Quick Answer
Most Reese’s brand candy products are gluten-free, with the exception of a few products that contain wheat flour or barley malt. The classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s sticks, Reese’s shells, and Reese’s Outrageous bars are all gluten-free. However, Reese’s puffs, Reese’s crunchy cookies, and Reese’s peanut butter cups with pretzels contain gluten. When in doubt, check the ingredient list for wheat, barley, rye or malt ingredients.
Ingredients to Look For
When checking if a Reese’s product is gluten-free, look for these ingredients that contain gluten:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
- Malt
Any Reese’s product that contains these ingredients is not gluten-free. The most common gluten-containing ingredients found in Reese’s products are wheat flour and barley malt.
Gluten-Free Reese’s Products
Here is a list of popular Reese’s products that are gluten-free:
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Classic, King Size, Miniatures)
- Reese’s Pieces (Original, Big Cup)
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups stuffed with Reese’s Pieces
- Reese’s Crispy Crunchy Bar
- Reese’s Big Cup with Pretzels
- Reese’s Big Cup with Potato Chips
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers Cups
- Reese’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Reese’s Outrageous Bar
- Reese’s Nutrageous
- Reese’s Sticks
- Reese’s Shells
The classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, available in different sizes and packaging, is naturally gluten-free. The main ingredients are chocolate, peanuts, sugar, palm oil, and other flavorings.
Reese’s Pieces are also gluten-free, containing sugar, corn syrup, peanuts, grams, cocoa butter, skim milk, and other natural flavorings.
Most Reese’s brand candy bars, like Reese’s Outrageous Bar, Reese’s Crispy Crunchy Bar, and Reese’s Big Cup variations are all gluten-free as well.
Reese’s Products with Gluten
Here are some examples of Reese’s products that contain gluten:
- Reese’s Puffs Cereal
- Reese’s Crunchy Cookies
- Reese’s Big Cup with Pretzels
- Reese’s Big Cup with Reese’s Pieces Cookies
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with Pretzels
- Reese’s Mini’s Party Cake
Reese’s Puffs cereal contains wheat flour, barley malt extract, and malted barley flour, so it is not gluten-free.
Reese’s Crunchy Cookies also contain wheat flour and are not gluten-free.
Some Reese’s Big Cup variations with pretzels or cookies also contain wheat and barley ingredients. For example, the Big Cup with Pretzels contains wheat flour in the pretzel filling.
Always check the label of flavored or mixed Reese’s products to confirm if they are gluten-free.
Are Reese’s Mini’s Gluten-Free?
Yes, Reese’s Mini’s are gluten-free. Reese’s Miniatures contain the same ingredients as regular Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, just in a smaller size. The mini peanut butter cups do not contain any gluten ingredients.
However, be aware that some Reese’s Mini product mixes may contain gluten. For example, Reese’s Mini’s Party Cake includes wheat flour. But the classic Reese’s Miniatures in the orange plastic wrap are gluten-free.
Are Reese’s Eggs Gluten-Free?
Yes, Reese’s peanut butter eggs that are available around Easter are gluten-free. They contain the same ingredients as regular Reese’s peanut butter cups. The Reese’s eggs are made of gluten-free ingredients like chocolate, peanuts, and sugar.
Are Reese’s Trees Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Trees are a Christmas-shaped version of the classic Reese’s peanut butter cups. Since the classic peanut butter cups are gluten-free, the holiday tree shapes contain no gluten as well. Reese’s trees are made with gluten-free ingredients.
Are Reese’s Hearts Gluten-Free?
Reese’s also makes heart-shaped peanut butter cups for Valentine’s Day. These limited edition Reese’s Hearts contain no gluten ingredients. Since they are made with the same gluten-free ingredients as regular Reese’s peanut butter cups, the hearts are also gluten-free.
Are Reese’s Pumpkins Gluten-Free?
Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins that are sold during Halloween are gluten-free. They have the same ingredients as the classic Reese’s cups, containing no wheat, barley, rye or malt ingredients. So Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins are a gluten-free Halloween candy option.
Is White Chocolate Reese’s Gluten-Free?
Yes, Reese’s White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are gluten-free. These cups substitute white chocolate instead of milk chocolate but do not contain any additional gluten ingredients. The white chocolate version contains peanuts, sugar, cocoa butter, milk, white chocolate and palm oil.
Is Dark Chocolate Reese’s Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are also gluten-free. The list of ingredients is similar to the classic Reese’s, using peanuts, chocolate liqueur and darker chocolate instead of milk chocolate. But there are no gluten-containing ingredients.
Is Reese’s Outrageous Bar Gluten-Free?
Yes, Reese’s Outrageous Bar is gluten-free. This candy bar combines chocolate, caramel, rice crisps, peanuts and peanut butter creme. It does not contain any ingredients derived from wheat, barley, rye or malt so it can be eaten on a gluten-free diet.
Is Reese’s Nutrageous Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Nutrageous bars are gluten-free. The Nutrageous combines chocolate, peanuts, caramel and Rice Crisps, which are all gluten-free ingredients. Always check the label to confirm, but Nutrageous bars do not typically contain gluten.
Is Reese’s Sticks Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Sticks are gluten-free. They contain milk chocolate, peanut butter and no wheat ingredients. Reese’s Sticks come in a pack of 2 or 4 peanut butter filled wafers dipped in chocolate. These sweet snacks are a gluten-free treat.
Is Reese’s Shells Gluten-Free?
Yes, Reese’s Shells are gluten-free. These ridged, shell-shaped chocolates are filled with peanut butter creme. Reese’s Shells only contain ingredients like chocolate, peanut butter, sugar and palm oil. There are no gluten-containing ingredients.
Is Reese’s Big Cup Gluten-Free?
The classic Reese’s Big Cup is gluten-free. However, check flavored Big Cups carefully. For example, the Reese’s Big Cup with Pretzels contains wheat flour and is not gluten-free. But the original Reese’s Big Cup only contains chocolate, peanuts and sugar.
Is Reese’s Ice Cream Gluten-Free?
Reese’s branded ice cream products are gluten-free, but always check the label to be sure. Most Reese’s ice creams are labeled “gluten-free” right on the front of the carton. Common Reese’s ice cream flavors like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and Reese’s Pieces are gluten-free. But flavors with mix-ins like cookies or pretzels may contain gluten. When in doubt, check the ingredient list.
Here is a table summarizing the most common Reese’s ice cream flavors and whether they are gluten-free:
| Reese’s Ice Cream Flavor | Gluten-Free? |
|---|---|
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup | Yes |
| Reese’s Pieces | Yes |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Overload | Yes |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers | Yes |
| Reese’s Outrageous | Yes |
| Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with Pretzels | No – contains gluten |
Is Reese’s Spread Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Peanut Butter Spread is gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. It contains roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, cocoa, and other gluten-free ingredients. The Reese’s spread allows you to enjoy the classic Reese’s peanut butter taste in dips, bakes goods or spreads.
Is Reese’s Baking Chips Gluten-Free?
Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips for baking are gluten-free. If you like cooking and baking with peanut butter, you can add these sweet morsels into your gluten-free recipes. Reese’s baking chips contain ingredients like sugar, palm oil, peanuts, lactose, soy lecithin and PGPR. There are no wheat, barley or rye-based ingredients. Enjoy them in cookies, bars, cakes and other goodies.
Here is a simple gluten-free recipe for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cookies using Reese’s baking chips:
Ingredients:
- 2 1⁄4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 (11 oz) bag Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and peanut butter until blended. Then beat in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and eggs until fluffy.
- Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Fold in 1 cup of the Reese’s chips until evenly mixed throughout the dough.
- Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place onto the prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Gently press remaining Reese’s chips into the tops of the unbaked cookies.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Is Reese’s Candy Halal?
Most Reese’s brand candy products are halal certified, meaning they adhere to Islamic dietary regulations. Halal certification requires that products do not contain pork or pork by-products, and that dairy ingredients come from halal slaughtered animals. Popular Reese’s items like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s Crispy Crunchy bar, Reese’s Outrageous bar, and Reese’s Sticks are halal approved. Check the packaging for the halal symbol if following a halal diet.
Is Reese’s Candy Kosher?
Yes, most Reese’s brand candies are certified Kosher. Kosher certification requires that dairy and meat products must meet Jewish dietary laws. To receive kosher Pareve certification, candy products must be dairy-free. Most plain Reese’s chocolates are Pareve kosher certified. However, Reese’s candies with milk chocolate, like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, are considered “D” or dairy by kosher standards, but still permitted. Check labels around holidays as kosher symbols can change annually.
Where to Buy Reese’s Products
Here are some of the best places to buy Reese’s candy and peanut butter products:
- Grocery Stores – Most major grocery chains like Safeway, Kroger, Publix, etc. have aisles dedicated to Reese’s candies, especially around holidays.
- Mass Merchandise Stores – Stores like Walmart, Target, and Kmart have shelves stocked with Reese’s candies and peanut butter cups year round.
- Convenience Stores – Gas stations and convenience stores like 7-Eleven often sell Reese’s miniatures, cups, pieces, sticks and other portable Reese’s snacks.
- Online – Large retailers like Amazon and Walmart.com sell Reese’s candies online. The Reese’s brand website also has an online store.
- Specialty Candy Stores – Stores like IT’SUGAR and Rocket Fizz that specialize in candy carry novelty Reese’s products.
Reese’s candies are produced in massive quantities and distributed widely across grocery retailers, so they are very easy to find in stores. Limited edition and seasonal Reese’s products sell quickly so shop early.
Conclusion
Reese’s offers a wide variety of delicious peanut butter candies and snacks. Fortunately for those with celiac disease or food sensitivities, almost all classic Reese’s brand products are gluten-free and safe to enjoy. Only a handful of products containing wheat flour, pretzels or cookies with gluten are exceptions. When in doubt, diligently read ingredient labels or contact the Reese’s consumer information line. This ensures you can keep enjoying these sweet gluten-free treats!