Easter and Food Allergies

Easter is a time for celebration, family gatherings, and, of course, delicious treats. From chocolate bunnies to brightly dyed eggs, the holiday is filled with food traditions that bring joy to the table. However, for people managing food allergies, navigating festivities can be a challenge.

The nine most common food allergens account for approximately 90% of all food allergic reactions in the United States. These foods are: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, sesame, shellfish, soy, and wheat. Several of these allergens feature prominently in Easter traditional foods and treats.

Communicating dietary needs with hosts and family members may require some clarity and diplomacy. Provide specific information about allergens to avoid, including less obvious sources of allergens.

Discuss potential cross-contamination (also called cross contact) concerns. Shared kitchen equipment poses risks for people with food allergies. These can include baking sheets, mixing bowls, utensils and even toasters.

Ensuring safe Easter meals and treats requires thoughtful planning and creative solutions.

How to plan ahead for a stress-free, food allergy-safe Easter

Planning to avoid potential allergy triggers can begin weeks before the Easter season:

• Communicate with family members about your food allergy needs early. This allows time for menu adjustments and alternative planning.
• For children with allergies, discuss upcoming Easter events and potential challenges. Develop strategies together for navigating Easter parties, Easter egg hunts, or school celebrations.
• Create a list of safe brands and products based on your specific allergen concerns. Stock up on allergy-friendly Easter treats well before the holiday weekend. Specialty items may sell out fast.
• Prepare and freeze allergen-safe items in advance when possible, reducing day-of cooking stress. 
• Consider ordering directly from allergen-free companies online to ensure availability of special items.
• Collect non-edible Easter basket items that celebrate the season without food allergen risks. These include books, art supplies, garden seeds, or small toys.

When in doubt about a product’s ingredients, it’s best to contact manufacturers directly. Most provide allergen information through customer service lines or their websites. Verify that any food product is produced in allergy-safe facilities to reduce cross-contact risk. Confirm that the facility uses equipment that is thoroughly cleaned and not shared with other products.

When meal-planning, you may want to consider a buffet-style meal. Be sure to mark ingredients on labels next to each serving dish. Don’t forget vegetable sides, grain dishes, and salads. These are meals that everyone can enjoy regardless of dietary restrictions.

With proper planning and communication, your can reduce the risks of allergic reactions during Easter. This allows your whole family to enjoy the holiday safely.

Common food allergies and Easter treats

Many Easter meals and candies can contain multiple allergens, sometimes in unexpected places.

• Chocolate bunnies and eggs typically contain milk and may include nuts or peanuts. 
• Breads may contain wheat, often eggs, and sometimes nuts. 
• Ham glazes might include wheat-based ingredients or soy sauce. 
• Deviled eggs or vegetable sides may contain hidden allergens in dressings or seasonings. Colorful Easter candies may contain artificial dyes that can trigger reactions.

Here’s what to look for in common Easter foods and some possible substitutions.

1. Chocolate and dairy allergies

Dairy ingredients form the foundation of most commercial Easter chocolates.

• Milk chocolate, by definition, contains milk solids.
• Dark chocolate includes dairy ingredients like milk fat, whey or casein to improve texture and flavor.
• Creamy fillings in Easter eggs typically contain butter, cream or milk powder. 
• Even chocolates marketed as “dairy-free” may be produced on equipment shared with milk chocolate. This creates cross-contact risks.
• Confectioner’s glaze, which gives candies their shine, sometimes contains dairy.

Checking for dairy in Easter treats requires careful label reading. Beyond obvious terms like “milk,” “cream,” or “butter,” look for ingredients like whey, casein, lactalbumin, lactose, recaldent, and ghee. These are all dairy derivatives.

The good news is, the market for dairy-free and vegan chocolate alternatives has expanded in recent years. So safe options are available.

2. Egg allergies and Easter egg traditions

Egg-free alternatives for decorating or Easter egg hunts maintain the fun of activities. Try these:

• Wooden eggs or ceramic eggs
• Paper mache eggs
• Plastic eggs (can be filled with egg-free treats) for Easter egg hunts
• Scavenger hunts with non-food prizes

For meals and treats, look for egg-free alternatives. In baking, commercial egg replacers work well in most traditional recipes. For moisture and binding, applesauce, mashed banana, or yogurt (if dairy is tolerated) can substitute for eggs. Ground flaxseed or chia seeds mixed with water create a gel-like consistency that can mimic eggs’ binding properties. 

Even deviled eggs can be reimagined using potatoes or avocados carved into egg shapes. Fill them up with allergy-safe fillings.

3. Peanut allergy, tree nut allergies and Easter candy concerns

Many Easter candies contain peanut and tree nuts.

• Chocolate eggs may have a peanut butter filling, praline centers or marzipan (which is made from almond paste).
• Chocolate bunnies may have peanuts or a hazelnut filling.
• Nougat, often found in Easter candy assortments, typically contains almonds. 
• Gianduja, a chocolate-hazelnut paste similar to Nutella, appears in many premium chocolate eggs.
• Assorted chocolate boxes, cookies and baked goods may contain nuts.
• Some caramel fillings have nut butters for flavor enhancement. 
• Some jelly beans and gummy candies may contain nut oils.

Finding nut-free chocolates and sweets requires careful label reading and even brand research. Look for brands that make candy in dedicated nut-free or allergen-free facilities. Some major brands such as Hershey’s are making allergy-safe products in dedicated facilities. Vermont Nut Free Chocolates specializes in completely nut-free products. They offer Easter bunnies, cream-filled eggs, and other treats made in dedicated facilities. Enjoy Life and No Whey Foods produce allergy-friendly chocolates free from peanuts and other top allergens.

Even candies without nuts may be made on shared equipment, creating the risk for cross contact. Be sure to read candy product labels carefully.

4. Wheat allergy, gluten allergy and Easter meal planning

Many Easter meals feature wheat-containing foods. Gluten-free flour options have expanded in recent years. This is good news for people with a wheat allergy or celiac disease.

• Wheat appears in dinner rolls, pasta dishes, quiches, gravies and sauces thickened with flour, and cakes and desserts. 
• Some processed hams contain wheat-based fillers or are glazed with wheat-containing ingredients.
• All-purpose gluten-free flour blends work well in most Easter bread recipes.
• Gluten-free flours like rice flour, almond flour, or coconut flour can be used for certain recipes. 

Finding the best wheat-free or gluten-free bread and pasta may require trying several brands. Potatoes, rice, or polenta can serve as sides that naturally contain no wheat.

Wheat-free or gluten-free baking for desserts can involve alternative flour blends and recipes. For cakes and cookies, almond flour, coconut flour, or oat flour (if tolerated) can be used. Tapioca starch, potato starch, and rice flour may work for lighter baked goods. Try wheat-free desserts like pavlova (meringue with fresh fruit) or flourless chocolate cake. Or fruit crisps with oat toppings (if tolerated).

Most chocolate makers now label for gluten content. Many dark chocolates are naturally free from gluten ingredients.

5. Soy allergies and hidden sources in Easter foods

Soy appears in processed candies and chocolates available for Easter. It is often listed in forms not easily recognizable to consumers.

• Most commercial chocolates contain soy lecithin. It is used as an emulsifier to maintain smooth texture and prevent separation.
• Many candy coatings use partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
• Caramel fillings frequently contain soy protein to maintain consistency. 
• Jelly beans and other non-chocolate candies may include soy ingredients as stabilizers or for flavor.

Look for soy-free chocolates. Some premium chocolate brands use sunflower lecithin instead of soy lethicin.

For cooking without soy, consider safe food substitutions. Coconut can replace soy sauce in glazes for Easter hams or savory dishes. Choose vegetable oil labeled as soy-free — these include olive, avocado or coconut oil. Avoid processed meats, even those labeled soy-free. These may contain soy protein as a filler.

6. Sesame and seed allergies in Easter baked goods

Sesame can be found in Easter breads and baked goods: 

• Breads from Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions feature sesame seeds as decoration or flavoring.
• Italian Easter bread often includes sesame seeds.
• Greek tsoureki may be topped with sesame seeds.
• Crackers and breadsticks served with appetizers commonly contain sesame. So do some dinner rolls.
• Some chocolate confections have sesame in the form of tahini (sesame paste) or halva (sesame candy) fillings.

Read ingredient labels closely for sesame. Beyond obvious terms like “sesame seeds” or “tahini,” look for ingredients like “sesamol,” “sim sim,” “benne,” or “gingelly oil.” These all indicate sesame. 

7. Shellfish and fish allergies

Seafood may feature prominently in some Easter meals. For people with fish or shellfish allergies, these traditions require careful navigation.

• In Catholic and Orthodox traditions, fish often appears on Easter tables after the Lenten period of abstinence from meat.
• Italian or Mediterranean Easter celebrations may include salt cod dishes or seafood antipasti.
• Scandinavian Easter tables may include pickled herring.
• Coastal regions worldwide incorporate local seafood into their celebrations.
• Fish ingredients are in various sauces and dressings served during Easter meals. Worcestershire sauce, a common ingredient in Easter ham glazes, may contain anchovies. Caesar salad dressing, sometimes served during Easter brunches, also has anchovies. Premade broths and stocks may contain fish derivatives for flavor enhancement.

Lamb, ham or poultry are, of course, options for people with fish or shellfish allergy. Look for seafood in Easter brunch foods, such as quiches or canapés. Instead of seafood, substitute roasted vegetables or mushrooms.

For sauces containing fish ingredients, consider alternatives. These may include mushroom-based umami flavors or soy sauce (if soy is tolerated).

8. Food dye allergies and artificial coloring in Easter treats

Easter celebrations often feature artificially dyed candies, including candies, eggs and other treats.

• Synthetic food dyes can trigger allergic reactions in some people (particularly Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Blue 1). 
• Dyes appear in jelly beans, marshmallow treats and cake decorations. 
• Colored drink mixes served at Easter gatherings may contain artificial coloring.

Several brands now offer dye-free candy as consumer demand for natural food products increases. Some are naturally colored or use vegetable extracts rather than artificial dyes.

When selecting Easter candies, check food labels carefully. Terms like “artificial colors or food coloring” “FD&C Yellow #5,” or “Red 40” indicate the presence of synthetic dyes.

9. Other allergens

Corn allergy is rare. But corn or corn products are in many Easter foods. Corn syrup is the foundation of many Easter candies. Jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, and many chocolates rely on corn syrup as a primary sweetener. Desserts such as pies and custards often include corn-based thickeners.

Baking powder usually contains corn starch, affecting Easter breads and cakes. Even powdered sugar may contain corn starch as an anti-caking agent. Corn-based additives may appear in packaged holiday foods. Modified food starch, dextrose, maltodextrin, xanthan gum and citric acid are typically corn-derived.

If you have a corn allergy, search for corn-free alternatives. For sweeteners, pure cane sugar, maple syrup or honey can replace corn syrup in recipes. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder may work as thickeners in place of cornstarch. For candy suitable for Easter baskets, look for corn-free specialty brands.

Meat allergy, including alpha-gal syndrome, is another rare condition. Lamb, ham and chicken are common in many traditional Easter brunches and dinners.

If you have a meat allergy, search for safe plant-based alternatives. Many plant-based meat alternatives are available in grocery stores. Consider stuffed portobello mushrooms filled with roasted vegetables. Side dishes like scalloped or au gratin potatoes can be prepared with vegetable broth and olive oil rather than meat drippings.