The Real Difference Between Almond Joy And Mounds

If you've seen an Almond Joy or Mounds commercial recently, then the tropical steel drum music that plays when the person who needs a candy bar answers the coconut shell that's supposed to be paradise calling probably comes to mind. You might even be able to taste that sweet chocolate melting on your tongue, combined with the thick coconut filling. While you might be more inclined toward one of the candy bars over the other, both have been around for quite some time and have only slight differences. 

Though both Almond Joy and Mounds candy bars share similar wrappers that only vary in name and colors — blue for Almond Joy, red for Mounds — they do not share the same timeline. Mounds was actually created first in the 1920s. In 1946, the Peter Paul Manufacturing Company created a sister candy, Almond Joy (via Difference Between). But there's another difference between the two apart from wrapper colors and the presence of almonds or the lack thereof.

The main difference between the two candy bars is the kind of chocolate with which each is covered. A Mounds bar is simply a coconut filling that's drizzled with dark chocolate. Mounds are made with noticeably darker chocolate, but it is still just 52 percent cacao (via Hersheys). Like Almond Joy candy bars, Mounds candy bars come with two pieces inside each package.

Almond Joy candy bars are made with the same coconut filling inside, but they are topped with a single almond on top of each piece in the pack. The coconut filling and the crisp almond are then coated in milk chocolate for a perfectly sweet treat that's both smooth and crunchy.

Probably the main decision really comes down to whether or not you like almonds in your chocolate bar. Otherwise, both are coconut candy bars with milk or dark chocolate. Admittedly, however, the choice between dark or milk chocolate can complicate things, too.