Can You Buy Vegan Maltesers? The Best Dairy-Free Options
The demand for dairy-free food has exploded in recent years, and you can now buy vegan versions of most chocolate bars you may have eaten growing up. But what about vegan Maltesers?
Ethical consumers are realising that there is no excuse to pay for the cruel and disastrously unsustainable dairy industry. Vegan chocolate repeatedly shows itself to be not only better for animals and the planet, but tastier, too. Innovative chocolate makers are using ingredients like hazelnut paste, oat milk, soy, and coconut, alongside staples like cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and sugar, to make tasty vegan chocolate for all tastes and palates.
Non-vegan brands like Galaxy, Lindt, and Tony’s Chocoloney all offer vegan versions of their products – but what about Maltesers? Here’s everything you need to know.
What to Know About Dairy-Free Malt Chocolate
Maltesers is a brand name for light, crunchy spheres of malt extract coated in chocolate. The original may not be vegan-friendly – but that doesn’t mean plant-based eaters can’t satisfy that craving.
No chocolate needs dairy milk, and it’s perfectly easy to replicate the taste of Maltesers with vegan ingredients.
Aside from chocolate, the other core ingredient in Maltesers is crunchy white balls made of malt extract. If you’re wondering what exactly malt extract is, it’s a syrup from malted barley that’s then dried and pressed into a crisp, airy centre. This process is completely vegan-friendly – and, combining it with delicious dairy-free chocolate, you have a perfectly plant-based take on Maltesers.
Here are some brands that have taken note…
OMV! Releases Choc Malt Balls
In October 2025, Asda’s vegan label OMV! made headlines when it announced the release of little chocolate spheres of crunchy white malt balls encased in a glossy layer of dairy-free chocolate. The tasty little chocolate balls even come in a Maltesers-style sharing pack.
What Other Brands Offer Vegan Maltesers?
Moo Free, an iconic vegan brand that’s been making dairy-free chocolate since 2010, also offers vegan Maltesers, named “Moofreesas”. These gluten-free balls of delight are free from all 14 major allergens, and you can even buy a Moofreesas bar, in addition to the balls.
Elsewhere, you’ll find some truly delectable chocolate malt balls from dairy-free chocolatiers Doisy and Dam, named Ballers. They’re made with 70% dark chocolate, so are perfect for those who prefer a richer taste.
Why Avoid Dairy?
Cows must give birth in order to produce milk – just like humans. They are mothers, not milk machines. Farmers take their calves from them mere hours after birth, which is horrific for both mother and baby. They often bellow and cry out for one another for days. The dairy industry is also desecrating the environment – it’s a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and is driving deforestation, species extinction, and biodiversity loss.
A particular concern about dairy is methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that’s playing a huge – and often ignored – role in the climate crisis. Methane is 80 times more warming than carbon dioxide in its first 20 years in the atmosphere – yet the latter often dominates climate conversations. Cows, alongside other ruminant animals, are responsible for around a third of human-produced methane.
Get Dairy Out of Your Diet
It’s so easy to remove dairy from your diet – it’s just a matter of picking up a different chocolate bar, cheese, and milk at the supermarket.
If you want to make your New Year’s Resolutions count, take PETA’s January vegan challenge for 2026!
Take the January Vegan Challenge
Get your free starter pack to remove dairy, and all animals and secretions, from your diet:
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