Oct 24, 20218 min read

American vs. Canadian Halloween Candy...20 Treats Taste Tested, even more strange differences!

By Joseph DeBenedictis

The differences between American and Canadian candy is mind boggling. Like why is KitKat made by different companies in each country? Why is the American Reese's peanut butter cup bigger? And why doesn't the Canadian Reese have an apostrophe s? So...my American friend Jason and I decided to figure it all out and compare American vs. Canadian Halloween Candy.

We not only chose items that are specific to each country, but like the KitKat, items that are available in both countries to see if the taste is any different. The results are astonishing. If you want to, you can watch the video version of this here, (filmed during the pandemic so we had to ship each other mounds of candy) or continue reading this riveting tale...

We made it exciting by giving a point to the country who has the better tasting item. At the end, the losing country representative (Jason or I) has to put on a costume we sent to each other and parade around the neighbourhood.

Here are the 20+ different Chocolates and Candies we tried. Let’s see who wins this game.

1. Kitkat

First thing you notice is that the packaging and logo are different. Then when you look closer, the manufacturing brands that make them. The American KitKat is made by Hershey, the Canadian by Nestle. As for taste, they're the same! Surprising and impressive. We decided no points would be awarded.

2. Whoppers Vs. Maltesers

Maltesers (made by MARS) are not available in the US, but Whoppers can be found in Canada. Maltesers are small round balls with a malted milk centre surrounded by milk chocolate. The Whoppers (made by Hershey) look exactly the same. But after the taste test they seem to be much harder inside and sort of hurt my teeth. Jason totally agreed so the first point of the game went to Canada! 1-0.

3. Rockets vs. Smarties

This is one of the strangest revelations of the day. Being Canadian I know these chalky tablets as Rockets. Smarties is a totally different thing. In the US, rockets are called Smarties!? It's true. We taste tested them and they're the exact same candy. Jason and I agreed that the only difference between the two was their name. So no points for this round.

4. Smarties (CANADA)

Now these are the Smarties I know, the candy covered chocolate! Is it an M&M? Is it a Skittle? No...it's its own thing.

So Jason tried them... he didn’t like it. He said it tasted old. I wonder why I always get the same comment about Classic Canadian Smarties when I ask an American to taste it. Maybe I have to stop buying them at Dollarama. No Points.

5. Mars Bar vs. MilkyWay

For this round, we discovered that Mars Bar and MilyWay are the same thing. both made by MARS and taste exactly the same. Now every time somebody mentions a MilkWay in an American show I can say "Oh, a Mars bar.” So, no points for this round.

Fun fact, (according to Wikipedia) there are two variants of the Milky Way bar. The global Milky Way bar, which is sold as 3 Musketeers in the US and Canada; and the US Milky Way bar, which is sold as the Mars bar worldwide. WHAT!?

6. Kinder Surprise

This goes deeper than taste, it's the toy inside! In the US they're banned, you can’t put a toy inside of food. So they altered the way it's packaged and called it Kinder Joy. But after we filmed this video I was told Canada actually has Kinder Joy as well!

Anyways...When I first opened the Kinder Joy it did not appetizing. Two balls sitting in goop

Then I tried it. It's amazing. It’s like a mini Ferrero Roche! Delicious. Canadian Kinder however is the classic style I'm used to with the hollow chocolate egg and the toy inside. For this round, Jason and I both agreed that the Kinder Joy is better- not by appearance- but taste. So it’s 1-1.

7. Caramello vs. Caramilk

These two aren' t the same bar, but similar style with caramel trapped inside chocolate. I think I sent him an old Caramilk (again, budget chocolate purchase at the dollar store = mistake). It was dry. Caramello wins this round without much competition. 2-1 is the score. USA takes the lead. But a rematch is required here to find the truth!

8. Reese’s vs Reese Peanut butter Cup

One major difference is the name. The US version is Reese's with the apostrophe s. Where as the Canadian version is just Reese. I believe it's because of language laws in Canada requiring packaging to have both french and english. Removing the apostrophe exempts them from having to put it in french as well. This is also why Tim Hortons does not have an apostrophe (look it up).

Here's some more interesting differences...The Canadian Reese has three pieces, the US as two. But the American one is bigger, like 30 percent bigger!

So now it comes down to taste. Jason thought it was SIGNIFICANTLY different, where I didn't feel the same. But we both agreed that the American Reese’s is better. How about that, eh!? 3-1 for USA.

9. Crispy Crunch vs. Butterfinger

The Canadian Crispy Crunch vs. American Butterfinger...Both similar in texture and ingredients. But if you want to destroy your teeth, butterfinger’s the way to go. Also, the crispy crunch has an unnecessary hard shell inside. I honestly didn’t like either of the two. But Butterfinger gets the point for having the slightly better flavour. So it’s 4-1 for the US. Jason could be pulling away here.

10. Payday (USA)

This is one strange American bar! Payday is basically hardened caramel and peanut butter coated with peanuts. It’s interesting and I don't mind the taste. But not good enough to move the needle, no points. Still 4-1 for the USA.

11. Wunderbar vs. Reese’s Take 5

These aren't exactly the same, it was a stretch to compare them, but we did it for the drama! Wunderbar tastes kind of a waxy and chewy- not great. The Reese’s Take 5 (pictured), which I had never seen before, is delicious! It's a mix of pretzel, peanut butter, peanuts and caramel...Muah! Why don't we have these in Canada? A point to Jason. 5-1 USA...oh no.

12. Ruffles All-Dressed chips (CANADA)

Our sugar level was rising so we switched to chips for a second. I am very familiar with the all dressed flavour which are uniquely Canadian (why? I don't know). Jason tried it and liked them! Finally, a point to Canada. 5-2. Don't call it a comeback!

13. Almond Joy (USA)

Despite the name, there is no Almond or joy in this chocolate bar. OK there's some almond but you'd never know by tasting it. It has a surprise coconut flavour disguised by chocolate. Not my style. I like coconut water, but evidently not coconut chocolate. I think I'm more upset that the name totally threw me off. Absolutely no points.

How did the meeting go for when they named this thing? "Well everyone, as you know we need to come up with a name for our coconut flavoured chocolate bar. And let me just remind everyone that it has no almond taste whatsoever." To which one guy shouted out "Almond Joy!" But then everyone agreed!?

Note: Afterwards we found out that the Bounty bar in Canada is similar to the Almond joy. So stay away from that.

14. Oh Henry (CANADA)

Oh Henry is one of my favourites. Jason tried it, and it's now one of his top 5 favourite's too. A solid point for me. The score is now 5-3 USA. Hmmmm!

15. Coffee Crisp (CANADA)

This beautiful piece of chocolate is my favourite chocolate bar of all time. The Coffee Crisp (changed to Coffin Crisp for Halloween) consists of vanilla wafer and foamed coffee-flavoured soft candy covered with milk chocolate. To quote Jason and I from the video “It’s fantastic!” Another point for Canada!

16. 100 GRAND (USA)

Luckily it doesn't cost as much as its name. This chewy chocolate, caramel and crisped rice bar should be named 100 CENTS. I honestly didn’t like it. It tasted dirty. No Points.

17. Mr. Big (CANADA)

If you want to play a joke, this thing kind of looks like a piece of poop, but the taste is much better than it looks. Jason did like it! Another point for Canada. Tie game! 5-5.

18. Mr. Goodbar (USA)

Hershey's Mr. Goodbar is simply chococlate and peanuts. Had a hard time deciding if I should give Jason a point or not. I mean, it’s okay. But I didn't want to seem like I was purposely withholding points so I could win. So I gave it to him. 6-5 for USA.

19. Glosette (CANADA)

Raisin covered chocolates are overrated in my opinion so I didn't have high hopes for this. But I needed a point to tie. I was hoping Jason really loved raisins and chocolate. Turns out he doesn't, he didn't like the Glosette's. No points. Side note: Raisinets are the American equivalent (which he forgot to send).

So....I was about to lose, until we remembered I had sent one last thing that wasn't quite candy, but it's so good it should be,..

20. Kraft Peanut Butter vs. Jif

I honestly thought I had lost the game. I was letting down a whole country. I shouldn't have bought it all at the dollar store. I could have done better! But then Jason reminded me that there was one item left...Kraft peanut butter!

This stuff has saved me many times before, and it could be the hero again. But Jason said he had Jif peanut butter to compare it. He didn't send that to me, so it was all in his hands.

Jason tasted both.

He described Kraft peanut butter as sweeter than Jif, and almost like a dessert....Thus the point goes to....CANADA!!!

It's a tie! So, we decided that since nobody won, we both had to do the punishment and walk around the neighborhood wearing our costumes. This is probably one of the most embarrassing things we've ever done for a video.

After all of the ups and downs of this epic taste test, the main takeaway is...never eat this much candy in one sitting. I physically couldn't sleep that night. It felt like my heart was going to run out of my body. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the comparison and can one day do your own taste tests (not at all once) whenever you visit either country. Don't forget, you can watch the full video of this adventure here: American vs. Canadian Candy Taste Test

ALSO you should know we have a ton more American vs Canadian videos on the YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/josephdebenedictis.

Here are some links below if interested in watching more! Thanks for reading!

WATCH NEXT: ▶️

*American Explores Canadian Tire Store - https://youtu.be/8GoxSm9iYxI

*American vs. Canadian STEREOTYPES - https://youtu.be/_0EZ-UhMjgE

*American tries POUTINE in MONTREAL - https://youtu.be/NnjBRsd0lhI

*American tries SWISS CHALET - https://youtu.be/XyBEfCuM3A4

*American vs. Canadian Mac & Cheese - https://youtu.be/u7yC8p3tKLU

*American vs. Canadian TRIVIA - https://youtu.be/wruZykYe084

*American vs Canadian Schools - https://youtu.be/CI2ZqHSCvTk

*American Reacts to CANADIAN TV - https://youtu.be/c7xeSpt2Sxc

*American vs. Canadian CHRISTMAS - https://youtu.be/wzcNpT1dww8