Atomic Fireball candy: your questions answered
If you know me, you know I LOVE spicy food — so it may come as a surprise that I’m not a huge fan of spicy candy. But no judgment here, you’ve probably reached this page because you love hot candy, or at least because you’re curious about it. Read on to learn the answers to all of the most common questions about Atomic Fireball candy.
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What do Atomic Fireballs taste like?
Atomic Fireballs are an intensely sweet and spicy bite. They have a distinct cinnamon flavor and will create a burning or tingling sensation on your tongue. The spiciness is the first flavor that you will notice, and then sweetness comes in as an aftertaste.
Ingredients, nutrition, and allergy information
This is the list of ingredients provided by the manufacturer of Atomic Fireballs: Sugar, Contains Less Than 2% of the Following: Modified Food Starch (Corn), Artificial Flavor, Carnauba Wax, Acacia (Gum Arabic), Titanium Dioxide (Color), Red 40 Lake
Atomic Fireballs are vegetarian and vegan-friendly, however, they may be made on shared equipment with milk and eggs. They don’t contain nuts but also may be cross-contaminated with products containing tree nuts, peanuts, and soy. The ingredients don’t contain any gluten, however, the company does not make “gluten-free” claims so there’s a chance that they may have trace amounts. It’s best to skip Atomic Fireballs if you have severe allergies to nuts, soy, gluten, eggs, or milk.
How spicy are Atomic Fireballs — and what makes them spicy?
Atomic Fireballs come in at 3,500 Scoville heat units. For comparison, a raw jalapeño measures between 2,500-10,000 on the Scoville scale. Cholula hot sauce is around 3,600 SHU. So, Atomic Fireball is a similar spiciness level to milder jalapeños or Cholula.
Now, what makes them spicy is a more interesting question. You would think that Atomic Fireballs would be spicy because they taste like cinnamon. But cinnamon is nowhere to be found in the ingredients, list, nor are the chemical compounds that are behind the spiciness of cinnamon — cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. In fact, the manufacturer has said that these candies are made spicy with the use of capsaicin, which is what creates the spicy effect of chili peppers.
Who makes Atomic Fireballs?
The Atomic Fireball brand is owned by Ferrera USA, the parent company behind Trolli gummies, Lemonheads, Fruit Stripe Gum, Laffy Taffy, and the equally famous spicy Red Hots. Ferrera’s parent company, Ferrero, also owns Nestle candy brands, and the two share some manufacturing facilities. The company is based out of Chicago, Illinois, and has additional factories and manufacturing centers in Itasca, Bellwood, and Forest Park, IL.
Where to buy Atomic Fireballs (including in bulk)
For your own personal enjoyment, Atomic Fireballs are available at most local grocery stores and stores like Walmart. You can buy them on Amazon, but it can be difficult to find them in amounts smaller than 2lbs.
The easiest way to buy Atomic Fireballs in bulk is by purchasing on Amazon, where you’ll find 5lb bulk bags at a reasonable price.
