozen hash brown patties most always contain palm oil.
You are better to make your potatoes, or buy frozen diced or shredded hash brown potatoes.
Biscuits and gravy
Don’t buy biscuits in the can from the refrigerated section. They contain palm oil. Make your own.
Make your own gravy or be sure to avoid gravy in jars. They often contain Mono- and Diglycerides. Some mixes are okay. Be sure to read labels on gravy.
Breakfast sandwiches
These are convenient for a quick breakfast but breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos almost always contain palm oil ingredients.
Take time to read labels for breakfast sandwiches on croissants, English muffins, and on biscuits.
Instead, make your own from palm oil free tortillas, real cheese, sausage, bacon, onion, and other fillings you have on hand.
Yogurt
Yogurt is typically a palm oil free item. We’ve found some Light versions contain Vitamin A Palmitate.
Be aware of the mix-ins that are geared for school lunches and kids. The candies and other toppings often contain palm oil.
Read labels, and watch for palm oil and palm kernel oil.
In addition, avoid all cereal with Vitamin A listed in the nutrition panel. It’s in the form of synthetic Vitamin A Palmitate, which is made with palm oil.
Watch for Glycerin and Tocopherols in Granola.
Oatmeal is palm oil free. However, instant oatmeal usually contails Vitamin A Palmitate.
Make a batch of quinoa to warm up during the week. Add fruit, nuts, cinnamon, pure honey, pure maple syrup, etc. for a warm, hearty breakfast.
You can make your own granola as well.
Palm oil free breakfast
Protein bars
Sometimes you need to grab and go, and protein and other types of nutrition bars are a convenient breakfast. Read our post, Granola Bars without palm oil to find palm oil free choices.
Read labels on snack and protein bars. Many contain Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, as well as Glycerin and Tocopherols which are usually sourced from palm oil.
Instant breakfast
It’s convenient to have powdered or premade instant breakfast drinks to start your day with vitamins and minerals. However, instant breakfast mixes and drinks typically contain Vitamin A Palmitate.
Fruit
No matter what’s in season, there are convenient options to enjoy fruit for breakfast at home or on-the-go.
Coffee and creamer
Black coffee is palm oil free. Flavored coffees, such as buttery caramel, toffee, etc., can contain palm oil derivatives in the “Natural Flavors.”
Creamer often contains palm oil.
Read labels before buying creamers, and watch for:
Palm oil
Mono- and Diglycerides
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
Remember, the more complicated the flavor, the greater chance there are palm oil ingredients.
Instead of creamer, add whole milk. Read labels for milk. Watch for Vitamin A Palmitate.
Whole milk typically doesn’t contain Vitamin A Palmitate, a palm oil derivative.
Manufacturers often fortify nut-based and plant-based milks with Vitamin A Palmitate as well. Read labels before buying.
Choose milk without supplemental Vitamin A.
Reminders for a palm oil free breakfast
Choose pure ingredients
Pure honey, 100% maple sryup
Real butter or Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Organic Butter; not margarine or imitation butter
Pure cinammon such as Red Ape Cinammon’s Premium Ground Cinammon which is certified palm oil free.
Watch for milk
Whatever milk you choose, be sure there isn’t Vitamin A Palmitate added.
Read labels
We can’t always make food from scratch. It’s important to read labels before buying anything. There are palm oil free options available.
Be loyal to palm oil free brands
When you find some palm oil free breakfast items that you enjoy, keep buying them.
Prep in advance
Try to make breakfast foods in advance so you can enjoy them all week.
Make a batch of pancakes, waffles, or French toast.
Cook up a package of bacon to enjoy for several days.
Cut up a watermelon or pineapple; wash berries in advance.
Make a frittata.
Hard-boil a dozen eggs so you can grab and go.
Cook several cups of quinoa so you can quickly add fresh fruit and nuts.
If you can plan to make and freeze breakfast foods in advance, you will have them when you need them.
Breakfast without palm oil
Once you get into the habit, it’s easy to have breakfast without palm oil. You can change it up with different choices each day. It’s mostly about knowing where palm oil is hidden and making some easy substitutions.
Do you have ideas for palm oil free breakfasts? Why do you avoid palm oil? Please Comment below so we can all learn from each other.
Please note, while we read labels, reference the list of names for palm oil derivatives, and email companies asking about their ingredients, the only way to be certain a product is Palm Oil Free is if it has been certified through the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark Programme.
This list of palm oil free breakfast foods is not guaranteed; it shouldn’t be used for medical advice. Please do your own due diligence.
It’s always a great time for ice cream! But did you know it often contains palm oil? Here’s a list of ice cream without palm oil.
Take a few seconds to read the ingredients; don’t just buy whatever ice cream is on sale.
Some ice cream brands use better quality ingredients than others. Palm oil is cheap; therefore, it’s widely used in store brands and other inexpensive brands.
Also, the more complicated the flavor, the more ingredients it likely has. When there are more ingredients, there is a greater chance it will have palm oil. Choose simple flavors.
We offer more tips below.
To the best of our knowledge, these ice creams are free from palm oil and palm oil derivatives. Please use it as a reference point as you do your own due diligence. This is list not guaranteed.
You will only know for certain if something is palm oil free if it has earned the Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark by the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark Programme.
Ice cream without palm oil
Ben & Jerry’s
There is one brand that always makes palm oil free ice cream: Ben & Jerry’s. You can safely choose any of their amazing flavors. Scroll down for palm free flavors from other brands.
Whatever flavor you crave, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream has found a way to make it without palm oil and palm oil derivatives.
On their website, you have to search “palm oil” to find anything about it. And then it’s just their values sourcing page. We weren’t able to find any mention of “palm oil free” anywhere else. We hope Ben & Jerry’s will showcase this on their site as it’s very rare.
Here are most of their pint flavors. Please note, they have many more palm oil free ice creams, frozen yogurts and dairy free choices on their website.
All flavors are palm oil free
Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Chocolate Shake It
Vanilla Toffee Bar Crunch
Cold Brew Caramel Latte
Ice Cream Sammie
It’s Ice… Cream
Red, White & Blueberry
Brownie Batter Core
Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Core
Karamel Sutra Core
Peanut Butter Fudge Core
Salted Caramel Core
Boom Chocolatta Cookie Core
Peanut Buttah Cookie Core
Americone Dream
Banana Split
Bob Marley’s One Love
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Brewed to Matter
Caramel Chocolate Cheesecake
Cherry Garcia
Chillin’ the Roast
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Chocolate Therapy
Chubby Hubby
Chunky Monkey
Cinnamon Buns
Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch
Coffee, Coffee, BuzzBuzzBuzz
Everything But The…
Gimme S’more!
Glampfire Trail Mix
Half Baked
Milk & Cookies
Mint Chocolate Cookie
Minter Wonderland
New York Super Fudge Chunk
Oat of This Swirled
Peanut Butter Cup
Peanut Butter World
Phish Food
Pistachio Pistachio
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Red Velvet Cake
S’mores
Salted Caramel Almond
Strawberry Cheesecake
The Tonight Dough
Triple Caramel Chunk
Truffle Kerfuffle
Urban Bourbon
Vanilla
Vanilla Caramel Fudge
Researching ice cream brands
To learn about the way palm oil is used in ice cream, we went to four grocery stores. We looked at all of the ice cream brands with sizes greater than 473.17 milliliters (one pint). There were 18 brands.
We learned all of the store brands contained some type of palm oil ingredient and/or palm oil derivative.
Buy name brand ice cream to better avoid palm oil.
Of those 18 brands, there were 282 flavors that didn’t repeat. We researched the labels from these 282 unique brand and flavor combinations.
(We didn’t include Ben & Jerry’s in the research because we knew they are palm oil free and because we researched ice cream containers larger than one pint.)
Palm oil free ice cream
These are the brands and flavors we found in our local stores that didn’t contain palm oil or palm oil derivatives on their labels. This list is meant to be a starting point. Know that ingredients and vendors change. This list isn’t guaranteed, especially when it comes to Natural Flavors.*
Note, we don’t list any store brands here. We researched five store brands, and all of their flavors contained palm oil in some form. Most contained two or more palm oil ingredients and/or derivatives.
These ice creams do not list palm oil ingredients or palm oil derivatives on their labels. We’ve made notes to exceptions where we reached out to them for additional information.
Alden’s Organic
Chocolate
Cookies & Cream (It’s very rare to see a palm oil free cookies & cream ice cream.)
Vanilla Bean
Salted Caramel
French Vanilla
Peanut Butter Fudge
Strawberry
Vanilla & Chocolate Swirl
This is for Alden’s Organic Ice Cream in 1.42 liter / 1.5 quart size. A representative from Alden’s Organic confirmed these are palm oil free.
They are very transparent in that they list all of their ingredients for each of their products on their website.
When Alden’s Organic Ice Cream uses palm oil, it’s in the form of “palm kernel oil” and is clearly labeled. They don’t use palm oil derivatives such as monoglycerides.
Note: Their pint-sized Crushin On Cookies & Mint is palm oil free (which is also rare).
Blue Bell Creameries
Black Walnut
Rocky Road
Natural Vanilla Bean
Pistachio Almond
Cherry Vanilla
Ultimate Neopolitan
Spiced Pumpkin Pecan
French Vanilla
The Great Divide
Strawberry and Homemade Vanilla
Dutch Chocolate
Homemade Vanilla
Keylime Mango Tart
Coffee
Tin Roof
These Blue Bell flavors are in 1.89 liters (half gallon).
They don’t list any palm oil ingredients or derivatives on their ingredient labels.
From personal experience, my son has safely enjoyed Blue Bell’s Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream.
Breyers
Chocolate
Natural Strawberry
Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry
Mint Chocolate Chip
Natural Vanilla
Note, Breyers makes four different Vanilla Flavors. They all pretty much look the same except for their name. Be sure to choose Breyers Natural Vanilla.
Their Natural Vanilla is the only one that doesn’t contain mono- and diglycerides. In addition, it contains just five ingredients.
These are their flavors in the 1.41 liter (1.5 quart) size. They list their ingredients on their website through SmartLabel.
Also note, from personal experience, my son has eaten these Breyers ice cream flavors safely, with no symptoms. We believe them to be fully palm oil free.
Dreyers
Butter Pecan
Coffee
Slow Churned:
French Vanilla
Vanilla Bean
Classic Vanilla
Caramel Delight
Strawberry
Butter Pecan
Coffee
Chocolate
Neopolitan
Strawberry
French Vanilla
Vanilla
Vanilla Bean
This is for Dreyer’s 1.41 liter (1.5 quart) containers.
Dreyers is transparent in listing their ingredients for their ice creams on their website. These were Dreyers ice cream flavors we found that didn’t list any type of palm oil ingredients or derivatives on their labels.
Lactaid (lactose free)
Chocolate
Vanilla
Mint Chocolate Chip
This is for Lactaid’s 946.35 milliliter / one quart size. They list all of their ingredients on their website. These three flavors didn’t have any questionable ingredients on their labels.
Straus Family Creamery Organic
Vanilla Bean
Dutch Chocolate
Strawberry
Mint Chocolate Chip
Vanilla Chocolate Chip
We researched Straus Organic in their 946.35 milliliter / one quart size. They make “super premium” ice cream.
You can search on their website, and find they list the ingredients for all of their ice creams under “Nutritional Information” for each flavor and size. The information is very easy to find.
Like the others in our list, we found these Straus Organic flavors didn’t list any type of palm oil ingredients on their labels.
Tillamook
Banana Split
Chocolate Chip
Mint Chocolate Chip
Buttered Maple Pancakes
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Coffee Almond Fudge
Oregon Hazelnut & Salted Caramel
Rocky Road
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Tillamook Mudslide
Malted Moo Shake
Old-Fashioned Vanilla
French Vanilla
Vanilla Bean
Salted Butterscotch
Vanilla Chocolate Chip
Caramel Butter Pecan
Creamy PB&J
Oregon Strawberry
Old-Fashioned Strawberry
Oregon Dark Cherry
Coffee Almond Fudge
Mountain Huckleberry
Mudslide
Udderly Chocolate
Chocolate Cherry Fudge
This is for Tillamook’s 1.66 liter size (1.75 quarts). When you click on one of Tillamook’s flavors, the ingredients as well as other information comes up easily.
These flavors do not list any of the palm oil ingredients and derivatives commonly found in ice cream. A representative from Tillamook confirmed these Tillamook ice cream flavors don’t contain palm oil.
Turkey Hill
Please note, this is their “All Natural” line of ice creams.
All Natural:
Vanilla Bean & Chocolate
Butter Almond & Chocolate
Belgian Style Chocolate
Mint Chocolate Chip
Salted Caramel
Vanilla Bean
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Homemade Vanilla
Butter Pecan
This is for their 1.41 liter (1.5 quart) containers. You can see all of their flavors and ingredients easily online.
(Note, The Kroger Company sold Turkey Hill to Peak Rock Capital.)
Make sure to choose Turkey Hill’s All Natural line of ice cream.
All of these flavors listed here do not have any palm oil derivatives or palm oil ingredients on their ingredient labels.
We emailed Turkey Hill about their other ice creams that contain monoglycerides, diglycerides and propylene glycol. The representative said they are not derived from palm oil, and that they are used as stabilizers in some of their products. However, we didn’t include them in this list.
Yes! We loved seeing this “How Many Ingredients Chart” on Turkey Hill’s website. Check it out!
Palm oil ingredients in ice cream
When you look at ice cream ingredient labels, some names for palm oil will be easy to spot. They are the ones that contain the word “palm” in them. Some examples are Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Vitamin A Palmitate, and Palm Oil with TBHQ.
However, there are others that are considered “palm oil derivatives.” These are ingredients that are made using palm oil but don’t have the “palm” in the name. Unless you check with the manufacturer, you won’t know whether these contain palm oil.
Some examples of palm oil derivatives common in ice cream are Mono & Diglycerides, Monoglycerides, Propylene Glycol, and Polysorbate 80.
In the 282 ice creams we researched, there were a total of 20 different palm oil ingredients and derivatives listed in the ingredients:
Palm Oil
Palm Kernel Oil
Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil
Glycerin
Glycerol
Glycerol Monostearate
Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil
Mixed Tocopherols/Vitamin E
Mono & Diglycerides
Monoglycerides
Organic Palm Kernel Oil
Organic Palm Oil
Palm Kernel Oil with TBHQ
Propylene Glycol
Palm Oil with Citric Acid
Palm Oil with TBHQ
Polysorbate 80
Propylene Glycol Monoesters
Propylene Glycol Monostearate
Vitamin A Palmitate
Most common palm oil derivatives in ice cream
After researching ice cream containers (larger than one pint) at grocery stores, the most common palm oil derivatives are:
Mono & Diglycerides
Polysorbate 80
Vitamin A Palmitate
Propylene Glycol Monostearate
Glycerol
Monoglycerides
Ice cream without palm oil
We continue to reach out to ice cream companies and hope to have more to add to this list. We hope ice cream companies will come to realize “Palm Oil Free” is a marketing advantage.
There is a difference between Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has different requirements for Ice Cream versus Frozen Dessert.
Again, here’s where it’s important to read labels. We’ve found Frozen Dessert cartons near the big party tubs of ice cream. They typically contain palm oil.
Just as the FDA has different requirements for “chocolate” versus “chocolate flavored,” there are different requirements regarding ingredients in ice cream, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, and frozen dessert.
Learn more here to see what the FDA requires of manufacturers to call their product “ice cream.”
Email companies to ask about the source of their ingredients
We have been emailing ice cream companies to ask them the source of their ingredients.
Often, companies sidetrack the question by referring us to their ingredients pages. However, the ingredients usually don’t spell out the source — especially if they are made from palm oil.
As an example, the Polysorbate 80 would be listed but wouldn’t say whether it was made with palm oil. What is Polysorbate 80 made from? You have no way of knowing.
Overall, most of the time, we haven’t been getting exact answers to our specific questions. Often we receive “canned answers” as they must have rules when answering questions about palm oil.
Sometimes companies reply with a statement about how they use RSPO sustainable palm oil.
Other times, they say the ingredient is derived from “natural sources” or “vegetable oil.”
When we ask, “What type of vegetable oil,” or “Is this ingredient sourced from palm oil,” or “Does this ingredient contain any palm oil,” they often do not answer.
Even after sending them the specific UPC code and asking them specifically about the source of one or more ingredients — “Are the mono- and diglycerides derived from palm oil in this product?” — many companies still wouldn’t answer.
They respond saying the information is “proprietary.”
If a company doesn’t respond to our questions, we believe they are hiding something.
One exception is Kroger Family of Stores who answered all of our questions outright. See more information at the bottom of this post.
Palm oil in ice cream
Palm oil is used in ice cream for many reasons. It adds to the mouth feel and texture, making it smooth and creamy. Companies can use it as an emulsifier and a stabilizer.
Since the FDA banned trans-fats in the United States, companies needed to find alternate ingredients for ice cream and other foods.
How to find ice cream without palm oil
Read labels.
Avoid any ice cream that includes Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Vitamin A Palmitate, and anything with palm- in the name.
Then, once that becomes a habit, you can take it a step further and choose ice cream without Mono- and Diglycerides.
After that, you can choose products that don’t list Polysorbate 80 and Propylene Glycol.
Don’t buy big party pails.
Large grocery stores often sell a store brand ice cream bucket.
Remember, the ice cream is cheap for a reason. It includes palm oil in some form.
Big ice cream party pails may be appealing if you have a large family or are having a party. However, for a few dollars extra, you will make a big impact and have better quality ice cream by choosing a different container.
Shop sales in advance, and buy palm oil free instead.
Buy “name brand” ice cream.
Palm oil and/or palm oil derivatives were in every single carton of store brand ice cream we researched.
Again, store brands are meant to be less expensive than the name brand competitors. No name, generic brands use palm oil to keep their costs down.
Choose ice cream with less ingredients.
Some of these ice creams have as few as five ingredients. Others, those with palm oil, can have 10 – 15 or more.
With the exception of Ben & Jerry’s, more complicated flavors — cookie crumbles, candy add-ins, chunks, swirls, etc. — mean a greater likelihood of palm oil.
The cheaper the ice cream brand, the greater the chance of palm oil and palm oil derivatives.
Some name brand ice cream is less expensive than other brand names.
Why is one brand overall less expensive than the others? They most likely are using palm oil derivatives instead of higher quality, “real” ingredients.
Make sure you are buying “Ice Cream” and not “Frozen Dessert.”
Frozen dessert has less strict requirements about what it needs to contain, thereby increasing the likelihood of palm oil.
Stick with the brands and flavors you know are palm oil free.
Use this list to guide you to find ice cream without palm oil. Also remember that Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is palm free.
Choose organic.
For certain, organic ice cream and organic packaged foods can contain palm oil. However, there is often less chance of them using palm oil derivatives.
Buy a simple palm oil free vanilla or chocolate and add in your mix-ins.
Watch for mono- and diglycerides in chocolate syrup.
Ice cream sprinkles and jimmies often contain hydrogenated palm kernel oil, palm oil, glycerin as well as other palm oil derivatives.
Ice cream cones and waffle bowls often contain vegetable oil shortening made with palm oil.
Make your own.
You can make your own ice cream at home for a fun family activity.
Another option is to slice and freeze bananas. If you have a Vitamix or other mixer, you can blend them with a teaspoon of vanilla and 100% cacao powder for sweet treat that has the consistency of ice cream.
Soft serve ice cream
Know that many soft serve ice cream in sit-down and fast food restaurants contains palm oil derivatives such as mono- and diglycerides.
You will have to contact the manufacturer in advance to find out the source of the mono- and diglycerides they use. They likely won’t know at the store as the source doesn’t need to be labeled.
Thank you to Ben & Jerry’s
Many people avoid palm oil for environmental concerns. On a personal note, my son gets sick from palm oil and palm oil derivatives. As anyone who has a child with food issues will tell you, it’s an incredible feeling when your child has safe choices.
Incredibly, my son can walk to the freezer section, and pick ANY Ben & Jerry’s flavor he wants. He can choose! He’s not limited in any way. And we don’t have to stress over the ingredients, what to buy, or about him getting sick.
The ice cream we have at home is the one food category in which he doesn’t feel like he is missing out. He has enjoyed 10+ flavors and hasn’t experienced any reactions.
Thank you, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream for making ALL of your flavors without palm oil.
I will never be able to convey what it means to not have to watch, not have to worry, and not have to wonder what’s safe and if he will get sick.
It’s also wonderful to be able to tell friends and relatives they can buy “any Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream” for him easily.
Please note that when we contacted ice cream companies, none of them were quick to admit to using palm oil and palm oil derivatives. Many times, customer service representatives did not answer questions even when we gave them the UPC code and asked specifically for the source of their (mono- and diglycerides, natural flavors, etc.).
Other times, they gave us conflicting information. We were not able to get clear answers on ice creams that use “Natural Flavors.”
Many companies responded with how that information is “proprietary.” Therefore, if you are avoiding palm oil for health reasons, be sure to avoid the ones with Natural Flavors unless you contact them.
“Natural Flavors” and “Natural Flavor” can contain palm oil. Natural Flavors may exist in these ice creams.
Kroger Family of Stores is the exception. They went above and beyond to get the information we asked for.
Instead of responding with stock answers, a customer service representative from Kroger Family of Stores sent our inquiries to their R&D and their suppliers. They told us the vendor for the source of the oils were derived from palm and soy oils. While we didn’t include them in our palm oil free list above, we thought it was important to mention Kroger for their honesty and transparency when answering our questions.
Finding palm oil free ice cream
As consumers rush through the grocery store, we are conditioned to make quick buying decisions, often based on price and what’s on sale.
By taking a few extra seconds to read ingredient labels, you can make a palm oil free choice. This will send a message to companies.
Generally speaking…
Higher quality ingredients and less ingredients = Less chance of palm oil
It’s available; you just need to know what to look for on the ice cream cartons. Once you find your favorite palm free brands and flavors, stock up when they are on sale.
Ice cream without palm oil is available. Let companies know consumers are paying attention. Write to them. Buy ice cream without it. Why do you buy palm free ice cream? Please let us know in the Comments.
We’ve noted which companies confirmed which of their flavors are palm oil free. We are grateful to them for responding and for making all or some of their ice cream flavors without palm oil.
To the best of our knowledge, these ice creams do not list palm oil ingredients or palm oil derivatives in their ingredients. Use this list as a starting point but please know it’s not guaranteed. Please do your own due diligence. Also, please remember to read labels every time.
You can enjoy this food-centered holiday and still have a Thanksgiving without palm oil. Here we discuss some ways palm oil may be hidden in your celebratory dishes.
Once you know what to look out for, it’s much easier to make palm oil free choices.
When you read labels and make these easy substitutions, you can have a palm oil free holiday.
Thanksgiving without palm oil
Here are some Thanksgiving foods and ingredients which often contain palm oil. Below we explain what to watch for and offer palm oil free solutions.
Margarine, buttery spreads and butter alternatives
Milk
Refrigerated canned crescent rolls and biscuits
Crispy fried onions
Salad dressing
Instant potatoes
Stuffing mix
Cornbread mix
Gravy mix and gravy in jars
Shortening
Whipped cream, whipped frozen toppings
Heavy whipping cream
Canned frosting
Pie crust
Desserts
Does that seem like palm oil is everywhere? The good news is cranberry sauce is typically palm oil free. You can easily make your own with fresh cranberries, sugar, and orange zest.
Margarine, buttery spreads, butter alternatives
Depending on the brand, margarine and buttery spreads will typically contain palm oil, palm kernel oil, distilled monoglycerides, vegetable mono- and diglycerides, and Vitamin A Palmitate.
Instead, choose real butter for your bread and rolls, baking, and potatoes.
Milk
Unless you choose whole milk, there is probably palm oil in your milk. It’s in the form of Vitamin A Palmitate.
This is the case for skim milk, low fat, 1%, 2%, chocolate, soy, nut, and other milks as well.
When you use milk to make your mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes, be sure to choose whole milk.
Choose whole milk but read the label before buying. Some whole milk brands are also fortified with Vitamin A Palminate; however, the majority are not.
Many plant-based and nut-based milks are also fortified with Vitamin A Palmitate. Make your own!
Refrigerated canned crescent rolls, biscuits
Any refrigerated bread dough in a can is sure to have palm oil ingredients listed many times.
Look at all of these palm oil ingredients in just one can of refrigerated crescent rolls:
Instead, buy bread from your grocery store’s bakery. Just be sure to read the ingredients to ensure it’s free from palm oil and mono- and diglycerides.
Even better? Make your own rolls and breads in a bread machine. (It’s easier than you think!)
Crispy fried onions
Is green bean casserole one of your favorite Thanksgiving foods? It’s those crispy fried onions, isn’t it?
Typically, the French fried crispy onions contain palm oil.
We found a few brands made with sunflower, safflower, and canola oil instead of palm oil. Read labels before buying.
Remember to use whole milk in your green bean casserole.
Salad dressing
Many dressings list soybean oil so you may assume they are palm oil free.
Watch for hidden palm oil derivatives, including propylene glycol and mixed tocopherols.
If you buy salad dressing, choose the ones with the least amount of ingredients. You can easily make your own with olive oil, vinegar and fresh garlic and herbs.
Avoid buying packaged instant potatoes if possible.
Most boxes and packages of instant potatoes contain mono- and diglycerides, calcium stearoyl lactylate, and mixed tocopherol, all palm oil derivatives.
Citric acid may also be derived from palm oil and is used to preserve freshness.
Make your own mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes with whole milk and real butter.
If so, make sure your bread doesn’t have mono- and diglycerides. When you choose broth and spices, the less ingredients the better.
If you buy a stuffing mix in a box or bag, read labels. Many store brand labels contain palm oil; however, some of the name brand ones do not.
Buy the ones that don’t list “palm oil.”
Cornbread Mix
When buying baking mixes, it’s essential to watch out for palm oil and palm kernel oil.
We found some cornbread / muffin mixes without palm oil. Read labels.
Of course, you can make cornbread without palm oil on your own.
Gravy mix and gravy in jars
You must read labels when buying gravy. Most are free from palm oil; however, some brands contain it.
There are lots of chemicals in gravy mixes and gravy jars so it’s best to make your own. It’s easy with turkey drippings, flour and real butter.
Shortening
Whether you choose canned shortening or shortening sticks, read labels. Don’t be swayed by labels that state “all vegetable shortening.”
The palm oil products in shortening will likely include more than one of these palm oil ingredients: palm oil, fully hydrogenated palm oil, and mono- and diglycerides.
You will find shortening in crispy fried foods, frosting, pie crusts and other baked goods — even homemade and from the bakery.
Even the organic versions typically contain palm oil.
Biggerbolderbaking.com offers an easy recipe to make your own frosting using (real) butter, (whole) milk, pure vanilla extract, and confectioners’ sugar. It includes palm oil free ways to make vanilla, chocolate, coffee, mint, strawberry, peanut butter, and lemon frosting.
Pie crusts for pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie
As stated above, your pie crust will most likely contain palm oil unless you make it from scratch without shortening.
There are many recipes for pie crusts using butter online from toriavey.com.
Desserts
Most all prepared desserts at the grocery store contain palm oil. This includes cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, scones, tarts, and more.
If you make your own desserts, you can ensure they are palm oil free. As we stated above: Use real butter and whole milk, and avoid shortening.
Palm oil free Thanksgiving
Palm oil is in many of our favorite Thanksgiving foods.
When you prepare your shopping list, use the suggestions above to be sure you can enjoy your Thanksgiving feast without palm oil.
The turkey, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry sauce should be free from palm oil. When you make your sweet potato casserole, be sure to use real butter.
All year long, when you choose processed and pre-made foods, choose the ones with the least amount of ingredients. Read labels. You can choose palm oil free options most of the time.
Before you buy Halloween treats, use this list to find candy without palm oil. By taking a few seconds to look at ingredient labels, you can choose orangutan-friendly Halloween candy.
Even on the same shelf, for the same type of product, the ingredients may vary. For example, BRACH’S has several different kinds of candy corn with palm oil and several without it.
This is the same with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. They have different recipes — some contain palm oil and some do not — so it’s important to read labels and buy accordingly.
For a list, click to download and printOrangutan-Friendly Candy Without Palm Oilfor 2019 then continue reading below for tips. (This list is a guide only; it is not guaranteed.)
Candy without palm oil
Less ingredients = Less chance of palm oil
At Halloween, candy companies sell big bags with a mix of different candies. When you buy a bag with just one type of candy, it’s easier to avoid palm oil.
Buy just one type of candy per bag, and make your own mix!
Read labels
Manufacturers change their labeling regularly. This list of candy without palm oil is intended to be a starting point. We researched online, in stores, and emailed companies and used this list of hundreds of names for palm oil. (Most don’t include “palm” in the ingredients.)
We regularly update this candy list. You make a big difference when you support orangutan-friendly palm oil free candy and treats at Halloween and all year.
Chocolate without palm oil
These convenient options make it easy for the Everyday Consumer to make an impact.
Hershey’s Bars:
Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Skor
Special Dark
Special Dark with Almonds
Halloween labeling:Glow in the Dark Snack Size Wrappers Milk Chocolate (shown)
Note: Bags of Hershey’s Miniatures may contain palm oil derivatives. See below. Mr. Goodbar Chocolate Candy with Peanuts includes palm oil.
Hershey’s Kisses:
Milk Chocolate – silver foil
Milk Chocolate with Almonds – gold foil or holiday colors
Note: M&M’s Dark Chocolate Peanut – purple and yellow bag – contains palm oil.
In 2018, Peanut M&M’s (yellow bag) changed their recipe and now includes palm oil. Labels now list palm oil as an ingredient.
Be sure to read all labels. Some newer flavors may contain palm oil derivatives, including Mixed Tocopherols.
Please note, Mars Wrigley Confectionery does not make claims these M&M’s are palm oil free. In addition to researching labels, I am using personal experience to say these M&M’s flavors are palm oil free. My son gets very sick from palm oil and derivatives and has enjoyed these M&M’s safely.
Nestle:
Goobers Milk Chocolate Covered Peanuts
Raisinets Milk Chocolate Covered Raisins
Sno Caps Semi-Sweet Chocolate Nonpareils
Reese’s: READ LABELS
Peanut Butter Cups: some individually wrapped snack size and standard size
Note: They’ve confirmed they have different recipes for their Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
You must read labels. Look for the BAGGED, INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED snack size or standard-sized cups in the candy section without a holiday theme. Many are palm oil free.
See below for an explanation about Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Tony’s Chocolonely
Milk Chocolate
Milk Caramel Sea Salt
Dark Almond Sea Salt
Dark Chocolate
White Raspberry Popping Candy
Milk Honey Almond Nougat
Milk Hazelnut
Dark Pecan Coconut
Dark Milk Pretzel Toffee
Halloween labeling: Milk Caramel Sea Salt Halloween Tiny Tony’s
They wrote to say they don’t use palm oil in any of their chocolate.
York Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties:
All varieties and sizes, including Halloween labeling:
Halloween Snack Size – purple spiderwebs on bag (shown)
Halloween Pumpkins – autumn-colored bag
DOVE Chocolate Simply Smooth:
Milk Chocolate Promises
Dark Chocolate Promises
Candy without palm oil
Atomic Fireballs
Boston Baked Beans
Candy Corn– read labels to find it without palm oil; see below
Dots – including bag with 17 mini boxes for Halloween
Dum Dums Original Pops – all flavors
Good ‘N Plenty
Jolly Rancher:
Hard Candy –All flavors of their Hard Candy is free from palm oil derivatives. This includes their bags of Original, Fruit ‘N’ Sour, Fruit Bash, plus individual flavors. Give a handful!
Lollipops Spooky Sweets (shown)
Nerds:
Rainbow
Grape and Strawberry “For the Love of Nerds”
Red Hots Original Cinnamon Candy
Ring Pop:
22 Halloween Ring Pop bag
36 Halloween Ring Pop box (shown)
Saf-T-Pops Lollipops
Wholesome Organic Lollipops – 30 count
Yum Earth:
Organic Pops:
Assorted Flavor Lollipops: 80 count; at Target
Hot Chili Lollipops
Organic Candy Corn: 24 count; at Target
Organic Hard Candies:
Wild Peppermint
Favorite Fruits
Cheeky Lemon
Pomegranate Pucker
Roadside Rootbeer
Gummy Bears:
Assorted Flavor
Organic Pomegranate Pucker
Assorted Flavor Gummy Worms
Organic Sour Beans
Gummy Fruits
Organic Fruit Snacks: 12 pack at Target
Organic Tropical Fruit Snacks
YumEarth very transparently lists all of their ingredients on their website.
You must read ingredient labels before buying candy corn.
You can find some flavors, shapes and varieties of brand name and store brand candy corn without palm oil and palm kernel oil but it often contains it.
Gummy snacks without palm oil
Black Forest Organic Fruit Flavored Snacks – 24 pack
Kirkland Signature Organic Fruity Snacks – 72 pack; at Costco
Surf Sweets by Wholesome Organic Halloween Spooky Shapes – 20 pack; at Target
Yum Earth Organic Gummy Fruits – 24 pack; at Target
Palm oil free Halloween trick or treating
Many candy companies report they are working toward sustainable palm oil. We support the candies and treats that don’t use any at all.
Nuubia Chocolate: Makes all of their chocolate without palm oil.
Nelly’s Organics: They make all of their chocolate bars without palm oil.
Caramel Nougat
Coconut
Double Chocolate
German Chocolate
Nutty Nougat
Peanut Butter Coconut
Tony’s Chocolonely: They make all of their chocolate without any palm oil. See above.
Also, it’s great The Hershey Company and Mars, Inc. still make some palm oil free chocolate. This makes it easy and accessible for the Everyday Consumer to choose palm oil free chocolate.
When possible, choose fair trade chocolate to make an even greater difference.
Fair Trade Chocolate without palm oil
There are other chocolate manufacturers — usually Fair Trade Certified Chocolate — who make their candy without palm oil as well; however, they may not be as practical to hand out for trick or treating.
We will be adding more to this post to include Fair Trade Certified Chocolate.
Some brands to consider — that as of now we believe to be palm oil free — but haven’t thoroughly researched yet — are:
barkTHINS —Read labels; most of their flavors are palm oil free.
DAGOBA Organic
Divine Chocolate
Equal Exchange Chocolates
Theo
Tony’s Chocolonely — All of their chocolate bars are palm oil free.
How to find candy without palm oil
Read labels.
This is the very best thing you can do.
Do not buy products with the obvious “palm oil” words: Palm oil, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, etc.
You make the biggest difference — at the store — when you choose the candy that is palm oil free.
Avoid big variety packs.
Around Halloween, you will see the “candy mix” bags. These are the big bags with a variety of candy types and flavors.
Do not buy them.
As an example, you might see a bag with Hershey’s Milk Chocolate combined with Twizzlers and Whoppers. Only one of these candies is palm oil free.
Instead, if you like a mix to offer to trick or treaters, you can buy the individual bags.
Make your own mix!
For example, you can buy a bag of Milk Chocolate M&M’s, a bag of Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars with Glow in the Dark Wrappers, a bag of Jolly Rancher Hard Candies, and a bag of Dum Dum Lollipops.
Look for less ingredients.
When you have a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup that’s then stuffed with Reese’s Pieces, you have even more ingredients to be concerned with.
With simple candies, you have a better chance of them being palm oil free.
Don’t buy chocolate-flavored.
The FDA has different requirements for “milk chocolate” versus “chocolate flavored,” “chocolate candy,” and “chocolately.”
Read the package description.
Less expensive holiday candy, especially at dollar stores, are often chocolate-flavored.
Chocolate-flavored candy has imitation cocoa butter (mostly from palm oil) which we explain next.
Don’t buy candy with cocoa butter equivalents or substitutes.
Avoid candy with Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE) or Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS) listed in the ingredients.
The FDA allows for these enzymatically-produced fats made from palm oil to be used in:
Coatings on soft candies
Confections and frostings
Sweet sauces and toppings
Real cocoa butter is expensive. It’s one of the most widely used raw materials in the chocolate and confectionery industries.
Palm oil mimics what cocoa butter can do. Cocoa butter is responsible for the flavor release, mouthfeel, snap, gloss and the shelf life (of the final product).
Remember, just because it doesn’t say palm oil, palm kernel oil, or hydrogenated palm oil, it may still contain it.
There are many ways candy manufacturers use palm oil in candy. These ingredients are usually derived from palm oil.
In chocolate-type candy, these may appear as:
Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS)
Cocoa Butter Equivalent (CBE)
Glycerin
Glycerine
Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil
Monoglycerides
Mono- and diglycerides
Mixed Tocopherols
Tocopherols
In non-chocolate candy, these ingredients may be derived from palm oil:
Calcium Stearate
Citric Acid – often but not always
Glycerin
Glycerine
Glycerol
Glycerol Monostearate
Magnesium Stearate
Medium Chain Triglycerides
Mixed Tocopherols
Mono- and Diglycerides
Monostearate Glycerol
Propylene Glycol
Stearic Acid
Tocopherols
Vitamin A Palmitate
Finding candy ingredients online
The Hershey Company is a company who very clearly and transparently lists all of their ingredients online. It’s very easy to find the ingredients for all of their candy products.
Some of the other candy manufacturers list their ingredients but you really have to search for the information. Most of it is just colorful, animated advertising.
Some candy companies’ websites don’t have ANY information about their ingredients.
The Hershey’s site is by far the most transparent system of any of the mainstream candy companies, including Mars, Inc., Nestle, Wrigley, Wonka, Ferrara Pan, Goetze, Spangler, Mondelez International, Tootsie Roll Industries, and the others.
Additionally, we researched in stores.
We also emailed the companies to confirm their candy is palm oil free. We are waiting for confirmation on some, especially as to where the “source” of their ingredients come from.
Many candy companies will not answer the question of the SOURCE of some of their ingredients.
Meaning, it may say “Citric Acid” on the package but was that citric acid sourced from palm oil? (We have confirmed it is the red whips, licorice type candies.)
Many companies didn’t write back to disclose the source of their Mixed Tocopherols, Mono- & Diglycerides, etc.
International Palm Oil Free Certification Accreditation Programme
U.S. candy companies can apply to have their products assessed for Palm Oil Free certification.
We used their list — which includes hundreds of palm oil derivatives — to research ingredients in candy.
Using Palm Oil Free labeling is the only way to know for sure if something is palm oil free. Please use this list as a reference only.
Palm oil free Halloween candy
Please note, we continue to update this list to include what we believe to be palm oil free candy, chocolate and treats.
Our intention was to compile an updated list of Halloween candy without palm oil. We wanted it to be easy for consumers to find in stores so we focused on popular candies.
While there are many specialty candy companies who do make palm oil free candy — and we want to support them — it’s not always practical to buy them, especially when you want to buy in bulk for lots of trick or treaters.
Also, while it’s tempting to buy a big bag with a variety of candies, it’s better to buy individual bags of each candy.
It’s rare you will find a mix of candy without palm oil all in one bag.
Note, many manufacturers change ingredients for their Halloween and holiday candy. They may offer different sizes, packaging and flavors.
Disclaimer: We obtained this ingredient and product information from researching online, contacting companies, and in stores. Please note, manufacturers change their labeling regularly. We have compiled this information for reference purposes only. Use this list as a starting point as you read labels and do your own due diligence. This list is not guaranteed.
This is not meant to be medical advice. As the consumer, please read ingredient labels for each product you plan to purchase. Contact companies if you have questions about their ingredients.
Sometimes even on the same shelf, for the same exact-looking product, the ingredients vary. (This is especially the case for Brach’s Candy Corn and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Some state “Palm Oil” ingredients and some do not.)
Candies with palm oil ingredients
While this site strives to focus on and highlight products and candy without palm oil, we want you to know the candies we researched to show you how prevalent palm oil is popular candy brands.
We researched each of these candies and treats. If they are appear below it is because their labels list “Palm Oil,” “Palm Kernel Oil,” “Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil,” or due to their ingredients, they contain what appear to be palm oil derivatives.
We emailed companies to confirm and will continue to update as they get back with us. If they didn’t get back with us, we included them on this list because they didn’t confirm with us.
Many companies wrote to say they use sustainable palm oil and that they are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). However, we choose candy without any palm oil.
Remember, with so many orangutan-friendly candies to choose from (above) you can easily choose those that don’t contain palm oil.
List of Halloween treats and candies which have flavors that contain or may contain palm oil ingredients
By reading labels, you can choose palm oil free.
Airheads – You have to read the label on each package and variety; most contain Palm Oil, Glycerol, etc.
Almond Joy
Baby Ruth
Bit-O-Honey
BRACH’S:
Mellowcreme Autumn Mix
Harvest Corn
Football Candy Corn
Bull’s Eyes – Goetze’s Original Caramel Creams & other flavors
Butterfinger
Candy bracelets
Caramel Apple Pops (Tootsie)
Charleston Chew
Dove:
Pumpkins- Mixed Harvest
Pumpkins- Caramel & Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate & Cookie Crisp
5th Avenue
Fruit Roll-Ups
Haribo Gold-Bears
List of more candies which may contain and do contain palm oil
Heath
Hershey:
Cookie Layer Crunch Bar
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Bar
Hershey Gold
Kisses: Read labels; many list palm oil
Mr. Goodbar: Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar now includes palm oil (summer 2019). You may find both of these on the shelf:
Milk Chocolate with peanuts – doesn’t list palm oil in ingredients
Chocolate Candy with peanuts – includes palm oil in ingredients
Hershey’s Miniatures Assortment
A note about Hershey Miniatures: This is a mixed bag of their mini candy bars. It will include some combination of Special Dark, Milk Chocolate, Mr. Goodbar, Krackel. Most all varieties with Mr. Goodbar now contain palm oil.
Jolly Rancher:
Awesome Twosome Bites
Crunch ‘N’ Chew
Filled Pops
Kit Kat
Krackel
Laffy Taffy
Milk Duds
Milky Way
M&M’s:
Caramel
Peanut
Peanut Butter
Thai Coconut Peanut
White Chocolate Peanut
Mr. Goodbar: See above under “Hershey”; their “Chocolate Candy with Peanuts” now contains palm oil
Oreo Chocolate Candy Bar
Payday
Quaker Chewy Halloween Mini Chocolate Chip Granola Bars – 28 count for Halloween
Red Vines – There is a minute amount in their Citric Acid which is derived from palm oil.
Reese’s makes so many different versions and flavors, with different ingredients and suppliers.
They usually list palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc. so read the label in advance. If it says Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and doesn’t cite the source, there may be palm oil in it, according to what it says on their website.
We wrote to them about their Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: Snack Size; 10.5 oz; UPC: 3400040211
When we sent them the UPC code, their nutrition expert confirmed they do not contain any palm oil or palm oil derived ingredients.
Also, they went on to explain:
Not all of our REESE’S products, however, are made with the same recipe.
For example, we do include palm oil as an ingredient in our unwrapped REESE’S PeanutButterCups, Minis, and some of the other variations of REESE’S products such as our White REESE’S PeanutButterCups and our Halloween White REESE’S PeanutButter Ghosts.
In addition, the REESE’S PeanutButterCups that we manufacture specifically for International markets may also contain palm oil.
The great news: You may be able to find Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups without palm oil! (THANK YOU, REESE’S!)
However, you must be diligent about reading the labels. If it says palm oil, palm kernel oil, hydrogenated palm kernel oil, etc., put it back, and look for another one.
Look for the BAGGED, INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED snack size or standard size cups in the candy section without a holiday theme.
More candies that may contain or do contain palm oil
Rice Krispies Treats Original – 12 count
Rice Krispies Treats Original Mini Squares
Rolo
Sixlets
Skittles
Snickers
Starburst
Take 5
3Musketeers
Tootsie Roll Midgees
Tootsie Roll Pops
Twix (all, including Twix Ghost)
Twizzler
Pull-N-Peel
Twists
Nibs
Welch’s Fruit Snacks Mixed Fruit (with Vitamin A Palmitate)
Whatchamacallit
Whoppers
Zagnut
Zoos support orangutan-friendly candy
Many zoos have a Halloween event — Zoo Boo, Boo at the Zoo, Boo Zoo, etc. — in which guests are encouraged to wear costumes and trick or treat throughout Halloween-themed areas. These are fun, family-friendly events.
Oftentimes, zoos publish lists of orangutan-friendly candy in order to create awareness. However, sometimes these lists are outdated.
Additionally, many of them focus on candies that use sustainable palm oil. These lists are important because they increase awareness around candy and palm oil.
We want to highlight and showcase the candy companies and brands who have found ways to make candy WITHOUT ANY palm oil.These are the companies we want to promote and tell consumers about.
Why choose candy without palm oil
In many areas in our world, and especially in Sumatra and Borneo, palm oil plantations are devastating tropical rain forests. Native people as well as populations of wildlife, including orangutans, Sumatran tigers, and more are affected.
Photo by @darmfield
Learn more about the endangered species threatened by unsustainable palm oil production.
Companies sometimes use sustainable palm oil. Yet, when companies use any type of palm oil, it creates more demand.
Therefore, we support candy and treats without any palm oil.
Many people and innovative companies seek palm oil free alternatives for environmental reasons.
Remember, when you don’t buy products that list Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, and Red Palm Oil, you will make a big difference!
We have compiled this information for reference purposes only; it is not guaranteed. This list is meant to be a starting point in order to help you find palm oil free Halloween candy and candy throughout the year.
We also want to inform you about how prevalent palm oil is in the candy industry.
Note: Gum without palm oil is difficult to find as it usually contains Glycerin or Glycerine, typically palm oil derivatives.
Other things:
Think of other things to pass out besides palm free snacks and candy to trick or treaters. This can be nice for kids with food allergies.
Coins – Give a quarter, dimes or nickels. You can give a half dollar if you don’t have many trick or treaters.
Glow sticks, Halloween toys – Wal-Mart, Target, Oriental Trading all sell glow sticks, Halloween balls, necklaces and trinkets. Watch for the environmental impact of these items.
Here’s an alphabetical list of palm oil free candy.
List of Orangutan-Friendly Halloween Candy Without Palm Oil
Atomic Fireballs
Boston Baked Beans
BRACH’S:
Candy Corn Treat Packs
Classic Candy Corn
Mellowcreme Pumpkins
Mini Candy Corn
Naturally Flavored Candy Corn
Divine Chocolate
Dots
DOVE Chocolate:
Milk Chocolate Bars
Milk Chocolate Promises
Dark Chocolate Bars
Dark Chocolate Promises
Dum Dums Original Pops
Endangered Species
Goobers
Good ‘N Plenty
Hershey’s Bars:
Glow in the Dark Snack Size Wrappers Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Skor Toffee
Special Dark
Special Dark with Almonds
Hershey Kisses:
Fall Harvest Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Monster Kisses Milk Chocolate
Special Dark Mildly Sweet Chocolate
Spooky Kisses Milk Chocolate
Hershey’s Nuggets:
Milk Chocolate
Milk Chocolate with Almonds
Special Dark
Special Dark with Almonds
Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
Jolly Rancher Lollipops Spooky Sweets
M&M’s:
Almond
Cookies & Screem
Dark Chocolate
Fun Size Milk Chocolate Glow in the Dark Trick-or-Treat Packs
Milk Chocolate
Mini’s Milk Chocolate Minitube
Mint with Dark Chocolate
Pretzel
White Candy Corn
White Pumpkin Pie
Nerds Grape and Strawberry “For the Love of Nerds”
Nerds Rainbow
Raisinets – Milk and Dark Chocolate
Red Hots Original Cinnamon Candy
Reese’s – must read labels; snack size, individually wrapped cups may be palm oil free
Ring Pop
Saf-T-Pops Lollipops
Skor
Sno Caps
Wholesome Organic Lollipops
York Peppermint Patties
Yum Earth Organic Candy Corn
Yum Earth Organic Pops
List of candy without palm oil
Is your favorite candy palm oil free? Do you know of others? What do you think about companies using palm oil in candy? Leave a message in the Comments.
Trick or treating haul: Can you guess which pile is palm oil free?
We continue to update this post. It’s important to buy palm oil free candy all year. When you shop for holiday candy — think Valentine’s Day candy and Easter candy — read ingredient labels. They often change for holidays.
You can have a Happy Halloween and still be orangutan-friendly.
Read all labels. Manufacturers change ingredients. This list is meant for reference only and to be a starting point.
Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for daily tips to avoid palm oil in candy and other products.
While we read labels, reference the list of names for palm oil derivatives, and email companies asking about their ingredients, the only way to be certain a product is Palm Oil Free is if it has been certified through the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark Programme.
Support Palm Oil Free labeling.
This list is not guaranteed; it shouldn’t be used for medical advice. Please do your own due diligence.
You can easily make your own sweets and desserts without palm oil. If you are baking from scratch, be sure to AVOID USING SHORTENING which most always contains palm.
Store-bought desserts and baked sweets — everything from cookies and cupcakes to donuts and pies — use palm oil, palm kernel oil and palm oil derivatives, including Mono- and Diglycerides, Glycerin, Polysorbate 80 and more.
Boxed cake and dessert mixes often contain palm oil as well.
As with everything, the less ingredients something has, the less chance there will be palm oil in it.
When baking desserts from scratch to avoid palm oil, know these items likely contain it:
Shortening
Shortening contains palm oil and palm oil derivatives. Use real butter instead of shortening in your favorite recipes and especially in pie crusts.
Whipped Cream and Whipped Toppings
These types of toppings in spray canisters most always contain palm oil derivatives in the form of Mono- & Diglycerides. Frozen whipped toppings contain palm kernel oil, Polysorbate 60, and Sorbitan Monostearate.
Margarine
You will find palm oil ingredients in margarine and other “like butter” substitutes. Use real butter in desserts to avoid palm oil.
Sprinkles and Jimmies
Watch for palm oil and palm kernel oil. Colored sugar, such as Wilton Sugar — it’s available in Red, Pink, Dark Green, White Sparkling Sugar, and Blue — is palm oil free. (It’s available at Target.)
Baking and Cooking Spray
Be sure to read labels; you can find baking spray without palm oil. It’s also easy to use a canola, soybean or other oil and grease the pan with a paper towel.
Canned Frosting
You will see canned frosting most always contains palm oil or palm kernel oil among many other palm oil derivatives, including Monoglycerides, Mono & Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, and Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate.
It’s easy to make your own; see below.
Almond Bark, Candy Melts
These contain palm oil and palm kernel oil.
Yeast
To the best of our knowledge, Red Star Active Dry All Natural Yeast in the 3-pack doesn’t contain palm oil. Other yeast contain Sorbitan Monostearate. More information below.
Imitation Vanilla Extract
Use pure vanilla extract; imitations contain Propylene Glycol, a palm oil derivative.
Food Coloring and Dyes
These contain Propylene Glycol, Glycerine, and Polysorbate 80.
Refrigerated cookie dough
While the mainstream brands contain palm oil ingredients, you may find a specialty brand that doesn’t include palm oil. Read labels.
Milk in desserts
Vitamin A Palmitate — a palm oil derivative — is added to most milks, including nut and plant milks. Make your own!
Or you can usually find whole milk without added Vitamin A Palmitate.
Desserts without palm oil
While convenience is great, with a little planning, you can easily make your own confections.
It’s often less expensive, healthier and fairly simple to make desserts without palm oil at home, even if baking isn’t your passion.
Homemade vanilla frosting without palm oil.
These recipes take 5 – 15 minutes, and that includes the cleanup.
Below we’ve included products we believe to be palm oil free. Please note, they are not guaranteed palm oil free unless they have earned the Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark by the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark Programme. Use this as a starting point.
Buttercream frosting without palm oil
Frosting is so easy to make!
Canned frosting contains palm oil. This frosting takes less than five minutes to make.
1 cup real butter (salted or unsalted)
1 lb box/4 cups of confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa or cacao powder
1 tablespoon whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Mix butter, sugar and cocoa powder. Add in vanilla and milk. Blend. Add additional milk as needed.
Omit the cocoa powder for vanilla frosting.
Avocado cacao pudding
This recipe has the bonus of containing avocado, which is a healthy fat. After you add all the ingredients, your kids won’t even know.
It’s super creamy and best when it’s been chilled in the refrigerator.
For an even greater nutritional impact, use a higher quality cocao, such as Navitas Organics. Their Organic Cacao Powder is fair trade certified and contains 25% daily value of Magnesium per 2.5 tablespoons.
You can easily use Hershey’s Cocoa, 100% Cacao which is easy to find and also palm oil free.
It’s also vegan and uses only four ingredients. You can also make easy substitutions for the sweetener as necessary.
The recipes calls for unsweetened coconut, almond or cashew milk. Make your own so it is palm oil free.
I’ve usually make this recipe with homemade almond milk but the last time I combined walnuts and almonds. If you own a food processor or Vitamix, it’s fast.
Soak the nuts for an hour or two and rinse them off. (Before using them, check the label to be sure they are free from palm oil derivatives.)
Blend 20-25 almonds per cup of water in your Vitamix. The recipe calls for two cups of milk but you can make however many you want to.
It’s fast and easy. Pour the two cups of almond or other nut milk into a mason jar. Add six tablespoons of chia seeds and any other flavors you want. The recipe suggests honey or maple syrup and vanilla extract. Shake.
Set in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. When you are ready to eat it, you can top it with fruit or anything you want.
The best part about this — aside from being healthy, easy, and delicious — is you can add anything you want to it. You can even add cacao powder or palm free chocolate chips.
Sometimes when I’m making the almond milk, I add banana, raspberries, blueberries and/or strawberries for a sweeter taste. You can make it your own.
According to MedicalNewsToday.com, chia seeds are good for you. They provide protein, fiber, and Omega-3 fatty acids and are rich in antioxidants.
Prior to making this recipe, I’d never bought chia seeds in my life. I’m so grateful to Brittany at EatingBirdFood.com for posting this recipe.
This makes for a tasty palm free dessert or snack as well as a great breakfast.
Chocolate mug cake
As with all of these recipes, this is a tasty dessert without palm oil. You use 100% pure cacao which is naturally free from palm oil.
You can find this easy recipe online from SweetLittleBluebird.com. This is one of the few mug cakes we found that didn’t include eggs. It tastes great!
Also, by using almond flour, you can make it gluten-free as well.
The thing to note about making this mug cake is that microwave times vary. Pay attention the first time you make it so you know the optimal time to get the consistency you like.
You will be amazed at how delicious, fast and easy this is to make!
Chocolate cake without palm oil
This Crazy Cake recipe is from SweetLittleBluebird.com. Just like the Chocolate Mug Cake above, I made this cake several times. Here it is for my son’s birthday.
Milk Chocolate M&M’s and Mint with Dark Chocolate M&M’s (not Crunchy Mint or Crispy Mint)
It’s fluffy and moist, easy to make, and delicious. The beauty of this cake is it doesn’t use eggs, butter or dairy. You won’t miss them.
In addition to making Crazy Cake cupcakes, which worked perfectly, I used the batter in my two donut makers.
It’s exceptionally difficult to find donuts without palm oil so I wanted to see if this recipe would work. It worked great in both of them.
I used a plug-in mini donut maker. My other donut maker makes regular-sized donuts. It’s the type where you pour the batter in the donut-shapes and put the pan in the oven.
This cake recipe turned out really great in both makers, and now we can enjoy cakes, cupcakes and donuts without palm oil.
(Please note, M&M’s doesn’t make claims these are palm oil free; however, Milk Chocolate and Mint with Dark Chocolate — not their Crunchy Mint and not their Crispy Mint — are fine for my son who reacts to anything with palm oil and palm oil derivatives. We love to use them for decorating homemade cupcakes and cakes.)
Biscotti
You may have read my son gets sick from palm oil. Once, a friend came over for a play date. His mom looked very hard to find a “safe palm oil free dessert” my son could eat.
Amazingly, she found one! She brought Biscotti Bros. Vanilla Biscotti.
My son loved them. I looked for them at the grocery stores in the area and couldn’t find them. It turns out, the store she bought it from stopped selling them. Since then, I had been looking for another biscotti brand at other stores. They either had way too many ingredients to worry about, or they were very expensive.
Still, months later, my son still talked about those biscotti. So I woke up one summer day and pulled up this recipe and made them with great success.
biscotti
It took me a little longer than the 15 minutes prep time indicated, but it was still only 20 minutes or so. I substituted anise with the Simply Organic Pure Vanilla Extract we use safely.
If you use this recipe, be sure to take them out of the oven after 20 minutes, and then slice them with a pizza cutter.
Then put them in for another 7 – 10 minutes. This tip was from the first comment on the recipe, and it made it much simpler than the way the recipe instructs.
(The recipe states to bake it then let it cool, and then cut it, and then put back in the oven for 5 – 6 minutes. I imagine it would be very crumbly and also will take so much more time.)
The biscotti will harden after it comes out of the oven and cools.
These turned out and taste SO GREAT!!! They were exactly as my son remembered them. He was stunned (I’m not the world’s best baker) and so was I.
I made them another two times.
Sugar cookie recipe
Read this to find pre-made cookies without palm oil in stores. Even the ready-made tubes of cookie dough usually contain palm oil.
Use her tip which is to separate the dough so it’s easier to roll out.
This recipe took just 15 minutes for me to get the dough in the oven and everything cleaned up. That’s a lot less time than running to the store. It’s lots healthier too.
These are easy to make as well are moist and delicious. I stored them in a sealed bag in my refrigerator, and they were good a week later.
You could freeze them even longer which is prefect to make in advance for when you need them.
Chocolate covered bananas
This palm free dessert has the added bonus of starring a healthy fruit.
You can make this a two-ingredient recipe, using just the banana and the chocolate.
Just be sure to find melting chocolate, chocolate bars, or chocolate chips without palm oil.
In addition, you can add whatever toppings you want, just be sure they are palm oil free.
Some examples include nuts, shredded coconut, nut butter, chocolate chips, dried fruit, and regular M&Ms.
(Note to watch the M&Ms. The original/plain are palm oil free right now but be sure to read the label. They’ve recently changed ingredients and Peanut M&M’s now contain palm oil Some of their other flavors do as well.)
This is especially fun to eat in the summer.
Butterless cookie cake with ice cream
When we first found out my son reacted to palm oil, I panicked over what to do for his birthday cake. I always bought cupcakes or a cake from the grocery store. Being that was no longer an option, I thought maybe I could make a cookie cake. In this way, I wouldn’t have to deal with frosting. I’ve only ever bought frosting in the can.
I’ve made this recipe five times. Instead of making it into cookies, we’ve only ever put the dough in a glass circular pan and made it into a cake.
Not the prettiest picture but this cookie cake is amazing!
Follow the directions, and grease the bottom of a pan. Cook it for 18 – 20 minutes. Let it cool.
Add the ice cream on top just before you are ready to serve it.
I used Milk Chocolate and Dark Mint M&Ms which don’t contain palm oil (not the Crunchy Mint) to decorate. You can use chocolate shavings as well.
The first few times I made it, I froze the cookie. It becomes too hard to eat unless it’s much thinner. So if you use a larger pan so it’s thinner, that will work.
We use Breyer’s Natural Vanilla Ice Cream — only get the Natural Vanilla, not any of their other three vanilla flavors which may seem the same but they contain Mono- and Diglycerides.
My family loves this so much my kids decided we can only make it for one of our birthdays so it remains special!
Banana ice cream
Bananas are really great for their texture, especially when blended from frozen. Plus, it’s another dessert without palm oil that’s on the healthier side.
If you’ve looked in the store for palm oil free ice cream, you know how hard it is to find.
In additional to the easy-to-see-on-labels ingredients, palm oil and palm kernel oil, ice cream manufacturers use a common palm oil derivative known as mono- and diglycerides.
But if you have a food processor or blender, you will be amazed at how easy it is to enjoy this palm oil free ice cream, even if you aren’t particularly fond of bananas.
I use a Vitamix but any food processor will do.
This tastes so unbelievably much like ice cream, you will be amazed. It’s so simple!
How to make banana ice cream
Slice bananas and freeze up to three or four bananas in a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag. Try to freeze them so they are in a single layer, rather than balled up.
Note: Several times, I sliced over a dozen bananas and put them in a gallon-sized Ziploc. I don’t recommend it. You don’t want the bananas to clump because it makes it really difficult for your food processor to whip them up.
Another tip is to cut the bananas every which way so they don’t nest together.
Not to complicate this simple recipe, but the idea is you really want it as easy as possible for your food processor to whip up the bananas. (Your food processor will thank you.)
Once the bananas are frozen — they don’t even need to be frozen solid — put them in the food processor or Vitamix.
Add vanilla extract to taste — approximately a quarter teaspoon per three bananas.
Add cacao powder to taste. You can add a few tablespoons, depending on how many bananas you have.
You can also make a larger batch of this banana ice cream and freeze for later.
Blend until it’s the consistency of ice cream. It’s a really tasty dairy-free and palm oil free ice cream treat that amazingly has the consistency of ice cream.
While it’s awesome with vanilla extract and the cacao, you can add anything to it. Instead of vanilla, use peppermint extract. You can blend in strawberries and/or slice them to mix in for strawberry ice cream. We use organic vanilla extract which has a much better chance of being palm oil free.
You can add nuts, other fruit, etc. for more variety.
Like in the other recipes, you can use the easy-to-find Hershey’s 100% Cocoa powder. For an even richer flavor, use fair trade certified Navitas Organics Cacao or other 100% cacao powder.
Chocolate Tapioca Pudding
I just made this palm oil free pudding from Allrecipes. It was my first time using tapioca flour which has the added bonus of being gluten-free. I only had Hershey Milk Chocolate bars on hand and will get better quality next time.
making chocolate tapioca pudding
I kept it boiling for two minutes like the recipe instructed but I burned the bottom of it. I’m not sure if I wasn’t supposed to keep the lid on it (which I did) or if I needed to boil it for less time.
Aside from that, the majority of it tasted wonderfully.
Brownies without palm oil
If you are looking to make desserts without palm oil, brownies are an easy choice.
We love these brownies made with olive oil from SimplyWhisked.com. So many recipes are created using canola oil, yet olive oil is much healthier.
Prep time for these is about 15 minutes. Once you’ve boiled the water, it’s fast to make.
It requires 10 common ingredients. However, while this recipe has more ingredients than the others listed, they are common ingredients you may already have or can easily get.
Some of them include cocoa powder, vanilla extract, sugar, eggs and baking soda.
The brownies are moist, chocolately and delicious.
We love homemade from scratch brownies best but we have found very good brownie mixes without palm oil.
Brownie mix without palm oil
Pillsbury makes many palm oil free brownie mixes
Chocolate Fudge
Milk Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Classic Fudge
Purely Simple Chocolate Chunk
They are simple to make. Just add oil (canola, soybean, olive oil, etc.; just not palm oil), water and two eggs. Again, to the best of our knowledge, these are palm oil free, but they are not guaranteed.
Baking chips
Avoid vanilla chips and white morsels as they typically contain palm oil and palm kernel oil. Unless it states “white chocolate,” the baking chips will mostly contain palm oil in some form.
The same is true for flavors of baking morsels and chips such as raspberry, peanut butter, and butterscotch, etc., which contain palm oil.
You will have a much better chance if you buy milk chocolate, semi-sweet, and dark chocolate baking chips.
Read labels to be sure you are buying real chocolate. Chips marked “chocolate flavored,” “made with chocolate,” and “chocolately” usually contain palm oil.
Enjoy Life Mini Chips: Semi-Sweet; Dark; Semi-Sweet Mega Chunks
We believe these chips are palm oil free because my son can enjoy them safely.
My son made this cake & frosting! We forgot to get a “before” picture.
Whipped topping and frosting
Doing online searches, you can find ways to make whipped topping without palm oil by using heavy cream without Vitamin A Palmitate.
Again, avoid canned frosting which contains palm oil. You can easily make your own with confectioners sugar and real butter. It’s easy and palm oil free.
The only yeast we found that lists only “yeast” in the ingredients is Red Star Active Dry Yeast in the packet form.
Red Star Active Dry Yeast packets
We looked at Instant Yeast, Bread Machine Yeast, and Quick Rise Yeast in jars and packets.
Yeast usually contain Sorbitan Monostearate. This is a palm oil derivative. You won’t know if it’s derived from palm oil unless you check with the companies.
Read labels before buying yeast. We only ever buy this Red Star yeast in the 3-packet form.
Palm oil free dessert ingredients
These are some of the palm free ingredients we use when baking:
O Organics Organic Powdered Sugar
Enjoy Life Foods Mini Chips Semi-Sweet
Red Ape Premium Ground Cinnamon – This product is certified palm oil free.
C&H Confectioners Sugar
Simply Organic Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract
Red Star Active Dry Yeast packets
From emailing companies and doing our own due diligence, we believe these are palm oil free. However, they are not guaranteed because they haven’t been certified Palm Oil Free.
Tips for baking palm oil free confections
It’s important to note, I’m not a baker! I am learning as I go. You can do it too.
One of the best things I did was to buy a container to put baking ingredients in. I bought a dishpan from Target. It’s easy to pull it out and have the flour, sugar, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, etc. all in one place.
Palm oil free bakery
Remember, store-bought desserts and baked confections — cakes, cookies, pastries, etc. — use palm oil ingredients.
Sometimes you will see palm kernel oil and palm kernel oil on the ingredient labels. In addition, there are often palm oil derivatives, including Mono- and Diglycerides, Glycerin, Polysorbate 80 and more.
Ingredients in sheet cake from grocery store with multiple palm oil ingredients.
Yes, it’s hard to walk past the bakery departments in grocery stores being tempted by all the scones, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, donuts, pastries, muffins, cakes, tarts, pies and torts.
But when you take a minute to look at the list of ingredients, you will be sure to find palm oil, palm kernel oil and other palm oil derivatives, especially if there are many ingredients in it.
Here are some of them from the cake ingredients in the image:
Sorbitan Monostearate
Polysorbate 60
Mono- & Diglycerides
Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate
So make your own! By knowing exactly what’s going into your desserts, you can be sure they are palm oil free.
Once you know the ingredients to watch out for, it’s much easier to choose palm oil free products.
And if you feel like a snack, be it sugary or sweet, see our list of palm oil free snacks as well.
Easy-to-make desserts
Please know, I don’t like to cook or bake but I am trying hard to make healthier choices for my family.
But even though I am a very novice baker, I’ve made all of these recipes successfully, some multiple times. They are so easy to do.
And they all taste amazing. You will absolutely not miss the commercial bakery with artificial and chemical ingredients at your grocery store.
Palm oil wrecks havoc on our planet and also makes my son incredibly ill. By eating healthier and more “from scratch,” it’s a lot easier to avoid palm oil.
We will continue to update this post with more recipes for desserts without palm oil. Please share your favorites in the Comments.
Again, thank you for supporting palm oil free desserts, baked goods, frozen novelties and treats. Please always read labels and be a proactive consumer.
By making desserts at home, you can be sure you are enjoying desserts free from palm oil and derivatives.
To the best of our knowledge, these products and recipes are free from palm oil and palm oil derivatives. Please use it as a reference point as you do your own due diligence. This is list not guaranteed.
You will only know for certain something is palm oil free if it has earned the Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark by the International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark Programme.
Jolly Rancher:
