Vegan Sweets & Snacks
Don't listen to PETA - most of the brands they promote are NOT vegan. If it's made anywhere outside Australia or New Zealand (in which all sugar is vegan) you need to check the type of sugar used. In the UK around half the brands of sugar are vegan and half use char bones so you need to ask the brand of candy which sugar they use, British Sugar is vegan. In the USA the only sugar that is vegan is certified vegan sugar and certified organic sugar. The ingredients label will tell you straight away if your favorite brand of candy is vegan or not.
Chocolate
There are soooo many different brands of vegan chocolate. With sugar not being vegan outside of Australia and New Zealand it's important to always check even candy marked "vegan" to make sure they are using organic sugar.
AUSTRALIA
My favourite is also the cheapest! Kinnerton Dark Chocolate is nut, dairy, gluten and egg free and melts perfectly for cooking! Available at Big W.
Green & Black's - Organic Dark Chocolate, Maya Gold Chocolate & Organic Min Chocolate
Lindt - 70% cocoa & 85% cocoa chocolate is also vegan.
Check out the vegan online stores for smaller named brands that specialise in all kinds of chocolate.
ALDI - Just Organic Dark Chocolate
IGA - Conscious Chocolate
Here are some other brands you can find in specialty and online stores;
Coracao Chocolate - online vegan chocolate shop with truffles and gift boxes
Rose City Chocolatiers - online vegan boxed chocolates - great for gifts! USA
Allison's Gourmet - an online vegan bakery & chocolatier - great for gifts USA
Josophan's Fine Chocolates - Australian handmade & fair trade chocolate, all dark chocolate is vegan
Fry's - Chocolate Cream Bar, Mint Cream Bar & Orange Cream Bar (I've seen these in some corner supermarkets and in the "British" section of Woolworths Rangers Rod, Neutral Bay)
Blue's Sugar Free - make some dark chocolates which are dairy, gluten & sugar free.
Sweet Williams - make many flavours of block chocolate and chocolate spread (they also make dark, milk & white chocolate drops for cooking) - also available in Franklins.
Bonvita - make milk & white chocolate as well as flavours
Booja Booja - make beautiful boxed vegan truffles in a range of flavours incl. champagne
Noble Choice - make many flavours of block chocolate
Plamil - make many flavours of block chocolate and also makes chocolate spread
Lieber's - make chocolate syrup
Leda Chocolate Rum Balls - available in the supermarket.
GoMaxGo - make vegan versions of Bounty, Milky Way, Mars Bars & Snickers Bars, available from online specialty stores (or in store in the US - just check the website for stockists) - NOTE this product contains palm oil.
After Dinner Mints - Chocola's Crispy Mint Leaves & Alter Eco After Dinner Mints
Moo Free - From the UK is the best vegan milk chocolate I've tasted. Blocks now available through the Cruelty Free Shop. They also carry Moo Free Easter eggs and Christmas advent calendars during those seasons.
Eli's Earth - make a range of vegan chocolate bars available from Cruelty Free Shop
Easter Eggs - Sweet Williams, Moo Free, Bonvita usually put out and easter egg range. Check in Australia with the Cruelty Free Shop or The Gluten Free Shop or in the USA with Natural Candy Store, Vegan Essentials or Vegan Store close to Easter. Lindt dark chocolate bunnies (brown ribbon) are also dairy free!!
In store you can try Wholefoods or health stores but I find their choice is very limited.
Xmas - Sweet Williams & Bonvita make Xmas shaped chocolates. Moo Free Chocolates sell vegan advent calendars and Xmas chocolates.
Check in Australia with the Cruelty Free Shop or The Gluten Free Shop or in the USA with Natural Candy Store, Vegan Essentials or Vegan Store close to Xmas.
The Natural Candy Store - stocks a vegan section for candy and chocolate - even seasonal!
Hot Chocolate/Drinks
Available in supermarkets & online...
Josophan's Fine Chocolates - Australian handmade & fair trade chocolate, their drinking chocolate flavours are Traditional, Mayan, Chilli, Orange & Orange Spiced mmm
Vitarium 100% natural sugar free drinking chocolate
Chai Spice instant Chai – IGA
While’s Thick Shake – choc & strawberry
IGA - So Delicious Dairy Free coconut milk beverages, chocolate
Macro organic drinking chocolate - Woolworths
But it's soooo easy to make from scratch! Recipe here.
Lollies/Candy
Biona Organic - make a range of jelly lollies incl. wine gums, coke bottles & pineapples
Vegebears - make jelly fruits
Yummy Earth Organic - make many different flavours of lollipops
Licorice - Orgran makes vegan licorice, available from specialty and online stores.
The Fabulous Fudge Factory - make dairy-free fudge
BioBon - make jelly fruits
Surf Sweets - Sour Berry Bears, Gummy Swirls & Sour Worms
Mentos - in Australia are vegan but if you're buying in other countries check the label as they may contain gelatin.
The Natural Candy Store - USA, has a vegan candy section with a large range
PETA - has a great list of USA supermarket foods that are vegan here
Mashmellow
Dandies - make vegan marshmellow
Sweet & Sara Marshmellows - available from Uproar
Angel Food - make a vegan mashmellow mix
Cake
Melinda's, Well & Good and Orgran make many cake/biscuit/muffin/cupcake/pancake mixes packets that are available in the Health Food section of the supermarket.
Naturally Good - "Deliciously Free" makes a Chocolate Mud Cake mix & a Moist Savoury Muffin & Crepe Mix plus a range of vegan "Bakehouse Cookies" (which are all gluten, egg & dairy free)
Lieber's Chocolate Sprinkles - can be bought from specialty stores or onlineConfetti Sprinkelz - make Vegan 100s & 1000s
Enjoy Life - has vegan chocolate drops for cooking (or eating)
Food Dyes
Hullaballo make a range of vegan food colouring available from specialty stores or online. Made in Germany, sold in Australia.
Wilton - in the USA, all icing colours are vegan
Natural Candy Store - has a whole vegan section of candy and cake decorating!
Chocolate Craft Kids = natural food colorings made from plants only.
Jelly/Jello - there are few different brands such as Real Fruits (a range of vegan jellies) & Natural Desserts (cherry & unflavoured so you can make your own) or you can use Agar Agar powder to create your own!
Pudding/Mousse - instant puddings from Natural Desserts in chocolate or vanilla taste like yogo.
Orgran makes a Dark Chocolate Mousse instant mix available from the Health Food section of the supermarket.
General Snack Food
There are so many vegan snack foods in the Health Food isle of the supermarket but if you're looking for something a bit fancy we've got you covered too;
Enjoy Life - has range of snacks including cookies, chocolate bars, cereals, rice snacks and granola bars
Aussie Health Snax - an Australian range of vegan and gluten free muesli and snacks bars made from nuts, seeds and fruit. Available in IGA stores or online.
Cookies- Apparently the original Oreo's are vegan but there is a large range of package cookies & biscuits in the Health Food section of the supermarket. Brands include Leda (they make a vegan mint slice!), Eskal (Shortbread only), Melinda's, Orgran and Freedom Foods (some products).
Gingerbread Folk made in the blue mountains make vegan gingerbread at Xmas especially for the Cruelty Free Shop. The gingerbread on their website is not vegan though.
Again don't listen to PETA, Oreos are NOT vegan unless made in Australia or New Zealand.
Pies & Pastries
Funky Pies Cafe at Bondi make 100% vegan range of pies, sausage rolls and pastries available in store or from the Cruelty Free Shop and Vegan's Choice Grocery. They even have some gluten free pies.
Healthy Feast in Leichhardt is a bakery that has a vegan range.
Shepards Bakehouse - does a range of vegan bakegoods, available from Organics Only.
Cabanossi & Salami Snacks - by Viana
Chips - most plain chips are fine such as plain corn ships or potato chips but flavours quite often contain animal products so read the labels.
Coles & Woolworths brand of salt & vinegar are vegan (although they are made in the same factory as milk products so may contain traces). Always check the label because processes change all the time.
Dips - Tofutti, Go Veggie & Sheese make a range of cream cheese dips.
Supermarkets carry vegan dips also (Black Swan do a range in the dip section such as Pumpkin & Coriander). Hummus & olive tapinade are of course vegan.
Pate - There are many brands of vegan pate such as Tartex Organic Pate. I love the mushroom one!
Caviar - Cavi-Art makes vegan caviar avialable from specialy and online stores - it's really good.
(temporarily unavailable - watch this space)
Pesto - there are a number of vegan pestos available such as King Valley but it's very easy to make your own as well!
Energy Bars - there are many brands of vegan engery bars available from specialty and online stores.
Brownies - Funky Pies under the name Addication Foods make a Macadamia Fudge Brownie & Plain Fudge Brownie, available from the Cruelty Free Shop and Vegan's Choice Grocery.