Skittles is one of those candies that everybody loves. Once you rip a bag open, you can’t stop until all of the colorful buttons are gone. However, if you’re watching your weight, or if you’re just curious, you should figure out how much a bag of Skittles weighs.
A single-serving bag of Skittles weighs 2.17 ounces, while the original sharing size weighs between 4 and 15.6 ounces. You can even pick up a jar of fruity Skittles that weighs 54 ounces!
In this guide, I’ll briefly talk about the history of Skittles, what size bags and containers they come in, and the nutrition facts of this candy that made our childhood so colorful.
A Brief Look at Skittle’s History
Skittles are such a huge part of each of our childhoods that it’s almost impossible to imagine that it was made in 1974. In fact, they’re so ingrained in history that it has become impossible to trace them to their origins.
According to one account, Skittles were invented by a British man named Mr. Skittles when he looked up at a rainbow and wondered what it would taste like. That sort of makes sense since the candy brand’s tagline is “Taste the Rainbow.”
Another source claims that Wrigley actually came up with the recipe for this chewy candy back in the late 19th century. The second story might hold more weight, seeing as how Wrigley manufactures Skittles today, but it may be impossible to know for certain.
Anyway, after 4 years of being manufactured and sold in the UK, Skittles finally made their arrival in the US in their original flavors—orange, grape, strawberry, lemon, and lime. Since then, we’ve seen an explosion of Skittles colors, flavors, and varieties. Spinoff Skittles products include Chewies, Shake, Ice Cream, Freeze Drink, and Party Cake.
Sizes of Skittles Bag
Today, you can pick up a bag of Skittles at nearly any convenience store, grocery store, supermarket, drugstore, and even street corners. The size of a Skittles bag isn’t as clearcut as where you can get them since there are so many sizes to choose from.
Below, I’ll mention the various bag sizes based on the variety of Skittles.
- 2.17 oz.
- 3.3 oz.
- 4 oz.
- 7.2 oz.
- 9 oz.
- 15.6 oz.
- 27.5 oz.
- 50 oz.
- 54 oz. (jar)
- 2.93 oz.
- 5.8 oz.
- 12 oz.
- 1.8 oz.
- 3.3 oz.
- 5.7 oz.
- 7.2 oz.
Skittle Nutrition Facts
According to nutritionix, this is what the nutrition label on a 2.17-ounce bag of Skittles looks like:
- 251 calories
- 2.7 g fat
- 2.6 g saturated fat
- 0.1 g trans fat
- 9.3 mg sodium
- 7.4 mg potassium
- 56 g total carbohydrates
- 47 g sugars
- 0.1 g protein
- 69% DV vitamin C
Like any other brand of candy, don’t expect Skittles to be chock-full of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. In fact, Skittles has been described as sugar-coated in colored sugar, which doesn’t sound very healthy.
How Much Does a Single Skittle Weigh?
It has been found that a single Skittle weighs slightly north of 1 gram. That’s roughly 0.04 ounces per Skittle.
So, does that mean that a 2.17-ounce bag of original Skittles contains 61 Skittles? Not exactly. If you factor in the weight of the paper-based packaging, you’re actually looking at a figure of around 52 Skittles per bag.
Where Did Skittles Get Its Name?
Have you ever played the British bar game skittles before? If you have, then you probably have no idea how anyone can link Skittles with the game.
In reality, an individual Skittle looks like a miniature version of the ball used in skittles. The game is like bowling in the sense that you have to throw a rubber or wooden “skittle” at nine pins. Oddly enough, the skittle used to be called cheese due to its close resemblance to a wheel of cheese.
Anyway, that’s the story of how Skittles got its name. There’s really no link between Skittles and drinking beer in a pub with your buddies, but the game served as a source of inspiration.
Do Skittle Colors Taste Different?
One of the questions that has plagued mankind throughout history (at least since the early 1990s) was, do Skittle colors taste different? They’re different colors, so that means they are different flavors, right?
Not exactly. The dyes used to color each Skittle may have a different scent, but underneath the hard, colorful shell is the same soft interior. So, it’s true that different Skittle colors smell different, but when you crack open the shell, they all taste the same.
Sorry to ruin your childhood!
Are Skittles Vegan?
Over a decade ago, Skittles contained gelatin, which is derived from animal hides, bones, and connective tissues—all of which are certified non-vegan. However, Mars-Wrigley made the decision to remove the gelatin, making Skittles vegan-friendly.
But that does not mean Skittles are certified vegan. If you only consume cane sugar from certified vegan sources, I’m sorry to tell you that you’re not going to get that in a bag of Skittles. So, while it fulfills the criteria for being vegan until the certification comes out, you’re going to have to stick to another colorful candy brand.
Are Lime Skittles Back?
According to the official Skittles website, the brand made the horrendous mistake in 2013 of removing lime from its flavor options (more like aroma options since they all taste the right, right?). The reason for this was that it was difficult to distinguish between lemon and lime since they both pretty much smelled the same.
For the lime lovers out there, you’ll be happy to know that Skittles has acknowledged its mistake and has begun manufacturing lime-flavored Skittles once again. It will replace green apple Skittles, which was the original replacement for lime.
How Do They Put the S on Skittles?
The tiny S on Skittles is made of edible ink. However, they’re attached to the Skittle’s shell with an edible glue that dissolves in water! What’s surprising is that the ink does not dissolve, so if you were to place a Skittle in water, the S would have a good chance of detaching from the Skittle and floating to the surface. Neat, huh?
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