Swedish candy
Swedish candy is famous worldwide for its salty liquorice, soft chocolate and the iconic Saturday tradition of lördagsgodis. Stock up on Marabou, Polly, Ahlgrens Bilar and the rest of Sweden's sweet shelf, shipped from our warehouse to almost any country.
What is Swedish candy?
Swedish candy (godis) is the collective name for the sweets, chocolate and liquorice produced by Swedish confectionery makers like Marabou, Cloetta, Malaco and Ahlgrens. It is best known for three things: smooth milk chocolate with a higher fat content than most international bars, salty liquorice (salmiak) flavoured with ammonium chloride, and an enormous range of chewy, foamy and gummy lösgodis sold by weight in supermarkets. Together they make up one of the highest per-capita candy consumptions in the world, around 17 kg per Swede every year.
Most popular Swedish candy brands
A handful of brands dominate Swedish candy aisles and are the ones expat Swedes miss the most. Marabou makes the country's bestselling chocolate; Cloetta is behind classics such as Kexchoklad, Polly and Plopp; Malaco produces gummies and liquorice; Ahlgrens Bilar are the soft foam cars almost every Swede grew up with; and Fazer's Tutti Frutti and Dumle are imported staples on Swedish shelves.
| Brand | Known for | Must-try product |
|---|---|---|
| Marabou | Milk chocolate bars and pralines | Mjölkchoklad, Daim, Aladdin |
| Cloetta | Chocolate-coated and foam sweets | Kexchoklad, Polly, Plopp, Center |
| Malaco | Liquorice and gummies | Djungelvrål, Gott & Blandat, Skipper's Pipes |
| Ahlgrens | Foam cars (Bilar) | Ahlgrens Bilar Original |
| Fazer | Chocolate, fruit chews | Tutti Frutti, Dumle, Geisha |
| Bubs | Veggie-friendly gummies | Bubs Skum, Godfather Skum |
Salty liquorice explained
Salty liquorice, called saltlakrits or salmiak, is liquorice flavoured with ammonium chloride, which gives it the sharp, tongue-tingling saltiness Swedes adore and many newcomers find shocking. It comes in mild versions like Djungelvrål Mild and brutally salty ones like Tyrkisk Peber and Salta Katten. The taste is closely linked to Nordic identity: it appears in everything from sweets and chewing gum to ice cream and even vodka, and is one of the clearest dividing lines between Scandinavian and continental confectionery.
The lördagsgodis tradition
Lördagsgodis ("Saturday candy") is the Swedish ritual of saving sweets for one day a week, almost always Saturday. The tradition dates back to a 1950s public-health campaign that aimed to limit children's sugar intake by concentrating it on a single day, and it has since become a deeply rooted family ritual: kids fill a paper bag with lösgodis after the weekly grocery run, the family settles in for a film, and the bag is shared on the sofa. For Swedes living abroad, recreating lördagsgodis is one of the strongest taste memories of home.
Best Swedish candy for first-timers vs adventurous eaters
If you're new to Swedish candy, start with the chocolate aisle: Marabou Mjölkchoklad, Daim and Kexchoklad are universally loved and need no acquired taste. Polly, Center and Plopp are gentle next steps that introduce mild liquorice and soft caramel. Adventurous eaters should head straight for the salt: Djungelvrål, Tyrkisk Peber, Salta Katten and Skipper's Pipes deliver the full salmiak punch, while Ahlgrens Bilar, Gott & Blandat and Bubs gummies sit somewhere in between. Pair a few of each in your first order to find your own favourites.
How to buy Swedish candy abroad
Swedish candy is rarely stocked outside Scandinavia, so the most reliable way to buy it abroad is to order online directly from a Swedish retailer that ships internationally. Butik Hemlängtan dispatches from our warehouse in Dalarna, Sweden, to 100 countries, with chocolate packed by hand in protective packaging. Delivery options and prices appear at checkout once you enter your address — see our shipping information page for full details. Browse the full Swedish candy range, or jump straight into chocolate, liquorice and snacks.
Frequently asked questions
What is typical Swedish candy?
Typical Swedish candy includes Marabou milk chocolate, Daim, Kexchoklad, Ahlgrens Bilar foam cars, Polly chocolate-coated foam, Djungelvrål salty liquorice and pick-and-mix lösgodis gummies. Together these define the Swedish sweet aisle and the weekly lördagsgodis bag.
What are the most popular Swedish snacks?
The most popular Swedish snacks are Marabou chocolate, OLW and Estrella potato chips (especially Dill and Sourcream & Onion), Ahlgrens Bilar, Kexchoklad biscuit bars, and Cloetta Polly. They appear in nearly every Swedish home and are the items most often requested by Swedes living abroad.
Where can I buy Swedish candy online internationally?
You can buy Swedish candy internationally from Butik Hemlängtan (swedishfoodshop.com), which ships authentic Swedish brands like Marabou, Polly, OLW and Cloetta to 100 countries. Orders are hand-packed in our Dalarna warehouse to protect chocolate during transit; delivery options and prices are shown at checkout based on your destination. See our shipping information for details.
What is salty liquorice and why is it Swedish?
Salty liquorice (saltlakrits or salmiak) is liquorice combined with ammonium chloride, giving it a salty, tingling flavour. It became popular in Sweden and the wider Nordic region in the early 20th century, when ammonium chloride was sold in pharmacies as a cough remedy and gradually moved into confectionery, where it has remained a national favourite ever since.
Is Swedish candy different from Norwegian or Danish candy?
Yes. Swedish candy generally has softer, sweeter chocolate (Marabou), more foam-based sweets (Ahlgrens Bilar, Polly) and a wider range of mild-to-medium salty liquorice. Norwegian candy leans toward Freia chocolate and brown-cheese flavours, while Danish candy includes brands like Haribo Denmark and a stronger, sharper salmiak tradition (Tyrkisk Peber, Super Piratos).
What is lösgodis (pick and mix)?
Lösgodis is the Swedish term for pick-and-mix candy sold loose by weight. Supermarkets and kiosks have walls of bins where customers fill paper bags with their own selection of gummies, chocolate, liquorice and foam sweets, then pay by the kilo. It is the heart of the lördagsgodis tradition and a uniquely Swedish way of buying candy.
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