Best Candy For Candy Buffet • 8 You Have To Have! •

Is there anything better than candy? Yes! More candy! And that’s exactly what a candy buffet is…although there’s a bit more to it than that! 

A candy buffet isn’t just a load of candy thrown together. It’s actually a purposefully designed and elegant display of lots of candy that you can have at whatever big social event you’re arranging.

But creating a candy buffet is a lot more complicated than you might think, as there are lots of different factors to consider. 

Nevertheless, the most important feature of your candy buffet is, yes, that’s right, the CANDY!! 

So today, we’re going to be talking about the best candy to use for your candy buffets. 

Then, later on, we’ll talk a bit more about the logistics that go with creating a candy buffet. 

So, there’s no time to waste; your social event is only around the corner. So let’s get started.

Best Candy For Candy Buffet

Right, let’s start with the fun stuff.

Obviously, the most important factor is that the candy you choose for your buffet tastes delicious and goes down as a treat with your guests.

So it’s important you get this right.

However, you can’t just throw together your favorite candies because they might not work well together in the buffet.

And you can’t just throw any old favorite candy onto the buffet table. 

So we’re looking for specific types of candy here.

Before we get into the details of what makes a candy great for being used on a candy buffet, take a look at the list of my top 5 favorite candies for buffets. 

Feel free to take any of these candies from the list to use in your own buffet. 

If not, hopefully, these candies will inspire some ideas of your own.

Bear in mind that all of the candies on this top 5 list can be purchased in abundance from Amazon.com.

I buy all of my candy from Amazon because they offer great accessibility to bulk buying at money-saving rates. 

Amazon is also very fast when it comes to delivery. It’s part of the reason they’ve become so successful.

Now, without further ado, here is my top 8 list of the best candies for candy buffets. 

Milk Bottles

These were my favorites as a kid.

I could eat tons and tons of them. There’s just something about the chewy powdery textures of milk bottles.

They taste great, they’re easy to buy in bulk, and they’re white, so they’ll go with pretty much any other colored candy.

Chewy Cherries/Strawberries

Did I say milk bottles were my favorite? I lied. They were my second favorite, I’ve realized.

Chewy cherries and strawberries are so, so, so good. In fact, if I were to choose my number 1 on this list, I’d probably say it’s these.

So chewy, so tasty, and so fitting for a candy buffet.

Jolly Ranchers Lollipops

Who doesn’t love lollipops?

Some might say they’re an essential type of candy to have in your candy buffet. Jolly Ranchers are one of my favorite candy lines produced by Hershey’s.

Whether it be their lollipops or their regular hard candy, they come in plenty of delicious flavors, including Orange, Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, Pineapple, Cherry, Peach, Watermelon, Grape, Strawberry, Fruit Punch, Lemon, Golden Pineapple, Mango, and Lime.

You can bet that Jolly Ranchers’ lollipops will be a flavorsome hit at your candy buffet.

JOLLY RANCHER Filled Pops Assorted Fruit Flavored Candy Box, 56 oz (100 Pieces)
  • Contains one hundred (100) 0.56-ounce JOLLY RANCHER Assorted Fruit Flavored Filled Pops in a bulk box
  • Long-lasting, fruit flavored hard candy lollipops you can take with you on the go, to work, on snack breaks and back home again at the end of the day
  • Fruit flavored candy mix is individually wrapped and packed in a bulk box for convenience and exceptional freshness to the last piece
  • Perfect for Pride month, graduation and wedding seasons, fundraising events, back to school preparation, 4th of July bashes and birthday parties
  • Bulk candy box of JOLLY RANCHER lollipops features an unbelievably delicious Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween candy selection featuring bold fruit flavors like watermelon, green apple, cherry and grape with soft, chewy centers

Lindt Chocolate Truffles

The most luxurious brand on the list is from the Swiss chocolate maker Lindt. Their chocolate truffles are renowned around the world.

Small chocolate balls, creamy and tasty beyond imagination, are wrapped in colorful packaging that indicates whatever flavor they may be.

Lindt are master chocolate makers and have been leading the way since their founding in 1845.

If you want a candy that is going to stun your guests with excitement, Lindt’s Chocolate Truffles are the ones to stock up on. 

Lindt LINDOR Milk Chocolate Truffles, Chocolates with Smooth, Melting Truffle Center, 50.8 oz., 120 Count
  • 50.8 oz., 120 Count of Lindt LINDOR Milk Chocolate Truffles with Smooth, Melting Truffle Center
  • Classic milk chocolate shell surrounds a luxuriously smooth, melting truffle center
  • Lindt LINDOR truffles are perfect as gifts or for making any moment special
  • Individually wrapped milk chocolate candy truffles in a large box are perfect for sharing and stocking up
  • Kosher chocolate made with premium ingredients from world-renowned regions

Hershey’s Kisses

We finish with another chocolate candy, and it is Hershey’s Kisses.

They’re bite-size delights wrapped in various colorful wrappings. They are gorgeous in flavor, perfectly sized for parties, and unique in their aesthetic.

Another great addition to any candy buffet.

HERSHEY'S KISSES Silver Foils Milk Chocolate Candy, Individually Wrapped, Gluten Free, 66.7 oz Bulk Bag (Approximately 400 Pieces)
  • Contains one (1) 66.7-ounce, 400-piece bulk bag of HERSHEY'S KISSES Milk Chocolate Candy in Silver Foils (piece count may vary)
  • Use bulk milk chocolate candy wrapped with stunning silver foils in party favors, treat dishes and candy buffets for a themed snack that looks as good as it tastes
  • Kosher-certified, gluten-free bulk chocolate candy individually wrapped in decorative silver foils for lasting freshness and convenience
  • Perfect for Mother's and Father's Day celebrations, baby showers, Pride month, weddings, graduations and back to school preparation
  • Creamy, delectable milk chocolate classics in bite-size morsels perfect for snacking and sharing throughout any day, including in Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween candy selections needing a touch of silver

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers Gummy Worms

Who doesn’t love sour gummies? Especially the worm variety!

The ones produced by Trolli are particularly delicious:

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers, Back to School Candy, Gummy Worms Sour Candy, 5 Pound Bulk Bag
  • BIG BAG OF GUMMI WORMS: Get your fill of your favorite sour gummy candy with this 5-pound bag of Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers. With countless gummi, yummy worms in this big bag, there's enough fun candy to go around.
  • BITE INTO BRITE FLAVOR: Rip open this big bag of gummy candies, and feast on a variety of fruity creatures. The perfect balance of sweet and sour in every bite, this candy assortment includes the classic combinations, including cherry-lemon, strawberry-grape, and orange-lime.
  • YOUR FAVORITE GUMMIES: Savor the classic fruity candy taste of Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers. These sour gummy worms are double-textured, double-flavored, and extra delicious. And there's enough go around. Share their sour and sugary bodies wormy, squirmy, and deliciously awesome time.
  • STOCK UP ON SOUR GOODNESS: Serve up a treat that makes candy fans scream with delight with Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers. Jam-packed with 5 pounds of sour chewy candy goodness, this big bag of candy is sure to go a long way. Fill party candy bags, your candy bowl at home, or use some worms for a unique treat with a sweet and sour mix of flavor. With this many worms on your hands, the possibilities are endless!
  • MAKE WEIRDLY AWESOME MOMENTS: Treat friends, family, or yourself to a Trolli gummies sour candy mix that's a tasty good time. These sour candies are perfect for movie nights, adding to gift bags, or pouring into party bowls. This Trolli gummi candy assortment is sure to make you pucker and smile.

SOUR POWER Berry Blue Candy Belts

Another candy for the sour heads out there.

These belts are fantastic and offer something a little different from the others recommended here today.

Belts are always good fun to eat, too, which is a nice added bonus!

SOUR POWER Berry Blue Candy Belts, 150 Pieces, 42.3 Ounce
  • Sour Power Berry Blue Flavor
  • 150 Delicious Berry Blue Belts
  • Sour and great tasting belts
  • Enjoyed by all ages!

Airheads Mini Bars

Airheads are a classic candy that we all recognize and love.

They are also ideal, being small and sealed too. So if your guests don’t get around to eating their way through them; you’ll have some left over to enjoy long after the event!

Airheads Candy Mini Bars, Assorted Fruit Flavors, Individually Wrapped, Non Melting, Party, Pantry 80ct Bag, Box of 4 Bags
  • Includes a fruit flavored individually wrapped Airheads mini bars
  • Perfect treat size and easy to share. Stock up your pantry or use Airheads bulk candy for holidays, event party favors, office treats, concession stands, kids' parties and more
  • Kosher, gluten-free and allergy-free candy. Free of all "Big 8" allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, fish, shellfish and wheat
  • Unwrap the fun and play delicious Get creative and cut or mold Airheads into custom treats.
  • Non-Melting

How Many Types Of Candy To Get For A Candy Buffet?

So that you offer your guests enough variety in terms of color, flavor, size, and texture, you should aim to get between 7 and 10 different types of candy for your candy buffet.

Now you’re going to have a lot of guests at your social gathering…we hope.

Each guest comes with a different set of taste buds. What am I getting at here? People like different things and vice versa. People like different candies.

So to ensure that you cater to everyone, you need to offer variety. That way, you can hope that everyone gets to enjoy a candy they like from the buffet.

But you also need variety to mix up the color scheme of your buffet.

You don’t just want your candies to all be one color, but at the same time, you don’t want to have colors that don’t match the present in your buffet.

Nevertheless, variety is key to an excellent guest-satisfying candy buffet.

I would advise you to offer no less than 7 different types of candies in your candy buffet.

If you can offer more, that’s great too. I would suggest that you don’t exceed 10 different types of candy.

Too many options could bamboozle your guests! And we wouldn’t want that, would we? That’s the job of the alcohol you’ve stocked up on.

You should also aim to add 7-10 candy types that differ in terms of flavor, size, and texture.

Once you have these 7-10 candies, then you’re good to go.

But probably at this point, in your mind, another question arises…

How Much Candy To Get For A Candy Buffet?

You should aim to buy ¼ to ½ of a pound of candy per guest attending your party.

The second worst-case scenario is that you buy too much candy. If you do that, then you’ll be left with loads of candy to deal with afterward. 

Which, let’s be honest, isn’t the end of the world because I’m sure a candy-lover like you can get rid of a spare load of candy somehow…

But the worst-case scenario is that you don’t buy enough candy. If you do this, then your candy buffet is going to run out quickly.

The result is that guests might not be satisfied as they don’t get to stuff their faces with enough candy. Some guests might not even get any candy at all. 

Tough Karen! It’s survival of the fittest for this candy buffet.

Sorry, I got a bit distracted there.

Where were we? Oh yes! How much candy exactly should you get for the buffet?

So I would advise you to get between a ¼ to ½ pound of candy per guest. 

¼ if your guests are normal. ½ if your guests are candy addicts.

Going by the ¼ pound of candy per guest measurement, you would need 25 pounds of candy for every 100 guests you have at your party.

If you’re doing ½ a pound of candy per guest, then it will be 50 pounds of candy for every 100 guests.

From here, I’m sure you can do the maths to calculate how much candy will be needed to cater for the total headcount at your party.

Some guests might consume less or none at all. Some guests might even consume more (you know who you are).

But by aiming for the numbers I have suggested, this will ensure that no matter what your guest’s appetites are on the night, everyone will get an opportunity to get their fair share of delicious candy from the buffet. 

Other Suggestions When Having A Candy Buffet

As I’ve said earlier, making a candy buffet requires a bit of work.

You need to combine your logical thinking and your creative skills to produce something aesthetically pleasing, congruent with the rest of the party’s theme, delicious, practical, and accessible.

So here are a few further tips to help you out!

Don’t Forget Jars/Containers

You need jars and containers to hold the candy in. You can’t just leave all the candy on a table. 

Not only will that be unhygienic, but it will also look messy.

Make sure you buy the most appropriate-sized jars and containers for your buffet.

If you buy jars and containers that are too big, when you put the candy in, there’ll be too much free space. This means your buffet won’t look as good.

You want your jars and containers to be as full as possible.

Glass Jars 32oz,Maredash Candy Jar with Lid For Household,Food Grade Clear Jars (6 Pack)
  • Uses: Perfect for preserving and canning enthusiasts; this large canning jar is shaped and sized for canning homemade pickles, canned peaches, pickled carrots, jams, jellies, preserves, tomato sauces, broths and a variety more.
  • Air-tight cover:withe the silicone seal ring ,can opens easily while closing securely. The preserving jar’s lid includes a plastisol liner that creates a vacuum seal ensuring contents stay fresh
  • Food grade glass, won’t leach harmful chemicals into foods, or absorb flavors,easy to clean
  • Wide Mouth: our wide mouth jars allow you to easily fill them with larger fruits and vegetables like zucchini, cucumber and more.s, The wide mouth also makes it convenient to reach in the half gallon jar to clean it out thoroughly.
  • Worry free after sales:If you have any questions about glass jar ,please don't hesitate to contact us immediately,we will solve these problems to your satisfaction

Don’t Forget Scoops

Remember hygiene, folks. We can’t just have everyone stuffing their hands into candy jars now, can we?

Instead, provide your guests with scoops so that they can extract the candy from the jars without touching or putting germs on the sweets.

Multi Purpose Clear Scoops Plastic Candy Scoops for Candy Buffet Ice Scoop Protein Powders, Ice Cream, Coffee, Tea Jar (8 Pieces)
  • Quantity and measurement: 8 packs clear plastic candy scoops, each scoop holds up 1/3 cup
  • Multipurpose: these multi-purpose scoops are good for baking ingredients, crafts, and so on, made of durable plastic
  • Features: as a necessity at home, these scoops touch smooth and use sturdy
  • Methods of using: these clear scoops can use to scoop dry products like flour, sugar, etc. and work well with other containers
  • Helpful tool: a good helper for your guest to serve themselves during parties, or for kids to scoop ice

Don’t Forget Bags

The scoops are useless unless they have somewhere to put the candy.

And that should be inside paper bags so that your guests have something to eat the candy out of, and they can also take it home with them at the end of the evening.

Chloe Elizabeth Food Safe Biodegradable Paper Candy Favor & Treat Bags for All Parties - 48 Count Assorted, 7x5 Size (Pink, Gold Foil)
  • READY TO GO: These assorted and single design bags are carefully pre-packaged and ready for use in your next event for your busy lifestyle
  • FOOD SAFE: Made from food safe ink and paper so be ready to toss in any treats or desserts as you please
  • BIODEGRADABLE & RECYCLABLE: The environment will thank you!
  • MULTIPURPOSE: Perfect for all occasions including birthdays, anniversary, weddings, baby showers, special holidays, candy buffets, and more!
  • SIZE & COUNT: Each bag measures about 7" height x 5" width, 48 bags per package. Holds approx 2-3 handfuls of treats per bag!

Watch Out For Allergies

Some of your guests might have allergies. Some of the candies in your buffet might contain ingredients that cause allergic reactions.

So just make sure you’re aware of any allergies your guests might have, and then change your candy buffet accordingly.

If you want to be super considerate, then you could label each jar to inform guests what the ingredients are in each candy.

Consider Location 

Two things here. The first is where you decide to put the candy buffet at the party.

Keep it away from sunlight and warmth so that none of the candies melt or stick to each other.

The second thing to consider is where you live, for example, if you live somewhere where it’s really hot.

This should influence the type of candies you buy for your buffet.

So you should probably avoid chocolates if you live in chocolate-melting conditions.

Finally

Alright, there we have it! All the information you need to help you get the best candy for your candy buffet.

Lots of things to consider.

But trust me, it’s worth it.

Not for the smile on your guests’ faces…

…but for when you, yourself, get to enjoy your fabulous candy buffet creation.

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