Snickers vs. Mars: Which One to Choose?
Snickers and Mars come from the main manufacturer, so they are characterized by amazing quality and taste. However, they also come with many differences, so sometimes it is not easy to choose one between these two delicious chocolate bars. So, what are the differences between Snickers and Mars, and how do you know which one to choose?
While both Snickers and Mars have similar ingredients, such as nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate layers, they have one significant difference. Snickers includes peanuts in its texture, while Mars is only a plain chocolate mixture. The choice between the two usually depends on one’s taste.
Learning about their differences might help you decide which chocolate bar is a more suitable choice for you, so you would make your decision more easily. In this article, I have discussed all of the differences between Snickers and Mars in relation to nutrition, taste, texture, and so on, so you will be able to make a more informed decision when it comes to buying a particular chocolate bar.
Differences Between Snickers and Mars
Although they come with many similarities, you must get familiarized with the features of both Snickers and Mars, so you know more about the chocolate snacks you tend to consume on a regular basis. If you are trying to maintain a well-balanced diet, knowing the features of the food you intake is quite necessary. You cannot establish a controlled intake of calories if you do not know what you are eating.
Therefore, I have made a list of differences that will help you understand better what ingredients are found in both, and why one might be the better choice for you and your daily needs.
Ownership and Regional Availability
It is commonly known that Mars and Snickers come from the same manufacture of chocolate – Mars Wrigley. However, since we are talking about a huge company with many assets and recognition worldwide, it is expected that they will have different policies in distributing their products in different regions. In other words, some products by Mars Wrigley are not available in all countries and regions worldwide.
For instance, while Snickers is available across the whole globe, Mars is not available in the US. So, Milky Way, which is also a product by Mars Wrigley, is treated as Mars in the US. There is no particular reason for this; it is just how the company has decided to distribute their product in different countries worldwide.
Taste and Included Flavors
Because Snickers and Mars come from the same chocolate manufacturer, it is understandable that they might resemble one another, i.e., have similar tastes and flavors. In fact, Snickers and Mars contain most of the same ingredients; therefore, their layers might look the same. However, you can never say that they provide the same taste due to one significant difference.
The presence of peanuts in Snickers makes this chocolate bar taste quite different and it intensifies different flavors. While both Snickers and Mars have nougat, caramel, and milk chocolate in their textures, Snickers has a unique taste because it includes peanuts. Peanuts in combination with chocolate give a different taste to your palate, meaning that Mars cannot provide the same.
Nutrition Facts
The first detail that needs to be mentioned regarding nutrition facts is the weight of these chocolate bars. Although they are the same size, they do not weigh the same. For instance, one Snickers chocolate bar weighs 53 grams, while one Mars chocolate bar weighs 58 grams. Weight plays an important role when it comes to the comparison of nutritional values.
Therefore, Snickers has a slightly lower number of calories in comparison to Mars. However, the difference in calories is not so significant, so it may not be such an important factor when trying to choose between Snickers and Mars.
Nonetheless, the number of carbs included in both chocolate bars might be important in your choice. If you look closely at the nutritional label of Mars and you compare it with the one of Snickers, you will notice that the former contains quite more carbs than the latter one. However, both of them are quite high in carbs, meaning you should be careful when and in what amounts you are consuming these chocolate bars.
On the other hand, along with carbs they also contain protein, which is needed for a balanced diet. But in comparison to Mars, Snickers has a higher amount of protein in its content, and that is due to the presence of peanuts, eggs, and milk. Since Mars does not include peanuts in its chocolate bar, the lack of protein is understandable because there is no suitable source that will provide more protein values.
Price
When it comes to prices, Snickers and Mars generally come at the same or very similar prices. However, since there are different varieties of these chocolate bars, you might notice that prices may vary in these cases. Also, prices might vary since some stores change the prices of these chocolate bars according to the needs of the store.
Varieties
While you are probably familiar with the original types of these two chocolate bars, Mars and Snickers also have many variations in flavors and additives, so you may see very different kinds in different regions.
For instance, while Mars is mostly available as the classic edition, there are also flavors like vanilla, maple, honeycomb, etc. You might also notice that there are different sizes and packages of this chocolate bar, so you might have a lot of options when it comes to this chocolate bar.
Similarly, Snickers also has a lot of variations. For instance, while the classic type is widely spread, you can also find Snickers with white chocolate, peanut butter, brownie flavor, and similar variations. In addition, there are also a lot of sizes and editions of Snickers, so you can choose whatever is suitable for you on different occasions.
Vegan/Vegetarian Features
Both Mars and Snickers chocolate bars contain milk chocolate, slim milk (powder), and egg whites. [1][2]
Because of that, Mars and Snickers are vegetarian, but not vegan. So, you do not need to worry about choosing these chocolate bars for your vegetarian diet.
Popularity
Both Mars and Snickers are quite popular worldwide, so it is a little bit difficult to determine which one is more popular. However, if you consider their availability in different regions, it would be appropriate to state that Snickers is more popular. Snickers is available in most countries and regions worldwide, while Mars might not be found in many of them.
Which Is Better, Snickers or Mars?
If we are discussing the taste of these chocolate bars, it would be difficult to determine which is better since people have different tastes, and it would not be fair to declare that one taste is better than the other.
However, if we consider the nutritional values of Snickers and Mars, it would be right to say that Snickers would probably be the healthier option. As I mentioned above, Snickers contains a lower number of calories, and it does not include as many carbs as Mars does.
In addition, Snickers includes peanuts, which are the main sources of protein. So, if you want to include some protein in your diet, then it would be right to opt for a Snickers rather than for Mars.
Is Snickers Just Mars with Peanuts?
Due to the same ingredients, many people believe that the only difference between Snickers and Mars is in the inclusion of peanuts. Therefore, many people believe that they are the same chocolate bars with one extra ingredient. However, that would not be entirely true.
In fact, Snickers is closer to Milky Way rather than Mars. Therefore, if you exclude the peanuts, Snickers would be Milky Way, but not actually Mars.
As seen from the article, Mars and Snickers come with a lot of similarities, but they also have some significant differences, even though they might seem small. Therefore, if you really care about what you include in your diet, it is important to know the features of the chocolate snacks you intake daily.
