Guide
Swedish Christmas Candy (Julgodis): What Swedes Eat in December
Swedish Christmas is a month long, and candy is part of it from the first of December. The word is julgodis, Christmas candy, and it is not a single product. It is a category, a set of traditions, and a bowl that never seems to empty.
🎄
Julgodis
Swedish Christmas candy
🇸🇪
Skövde
shipped straight from Sweden
⚖️
By weight
pick and mix the Swedish way
🌱
Gelatine-free
much of the range, per declaration
This is what belongs in it, and how to build your own.
01
What makes Christmas candy different in Sweden
Everyday Swedish candy is bought loose on Saturdays. Christmas candy is different: it sits out all month, it is shared, and it leans towards chocolate, toffee and foam rather than sour and chewy. The flavours shift too, towards mint, gingerbread, caramel and the kind of sweetness that goes with a dark afternoon and a candle.
Most of it is still sold loose by weight. The difference is what goes in the bag.
02
The classics
1
Foam
Cloetta's Christmas foam, juleskum, is the one product almost every Swedish household buys in December. Small Santa-shaped marshmallows, sometimes plain, sometimes in flavours like orange caramel. Franssons make chocolate-covered Santa marshmallows that do the same job with more cocoa.
2
Toffee and caramel
Swedish knäck, a hard butter toffee, is traditionally made at home, but the shop version from Toms and Grahns is what most people actually eat. Dumle, the soft toffee in chocolate, comes in a winter mix.
3
Chocolate
Marabou is on every table. Cloetta's Polly, the foam and chocolate bite, gets a Christmas edition. Pralines in red and green wrappers fill the bowl.
4
Mint
Toms Opera Mints, the chocolate-filled mint in a pastel shell, are a Scandinavian Christmas standard.
5
Gingerbread
Not just the biscuit. Gingerbread-flavoured toffee and chocolate show up in December and disappear in January.
03
How to build a julgodis bag
1
Start with foam. A handful of Christmas foam or chocolate Santas. This is the non-negotiable.
2
Add toffee. Dumle or a caramel from Grahns. Something that takes a while to eat.
3
Add chocolate. Polly, a praline, or a broken-up Marabou bar.
4
Add one thing from everyday candy. A few BUBS skulls or a sour fish, so the bowl is not all sweet.
5
Add mint last. Opera Mints, for after dinner.
If you are buying for a table rather than a bag, go bigger on the foam and the chocolate and smaller on everything else.
04
Ordering Swedish Christmas candy
At Nordic Bangers, the seasonal products are stocked from autumn and sold loose by weight like the rest of the range, in bags from 200 g to 3 kg, filled to order in our warehouse in Skövde, Sweden. Orders ship worldwide from there, and a selection ships from our warehouse in Pennsylvania for faster delivery inside the United States.
Ingredient declarations are on every product, with allergens and animal-derived ingredients listed in English. Much of the foam is gelatin-free; the chocolate and toffee generally contain milk.
Best sellers
BUBS, straight from our warehouse
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is julgodis?
Swedish Christmas candy: the chocolate, foam, toffee and mints that Swedes eat throughout December.
When should I order for Christmas delivery?
Earlier than you think. Delivery times and costs are shown at checkout for your address; allow extra time in December.
Is Swedish Christmas candy vegan?
Some of it. The foam often is; the chocolate and toffee usually are not. Check the declaration on each product, or start from the vegan collection.
