Reese’s Pieces Made a Big Change—Here’s What We Know

Great news for the dairy-free crowd! Hershey’s has gone and tweaked the recipe for Reese’s Pieces, and they’re now dairy free for the first time since the candy debuted in the1970s. Gone are the days of popping a Lactaid before indulging in your E.T.-style Reese’s Pieces binge. Will the removal of dextrose and milk affect the flavor and texture of classic Reese’s peanut butter in its crunchy candy shell? Will the beloved peanut butter treat be altered forever? Probably not. Reese’s Pieces only ever contained a trace amount of milk, and, over in the UK, they’ve already been dairy free for years without the masses storming Hershey’s headquarters with pitchforks. Here’s what we know so far.

Does this mean Reese’s are now vegan?

Nope, sadly, vegans can’t celebrate quite yet. Reese’s Pieces still include a thing called confectioner’s glaze, which is the glossy coating on the shell. This is made of shellac, which contains a secretion from the lac insect (don’t look at me I’m not a food scientist). So I guess vegans will have to wait for non-glossy vegan Reese’s. In the meantime, Hershey’s did roll out plant based Reese’s peanut butter cups, which slap.

When will the new recipe be out on grocery store shelves?

According to Hershey’s, the reformulation has already happened, but rollout will be gradual. You may still see milk listed as an ingredient in online listings and you shouldn’t assume your local stash is dairy-free until you check the label. It will probably be a while before older inventory sells out! That said, dairy-free Reese’s Pieces are already on shelves. As for why Hershey’s didn’t make a big announcement? Possibly because they worried die-hard fans wouldn’t welcome the change. Either way, cat’s out of the bag!

Are the new Reese’s Pieces gluten free?

Yes—they’ve been gluten-free for quite a while, and as far as anyone knows, that hasn’t changed. Hershey’s hasn’t made a new statement, but it’s safe to assume they still are. Celiac folks, as always, should double-check the label just to be safe.