The Best Swedish Candy, Ranked: 11 Picks by Style
An opinionated ranking of Swedish candy by style, from BUBS sour skulls to Djungelvrål salty licorice, with who each one suits and the exact dietary tags on the cases we import.
In our opinion, the best Swedish candy is the BUBS lemon and raspberry skull, an intensely sour jelly, followed by Grahns Hallonshots for raspberry and S-Märke for old-school sour. For foam, pick Franssons foam strawberries or Ahlgrens bilar. For chocolate, Kexchoklad. For salty licorice, Djungelvrål, ranked last on purpose.
We import Swedish and European candy by the case and handle it in our Santa Fe Springs, California warehouse, so for every case we stock, the dietary tags below are quoted exactly as listed. Swedish classics we don't import are marked as context and ranked on style alone.
How did we rank them?
Eating experience sets the order: flavor, texture, and whether a piece still tastes good by the handful from a lösgodis (pick-and-mix) bag. Two practical questions break ties. How well does it travel? Foam softens in heat, sour coatings pick up humidity, and chocolate melts. Can a shop actually get it? Entries marked context are classics we don't import.
This is our opinion, not a sales chart. For the companies behind the candy, see our guide to Swedish candy brands.
What are the best Swedish candies, ranked?
1. BUBS lemon and raspberry skulls (sour jelly)
BUBS was founded in Huskvarna in 1992 (BUBS) and lists this skull as sour jelly candy (BUBS products). It tops our list because it delivers sour in two flavors at once, lemon and raspberry, and because it is set with starch rather than gelatin, so vegan shoppers can share the bag. Our guide to Swedish candy skulls compares the other skull makers.
- Who it suits: sour fans, and first-timers who can handle sour.
- Dietary tags: listed as gelatin-free and vegan.
2. Grahns Hallonshots (sour raspberry jelly)
Hallon is Swedish for raspberry, and Grahns Konfektyr of Skövde (Grahns) turns it into a sour jelly. It ranks second because it is the most raspberry-forward piece we import, and its gelatin-set chew is bouncier than the starch-based pieces on this list. The sour arrives first, but the sweetness never leaves.
- Who it suits: raspberry lovers who want sweet and sour in the same bite.
- Good to know: the ingredient list we hold includes gelatin.
3. S-Märke sours (old-school sour)
Candy People calls S-Märke a Swedish tradition since 1956 (Candy People). This is old-school sour: a heavy sour coating over a firm starch chew, one flavor at a time. It sits just below the skull because the coating does most of the work.
- Who it suits: sour lovers who want a sharper, simpler hit.
- Dietary tags: our Sour Strawberry case is listed as halal and vegan. Its ingredients include wheat starch.
4. BUBS Cool Fruity Pear (sour foam oval)
Where the skull is jelly, this oval is foam, and BUBS describes it as fruity pear with a touch of tartness and a pleasantly chewy bite (BUBS product page). It is the gentlest way into Swedish candy on this list: fruit first, sour second. If the skull sounds like too much, start here.
- Who it suits: beginners, and anyone who finds sour skulls too intense.
- Dietary tags: listed as gelatin-free, halal and vegan.
5. Kexchoklad, wafer chocolate (context: we don't stock it)
Cloetta started making chocolate-covered wafers in 1921 and registered the Kexchoklad name in 1938 (Cloetta). It is the only crunchy thing on this list, and that is the point. It sits in the middle only because chocolate travels worst. More in our Kexchoklad story. For a plain bar instead, Marabou was founded in Sundbyberg in 1916 and is now owned by Mondelez (Mondelez).
- Who it suits: coffee drinkers, and anyone who wants crunch instead of chew.
6. Ahlgrens bilar, foam cars (context: we don't stock it)
According to Cloetta, the first car-shaped foam candy rolled out of the Ahlgrens factory in Gävle in 1953, after an attempt to make marshmallows, and took the name Ahlgrens bilar in 1970 (Cloetta). Cloetta now calls it by far the world's most sold car. The flavor is mild; the springy bite is the point. The Ahlgrens bilar story has more.
- Who it suits: kids, Swedes abroad, and anyone who dislikes sour.
7. Franssons foam strawberries (foam)
Skumjordgubbar means foam strawberries, and Franssons Konfektyrer in Gränna makes them as strawberry-flavored foam (Franssons). They are soft, sweet and not sour at all, a pure nostalgia piece. They sit one spot behind Ahlgrens bilar only because we prefer the car's springier bite.
- Who it suits: kids, strawberry fans, and anyone topping ice cream.
- Good to know: the ingredient list we hold includes gelatin.
8. Sura Colanappar (sour cola pacifiers)
Napp is Swedish for pacifier and sura means sour, so these are sour cola pacifiers, a classic pick-and-mix shape. The sour coating is tart rather than extreme, which makes them the easiest sour on this list to eat by the handful.
- Who it suits: cola fans, and anyone building a mixed sour bag.
- Dietary tags: listed as halal and vegan. The ingredient list includes wheat starch.
9. Matthijs Swedish and Danish skulls (sugared skulls)
Matthijs is a family business in Hoogerheide, in the Netherlands (Matthijs), so this is our one Dutch entry. It earns the spot because the sugar-dusted skulls come in Swedish blue and yellow or Danish red and white, and because Matthijs is the only line in our range tagged gluten-free. The chew is plainer than the pieces above, which is why it sits ninth.
- Who it suits: gluten-free shoppers and Scandinavian-themed gifts.
- Dietary tags: both skull lines are listed as gluten-free, halal, vegan and vegetarian. The ingredient list names "gluten-free wheat" starch, which is where the word wheat comes from.
10. Cloetta Sockerbitar (vanilla foam cubes)
Sockerbitar translates as sugar cubes, but Cloetta's are foam cubes with a vanilla flavor (Cloetta). No sour, no salt, just a soft, sweet bite, which makes them the calm piece in a mixed bag. We carry Cloetta's original and an unbranded strawberry version.
- Who it suits: kids, and anyone who wants sweet without sour.
- Good to know: the ingredient lists we hold for both the original and the strawberry cubes include gelatin.
11. Djungelvrål, salty licorice (context: we don't stock it)
Djungelvrål, roughly "jungle roar", is Malaco's line of extra-salty licorice animals, launched in 1982 (Cloetta). Its ingredient list names ammonium chloride (salmiak), and the name is fair warning. It ranks last for a general reader and first for anyone raised on salmiak. Read our Djungelvrål explainer before your first piece.
- Who it suits: salmiak fans, and friends who enjoy a dare.
Six cases from this list we import
Which Swedish candy is best for you?
- Beginners: start with BUBS Cool Fruity Pear, Franssons foam strawberries and Sockerbitar, then move up to the BUBS skulls. Save Djungelvrål for later. Our best Swedish candy for beginners goes deeper.
- Sour lovers: BUBS lemon and raspberry skulls first, then S-Märke, then Hallonshots when you want some sweetness back. The best Swedish sour candy covers more.
- Vegan: the BUBS skulls are listed as gelatin-free and vegan, and BUBS Cool Fruity Pear as gelatin-free, halal and vegan. S-Märke Sour Strawberry and Sura Colanappar are listed as halal and vegan. The Matthijs skulls are listed as vegan too.
- Gluten-free: Matthijs is the only line in our range tagged gluten-free, so pick the Swedish or Danish skulls. S-Märke and Sura both contain wheat starch.
- Gifting: Matthijs Swedish skulls in blue and yellow look Swedish at a glance. Add BUBS skulls and Franssons foam strawberries for a box that covers sour, sweet and soft.
Tier 1 prices for the cases on this list are public on each product page, so you can compare before you commit. If you run a candy shop, cafe or event business, apply for a wholesale account and build a mixed first order by the case.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular Swedish candy?+
We haven't found a public, independent sales ranking, so treat any "most popular" list as opinion, ours included. Cloetta calls Ahlgrens bilar by far the world's most sold car, though that is the maker's own claim. Among the cases we import, we think the BUBS skulls, S-Märke and Franssons foam strawberries are the easiest first picks.
What are the best Swedish candy brands?+
For modern sour and chewy candy, BUBS. For classics, Cloetta (Ahlgrens bilar, Kexchoklad, Sockerbitar) and Malaco (Djungelvrål). For chocolate, Marabou. Other makers worth knowing are Grahns in Skövde, Franssons in Gränna and Candy People, the company behind S-Märke. A brand is only a starting point, though. The style you like matters more.
Is Swedish candy vegan?+
Some of it is, and it varies piece by piece. In our range, the BUBS skulls, BUBS Cool Fruity Pear, S-Märke Sour Strawberry, Sura Colanappar and the Matthijs skulls are listed as vegan. The ingredient lists we hold for Hallonshots, Franssons foam strawberries and both Sockerbitar cubes include gelatin. Recipes change, so the pack is the final word.
Is Swedish candy gluten-free?+
Not reliably. In our range, Matthijs is the only line tagged gluten-free, and its ingredient list names gluten-free wheat starch. S-Märke and Sura both contain wheat starch. If gluten is a medical concern for you, read the pack every time, because recipes change between production runs.
What Swedish candy should I try first?+
Start fruity and mildly sour with BUBS Cool Fruity Pear, then try the BUBS lemon and raspberry skulls and a few Franssons foam strawberries. Add S-Märke once you know you like sour. Leave salty licorice such as Djungelvrål for last, and try a single piece before you commit to a whole bag.
Can a shop buy these candies wholesale?+
Yes. Every case on this list that we import is sold through wholesale accounts, and applications approve automatically. Order by the case, mix and match, no order minimum. Tier 1 case prices are public on each product page. Orders ship by UPS Ground or UPS Express from Santa Fe Springs, California, within 2 business days in the US, and Canada takes 3 to 5 business days with duties and taxes paid at checkout.
Keep reading
Gustav Lindqvist · Candy Master
Gustav grew up in Sweden on a strict Saturday-candy schedule, mixing his lördagsgodis bag at the lösgodis wall before he could spell salmiak. He has spent years tasting his way across Scandinavian candy, and now curates the range at TheSweetsTruck, from BUBS sour skulls to the saltiest licorice most people cannot finish.
Last updated 9/13/2026