Glorias to Obleas: The Best Mexican Candy, With Lead Facts

Mexican candy is a world of its own. There are milk candies cooked from goat’s milk and pecans, crisp wafers filled with cajeta, soft creams eaten with a tiny spoon, amaranth bars sweetened with piloncillo, coconut rolls, and the sweet, sour and chile-hot candies that most Americans picture first. Walk into any dulcería in Mexico, or the candy aisle of a Mexican grocery in Houston, and you will find all of them side by side.

There is also a safety question every buyer should know about before choosing. For two decades, U.S. and California health authorities have found lead in some candies imported from Mexico, most often those made with chili powder or tamarind. This guide starts with what those authorities say, explains how we chose with that in mind, and then names the Mexican candies worth buying for sharing, gifting and piñatas.

Julia’s earns a commission on purchases made through links on this page, at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on the makers’ own listings, published government guidance and California’s public candy test results, which we cite. We have not tasted every product listed here, and no product on this page has been tested by us.

Quick verdict: which Mexican candy to buy

Read the safety section below before you buy any Mexican candy, from this list or anywhere else.

Five Mexican candies at a glance

Our five standout picks side by side, one for each kind of buyer, with what each listing says is in the bag and what California’s published test results show for that product. All seven candies are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. “Below detection” means every sample of that product in the California Department of Public Health’s published Lead in Candy results measured below the method’s quantitation limit of 0.05 parts per million. Those were a few samples tested years ago; they are not a guarantee about the bag you buy today. None of these listings says anything about lead testing or Proposition 65.

Lead in Mexican candy: what the health authorities say

This is the part of buying Mexican candy that matters most, so here is what the official sources say, in their own terms.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

In 2006 the FDA issued guidance recommending that candy likely to be eaten often by small children contain no more than 0.1 parts per million of lead, a level it says manufacturers can meet with good manufacturing practices. The guidance grew out of concern about what the agency called “Mexican-style” candy: candy containing ingredients popular in Mexico, such as chili and tamarind, and powdered snack mixes of salt, chili powder, sugar and flavoring. The FDA also says lead-based inks should not be used on candy wrappers, including on the outside of the package. You can read the guidance on the FDA’s website.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The CDC’s page on lead in foods, cosmetics and medicines says lead has been found in some candies, and that ingredients such as chili powder and tamarind may be a source when they are dried, stored or ground improperly. It adds that ink from plastic or paper wrappers may leach into imported candy, that lead cannot be detected by looking at or tasting a product, and that laboratory testing is the only way to know for certain. Its advice is to avoid products that may contain lead, and to contact your child’s health care provider if you think your child has been exposed.

The California Department of Public Health

California runs the most detailed program. Under state law, candy with more than 0.10 parts per million of lead is considered contaminated, and the CDPH’s Lead in Candy program collects and tests candy samples, takes enforcement action, issues health alerts and publishes its laboratory results. Two examples of its warnings:

• In July 2007 the state warned consumers against De la Rosa Pulparindo Extra Hot and Salted tamarind candy after finding lead above the limit, and two U.S. importers recalled shipments, as reported by KPBS.
• In August 2019 the CDPH warned consumers not to eat certain La Zagala brand Fruit Pulp Tamarin Flavor candy, sold in small clay jars, after tests found up to 0.17 parts per million of lead. It advised pregnant women and parents of children who may have eaten it to consult a health care provider about testing.

The CDPH’s published test results go further. Individual samples of several of the most widely sold chili and tamarind candies measured above 0.10 parts per million at least once, including Pelon Pelo Rico, several Vero lollipops and powders, Lucas powders and lollipops, Indy Dedos, Sonric’s Rockaleta, a Jovy chili candy and De la Rosa Pulparindo. Most of those results are from 2000 to 2009, and the CDPH notes that lead levels vary from sample to sample and that some manufacturers may have changed their processes since. The results do not say those candies contain lead today. They do say these are the brands an official tester has found over the limit.

What this means when you buy

We applied three rules to the picks on this page, and you can apply them to any Mexican candy:

1. No chili- or tamarind-powder candies. These are the types the FDA and the CDC single out. If you love them, buy them knowing that, and keep them away from small children and anyone pregnant, the groups California’s program exists to protect.
2. No brand named in an official warning or measured over the limit in California’s results. That rules out several famous names, including De la Rosa, whose peanut mazapán has measured below detection in every California sample we found but whose Pulparindo was the subject of the 2007 warning.
3. Do not read safety into a listing that does not claim it. None of the Amazon listings for our picks mentions lead testing or a Proposition 65 warning. Proposition 65 is a California law requiring warnings about significant exposures to chemicals the state lists as causing cancer or reproductive harm, and lead is on that list; you can read more at P65Warnings.ca.gov. A missing warning on a web listing is not a test result.

Mixed variety bags deserve a special mention. Most Mexican candy assortments on Amazon are built around the chili and tamarind favorites, and many name Pelon Pelo Rico, Vero, Lucas or Pulparindo in the title. We did not recommend any of them. If you want variety, build your own mix from the candies below.

Our picks for the best Mexican candy

These seven candies cover the sweet side of the Mexican dulcería: milk candy, candy cream, cajeta wafers, a cajeta lollipop, chocolate, amaranth and coconut. For each one we say what the listing states, what the CDPH’s published results show for that product, and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose Mexican candy with lead in mind

Five questions help you choose well, whether you shop from this list, a Mexican grocery or a piñata aisle.

1. Is it made with chili powder or tamarind?

These are the ingredients the FDA and CDC point to. Milk candies, wafers, chocolate, amaranth and coconut are outside the category the authorities single out, though no type of candy is guaranteed lead-free. If you want the chile-lime flavor, a sauce or seasoning you add yourself at home is one alternative; see our guides to chamoy sauce and Tajín flavors, and read what each maker says about its own product.

2. Who is going to eat it?

California’s program exists to protect infants, young children and pregnant women, and the FDA’s recommended limit is for candy likely to be eaten often by small children. Be most careful when you buy for them.

3. Does the brand appear in an official warning or test result?

Search the brand on the CDPH’s Lead in Candy page and in the state’s press releases before you buy. A brand that has never been tested is not the same as one that has tested below the limit.

4. Is it packed the way it should be?

The FDA advises against lead-based inks on wrappers, and the CDC notes wrapper ink can leach into candy. The 2019 California warning involved candy sold in small clay jars. Plain sealed wrappers from an identifiable brand are a better sign than loose candy, hand-painted pottery or unlabeled bags.

5. Is the seller identifiable?

Choose listings that name the brand and match the product in the photos. Generic sellers and unbranded mixes make it impossible to check a product against warnings or recalls.

How we picked these seven candies

We started from the candies a Mexican dulcería is known for, then searched Amazon’s Grocery & Gourmet Food store in the United States and checked every candidate’s stock and listing details through Amazon’s product data. Before looking at taste or popularity, we checked each brand against the FDA’s lead-in-candy guidance, the CDC’s lead guidance, the California Department of Public Health’s warnings and press releases, and the CDPH’s published Lead in Candy laboratory results from 1993 to 2018. We excluded chili- and tamarind-powder candies entirely, and excluded any brand that appeared in an official warning or had a sample above California’s 0.10 parts per million limit; that removed Pelon Pelo Rico, Vero, Lucas, Indy, Sonric’s, Jovy, Canel’s, La Zagala and De la Rosa, as well as assortments built around them. We then kept products that were in stock, came from an identifiable brand and covered a different kind of candy. Every specification comes from the brand’s Amazon listing; where a listing leaves something out, we say “not stated”. We have not tasted these candies and have not had any of them tested, and a below-detection result in California’s published data describes a few samples collected years ago, not the product you will receive.

Mexican candy questions, answered

What is the best Mexican candy?

For most people, Las Sevillanas Glorias: soft goat’s milk cajeta candies with pecans, a traditional sweet with published California samples below detection. Duvalín is the favorite for children, and Aldama obleas are the best choice for piñatas and party bags.

Is Mexican candy safe to eat?

U.S. and California authorities have found lead in some Mexican candies, especially those made with chili powder or tamarind, and California has issued warnings about specific products. The CDC says lead cannot be seen or tasted and that testing is the only way to know. If you think a child has been exposed, the CDC advises contacting the child’s health care provider.

Which Mexican candies have been found with lead?

California’s published results show individual samples above the state’s 0.10 parts per million limit for products from brands including Pelon Pelo Rico, Vero, Lucas, Indy, Sonric’s, Jovy and De la Rosa’s Pulparindo, and the state warned consumers about Pulparindo Extra Hot and Salted in 2007 and La Zagala tamarind candy in 2019. Check the CDPH’s Lead in Candy page for its full results and current alerts.

What Mexican candy is good for a piñata?

Individually wrapped candies that survive a hit: Aldama mini obleas, Duvalín, Coronado cajeta lollipops and alegría bars all come wrapped. Avoid loose or unlabeled candy you cannot trace to a brand.

What Mexican candy is traditional for Día de Muertos?

Sugar skulls (calaveritas de azúcar), alegrías, cocadas and other milk and seed sweets appear on altars and in markets; our guide to Día de Muertos food covers the whole table, and Mexican desserts explained covers the sweets served year-round.

Our final word on Mexican candy

Start with Las Sevillanas Glorias for a classic, Duvalín for children and Aldama obleas for a piñata, and add Bubulubu, a Coronado cajeta lollipop, alegrías or coconut rolls for variety. Whatever you buy, check it against California’s Lead in Candy results and warnings, be most careful with chili and tamarind candies, and be especially careful when buying for small children or anyone pregnant.

Candy is one corner of a Mexican pantry. Our guide to Mexican pantry staples worth buying online covers the ingredients for cooking, from masa harina to cajeta and chiles.

And if you would rather someone else handled dessert tonight, see the menu or call to order.