Trick or Treat? Obviously, the main reason so many love Halloween is for the treats, specifically candy. Everyone has their favorites – Snickers, Twizzlers, Reese’s, etc. – but what if you couldn’t have any of that? For a vegan like me, that’s the case. No milk, eggs, honey, gelatin, or red food dye, so this makes the options for Halloween treats a bit select. This dilemma actually hasn’t restricted me much at all, it’s just urged me to get more creative when the weather gets chilly and the pumpkins are being carved. The vegan perspective on Halloween can offer unique ideas to create a healthier holiday for any omnivore.
Idea #1: Cookies
Invest in Halloween Sprinkles. It’s the easiest way to make anything festive without much effort. Making your favorite cookie recipes vegan is simple. Calls for eggs? Substitute flaxseeds with the simple recipe for an egg, 1 tablespoon ground flax and 2 tablespoons water. Does the recipe have milk in it? Use almond, soy, or my personal favorite, coconut milk. You can even substitute granulated sugar with a natural liquid sweetener, agave, to make it healthier. Everything I’ve listed can be found at your typical grocery store, even the small ones. Utilizing fall flavors like pumpkin and spices offers a more gourmet route to incorporate Halloween into your food.
Idea #2: Coffee drinks
Starbucks offers a variety of autumn themed drinks, but I’ve found they can easily be made on a budget at home with fewer calories. With 2 cups ice, ¾ cup strong coffee, ¾ cup non-dairy milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, and some pumpkin pie spice mixed in the blender, you have a pumpkin pie spice frappechino! This is great to hear for vegans everywhere, because the beloved Pumpkin Spice flavoring at Starbucks has milk powder in it that we can’t eat.
Idea #3: S’mores
S’mores are a great idea on Halloween to bring everyone together for a bonfire. Vegans can’t eat marshmallows… or most chocolate… or graham crackers. But that doesn’t stop us! There are plenty of alternatives. Vegan marshmallows are available at places like David’s Natural Food Market and Wegmans. One of the greatest perks of being a vegan is the chocolate. It gives me the perfect excuse to skip the typical milk chocolate Hershey bar and go straight to the good quality chocolate like Ghirardelli. Lastly, Nabisco Graham crackers are the only brand in the store that is veg-friendly. A good way to get creative with S’mores is to melt all the chocolate, and then put it in a baking sheet mixed with other things treats like candy corn, Oreos, orange icing, or whatever else you want. Then, when it hardens you can use it to create the perfect Halloween S’more.
Idea #4: Caramel Apples
Since they’re in season and you can find them at your local farmer’s market, apples are perfect for fall. Bobbing for apples at Halloween parties has been done for decades, but no one wants a plain apple, right? The great thing about caramel apples is you can customize them however you want it. Dip them in chocolate, coat in nuts (since vegans have to get their protein in), or covered in your favorite candies.
Idea #5: Chex Mix
After all those sweets, you’re going to be craving something savory that will hopefully lower your blood pressure. Chex Mix in the bag from the grocery store is good, but it doesn’t beat it homemade and hot out of the oven. All it requires is a few bags of Chex, Pretzels, Peanuts, and some sauces and spices to coat it. Adding pumpkin seeds that are left over from carving is optional, but recommended.
As some our surprised to discover, vegans aren’t hindered during the holidays to what they can eat. Actually, they are just encouraged to be more creative. Vegan, vegetarian, omnivore, carnivore, or cannibal, anyone can try something new and eat some vegan sweets this Halloween.