34 Candles that Smell Like Food and Drink

With the launch of new candles from Junior’s Cheesecake, Shake Shack and Katz’s Deli, we take a look at the whole market of scented candles.

Humans have been creating candles that smell like food for thousands of years. Some researchers say the Romans used tallow wax — derived from the meat of cows and sheep — and twine in 500 BC. Others go back farther pointing to the ancient Egyptians 5,000 years ago. Over the last few months, with the release of several new scented candles from restaurateurs, it’s safe to say we’ve hit peak smelly candles.

An article in Eater recently drew attention to the latest wave of candles, those that smell like dishes you can order at beloved restaurants and fast-food chains, including Junior’s cheesecake, Katz’s egg cream, and Shake Shack’s burger. We’ve covered the topic before (as in the White Castle burger candle from 2010), but not the big picture. 

The global scented candle market was valued at $533.5 million in 2020. Pumpkin, vanilla, and citrus are the best-selling scents, in that order. Companies that offer a wide range of smelly candles include Magic Candle Company, GooseCreek Candles, Beaver Creek, OverSoyed, H-E-B and The Bath & Wick Shop. And then there’s always Etsy.

Below, we spotlight 34 food-forward candles you can buy today. We’ve also organized them into four conceptual categories: highbrow delicious, highbrow gross, lowbrow delicious and lowbrow gross (these are often gimmicks and products you give others).

Full disclosure: Just because a candle can smell like something doesn’t mean it should. We approach this topic with optimistic skepticism. And for the record; we did not purchase or test any of these products. Yes, it’s possible that, say, a canned tuna candle could actually blanket a room with an intoxicatingly pleasing fragrance. But we doubt it.

 

Highbrow – Delicious

Creme Brulee Candle
$33
Creme Brulee Candle 2

Champagne Candle
$15.50
Champagne Candle

 

Peeled Tangerines Candle
24.99 (Euros)
tangerines_candle

 

Bourbon Whiskey Candle
$12
Whiskey candle

Dark Chocolate Candle
$19.50
Dark Chocolate Candle

 

Highbrow – Gross

 

Orange Salmon Candle
$27 (Ok, it doesn’t actually smell like fish; it has an orange scent.)
Orange Salmon Candle

Grass Fed Beef Tallow CandlesGrass Fed Tallow
$22
Grass Fed Tallow Candle

Hoppy IPA Candle
$19.99
Hoppy IPA Candle

 

Lowbrow – Delicious

Waffle Cone Candle
$30
Waffle Cone Candle

Churro Candle
$17.95

Churros-Candle-Lid_Leaning

Pineapple Whip Candle
$24.95
Pineapple-Candle-Open

Apple pie
$19.95
Apple Pie Candle

Merlot Candle
$30
Merlot candle

Angel Food Cake Candle
$16.32
Angel Food Cake Candle 2

 

Cereal Candle: Fruit Loops & Cinnamon Crunch Crunch
$65
Cereal Candle Fruit Loops

Apple Cheesecake Candle
$14.50
apple-cheesecake-cupcake candle

Buttered Maple Syrup Candle
$24.99
Buttered Maple Syrup Candle

Honey Horchata Soy Candle
$26
Honey Horchata 9oz.Soy Candle

Junior’s Strawberry Cheesecake Candle
$45
Juniors Cheesecake Candle 2

Katz’s Chocolate Egg Cream Candle
$25
Katzs egg cream candle

 

Lowbrow – Gross

Burrito Candle
$19.95
Burrito Candle

 

Fried Chicken
$8.50
fried chicken candle

Lucali & Joya Brooklyn Pizza Candle
$49
Lucali Pizza Candle

 

Burger in the Park & Shake ‘n’ Fries Candle
$42
Shake Shack Candle

BLT Club Sandwich Candle
$8.95
BLT Sandwich Candle

​​Bud Backyard BBQ Candle
$22.80
Budweiser Candle

Crawfish Boil Candle
$15
Crawfish Boil Candle

 

French Fries Candle
$19.99
French Fries Candle

Ramen Noodle Candle
$12.99
ramen-noodle-candle

 

Butter Tortilla Candle
$12.36
Butter Tortilla Candle

 

Smoked Brisket Candle
$25
Smoked Brisket Candle

Nacho Cheese Candle
$22.99
Nacho Cheese Candle

Bacon Candle
$12
BACON Candle

Canned Tuna Candle
$14
Canned tuna candle