This Budget-Friendly Chain Is A Sugar-Free Snack Goldmine

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Dollar store shoppers have a lot to love, especially when it comes to affordable prices on everyday items. As one of the most highly regarded chains in this genre of super-discount venues, at least in my Seattle neck-of-the woods, Dollar Tree is well-positioned to carry the best-of-the-best brands. Its stores typically feature well-stocked shelves and surprisingly decent-quality finds — but is food really something you want to buy at a dollar store?

According to many folks, it sure is. And that goes double for snack-loving shoppers seeking to reduce or avoid sugar intake. It just so happens that Dollar Tree stores are gold mines for budget-friendly sugar-free snacks. That category harbors quite a few familiar national brands labeled as either “sugar-free” or “zero sugar” versions of classic sweets and quick snacks. While the selection varies by location and season, the chain’s online listings show a range that includes chocolate candies, wafers, chewy caramels, and gelatin cups, along with several zero-sugar beverage choices.

One of the most recognizable names in the Dollar Tree sugar-free snack section is Russell Stover, which consumers recognize for its boxed chocolates and individually wrapped sweets. But several of the company’s sugar-free candies are available in DT stores or for online ordering. For example, Russell Stover Sugar-Free Creamy Caramel Chocolate candies feature luscious caramel tucked inside chocolate shells and packaged in three-piece portions, labeled as containing no sugar and selling for just $1.25. They appear to have the same soft-centered insides as other well-loved chocolate-caramel candies, but they’re created without added sugar.

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Sugar-free candies, wafers, and gel-pack snacks at Dollar Tree

Chocolate-based sweets aren’t the only sugar-free snack options available at Dollar Tree. Product listings and in-store shelves also offer classic hard candies and chewy caramels made without sugar. Werther’s Original, well-known and well-loved for buttery caramel sweets, now provide sugar-free versions of both chewy and hard-caramel candies to Dollar Tree customers. They’re sold in small bags containing roughly 12 candies, depending on which version you buy, and they sell for $1.25 per bag. The sugar-free candies are still made with real butter and cream, carrying the signature Werther’s caramel flavors and textures.

Moving past the candy category, sugar-free snack options include dessert-style treats such as the Snack Pack Zero Sugar Juicy Gels. They’re small gelatin cups presenting in flavors such as cherry, strawberry, and orange, sold in multi-cup packs. These jiggly gels are made with real fruit juice while still containing zero sugar, according to the product packaging. They come in a four-pack of 3.25-ounce cups for $1.50.

Wafer cookies bring another option to Dollar Tree’s sugar-free snack party. The Bauducco Zero Sugar Vanilla Wafer presents as a crispy, layered, single-bar wafer that’s filled with vanilla cream — again, produced without added sugar, opting instead for the natural stevia sugar-substitute. The cookie-like structure makes them feel more like comfort-food baked goods than sweet or gel-y treats. Vanilla and chocolate versions sell for $1.25. Sugar-free gums, pudding and pie fillings, and more round out the snack categories for zero-sugar customers. Then there are the snack-compatible sugar-free drinks.

Dollar Tree drinks quench thirst with zero sugar

Like sugar-free snacks, the zero-sugar versions of well-known beverages routinely appear on Dollar Tree shelves, often at considerably lower prices than mainstream grocery stores. The chain’s zero-sugar drinks typically come in the form of sodas, sparkling waters, popular energy drinks, and powdered drink mixes. The exact brands can vary, but current Dollar Tree inventory includes one widely recognizable option: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which sells in larger 1.25-liter bottles for $1.75, delivering that classic cola flavor sans the sugar.

If you prefer fizzy sparkling-water drinks, the Sparkling Ice Zero Sugar beverages at Dollar Tree come in flavors such as Black Raspberry, Cherry Limeade, and Watermelon Lemonade, each selling in 17-ounce bottles or 16-ounce cans for $1.25. Energy drink options also hail from prime producer brands, including Rockstar Sugar-Free in various renditions, RIP IT Sugar-Free Energy Fuel, and 5-hour ENERGY Extra Strength Berry Energy Shots with no sugar. Most are priced at the usual DT price point of $1.25, while the 5-hour shots go for $3 per bottle.

Finally, there’s the zero-sugar powdered drink packets for customers who prefer mixing up their own drinks. Dollar Tree carries options such as Wyler’s, Hawaiian Punch and Pure Kick Hydrate drink-mix sticks with zero grams of sugar, designed to be added to bottled water for a kick of flavor. At the $1.25 price pint, you get boxes of either eight or six mix sticks. The wildly popular Zero-Sugar Margaritaville Strawberry Daquiri Mix gets you sipping cocktails in a snap — with considerably less pain on the pocketbook. For more insights into Dollar Tree deals, check out our deeper dives into 20 hidden Dollar Tree gems and how to order food in bulk from Dollar Tree.

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Read the original article on Tasting Table.