Hershey Kisses are a sweet staple in households, especially when they appear in stockings and on top of cookies during the holiday season. However, if you have Celiac disease or follow a strict gluten-free lifestyle, it’s essential to ensure that your candy is safe to eat.
Before you pop one in your mouth, are Hershey Kisses gluten-free? That depends. Some varieties are, while others aren’t.
Do Hershey Kisses Have Gluten?
While Hershey’s Kisses haven’t received a third-party certification to ensure their products are free from gluten, Hershey’s gluten-free policy states that, “The best way to determine if our products contain a gluten ingredient is to read our product label. This label includes an accurate, current listing of the ingredients in our products.”
At the time of publication, these were the most recent ingredient lists. As ingredient lists can change regularly, always read ingredient lists before picking up a bag of Hershey's Kisses.
Related: Are M&Ms Gluten-Free?
Are Milk Chocolate Hershey’s Kisses Gluten-Free?
You don’t have to worry while eating the original milk chocolate Hershey Kisses because they’re gluten-free.
The ingredient list includes:
Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Lecithin (Soy), Natural Flavor.
My Favorite Way to Use Hershey’s Kisses
Peanut butter cookies with Hershey’s Kisses are a holiday classic that my mom used to make every year. After going gluten-free, I discovered the best recipe for gluten-free peanut butter cookies that pair perfectly with milk chocolate Hershey’s Kisses!
If you’re new to the GF lifestyle and want to up your baking game, why not take a gluten-free cooking course?
Are Hershey's Hugs Gluten-Free?
Yes, Hershey’s Hugs are gluten-free.
The ingredients of these chocolate-filled treats include:
Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Lecithin, PGPR, Natural Flavor), Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Shea Oil, Sunflower Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Safflower Oil), Skim Milk, Corn Syrup Solids, Lactose. Contains 2% or Less of Lecithin, Vanillin, PGPR
Are Candy Cane Hershey Kisses Gluten-Free?
Candy Cane Hershey Kisses (also referred to as Peppermint Hershey Kisses) have an adorable red and white swirl pattern and crunchy bits of peppermint that make them a holiday must-have. With bits of peppermint scattered throughout every delicious morsel, it’s the perfect combination of chocolate and peppermint. They are gluten-free and the ingredient list is as follows:
Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Palm Oil, Shea Oil, Sunflower Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, and/or Safflower Oil), Nonfat Milk, Corn Syrup Solids, Lactose (Milk). They contain 2% or less of Cornstarch, Lecithin (Soy), Peppermint Oil, Confectioners Glaze, Artificial Coloring (Red 40 Lake, Red 40), Vanillin, Artificial Flavor, Tocopherols (to maintain freshness), PGPR, Emulsifier and Carnauba Wax.
Are Sugar Cookie Kisses Gluten-Free?
No, Sugar Cookie Kisses are not gluten-free. One of the ingredients is enriched wheat flour, making this an unsafe choice for people with Celiac disease. It’s also not advised for people following a gluten-free lifestyle.
Sugar Cookie Kisses ingredients include:
Sugar, Vegetable Oil [Palm Oil, Shea Oil, Sunflower Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, and/or Safflower Oil], Skim Milk, Corn Syrup Solids, Enriched Wheat Flour [Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Lactose (Milk). 2% or Less of: Natural Flavor, Artificial Flavor, Lecithin (Soy), Baking Soda, Salt, PGPR, Artificial Color [Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1].
Note: To save time, avoid any variety with the word “cookie” in it.
Are Hot Cocoa Hershey Kisses Gluten-Free?
With their marshmallow center, Hot Cocoa Hershey Kisses’ ingredient list does not contain gluten:
Sugar, Milk, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Lecithin (Soy), Natural Flavor, Vegetable Oil (Canola Oil, Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil), Whey (Milk), Skim Milk. Contains 2% or Less of Milk, Natural Flavor, Cornstarch, Lecithin (Soy), Salt.
What Other Hershey Kisses Are Gluten-Free?
Currently, these varieties of Hershey Kisses are considered gluten-free:
- Milk chocolate varieties
- Hugs
- Special Dark
- Roses Meltaway
- Cherry Cordial Crème
- Candy Cane
- Caramel
- Birthday Cake
- Mint Truffle
- Hot Cocoa Kisses
- Lava Cake
- Almond
Hershey’s Kisses That Aren’t Gluten-Free
At the time of publication, these varieties of Hershey Kisses contain gluten:
- Sugar Cookie
- Cookies ‘n’ Creme
- Strawberry Ice Cream Cone
Happy Baking!
You now know the answer to the question: Are Hershey kisses gluten-free? Because ingredients are constantly changing, we always recommend checking ingredient lists before eating any flavor of Hershey’s Kisses. After making sure your Hershey’s Kiss is gluten-free, mix things up by topping these gluten-free cookies with some of them!
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
Tag @glutenfreepalate on Instagram and hashtag it #glutenfreepalatebaker so we can see all the deliciousness!
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