I know it seems way too early, but at this time of year, I start thinking about what new vegan friendly items may show up on stores shelves this fall. Costco already has the giant skeleton out, Walmart’s Halloween aisle is getting stocked and I’m seeing pumpkin spice creamers and other items showing up already. This is Summerween I guess, the newish collision of summer and Halloween that’s taken over social media the last few years, and it’s really just the latest chapter of something retailers have been doing for well over a century. Did you know a Washington newspaper was already complaining about holiday shopping starting too early back in 1883? Crazy right? So the earlier and earlier feeling isn’t really new, it’s the same fight shoppers and retailers have been having forever, but social posts definitely makes it feel that way.
I’m not here to argue whether “seasonal creep” as it’s called is a good or bad thing. What I actually want to talk about is what I feel is still missing from the shelves when all those fun products finally roll out, because vegan friendly fall and Halloween items have lagged behind almost every other category.
Here’s what I’m hoping to see
Vegan peanut butter chocolate pumpkins. Reese’s classic contains milk and even though No Whey Foods makes vegan Halloween shaped chocolates and even a peanut free “PeaNot” cup using a sunflower seed filling, nobody has done an actual commercial vegan peanut butter version in a pumpkin shape yet that I know about. That’s the specific gap I’m still waiting on and I would take any spooky shape!
Marshmallow pumpkins or ghosts. We got lucky this Easter when Goodmallow eggs and bunnies, sold through Walmart and Amazon, were the first mass market vegan Peeps style product I’ve seen and even Trader Joe’s sold them under their private label and although nothing is confirmed for Halloween, I’d love to see these on shelves this fall. Don’t even get me started on a chocolate covered version of these because that would blow my mind.
A real commercial vegan candy corn option. Traditional candy corn usually relies on gelatin, eggs and confectioner’s glaze, and some smaller operations sell a version online but a mass produced commercial version alludes us still. YumEarth has come close but still contains egg whites. Still hoping after all these years we may one day see this.
Halloween shaped cookie doughs. I always get jealous when these come out and I’ve already seen them in stores in late July. Brands like Sweet Lorens and Eat Pastry are already fully vegan and already sitting in refrigerated cases at places like Whole Foods, Costco, and Target and could likely make a version of these. Neither has done a pumpkin or ghost shape yet that I know of, which feels like something they could produce. Let’s hope!
Lofthouse style pumpkin cookies. The store version has both eggs and milk in the cookie and frosting. I actually already solved this one for myself years ago with my own vegan pumpkin spice Lofthouse style copycat which you can make here so of course you can make them yourself, I just would love a brand to do it at scale.
Halloween cupcakes or snack cakes. Entenmann’s, Little Debbie and others put out Halloween themed cakes topped and all rely on standard egg and dairy ingredients. No major snack cake brand has done a vegan version of this format, even though the shelf stable, grab and go cupcake category would translate well to plant based. Maybe Abe’s or Rubicon could take a stab at it!
Pumpkin or caramel apple flavored Pop-Tarts. I know I’m asking for the moon, but the only accidentally vegan Pop-Tarts are the unfrosted fruit flavors, since the icing on every frosted variety, including Pumpkin Pie, contains gelatin. I would take a plain pastry version in a seasonal flavor but a frosted version would be amazing.
More seasonal ice cream and whipped topping options. Aldi USA and Target both sold a vegan dairy free pumpkin spice whipped cream, but I didn’t see them last season. So Delicious used to put out a candy corn flavored ice cream pop (they were so good), and NadaMoo, Van Leeuwen and some others have done pumpkin spice dairy free ice cream, but the options have thinned out noticeably in the last few years. This isn’t a category with nothing in it, it’s a category that’s quietly shrinking, and I’d love to some more options again in stores.
Yes, there are lots of fall flavored creamer options and brands often repackage their existing candies in Halloween flair, but these are things I’ve wanted to see on store shelves and keep hoping maybe this year will be the year. If any pop up this year, you know I’ll be the first to report it! Happy Summerween everyone.
