It’s getting easier to find dairy-free chocolate that you can melt for all types of candies, baked goods, and treats. But candy melts allow you to add color and flavor to dessert coatings without the influences of cocoa. Most brands and varieties do contain milk, but we’ve discovered a few fantastic options for dairy-free candy melts.
We’ve gathered all the dairy-free candy melts we could find. Our list of candy wafers includes brands made for food allergies and for the vegan diet. They’re just like those chocolate wafers you enjoy that come in assorted colors and flavors, or can be customized for the perfect dessert coating. If you find others, let us know! chocolate press machine
Made with the simplest ingredients, these colorful chocolate-like wafers have a creamy consistency (from coconut milk powder) and are naturally colored with veggie powders. They are both kosher and made without top allergens. And these dairy-free candy melts come in all the basic hues, including pink, green, blue, red, and yellow.
For complete versatility, these morsels can’t be beat. They were created as vegan white chocolate chips, but have a soft, creamy consistency that melts extremely well, and needs no added shortening or oil to create the perfect coating for pretzels, cake pops, and more. Once melted (just 20 to 40 seconds in the microwave!), this dairy-free candy coating can be tinted with food dye or flavored with powders or extract. It has a snow white color that’s a blank canvas for different hues and a gentle vanilla flavor that pairs with just about any essence. I love using them to make Dairy-Free Strawberry Chips. Plus, they are soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, allergy-friendly, and even coconut-free!
Alas, their white and color-focused varieties do contain milk. But they’ve released some holiday flavors without a drop of dairy. In winter, look for the Sugar Cookie (green), Red Velvet (pink), and Gingerbread (tan) Melt’ems for some seasonal candy coatings.
This kosher parve brand makes non-dairy melting chocolate wafers in white, pink, purple, yellow, red, orange, and blue.
There are actually more manufacturer’s of non-dairy chocolate candy coatings, but they supply in bulk at a commercial level. Lynn’s buys in this kosher pareve variety in bulk, and repackages them into one-pound bags for consumers. They only offer white, but it is touted as allergen-free.
They have so many uses for candy makers and home bakers! Dairy-free candy melts provide a sweet finish to so many dessert recipes. They are perfect for molding. You can use them to create colored edible components on chocolate treats and lollipops. They melt seamlessly as a confectionery coating for cake pops, covered pretzels, covered nuts, and various other treats. You can also pipe or drizzle melted dairy-free candy melts onto cakes, cupcakes, cookies, bars, and other desserts.
Most brands melt fine in the microwave or in a double boiler. I prefer my easy Countertop Double Boiler Method, especially if you will be dipping or dunking into the melted confection. They are less risky to melt on the stovetop than chocolate and don’t require tempering, but I would still use the method I recommend or the instructions on the package.
There are chocolate candy melts, but candy melts in general are not actually chocolate. White and flavored varieties are very rarely made with cocoa butter or any other component of cacao beans. They’re technically more of a confection. The wafers are typically made with solid oils, like palm oil or palm kernel oil, and milk powder to make them both creamy and easy to melt. They are gentler to bite than chocolate, and are perfect for creating coatings with different colors and flavors. The base varieties usually taste like white chocolate. The trick for dairy free is getting the right consistency and firmness without milk powder.
You can really use almost any dairy-free chocolate for coating candies and other desserts. When melted, just add a tiny dollop of shortening (I use Spectrum Organic). About 1/2 teaspoon per cup of chocolate chips or chunks is often enough. I just eyeball it. This makes the melted chocolate thicker for coating and helps it set up with a slightly softer texture. If using a softer, dairy-free “milk” chocolate, like Enjoy Life Milk Chocolate Style Morsels, you don’t need to add any shortening. See my Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips Guide for various vegan chocolate options.
In the past, we’ve some that use soy milk powder instead of milk powder. But usually, they are just using soy lecithin as an emulsifier. Top allergen free brands use other types of lecithin, like sunflower lecithin, instead of soy.
Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.
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