Swedish candy has entered the chat. In case you’ve missed it, Swedish candy has been having a moment as of late. No, not the Swedish Fish you like to grab at the grocery store (though rest assured, those are Swedish, too). It’s gummies, licorice, and chocolates imported from Scandinavia. We’re talking about all shapes and flavors of candies straight outta Sweden.
It all started on TikTok. And one of the influencers who helped drive the trend is Abigail Feehley. She posted dozens of TikTok videos about Swedish candy and has credited the virality of the sweets in part to their aesthetic appeal. With each video, Feehley holds pieces of candy close to the camera so viewers can see their texture firsthand, down to the grains of sugar. She tears through sour skulls and strawberry oval Bubs and describes the experience in detail.
But she’s not the only one. There are now tens of millions – yes, tens – of videos on TikTok circulating of people doing taste tests, buying hauls of their favorite colorful Swedish candies, and talking it up to an exponential. The platform also has a host of “candy salad” videos where the sweets are poured into bowls and used as storytelling props. And there has been no indication that it’s slowing down.
Swedish candy hits differently. Rather than single-color-and-flavor American drugstore gummies, these are often a fusion of colors or engulfed in sugar crystals; some will make your lips pucker from the sourness, others offer warmer flavors with a sweeter bite. This is one of the reasons for the Swedish success.
But aside from the color vitality the sweets bring to social media, the candies are also widely popular due to their ingredients. They are generally of higher quality than the usual cash register fare. Most Swedish gummies are vegan and allergen friendly. Their sweetness comes mostly from sugar instead of corn syrup. They are free of dyes and artificial flavors, using natural coloring and aromas instead. They’re also gluten-free and non-GMOed. In other words, they’re a superior product.
Another important factor is simple. Algorithms. There’s the argument that the TikTok algorithm is real. It really is laser-sharp in targeting the ‘right’ people who are likely to buy candy online, which has helped feed the trend. One seller – BonBon’s – saw online sales rise from around 20 a day to around 1,000 and traffic at their three brick-and-mortar stores in NYC exploded. The source of the order explosion was a short video that influencer Marygrace Graves posted to TikTok. In the clip, Graves described her weekly ritual of going to a BonBon location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, for a bag of decadent multicolored treats, which costs $18 a pound. In a dimly lit video shot inside her apartment, she shows off the contents of her gummy haul—strawberry squids, sugar skulls, and sour shrimp—while chatting about her preferences. The algorithms kicked in, and the rest is history.
People in Sweden actually consume the most candy in the world. On average, a Swedish person will eat nearly 38 pounds of candy per year, with the weekly consumption of an average family of four being nearly three pounds per week. Typically, Swedes head to Lösviktsgodis (bulk candy, also known as pick ‘n’ mix) after school or work on a Friday to fill up a bag with their favorites, from fruity gummies (also known as lollies) to salty liquorice to chocolate-covered marshmallows. Then they get to enjoy their candy on Saturday, known as Lördagsgodis. Perhaps, this trend will ignite a similar tradition in the United States, where only the candies that will be eaten are Swedish. That includes the beloved fish, too!
Candy in Sweden
Swedish Liquorice and Gummies
Ahlgrens Bilar Original and Saltlakrits
Bilar means “cars,” and these gummies are shaped like…you guessed it, cars. The original version is pastel-colored cars made from a chewy, marshmallow-like candy. They’re very sweet and have a general marshmallow flavor. The saltlakrits version is salty licorice. They’re fun candies and a mainstay for both kids and adults.
Toms Ferraribilar
Continuing the car theme, Ferraribilar is a large, chewy (not overly soft) gummy candy shaped like Ferrari race cars. They are made by Toms, a Danish candy brand that produces some of the most popular gummies and chocolates across the Nordic region. The original Ferraribilar are red and have a raspberry flavor (hallon smak). There is also a cola-flavored version.
Malaco Djungelvral Salty Licorice
Made by Malaco, a Swedish candy brand, Djungelvral Salty Liquorice are chewy monkey-shaped gummies. They are covered in a layer of salty licorice powder for an extra kick.
Haribo Nappar
These soft gummies are shaped like old-fashioned pacifiers, with a ring at the end that you can even stick your finger through in case you’re afraid you might lose your sweet. These are highly popular and are seen in pretty much every pick ‘n mix across Sweden. Nappar comes in a variety of flavors including cola, fruit, marshmallow, and even licorice.
Hallonbåtar (Malaco Pim Pim)
Pim Pim is another popular and ubiquitous candy made by Malaco, also known as Hallonbåtar. They are half-circle shaped and meant to be sailboats. The candies are raspberry-flavored and have a chewy but not soft texture. They are quite fruity and flavorful.
“Licorice boats” are the sweet licorice version of the Pim Pim. Sometimes they are mixed together. They’re chewy and smooth and are made by several confectionary brands in Sweden.
Malaco Gott & Blandat Original
Also known as Godt & Blandet (“good and mixed”) in Denmark, this is a classic candy that is as often seen in the pick ‘n’ mix as they are in the candy aisle of the grocery store. Gott & Blandat is a chewy gummy with many fruit flavors and sweet black liquorice in each bag. The fruit flavors are shaped like fruits, while the licorice bites come in a variety of other shapes. If you’re looking for a good place to start with Swedish candy, pick up a bag of Gott & Blandat.
Cloetta Geléhallon
Geléhallon (raspberry drops) are soft, sugar-covered, raspberry-shaped gummies. They’re super-sweet but also have a nice little tang thanks to the raspberry flavoring. The sugar coating gives them a bit of texture as you bite in.
Lakridsfiskar
The actual Swedish fish that Swedes eat: Lakridsfiskar. These fish-shaped licorice bites come in several iterations, from sweet to salty licorice, and even sour lemon (they’re yellow).
Skum Svampe
Literally translated as “foam mushrooms,” these little marshmallowy bites look just like, you guessed it, mushrooms. The pink and white candies are a mainstay in any pick ‘n’ mix bag in Sweden. They aren’t soft like larger American marshmallows; instead, they have a bit of a chewy texture.
Malaco Snøre
With a very happy elephant on the packaging, Snøre (“lace”) is one of those candies that kids truly enjoy. It’s made up of long, thin, hollow ropes of chewy confectionary. The typical flavor is strawberry; other popular flavors are caramel and sweet licorice.
Fazer Tutti Frutti
The textural equivalent to Tutti Frutti would be Wine Gums, although the flavors are a bit sweeter. Tutti Frutti offers a range of choices, from their “original” bag which has flavors like raspberry, orange, and lemon, to sour versions, to their “passion” bag, which has exciting, dual flavors such as cactus and lime, vanilla and lemon, passionfruit, and raspberry and grape.
Sura Skumflaskor (FizzyDizzy)
Sura Skumflaskor, also known as FizzyDizzy, are colas-shaped candies that have a chewy, marshmallowy texture as well as sour sugar coating. They’re not as sour as Swedish surströmming, and don’t really have a cola flavor to them; it’s generally fruity, and the sour tang is the dominant taste.
Gelehjärtan
Translated literally as “jelly hearts,” Gelehjärtan are popular as both a pick ‘n’ mix candy as well as an elevated version that’s a bit more flavorful and can be handmade. They’re soft and juicy; the usual flavor is raspberry, and they are often covered with a layer of sugar for some crunch as you bite in.
Gröna Grodor
Launched in 1935, Gröna Grodor (“green frogs”) are a classic, popular soft jelly candy. They have a subtle, fruity flavor and an almost alarmingly bright green color.
Swedish Chocolate
Cloetta KEX
A classic chocolate bar, KEX is a thin, crunchy wafer cookie under a coating of milk chocolate. Thanks to the layers of wafer, the candy is surprisingly light. You can buy larger bars or small-sized bars to put in your pick ‘n’ mix bag!
Fazer Dumle
First manufactured by Swedish confectionary brand Mazetti in 1945, Dumle are now made by Fazer. A Dumle is a milk chocolate-covered soft toffee. They are either wrapped as single bites or as lollipops on sticks. The lollipop versions are slightly chewier on the inside.
Fazer Marianne
Some people aren’t into mint and chocolate, but for the After Eight fans out there, you’re going to love Marianne. They have an old-fashioned look and feel to them; maybe it’s the striped individual packaging or the “hard candy” element. Inside the minty shell is soft chocolate filling. There is also a toffee version, but it’s far less popular.
Cloetta Center
Like Rolo, Center is a small cylindrical chocolate with a soft caramel filling that comes in a roll. These were first introduced in Sweden in 1941 and have been hugely popular ever since. There is also a bar version.
Cloetta Polly
These are chewy, marshmallowy drops covered in chocolate. The original drops come in vanilla and caramel flavors. There are other fun editions, like their Bilar x Polly crossover, but the original is the most popular by far.
And the most important question… Do Swedes eat Swedish fish?
Swedes don’t actually eat those red Swedish fish. There is a fairly popular fish-shaped candy in Sweden, but they have a salty licorice flavor. The red fish are popular around the world, just not in Sweden.
