Best Licorice Brands For 2023 – Tested & Reviewed

The best licorice brands use authentic licorice extracts, their texture, and any other ingredients used. A soft and hard texture says a lot about the licorice brand.

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of licorice for health. If you have ever shopped for licorice, you will quickly become overwhelmed by the sheer variety of licorice brands.

I love licorice because of the distinct flavor of sweet and slightly bitter. I first fell in love with licorice when I was a child, thanks to my father, who loved licorice! We often went to our local sweet shop to buy some, and I have been addicted to licorice, so I guess you can call me a licorice connoisseur!

You'll find a lot of varieties of licorice brands included in our sweet hampers which are perfect for gifting to any sweet tooth.

The Best Licorice Brands Tested & Reviewed

There are a lot of brands of licorice available that don’t contain licorice. We’ve picked 9 licorice manufacturers that produce delicious licorice snacks using authentic licorice extract:

But, if you’re a lover of red licorice (the type that doesn’t usually contain any actual extract) Some of these brands also offer an option with red licorice.

Let’s dive in and look at why each brand is such a popular licorice choice of mine!

1. Wiley Wallaby Classic Black Licorice

The bag is filled with Australian-inspired licorice that you can take to the movies, on a hike, or having a chat with friends. What more could you ask for?

Licorice’s texture from Wiley Wallaby is soft and chewy. It’s exactly what fans of licorice are looking for in their black snacks of choice.

To make this black licorice have its authentic flavor, the manufacturer uses not just authentic licorice extract but star anise oil that enhances the flavor of licorice.

Palm oil from sustainable sources is utilized to produce Willey Wallaby black licorice. When you purchase this item, you’re receiving the most beneficial of both worlds: healthy, fat-free snacks that are green and won’t do any environmental harm.

This licorice makes a fantastic snack when you’re working or studying or when you need to indulge yourself.

2. Darrell Lea Soft Australian Licorice

Darrell Lea makes some of the most authentic licorice available. They have been making this licorice in Australia and perfecting its process for over 100 years!

These black licorice delights will please even the most discerning consumers.

First, it is created using real licorice extract and the addition of oil from anise seeds to give an enhanced flavor.

Furthermore, it doesn’t contain any palm oil, a major step towards more sustainable production. Thirdly, Darrell Lea’s Black Licorice has no additives or preservatives that are genetically modified.

Then, it also is soft and chewy in texture which makes all of the key facts above even more important regardless of how great the ingredients list is, If the texture is tough, it won’t be a good idea to eat the licorice at all.

Darrell Lea also produces strawberries, mango-flavored licorice, and sugar-free licorice for health-conscious consumers. The licorice uses recyclable packaging, which makes it easy to store the half-full box.

3. TWIZZLERS The Black Licorice Candy

If your friends get together to watch a movie and you’re unsure what food you should grab to keep them entertained for a couple of hours and not be high in fat, get yourself some TWIZZLERS Black Licorice.

These long licorice twists come with an effervescent sweet-spicy taste as they are made from the extract of licorice and other ingredients.

Since these are advertised as candy, it’s easy to see that they are a pleasantly soft texture. This is what consumers are looking for in licorice candy because not being able to chew your candy while trying to watch a movie is not a pleasant experience.

If you’re a lover of red licorice, you can also purchase the red version of the same candy from TWIZZLERS.

4. Panda All Natural Soft Licorice

If you’re seeking the most nutritious licorice available on the market. Then Panda all-natural sweet licorice is.

The list of ingredients for the licorice-based treats is very short and impressive.

They are made up of molasses, which contains a high nutritional value and is rich in protein, and offers an explosion of sugar and carbohydrates that provide energy.

Panda Licorice also has aniseed oil, wheat flour as a natural flavoring agent, and, of course, the extract of licorice.

Panda black licorice is packaged in an open-top zip-top container which you can keep closed after opening to ensure the most freshness. We believe you’ll be able to take to these the way a panda would to bamboo.

5. Tara’s Handcrafted Black Licorice Caramel

Tara’s gourmet black licorice candy is the perfect present for yourself or anyone who enjoys the taste of the licorice. The candies are individually wrapped and packaged in a transparent glass jar that is stunning to display.

According to the label, the candy is flavored by natural licorice flavoring, which originates from the root of licorice. With anise flavoring, you will get delicious candies with a perfect mixture of bitter and sweet.

Besides the natural flavor, the candies also have corn syrup sweetened condensed dairy, brown sugar, heavy cream butter, brown sugar, and a couple of other ingredients. In a nutshell, they’re a dream come true for those with a sweet tooth and an affinity for the flavor of licorice.

The caramels are made by hand in small-scale batches. So you are assured that you will get the same taste and texture for each Jar.

The caramel taste of these candy candies is sweet. The texture is soft, smooth and soft, and buttery. You won’t experience the irritable feeling of the caramels sticking to your teeth.

6. SweetGourmet Italian Black Licorice Wheels

The black licorice candy candies from SweetGourmet are a classic Italian delight!

They are among the top candy to try if the licorice flavor in the traditional wheel form is what you like with no added flavors or colors.

These sweets also lack calories, making them a great snack for anyone who loves licorice.

If you’re a lover of licorice and are always looking to experiment with new flavors it is a good idea to try these sweets.

The first time I tried these ones when I was in Rome, Italy – wow, it just had to go into this guide.

7. Red Vines Black Licorice Twists

This Red Vines Licorice, which comes in a 4-pack, is great for those who love licorice.

In this box are old-fashioned black licorice twists flavored with authentic extracts of licorice.

Apart from the extract of licorice, wheat flour, corn syrup, and molasses are also included in the ingredients list of these sweets. Similar to the majority of licorice candy available, the ones made from Red Vines also contain anise flavor.

You can mix these licorice-flavored twists with salty popcorn for a blast of flavor and a great movie snack. These deliciously chewy and soft twists work for any occasion and location. They can be used as snacks for the office or gatherings with family and friends.

8. The Soft Eating Licorice From RJ’s

RJ’s Soft Eating Licorice is a great choice for those seeking licorice snacks made from all-natural ingredients.

The candies are wheat flour, sugar from cane Molasses, glucose syrup, and other ingredients. But the main thing is that they are flavored by natural extracts of licorice and aniseed oil. Therefore, you can rest assured that you’ll get the real licorice flavors.

The licorice candy candies produced in New Zealand are not only free of artificial colors and flavors but also nut-free. So, unlike other brands of licorice, they are safe for people who have allergies to nuts.

RJ’s Soft Eating Licorice is packaged in a resealable package that is environmentally friendly and also provides airtight storage for leftover candy.

9. Fazer Super Salmiakki (Finnish Salty Licorice)

Salmiak licorice, also known as salty licorice, is a very popular specialty of licorice in Finland. The candies are great for people looking to enjoy a stronger taste than ordinary black licorice.

You will receive 25 fat-free licorice pastilles inside the bag that contains Fazer Super Salmiakki.

By adding menthol to these candies of licorice, the company has also enhanced Salmiakki flavor with astringency.

In contrast to soft and chewy twists of licorice, these snacks from Fazer are hard and round pastilles. However, despite the difference in the texture, these pastilles have real licorice extract, too.

What Is Licorice?

Licorice is a dessert flavored with extract from licorice roots. Licorice root is derived from Glycyrrhiza Glabra, which is the licorice tree. This plant is indigenous in Southern Europe and Western Asia and has been used for treating various diseases for hundreds of years.

Licorice root contains antimicrobial properties and is utilized to treat stomach pain and sore throats, skin inflammation, and infections.

Although licorice can be used for various applications, it is commonly used to make sweets and candy, which is why the term “licorice” is often used to refer to confections made with extracts of licorice.

When it comes to confectionery, the licorice combines different flavors. Confectioners include mint, menthol, and laurel to make delicious licorice-flavored candies. Incorporating aniseed oil is a common method used by brands that manufacture candy containing licorice as it allows for a similar taste without adding licorice.

In the United States, black licorice is extremely popular. The term is used to mean sweets created using genuine pure licorice and not aniseed oils or other artificial flavors. Typically sweets made from licorice combine licorice extract with sugar and an adhesive.

There is licorice candy with different designs available. Manufacturers can quickly create a variety of unique shape licorice confections as all they need to do is mix the dissolving mixture of ingredients and mold.

Black and Red Licorice

If you look up licorice, either in shops or online, you’ll see black and red licorice.

It can be confusing because the black and red licorice appears similar and might taste the same, but the ingredients are totally different. It is difficult to know how differently black and red sweets are made of licorice until you go through the ingredients lists.

This is what makes black and red licorice a bit distinct:

Red licorice

There is typically no actual licorice. Red Licorice is created to look similar to black licorice only in red. Red licorice can be flavored with raspberry, cherry, and strawberry.

Black Licorice

Although it might contain a lack of natural licorice within the products of some companies, it usually contains authentic extracts of licorice. If you are looking for authentic licorice candy made with extracts of licorice, black licorice is where to begin.

In addition, black licorice can be sold as a sweet treat and a treatment for stomach pains and other gastrointestinal problems.

If the real licorice ingredient isn’t important for you and delicious sweets are what you want then you should choose red licorice.

In addition to black and red licorice, you may also discover licorice of different flavors and colors, such as watermelon, mango, orange, apple, mango, etc.

The Variety of Licorice Treats

When you are choosing licorice to purchase, there are three aspects to take into consideration if you’re looking for high-quality candy:

Ingredients List

As we’ve mentioned, some candy makers who make licorice include aniseed oil instead of flavoring their sweets with real licorice root.

If you’re searching for authentic licorice-flavored candies look over the list of ingredients to ensure that genuine extracts of licorice are utilized to flavor the candy and not aniseed oil alone.

It’s also important to pick treats that don’t have artificial flavors, are too high in sugar, or are GMOs. If you’re trying to reduce their calorie intake to a minimum it can be helpful to determine the number of calories in a licorice-based candy and if it’s fat-free or not.

Texture

Certain people enjoy the taste of licorice. However, they don’t love it due to its texture. This is why picking candy containing licorice with a pleasantly chewy texture is important.

When you purchase licorice from a retail store you can easily feel the texture even with the soft packaging. On the internet, all could you do? look through customer reviews to learn more about the texture of the licorice you’re looking to purchase.

If you are looking for softer sweets made of licorice, choose those advertised as licorice candy since they tend to be soft with a more pleasing texture.

Flavor

There are many candies containing licorice available. Some, in addition to being sweet due to the extract of licorice, are enhanced by other flavors.

If you’re bored with plain black licorice and are looking to experiment with something different, then buy black licorice with the added flavor of fresh menthol, delightful caramel, and many more.

FAQs

Which licorice brands are safe to eat during pregnancy?

A study suggests that pregnant women may want to avoid licorice, which may affect their children’s cognitive abilities. Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a sweetener derived from the root of the licorice plant, and is used to flavor candies, soft drinks, herbal teas, and other products.

What licorice brands is vegan?

As we learned in this article, many types of licorice are vegan-friendly. These include Twizzlers, Red Vines, Wiley Wallaby’s, and Panda’s licorice. However, most popular licorice candies (i.e., not soft licorice) are not vegan-friendly.