With so much inbound hitting our inboxes and flying across social media, great food allergy resources for Halloween can get lost in the clutter.

To help, we’ve curated the best 2023 allergy-friendly Halloween resources we’ve come across, summarizing them here in one place. At your fingertips. For your Halloween planning.

from tips for safe trick or treating,
to treats — both food-free and allergy-friendly,
to clever crafts and activities,
to a dinner game plan to fuel up the team before venturing into the night.

All sources are linked at the end of this post.**

Tips for Safe Trick or Treating with Food Allergies

The Minimum Must Do’s

If you remember nothing else, being on overload at this busy time, remember that in the event of an allergic reaction, quick treatment with epinephrine leads to better outcomes. So:

Keep your epinephrine within reach at all times.
Carry TWO.
Epi First, Epi Fast if you suspect a food allergy reaction.

Grow Your Halloween IQ & EQ

Browse these Tips to Keep Kids Safe 2023 from Food Allergy Canada.
Download this Halloween Safety Tips Poster from FAACT.
Get Halloween Trick-or-Treat Strategies to keep your kids safe, yet included.
Beware that Halloween Make-Up and Face Paint May Contain Allergens explains Red Sneakers for Oakley on Instagram.
Greet tricker or treaters with not only kindness and generosity, but with empathy. Dr. Ali Griffith (and the Elijah-Alavi Foundation on Instagram) point the way. Learn more here and here.

Food-Free Treat Ideas

In this season of sugar overload, food-free treats are a great alternative. The below lists are a treasure trove of ideas for inspiration. It’s not too late to source some:

Allergic Living always offers up well researched and creative resources to our food allergy community. Don’t miss these great 2023 ideas.
And don’t miss this inspired food-free list from The Food Allergy Mom, one of our favorite, practical blogs by moms for moms with kids with food allergies.

Allergy-Friendly Sweet Treat Ideas

Just because you’ve safely eaten the full-sized version of a particular candy, does not mean the mini-version is equally safe for your allergic loved one to eat. Why?

Mini versions of your favorite candies are not always manufactured the same as the full size versions — they may be made on equipment shared with your allergens, or processed in a different facility that also processes foods with your allergens. Never assume. Do your homework.

FARE provides a summary of candy facts that’s a good refresh on where allergens can hide in candy.
Allergic Living offers a well-researched list of allergy-friendly treat options you can count on this Halloween.
Spokin offers verified candy guides with information provided about the manufacturing facilities and the presence other allergens.
Allergy Awesomeness shares her go-to list of sweet treats for her family who manages a complex set of anaphylactic allergies. You will always want to do your own due diligence and never forget that mini versions require extra scrutiny.

Halloween Activity Ideas

Here’s some inspiration for serving up Halloween fun, your way. It’s perfectly ok to march to a different drummer on Halloween. Your family’s traditions are, well, YOUR family’s traditions and they don’t have to look like everyone else’s to be magical and memorable.

Find 10 Spectacular Halloween Ideas You Need To See from FARE.
Meet ‘candy apple making V2.0.’ This apple dip idea from Mamacado can be a fun party or playdate activity. The activity is easily adaptable for your dietary restrictions.
Don’t miss this from Allergic Living — the Furry Monster Chocolate Cake! This baking project is more decorating than baking and the sweet result is almost too cute to eat.
What’s better than a Halloween crossword or word search to engage the brain and build those reading skills? Perfect for elementary school-aged kids. Answer keys and more crosswords and word searches can be found on FAACT‘s comprehensive Halloween resource page at their website, along with other great resources.

Your Game Plan for Halloween Dinner

Make sure the team sets out on trick or treating adventures with full stomachs. Here’s a mix & match game plan for dinner before you go.

Main Event Options

Monster Chicken Fingers

These crispy Monster Chicken Fingers from Enjoy Life will disappear in a heartbeat. No Enjoy Life ‘Parmesan & Garlic Lentil Chips’ on hand? Use allergy-friendly potato chips instead and adjust the garlic salt to taste.

OR

Fall Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

Pumpkin Soup with Bacon, from Living Well Kitchen, for your life-on-the-fly {broomstick not included 🧹} comes together quickly when lead time is short and trick or treating calls. Delicious with or without the bacon depending on your family’s tastes.

OR

Spooky Spaghetti

After eating this Halloween Spaghetti from Cook Me, your trick or treaters definitely won’t ‘suffer’ from the hungries while they trick or treat! Top the blackened spaghetti with your kids favorite pasta sauce. Get creative and garnish with ‘zombie eyeballs’ — sliced olives on circular cutouts of your favorite allergy-friendly cheese.

Veggie Thrills & Chills

With this Monster Salad (on Instagram) from @foodallergydiva, “eat your veggies” has never been so fun!
Batty Guacamole from Power Up 4 Kids is another way to coax your littles to eat {and LOVE} their veggies!
Or, why not ‘green brains‘ for dinner? These (zucchini) Zoodles with Pumpkin & Kale Pesto from Tasting Page just might tempt your most veggie-resistant kiddos to give them a try.

Grab-and-Go Sweet Somethings

With Halloween on a Tuesday this year, you have an entire weekend to dive into some creative baking (or non-baking) projects! Your challenge will be to have some left over for the BIG day. Maybe double batches?

Give these Chocolate Sugar Cookie Bats from Allergy Awesomeness a try. These Bats are irresistible! {Move over Dracula!}
No-cook Bones and Stones from Allergy Dragon is a treat that’s super adaptable to your tastes and needs. Get the kids involved choosing the ingredients to mix and match, then scooping and mixing!

An Afterthought

To top off Halloween dinner, here’s a Halloween Non-alcoholic Punch from Food Doodles that’s chock full of berries and lemon juice. You’ll love that it’s not overly sugary and loaded with vitamins. Your kids will love that it’s sweet and bubbly-delicious. Get your blender ready!

Halloween is the stuff indelible childhood memories are made from…racing around the neighborhood after dark…crunching leaves underfoot…glowing jack-o-lanterns…hunting for treats…laughter and shrieks piercing the night.

Wishing you SAFE, spooky FUN this Halloween!

Allergy Force is committed to helping people with food allergies live freely — with less fear, less anxiety, more confidence — through technology and education. The Allergy Force food allergy app is peace of mind in your pocket..

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Images: John Hayler on Unsplash and Allergy Force Canva creation