Swedish candy. You’ve probably heard of it before—maybe in an ad, or maybe you saw your favorite influencer reviewing these colorful gummies. It is typically characterized by a pick-and-mix serving style (lösgodis), unique flavors (such as banana toffee), unique ingredients and manufacturing (said to be somewhat better for you than the American equivalent), and unique textures. Regardless of its distinctions, it is clear that Swedish candy has taken over the internet in the past year. Multiple stores in our city have opened to sell it (all very expensive, of course, a pound of candy at BonBon being $18), and it has also become available at chains like Target and Walmart. 

 

We were wondering, what is the hype behind Swedish candy? So we decided to try some of the most popular ones. We rated each candy on different criteria: texture, flavor, sourness, and uniqueness. Our overall score was the average of each of these scores. 

 

1. Mini Raspberry Skulls: Small, pink, raspberry-flavored, skull-shaped gummies with a sugary coating and a marshmallowy bounce. 

Texture: Foamy and hard, not chewy, marshmallowy, kind of stale, good for braces.

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 5/10

Flavor: Very sweet, raspberry.

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 7/10

Sourness:

Elena: 3/10

Sofia: 4/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 4/10

Sofia: 3/10

Overall:

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 5/10

We enjoyed the flavor, though it was a little bland, and thought it tasted a bit stale. The shape and idea were unique, however the gummy itself was unspecial.

 

1. Mini Bubblegum Bubs: Small, blue and pink, oval-shaped candies with a slightly hard exterior and soft interior.

Texture: Chewy, soft, sticky, bad for braces.

Elena: 8/10

Sofia: 7/10

Flavor: Bubblegum, not as sweet, weird aftertaste.

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 6/10

Sourness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 6/10

Overall:

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 6/10 

The texture was good and we liked the small size of the gummy, although the flavor was a little weird and artificial. There are not a lot of popular bubblegum flavored sweets, but it could have been executed better.

 

1. (Red) Sour Swedish Fish: Sugary coating, stretchy, strawberry-flavored. 

Texture: Hard, bad for braces, inside thinner than outside.

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 3/10

Flavor: Strawberry (tastes like jam).

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 2/10

Sourness:

Elena: 2/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Overall:

Elena: 3/10

Sofia: 2/10 

We disliked this one overall; it was difficult to eat and the taste did not make up for it. 

 

1. Banana Toffee Mushroom: Brown and yellow marshmallow in the shape of a mushroom.

Texture: Soft, marshmallowy, foamy, good for braces.

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 8/10

Flavor: Banana-y, kind of bland.

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 4/10

Sourness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 9/10

Sofia: 9/10

Overall:

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 7/10 

The idea of this gummy is fairly unique—it is shaped like a mushroom which is uncommon in and of itself, in addition to being banana toffee-flavored, which is not a common flavoring in America. 

 

1. Strawberry Pacifier: Green and pink, large, hard. 

Texture: Really hard, sticky, bad for braces.

Elena: 2/10

Sofia: 4/10

Flavor: Flavor similar to jam, but overly sweet and artificial-tasting.

Elena: 3/10

Sofia: 3/10

Sourness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 6/10

Overall:

Elena: 4/10

Sofia: 4/10 

The shape and concept of this two-toned gummy was unique, however the flavor and texture were less than ideal. It was hard, overly sweet, and artificial-tasting. 

 

1. Sugar Coated Strawberry Heart: Sugary coating, heart-shaped, jelly.

Texture: Gelatinous, crunchy outside, soft, chewy, good for braces.

Elena: 9/10

Sofia: 9/10

Flavor: Slightly fruity, sweet 

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 6/10

Sourness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 6/10

Overall:

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 7/10 

This gummy had a lovely soft texture with little sugar grains that added crunch. The flavor was nothing special, but the texture largely makes up for it.

 

1. Sour Strawberry S: Flat, sugary coating, easy to bite.

Texture: Chewy, okay for braces, gelatinous, looks harder than it is.

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 4/10

Flavor: Very strawberry

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 4/10

Sourness:

Elena: 3/10

Sofia: 4/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 4/10

Overall:

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 4/10 

This gummy was simply unmemorable. There was very little special about it, other than the shape to an extent. 

 

1. Raspberry Lemon Skull: Sugary coating, yellow and red, skull-shaped. 

Texture: Chewy, soft, stretchy, sticky, bad for braces.

Elena: 7/10

Sofia: 10/10

Flavor: Tastes like Italian sherbet, not too sweet.

Elena: 10/10

Sofia: 10/10

Sourness:

Elena: 8/10

Sofia: 1/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 8/10

Sofia: 9/10

Overall:

Elena: 8/10

Sofia: 10/10

As the ratings suggest, this gummy was absolutely amazing. While the texture was imperfect, and our sourness ratings were very different, this gummy had one of the freshest flavors out of all the ones we tried, and it had a very unique design. 

 

1. Cola Skulls: Brown and white, skull-shaped, sugary coating. 

Texture: Chewy, sticky, bad for braces, very similar to raspberry lemon skull.

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 6/10

Flavor: sweet, soda 

Elena: 3/10

Sofia: 7/10

Sourness:

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 7/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 6/10

Overall:

Elena: 5/10

Sofia: 6/10 

Elena is not the biggest fan of cola flavored things, so she admits her rating of this gummy may be skewed. However, the gummy’s design is fairly unique, and the texture is similar to that of the one above. 

 

1. Wild Strawberry and Pomegranate Bub: Two-toned pink, oval-shaped, hard exterior and soft interior. 

Texture: bouncy, chewy, good for braces.

Elena: 9/10

Sofia: 8/10

Flavor: Too sweet, bland.

Elena: 4/10

Sofia: 3/10

Sourness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 7/10

Overall:

Elena: 6/10

Sofia: 6/10 

This gummy texture was lovely and soft, though the flavor was mediocre. We have not seen a lot of things with a strawberry pomegranate flavor, so that brought the rating up. 

 

1. Tutti Frutti Bub: Yellow and teal, sugary coating, soft.

Texture: Stretchy, bouncy, good for braces, chewy, similar to wild strawberry and pomegranate Bub.

Elena: 10/10

Sofia: 8/10

Flavor: Summery, tastes like sherbet, kiwi.

Elena: 10/10

Sofia: 8/10

Sourness:

Elena: 3/10

Sofia: 3/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 9/10

Sofia: 8/10

Overall:

Elena: 10/10

Sofia: 8/10 

This gummy was delicious, and a flavor that not many candies in America have. The texture was soft, and it was overall fun to eat. 

 

1. Banana Toffee Bub: Yellow and brown, oval-shaped, harder outside than inside. 

Texture: Foamy, chewy, similar to wild strawberry and pomegranate Bub

Elena: 8/10

Sofia: 7/10

Flavor: sweet, banana

Elena: 8/10

Sofia: 8/10

Sourness:

Elena: 0/10

Sofia: 0/10

Uniqueness:

Elena: 10/10

Sofia: 10/10

Overall:

Elena: 9/10

Sofia: 8/10

Much like the Banana Toffee Mushroom, the flavor of this gummy was unique—and executed very well. It was not overpoweringly sweet or banana-y, but a perfect balance.

 

Ranking:

Elena: 1) Tutti Frutti Bub 2) Raspberry Lemon Skull 3) Banana Toffee Bub

Sofia: 1) Raspberry Lemon Skull, 2) Banana Toffee Bub 3) Tutti Frutti Bub

 

If you only try one treat, make it the raspberry lemon skull. It had a unique flavor, texture, and shape. It also tasted non-artificial and summery. For anyone seeking a departure from the ordinary, Swedish candy offers a uniquely high-quality experience that we wholeheartedly recommend.