Vegan Reese's and Hershey Bars Are Finally in the U.S. — Seriously
Published March 8 2023, 2:40 p.m. ET
The day has finally come... chocolate lovers can buy a vegan Reese's and vegan Hershey Bars, as The Hershey Company has officially created plant-based versions of the beloved candies.
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Designed to taste just like the original milk chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey Bars, these new vegan options are the answers to the prayers of vegans and dairy-free eaters all across the U.S.
"We are excited to introduce these delicious, plant-based options," Teal Liu, Brand Manager of Better For You, The Hershey Company, said in a statement. "Our purpose is to create more moments of goodness for consumers. Those moments are now more accessible for chocolate lovers looking for plant-based alternatives."
Keep reading for all the details on these products, where and when you can buy them, and for our suggestions of similar chocolatey products already on the market.
Hershey's has unveiled Reese's Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups, which are completely vegan.
On March 7, 2023, The Hershey Company unveiled two new products, the first being Reese's Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups.
The cups are sold in a two-pack, and described as an "oat chocolate confection" with a peanut butter center.
Basically, they're designed to taste just like your standard Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and they're made with oat milk-based chocolate, rather than dairy milk chocolate. There's even a green vegan logo on the front of package.
Interestingly, Reese's has offered a dark chocolate version of its peanut butter cups for a while. But even though dark chocolate is typically vegan, the Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are not — so make sure not to confuse these two when shopping.
Where can you buy the vegan Reese's?
Reese's Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups are available in stores nationwide as of March, though they're not yet in every store where you'll find the original PB cups.
In early March, Instagram page @vegan.nyx posted that they found these vegan Reese's cups in the Hershey's Chocolate World store in New York City's Times Square — but you'd have to be really keen on trying these to venture in there.
"Tastes just like the original," @vegan.nyx wrote of the vegan PB cups.
Hershey's Plant Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt is a fully vegan Hershey Bar.
The second product is Hershey's Plant Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt. It's also described as an "oat chocolate confection," as well as "extra creamy." It features almonds and sea salt, and seems similar to Hershey's Milk Chocolate with Almonds Candy Bar.
Just like a typical Hershey Bar, this new one features 12 squares of chocolate you can break apart, with a "Hershey's" logo on on each one. It also has a vegan symbol on the package to help avoid any mixups. (And you'll want to make sure not to accidentally purchase Hershey's regular dark chocolate bars, which unfortunately are not vegan.)
Hershey's Plant Based Extra Creamy with Almonds and Sea Salt will become available sometime in April.
In the meantime, try these vegan peanut butter cups, that are similar to Reese's.
If you can't find the Reese's Plant Based Peanut Butter Cups, there are a few brands on the market making similar vegan treats.
Justin's makes Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, as well as a few other vegan nut butter cups, including Dark Chocolate Crispy Peanut Butter Cups, Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups, Super Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, and Super Dark Chocolate Espresso Almond Butter Cups. (Make sure to skip the the milk and white options, as these contain dairy.) The brand's chocolate is Rainforest Alliance certified, and the products are also USDA organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and certified gluten-free.
Additionally, the brand Unreal makes Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, as well as Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups. Both options are certified vegan, made with Fair Trade Certified ingredients, certified gluten-free, and Non-GMO Project Verified.
And if you're looking for vegan chocolate bars to satisfy any Hershey Bar cravings, check out our guide to shopping for ethical vegan chocolate bars.
