Sweets from the Land of Milk and Honey

Israel isn’t called the Land of Milk and Honey for nothing. Apart from the biblical reference, Israel has loads of good-quality chocolate and candy products to satisfy those with a sweet tooth. And no, it’s not just Hanukkah gelt chocolate coins.

While Israeli candies – chocolates in particular – have yet to be known by the rest of the world, those who have tried them swear that they are better than the most popular chocolate brands, especially from the US. But don’t take their word for it! You should definitely try some of the Israeli sweetmeats to believe it.

If you are thinking of a sweets gift basket for Valentine’s Day, birthday, anniversary, the love day of Tu B’Av, or any other special day, why don’t you consider Israeli chocolates and candies for a change? Now that you’re fueled by curiosity, or if you’re craving some serious Israeli sweet treats after reading this list, we can’t blame you. Order some on Amazon if you’re living abroad. Please don’t forget to message and tell us what you think of Israeli candies and chocolates – and which any of them is your favorite.

Klik

Klik is one of the most popular Israeli chocolate and candy brands. Their products are found in supermarkets, groceries, and convenience stores all over Israel. One of the best things about Klik is that they are available in a wide variety of flavors, ranging from malted milk balls to pretzels to cornflakes.

The above picture shows a milk and white chocolate Klik birthday cake.

chocolate wafers

Kif Kef

If you’ve seen Kif Kef before, it looks quite familiar. Yes, it’s similar to a Kit Kat bar – crispy wafers covered in creamy milk chocolate coating. Crunchy, sweet, and delicious, Kif Kef is not one to be missed.

Cow Chocolate (Shokolad Para)

Cow Chocolate is a brand of chocolates manufactured by sweets and coffee products maker Elite, established in 1934. True to its name, Elite makes chocolates and candies of superior quality. 

Indulge yourself in any of the Cow Chocolate products, including milk, dark, and white chocolate bars, chocolate spreads, and unique products like chocolate bars filled with colorful chocolate lentils. Cow Chocolate also has special Passover chocolate bars collection. But for the proper introduction to Cow Chocolate, we highly recommend Para with Pop Rocks. They are delicious and fun to eat, too. As you take a bit of it, the creamy milk chocolate melts in your mouth with the tiny explosions delightfully prickling in your tongue. Once you try Para with Pop Rocks, it’s guaranteed you won’t stop yourself from taking bite after bite!

The Chocolate Para is a classic product – simple and beloved. You can even find it in several stores abroad, including the US.

Bamba

Moving momentarily from chocolates, Bamba is one of the popular snacks in Israel that you should not pass up, especially if you love peanuty things (and not suffer allergies from them).

Bamba is manufactured by Osem corporation (whose headquarters are based in Shoham, Central District), which also makes other food products such as Cheerios breakfast cereal products, pasta, and hummus. 

Bamba consists of puffed cornmeal flavored with peanut butter. It is a kosher food product. Once you open a bag of Bamba, the peanut butter aroma should flare up your nostrils. With the crunchy puffed corn and the sweet peanut flavor, Bamba is guaranteed to be your next new favorite Israeli snack to munch on.

Mekupelet

Mekupelet, which means “folded” in Hebrew, is another popular chocolate brand in Israel manufactured by Elite. What makes Mekupelet distinctive from other chocolate bars is its heady combination of sweet, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, crumbly, and flaky. It is simply divine.

You may find Mekupelet in some other countries, where it is marketed under its English name “Chocolate Log.”

Krembo

Krembo, which means “cream on it” in Hebrew, consists of a cookie topped with chocolate-covered marshmallow cream. These irresistible treats are manufactured by Strauss-Unilever.

Due to Israel’s long, warm Mediterranean summers, Krembo is sold only during the colder months, from October to February. Some 50 million Krembos roll off during that period, thus it is a popular sweet treat during the winter season. 

krembo with coffee

Each Krembo is hand-wrapped in a crinkly aluminum foil. It is available in vanilla and mocha flavors, with vanilla being the more popular so far. Krembo is far beyond a seasonal treat — it has become a part of Israeli pop culture, having made several appearances in songs and television shows in Israel. It is even mentioned in the Hebrew-language version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, where Dumbledore’s favorite sweet treat is a Krembo instead of a sherbet lemon.

Some upscale restaurants and ice cream parlors in Israel come up with fancy dessert dishes consisting of their own versions of Krembos.

milky pudding

Milky

Israelis love their dairy products, and that’s no secret behind Milky’s popularity. Milky is a chocolate pudding manufactured by Strauss. It is no ordinary pudding, as it has a secret whipped cream topping. And only five people in the world know its recipe!

Milky has been a staple of Israeli snacks since it debuted in 1979. The original chocolate flavor is still the most popular, but it is available in other flavors and variants – strawberry, upside-down Milky, mini Milky, upside-down Milky, extra whipped cream Milky, and Milky topped with candies.

pesek zman

Pesek Zman

Another product by Elite, Pesek Zman (“time out” in Hebrew) has the classic combination of the crispiness from its wafer-like interior and the deliciousness of creamy chocolate coating. It has been a hit among Israelis since it debuted in 1982.

egozi split

Egozi

For those who want their chocolates a little less sweet, Egozi will more than suffice. Another product by Elite, Egozi consists of a chocolate bar with a filling of nougat and hazelnuts. If you’re concerned about the nougat, fear not – it is not too overpowering and complements well with the not-so-sweet chocolate.

colorful chocolate candies

Adashim

Israel has its own version of M&Ms – Adashim, another product by Elite. Unlike M&M’s Adashim has no peanut, rice krispies, pretzel, or any other caramel flavors, which could be good or bad depending on your preference.

Shopping for sweets

When you don’t feel like ordering online or going to the grocery, the next best thing for scoring chocolates, candies, and other sweet treats in Israel is going to open-air markets. You can find both traditional confectionery and modern sweets there.

These enticing and colorful displays of sweets will surely make you want to buy one. The best thing about buying candies from these stalls is that you can purchase them as much as you wish, as they are weighed by grams. Plus, there are so many choices.

sweets in Carmel market, Tel Aviv

Different kinds of marmalade and halva at Carmel Market, Tel Aviv.

assorted candy

An eye-popping display of assorted candies for sale at Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem.

baklava

Baklava, a popular Middle Eastern dessert snack, on display for sale at Carmel Market, Tel Aviv.

Turkish delight at Mahane Yehuda Market, Jerusalem.