American Sweets vs British Sweets: What’s the Difference?

On the surface, sweets are sweets. Sugar, flavouring, bright packaging, the lot. But spend five minutes comparing an American candy aisle with a British one and you’ll realise they’re almost entirely different worlds. The flavours are different. The textures are different. Even the chocolate tastes different — and that’s before you get into the types of sweets that exist in one country but have no real equivalent in the other.

So what actually separates American sweets from British ones? Whether you’re a curious consumer or a retailer thinking about what to stock, here’s how the two confectionery cultures compare.

The Chocolate Divide

This is the big one, and the most debated. British chocolate and American chocolate taste noticeably different, and neither side can quite understand how the other enjoys theirs.

British chocolate — led by Cadbury — tends to be creamier and milkier. UK regulations require a higher percentage of cocoa solids and milk fat, which gives it that smooth, rich texture Brits grew up with. Cadbury Dairy Milk, Galaxy and Aero all lean into that dairy-forward, melt-in-the-mouth profile.

American chocolate takes a different approach. Hershey’s, the biggest name in US chocolate, uses a process that gives the chocolate a slightly tangy, almost sharp edge. Some people describe it as more bitter or acidic compared to British chocolate. It’s a taste that Americans grow up loving and Brits often find surprising on first try — but once you get used to it, it’s genuinely addictive.

Then there’s the peanut butter factor. American chocolate is obsessed with peanut butter in a way the UK never has been. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are one of the bestselling sweets in the United States, and they’ve become massively popular in the UK too. The combination of salty peanut butter with sweet chocolate doesn’t really have a British equivalent — it’s a distinctly American flavour pairing that’s won over millions of UK fans.

Flavour Profiles: Bold vs Subtle

British sweets tend to lean towards subtler, more familiar flavours. Think blackcurrant, strawberry, lemon, and lime. British confectionery has deep roots in boiled sweets, toffees, and fruit pastilles — refined, traditional flavours that haven’t changed much in decades.

American candy goes bigger. The flavour hits are more intense, more artificial in the best possible way, and often bolder than anything you’d find in a UK sweet shop. Watermelon, blue raspberry, grape, root beer, cotton candy — these are staple American candy flavours that barely exist in the British market. Brands like Airheads deliver fruit flavours so concentrated they’re almost overwhelming, and that intensity is a huge part of their appeal.

The sour category is another area where American candy dominates. While British brands dabble in sour (Tangfastics, Toxic Waste actually originated in Taiwan but is most popular in the US and UK), American sour sweets take it to extremes. Warheads, Sour Patch Kids and Toxic Waste all push the sourness to a level that’s practically a dare — and that’s exactly why TikTok sour challenges have made them some of the most searched-for sweets in the UK.

Candy Types That Only Exist on One Side

Some types of sweet are so distinctly American or British that they simply don’t have an equivalent across the Atlantic.

American sweets you won’t find in UK shops: Taffy (stretchy, chewy candy like Laffy Taffy), Twizzlers (chewy liquorice-style twists that taste nothing like British liquorice), Nerds (tiny crunchy flavour crystals — read our complete Nerds guide for the full story). The whole concept of a candy bar stuffed with peanuts, caramel and nougat — think Snickers-style but amplified — is far more American than British.

British sweets Americans don’t have: Wine gums, Jelly Babies, Parma Violets, Sherbet Fountains, Refreshers bars, Drumstick lollies, and most of the classic pick and mix selection. British retro sweets are a whole category unto themselves — rhubarb and custard, pear drops, aniseed balls — with flavour profiles that feel genuinely alien to an American palate.

Liquorice is another dividing line. Britain has a long tradition of proper liquorice (Bassett’s Allsorts, Pontefract Cakes), whereas American “licorice” is often fruit-flavoured and chewy rather than genuinely liquorice-flavoured at all.

Packaging and Portions

American sweets are, on average, bigger. The standard Hershey’s bar is larger than a standard Cadbury bar. American candy bags tend to come in bigger portions, and the “share size” or “king size” concept is far more common in the US. Theatre boxes — those rectangular cardboard boxes you’d buy at a cinema — are a staple American format that’s only recently started appearing in UK shops. Walk into an American grocery store and the confectionery aisle is enormous compared to what you’d find in a UK supermarket.

The packaging itself is louder too. American candy wrappers use bolder colours, bigger fonts and more over-the-top branding. Walk past a shelf of Nerds, Sour Patch Kids and Airheads and the visual noise is part of the experience. British packaging tends to be more understated by comparison, though that gap has narrowed in recent years as American-influenced branding spreads globally. For retailers, the bolder American packaging actually works in your favour — it creates natural shelf standout and draws the eye even from a distance.

Why British Consumers Love American Sweets

The popularity of American candy in the UK has exploded over the past few years. Dedicated American sweet shops have opened on high streets across the country. TikTok and YouTube unboxing videos have turned imported candy into aspirational products. Search interest in “American candy UK” grows year on year.

So what’s driving it? Partly novelty — American sweets look different, taste different, and feel like a treat you can’t just grab in Tesco. Partly social media — bright, bold American packaging is practically designed for Instagram and TikTok content. And partly genuine flavour appeal — once you’ve tried a Reese’s Cup or a bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters, you understand why Americans have been hooked on them for decades.

For retailers, this trend shows no sign of slowing down. Stocking a dedicated American candy section is one of the simplest ways to add something different to your range and attract customers who are actively searching for these products.

So Which Is Better?

The honest answer: neither. They’re different traditions doing different things well. British confectionery excels at chocolate quality, dairy-based treats, and nostalgic flavours rooted in decades of tradition. American candy wins on boldness, variety, innovation and sheer fun — the colours are brighter, the flavours are louder, and the formats are more playful.

The best approach? Try both. And if you’re in the UK and haven’t explored American candy properly yet, you’re missing out on an entire world of sweets that taste like nothing on British shelves. The good news is that you don’t need to fly to New York to find them — imported American sweets are now easier to buy in the UK than ever.

Try American Sweets for Yourself

Browse the full range of imported American candy, chocolate and soft drinks at Sweet and Glory. We stock over 2,000 products from the biggest American brands, all available with UK delivery.

If you’re a retailer looking to add American sweets to your range, open a trade account for wholesale pricing, or get in touch to discuss what to stock first.

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