Vegan Peeps: GoodMallow Vegan Peeps
Vegan Peeps ARE HERE! Well, these GoodMallow vegan Peeps are finally here, and they’re the first mainstream plant-based versions of the classic Easter candy, now appearing online.
Actually, a vegan dupe for Peeps is here, thanks to a new-to-the-scene vegan marshmallow brand coined “GoodMallow”. I came across GoodMallow on Amazon when searching for new vegan products (as I often do), and since they were a new (to me) brand, I began to deep dive on the web for all the deets on their business. I came across a website that had not yet launched and an image that made my heart stop- vegan Easter-shaped marshmallows. I immediately sent my findings to one of my favorite bloggers in the vegan space, “Big Box Vegan“, and he shared my discovery with his audience. Flash forward a month, and the GoodMallow website is now live, AND their vegan marshmallow peeps are available for purchase online. GoodMallow is US-based and affiliated with a range of other confectionery brands trademarked by the manufacturing company “The Snackatere Inc.” GoodMallow was created with nostalgia at the forefront, as the founder loved marshmallows growing up, and “dreamed of creating a plant-based, allergy-friendly marshmallow with impeccable texture and flavor.“
The GoodMallow Easter Marshmallow “Peeps” come in individually wrapped 3-packs shaped like eggs or 4-packs shaped like bunnies. They come in various colors, including pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow and are roughly $4.50 a pack. All of GoodMallow’s marshmallows are vegan, meaning they’re dairy-free and gelatin-free1, in addition to being non-GMO, gluten-free, artificial dye-free, and Kosher. Looking for the ingredients list? Head to the bottom of this post2. I tried a yellow bunny GoodMallow first, but all colors taste the same. Upon first bite, nostalgia and sweetness sent me straight back to childhood. The colored, crispy, sugary coating is a dead ringer for the Peeps I remember, and the fluffy, ooey-gooey marshmallow is just as satisfying. These are the perfect dupe for anyone looking for a plant-based or dye-free Peeps alternative, and will make vegan Easter baskets feel whole.
Peeps have been the leading non-chocolate Easter candy for decades, but traditional “Marshmallow Peeps” are not vegan and are made by a company called “Just Born”. It was only a matter of time before someone created a vegan version available to the masses, and it is no surprise to me that it’s a company specializing in vegan and kosher marshmallows. In 2003, vegan creative Sweet & Sara created small-batch vegan Easter-shaped marshmallows. But since she closed her online shop in 2018, it’s been roughly 7 years without a vegan Peeps dupe. For many, it’s hard to imagine Easter without Marshmallow Peeps, as in the US, they’re practically synonymous with the holiday. Holiday exclusives seem to be among the last to get a vegan version in big-box retail, so this is huge!
I purchased my GoodMallow plant-based Easter bunny and egg marshmallow shapes online, from both Walmart and Amazon3. These are the only retailers in my area where you can buy GoodMallow Peeps that I can find. I can find that carry the vegan peeps, as they are still rolling out the first launch. However, if you run a vegan shop or know of one that you want to carry these, they are available for wholesalers to purchase on Faire.com (if you are new to their site, you can score $50 off a $100 order). GoodMallow also makes fruit-flavored marshmallows (lemon and strawberry), marshmallow treats (like Rice Krispies Treats), and is soon to unveil filled marshmallows (chocolate or fruit filling)! They are not yet on social media, but you can visit their website at GoodMallow.com to stay up to date on their offerings.
Now I gotta know, do you like your Peeps fresh or stale? I LOVED stale Peeps as a kid and am definitely attempting with GoodMallows!
Walmart- Yellow Bunny , Purple Bunny
The Food That Built America: Season 4, Episode 2 – “Holiday Treats”
- Why aren’t traditional Peeps vegan? Marshmallows are usually made using an ingredient called “gelatin”, and Peeps are no exception. Gelatin is derived by boiling animal bones (or animal skin/ligaments) to produce a colorless, flavorless protein that can be used as a gelling agent in food and other products (beauty, medicine, technology). If you’re wondering “are GoodMallow Peeps vegan?”, the answer is yes, they are completely gelatin-free and free of any animal products.
What is Gelatin? ↩︎ - GoodMallow Plant-Based (Blue) Easter Bunny Marshmallow Ingredients: Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Pea Protein, Carrageenan, Natural Flavor, Spirulina Extract* (for color), Carnauba Wax, Annatto Extract* (for color).
GoodMallow Plant-Based (Yellow) Easter Egg Marshmallow Ingredients: Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Pea Protein, Carrageenan, Turmeric* (for color), Vegetable Juice for Color*.
*Different colors contain different vegetable juice extracts. ↩︎ - The blue bunny GoodMallow marshmallows I ordered from Amazon came with eyes and a nose printed on the marshmallow, whereas the yellow and purple bunnies from Walmart came with faces printed on the packaging, not on the marshmallows. I anticipate we will only see the faces printed on the packaging going forward, as they are shown in their promo materials. Plus, in my opinion, the printed faces on the actual marshmallows may lead to potential legal issues with the original Peeps brand, “Just Born”. ↩︎
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