The 11 Best Sugar Free Candy Brands for People with Diabetes
Try some of the best sugar-free candy for a sweet treat without spiking your blood sugar or having a sugar crash. All of these candies are perfect for people with diabetes or anyone looking to limit their added sugar while still enjoying their favorites!
Whether it’s Halloween, Easter, Valentine’s day, or any holiday or special event in between, you can bet candy will be there. And who wants to say no to their favorite treats over and over? Not me! And you shouldn’t have to, either. In small amounts, candy can be included in a healthy diet.
If you want to enjoy candy more often, avoid blood sugar spikes, protect your teeth, are trying to lose weight, or avoid the dreaded sugar crash after overdoing it at the candy jar, there could be a better option. I’ve compiled a list of the best sugar-free candy for people with diabetes so that you can have your sweets and feel your best.
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Who should eat sugar free candy?
Sugar free candy is perfect for people with diabetes who want to enjoy sweets while managing their blood sugar. But, even if you don’t have diabetes, sugar-free candy might be a good choice for you. Limiting sugar can benefit oral health, weight management, blood cholesterol, and help keep your energy levels stable.
Remember that sugar free doesn’t mean carb-free, and if you have diabetes, candy that doesn’t have sugar may still need to be included in your carb meal plan for effective blood sugar management.
A word of caution on sugar-free candy
Sugar-free candy is often lower in calories and carbohydrates than traditional versions, but that doesn’t mean it is a perfect substitute. Some sugar-free candies are made with sugar alcohols and extra fibers, which if consumed in excess may cause gastrointestinal discomfort in some people.
Those made with sugar alcohols such as erythritol will have less of an risk of GI impact than those made with large amounts of xylitol. But do be sure to read the ingredient list and if a product causes discomfort, discontinue using it. You can learn more about all sweeteners used in low calories and sugar free products and potential benefits and side effects in this article as well.
1. Lily’s Sweet Fruity Friends Gummy Bears
These gummy bears are the perfect diabetes-friendly take on a classic kids’ favorite! Unlike a lot of sugar-free candy, Lily’s gummy bears don’t include sugar alcohols, which is great for people who are sensitive to them.
While allulose is a natural sweetener that’s generally well tolerated, the high amount of fiber in these gummy bears could cause you some stomach troubles. One serving of this candy has 45 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of fiber from soluble corn fiber and 14 grams of allulose, so the net carbs are only 3 grams, compared to 18 grams of net carbs in traditional gummy bears.
2. High Key Chocolate Pearls
This brightly colored candy-coated chocolate is an amazing sugar-free swap for m&m’s. They’re high fiber, free of artificial colors or flavors and have zero sugar! Sweetened with erythritol and stevia with added cassava fiber, one serving of 33 pieces has only 11 grams of net carbs.
3. Dr. John’s Healthy Sweets Sugar Free Hard Candy
These hard candies come in watermelon, strawberry, and green apple flavors with all the sweetness but none of the sugar! Swap hard candy like Lifesavers for these and save up to 14 grams of net carbs per serving!
Four pieces of this candy have only 1 gram of net carbs. They’re sweetened with xylitol, erythritol, and stevia, which make them a great choice for keeping your blood sugar low and your teeth clean.
4. Sugar Free Reeses Mini Peanut Butter Cups
One of the top choices for sugar-free Halloween candy is these mini peanut butter cups! Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorites. One serving of three mini Reeses cups has only 4 grams of net carbs. Compared to regular mini peanut butter cups, you’ll save 11 grams of net carbs per serving!
This candy uses maltitol, lactitol, sucralose, and polydextrose to replace sugar for a sweetness that won’t spike your blood sugar.
5. Zollipop’s Caramelz Clean Teeth Dark Chocolate
These chocolate-covered caramels are sweetened with the sugar alcohols xylitol and erythritol, which help sweeten the candy without promoting oral bacteria that can lead to cavities. Sugar alcohols also have very little, if any, effect on blood sugar and are the perfect way to sweeten diabetes-friendly foods.
Swap caramels like these with Zollipop’s to save over 16 grams of net carbs per serving. Just be aware that for some people, sugar alcohols can cause stomach discomfort like cramping, gas, bloating and diarrhea so be mindful of how much you eat at once.
6. Lily’s White Chocolate Bar
White chocolate typically has a high sugar content, but Lily’s white chocolate bars have just 2 grams of sugar and only 4 grams of net carbs per serving. They’re sweetened with stevia and erythritol and have 7 grams of fiber per serving from chicory root fiber. This soluble fiber is known as inulin and can help regular blood sugar and cholesterol.
7. Project 7 Low Sugar Red Licorice
Red licorice is a fan favorite but can have over 25 grams of carbohydrates and 15 grams of added sugar per serving. Project 7 licorice isn’t sugar free, but it’s low enough only to have a mild effect on your blood glucose.
One bag of their red licorice is the equivalent of 5 Twizzler sticks and has only 11 grams of net carbs and 1 gram of sugar. It’s sweetened with allulose, a natural low-calorie sweetener with minimal side effects, making it a good choice if you’re sensitive to sugar alcohols.
8. Candy People Sugar-Free Swedish Fish
If you can’t get enough of Swedish fish candy but could do without the rapid rise in blood sugar, try the sugar-free option from Candy People. Every serving has only 13 grams of net carbs and zero sugars. They’re sweetened with maltitol and are gelatin free.
9. Stevita Hard Candy
A fruit-flavored hard candy with zero net carbs and only 1.5 grams of sugar alcohols per serving. They’re mostly sweetened with stevia, a natural low calorie sugar alternative.
These hard candies are perfect for when you need something sweet or to combat dry mouth without increasing the risk of cavities. Having zero grams of net carbs, you won’t have to worry about them raising your blood sugar either!
10. Darrell Lee Sugar-Free Black Licorice
This is as close to the real thing as you can get, but thankfully without the rise in blood sugar or energy crashes. Each serving has only 8 grams of net carbs and is sweetened with maltitol, a type of sugar alcohol. Malitol can have a laxative effect for some people, so be careful of your portion size until you know how this candy affects you.
11. SmartSweets Sweet Fish
It can be hard to find a sugar-free Swedish Fish alternative, but this option from SmartSweets checks all the boxes. These are delicious and taste just like the traditional option without any aftertaste. Mainly sweetened with allulose, one bag contains only 100 calories (I love it when you can eat the whole bag!) and 13 grams of fiber. There are still 18 grams of net carbs in one bag, so it isn’t completely free of carbs. But it makes a wonderful alternative with much less added sugar when you have a craving for those sweet, chewy fish!
The bottom line on the best sugar free candy for diabetics
Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you need to give up candy. While enjoying small pieces of the real stuff once in a while is fine, enjoying sugar free candy can let you enjoy it more often without worrying about your blood sugar. Have you tried any of these sugar free candies? What ones are your favorite?
Russell Stover’s Coconut made with stevia extract. Taste like Mounds.
Hi, I have no esophageal sphincter (cancer) so have high acid reflux. So many recipes call for tomatoes and citrus for metabolism, any recipes without those?
Thanks
Hi im a sweet n salty toffee kinda gal (also love my sweet tarts and cookies and cakes) but my question is can you name a good toffee candy that i can indulge in with out getting worse. Im 35 fem i loooooove sweets. But im having neuropathy and its no joke. I need to get serious but i literally have an eating addiction. I have to eat all day. I don’t understand what these numbers on labels even mean, even tho i try. So i am justifying trying to start somewhere.
Thank you for this article… I just started taking care of my sister who is 72 and has diabetes… she misses sweets but have noticed store cookies and candy spike her sugar… this article was very helpful… love the recipes at the end