Best Selling Candy Bars Of All Time - Snack History (2024)

Every child loves candy. You can rarely find someone who is not in love with sweets. Not only the children, but we all love candy and enjoy the taste of delicious, mouthwatering treats. So, this love makes us buy it more and more often. However, there is a question: which are the best selling candy bars of all time? It is hard to answer because in every country, there are different tastes and people crave different varieties of candies.

There are some treats known to all and loved by many. If we look at the popularity and add the data regarding sales that the particular candy has, we can see which ones are truly worth this title.

We did some research and found some of the best selling candy bars. Follow us to explore each of them and see if your favorite treat is among them.

1. Snickers
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
3. Toblerone
4. M&M’s
5. Cadbury Dairy Milk
6. Kit Kat
7. Hershey Bar
8. Twix
9. Milka
10. Skittles
11. Dove
12. 3 Musketeer
13. Ferrero Rocher

Top 13 Best Selling Candy Bars

1. Snickers

It turns out, Snickers is one of the best selling candy bars. No wonder the chocolate bar has been our favorite for generations now. Snickers consist of layers of caramel, peanut, and nougat. All are covered in milk chocolate. Not only is it amazingly tasty and nutty, but it also has a huge history.

Snickers is manufactured by Mars Incorporated, a famous candy company located in the USA. More than 15 million pieces of candy are produced each day. Every year, over two billion dollars worth of candy is sold around the world. Can you imagine how many people in the bar loved it? The Snickers bar was first produced in the 1930s by the Mars family and the tradition keeps going.

2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Here comes the number one best selling candy bar in the USA and one of the best candy bars in the world: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Invented by Harry Brunett Reese, chocolate candies have been on the market since 1923.

Currently, the candy is manufactured by the Hershey Company. Reese’s peanut butter cups are the best selling candy bars by Hershey and generate more than two billion dollars in annual sales.

A candy bar is made from dark chocolate, white fudge, or dark or milk chocolate cups that are filled with peanut butter. We are totally in love with it because it has everything we crave for delicious chocolate and peanut butter. What else could we ask for?

3. Toblerone

Everybody may not know about this amazing candy, but chocolate lovers do. Turns out, Toblerone Chocolate is among the best selling candy bars in the world, taking second place. (First place goes to Snickers)

Candy has a triangular shape and was created in the year 1908 in Switzerland. The creators are the Tobler family. The Toblerone brand was acquired and is currently manufactured by Mondelez International. Toberlone candy is an amazing combination of nougat, honey, and milk chocolate.

4. M&M’s

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Known by every sweet-lover, M&M’s colorful button-shaped candy is manufactured by Mars, Inc. It is very famous and popular not only in the USA but around the world. Popularity caused it to be one of the best selling candy bars in the world. It is sold in more than 100 countries, and every day, more than 10 million M&M’s are consumed just in the USA.

M&M’s was invented in the 1940s in New Jersey. Forrest Mars, Sr., and Bruce Murrie created this sweet treat for us. The candy has a hard, colorful, sugary shell and is filled mainly with chocolate.

5. Cadbury Dairy Milk

Cadbury Dairy Milk is a British chocolate candy brand, manufactured by Cadbury. After its first appearance in the UK, in 1905, it just instantly became popular and sales went up rapidly. Since then, with its ups and downs, chocolate has continued to be one of the best selling candy bars in the United Kingdom. In the USA, candy is distributed by the Hershey company.

It is claimed by the manufacturers that each bar consists of a glass and half milk. So, it is exclusively milk chocolate. This treat comes in different varieties, including fruit, caramel, nuts, whole nuts, and Oreos.

6. Kit Kat

Kit Kat candy is manufactured by Nestle and has proudly been on the market since 1935. It was the first bar that used the concept of “sharing” in its campaign, and it worked well. This sweet treat has earned more than $221.54 million, a total of 7.59 percent of the market share.

Times Magazine has named the Kit Kat chocolate bar the “most influential candy bar” of all time. No wonder it stands among the best selling candy bars. Candy is mainly made with wafers and white or dark chocolate. The flavors vary and include mint, lime pie, vanilla, and many more, especially the Japanese Kit Kats. The wasabi-flavored version of Kit Kat was produced in Japan, which is very unique.

7. Hershey Bar

The Hershey bar was created by Milton Hershey. Candy has a long history that goes back to the 1880s. Almost 200 years old, chocolate bars are undoubtedly on the list of best selling candy bars. We all know it as “The Great American Chocolate Bar“.

Milton Hershey decided to make the chocolate that would become world-famous and he perfectly achieved his goal. Billions of Hershey’s chocolate bars have been sold around the world for generations now. When creating the candy, Milton used the following method: he made the high-quality chocolate affordable for anyone.

8. Twix

A delicious combination of caramel, chocolate, and cookies will undoubtedly make everyone fall in love with Twix. This popular chocolate bar was first introduced in 1967 in the United Kingdom. It was released in the USA later on, in the year 1979. The Mars Chocolate Bar is produced by Mars, Inc.

Every year, 161 million Twix bars are sold in the USA. Twix has been the first candy to top a donut at 7-eleven stores nationwide. All that makes it one of the best selling candy bars not only in the USA but also around the world.

9. Milka

The Milka Candy Bar originated in Switzerland and has been on the market since 1901. The candy has been produced in Germany for the past 100 years. It is currently owned by Mondelez International. Milka is the best selling candy bar in Germany, with sales of over 730 million units a year. It is actively sold in France too, where it has the leading position in sales.

Candy consists of a solid bar of milk chocolate that has a very creamy and rich texture. As implied by the name, milk and chocolate are the two main ingredients.

10. Skittles

Skittles was invented and commercially made by a British company in 1974 and were introduced to North America in 1979. Wrigley Co., a division of Mars, Incorporated, currently manufactures it.

This popular hard candy comes in various flavors and is button-shaped. Flavors include Tropica, Smoothie, Sour, Sweet Heat, Wildberry, and others. Every year, 70 billion pieces are sold, which proudly puts the candy among the best selling candy bars in America.

11. Dove

Dove is an American chocolate brand, manufactured and owned by Mars, Inc. Dove chocolate bar is also known as Galaxy Bar in the UK and was introduced in 1960. This smooth and sweet bar is made with milk or dark chocolate. The dark chocolate Dove contains almonds too.

Dove Bars are a common sight in the candy sections. Chocolate generates millions of dollars and can be considered to be among the best selling candy bars in the UK and the USA. The reason for its popularity could be that niche markets are different from any other competitors.

12. 3 Musketeer

Mars Inc. is the manufacturer of another very famous candy, the 3 Musketeer. With its sales, Musketeer is one of the top ten best selling candy bars in the world. This sweet treat was introduced in 1932, 90 years ago. Candy was advertised on television in the 1950s era. It was presented on the Howdy Doody Show.

The 3 Musketeer candy has a mint-flavored version and a nougat version. The filling is covered in chocolate. Both varieties taste amazing, and that is one of the reasons for their popularity too. For non-Americans, the candy is also known as the Milky Way Bar.

13. Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher chocolate comes from Italy and was made in the late seventies, in 1979. It was introduced to the rest of Europe in 1982. The creator of the iconic brand is Michele Ferrero. This classy treat holds a strong cultural presence.

Ferrero Group is a manufacturer of candy and the second-biggest chocolate producer in the world. Without a doubt, it creates one of the best selling candy bars. Every year, roughly 3.6 billion Ferrero Rochers are sold in over 42 countries.

Bottom Line

Candy is part of our everyday lives. No matter where we go, we will encounter sweet treats that are impossible not to love. Candies are not only a business but also a culture and way of life.

Some of the leading brands have been around for centuries now and have created the candy loved by generations. We can all agree that sweet treats are an inseparable part of our world. Without a doubt, the best selling candy bars are the ones that we love and enjoy the most. That’s why they are at the top of the list.

So, did you already decide which best selling candy bars are your favorites? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Nato

Nato is a content writer and researcher with a background in psychology. She’s passionate about writing about the candy industry and exploring the cultural significance of sweets and treats. She believes that the stories behind our favorite snacks can reveal a great deal about our values.