The Top 10 Halloween Candies And How Much Exercise It Takes To Burn Them Off

Halloween is the one night a year when it is socially acceptable to hand children a pillowcase full of sugar and call it a holiday. Beautiful tradition. No notes.

But if you’ve ever looked at the “fun-size” candy pile and thought, “How much damage could this possibly do?” the answer is: enough to make your treadmill side-eye you.

According to a New York Post article on Halloween treats and how long it takes to burn them off, some of your favorite candies come with a surprisingly annoying workout receipt. Obviously, these numbers vary depending on your weight, metabolism, workout intensity and whether your “jog” is actually a slow shuffle while questioning life choices. Still, here’s a general look at what it takes to burn off some of the top Halloween candy favorites.

1. Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins

Reese’s always shows up and wins Halloween like it paid for the whole holiday. The pumpkin version somehow tastes better than the regular cup, probably because it has more peanut butter and zero respect for moderation.

To burn it off: About 30 minutes of weight lifting or 30 minutes of grocery shopping.

Honestly, grocery shopping during Halloween week should count as a full-contact sport anyway.

2. Snickers

Snickers is the reliable candy bar. Chocolate, caramel, peanuts, nougat — it’s doing the most, and we respect that. A medium-sized Snickers bar is also not exactly shy in the calorie department.

To burn it off: About 30 minutes of walking or 30 minutes of cycling.

So yes, technically you can eat a Snickers and take a stroll. That’s called balance. Or denial. Depends on the pace.

3. Skittles

Taste the rainbow, then jog because the rainbow apparently has consequences. A fun-size pack of Skittles is one of the lighter Halloween options, but it still counts.

To burn it off: About 6 minutes of jogging.

Six minutes is not terrible. That’s basically running to your car because you forgot it was street sweeping day.

4. Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar

A classic Hershey’s bar is simple, dependable and very easy to eat in one sitting while pretending you were going to “just have a square.”

To burn it off: One 1.55-ounce Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar takes about 57 minutes of walking or 30 minutes of dancing.

Dancing is clearly the better option here. Walking for almost an hour for one chocolate bar feels personal.

5. Kit Kat

Give me a break? Sure. Give me four breaks connected by chocolate and wafers? Even better. A fun-size Kit Kat is small enough to feel innocent, which is how they get you.

To burn it off: About 25 minutes of jogging or 30 minutes of swimming.

That seems like a lot for a tiny Kit Kat, but apparently physics does not care about our feelings.

6. Milky Way

Milky Way bars are soft, chocolatey and dangerously easy to inhale. There’s no crunch to slow you down, which feels like a design flaw.

To burn it off: One fun-size Milky Way takes about 30 minutes of dancing or 30 minutes of raking leaves.

Good news: If you live somewhere with fall leaves, your yard is basically a gym with worse music.

7. Twix Minis

Twix is great because it gives you two bars, which tricks your brain into thinking you got a deal. Minis are even more dangerous because “just one” becomes “why is the bag empty?”

To burn it off: About 15 Twix minis take 25 minutes of cycling or 33 minutes of leaf-raking.

Fifteen minis sounds like a lot until you’re standing near the candy bowl during a movie. Then it becomes “Tuesday.”

8. 3 Musketeers

The 3 Musketeers bar is fluffy, light and somehow still requires effort to burn off. Rude.

To burn it off: Two fun-size 3 Musketeers bars take about 20 minutes of basketball or 30 minutes of cleaning the house.

So yes, vacuuming counts. Finally, a reason to clean that isn’t “people are coming over.”

9. Candy Corn

Candy corn is the most divisive Halloween candy on Earth. People either love it or act like it personally ruined their childhood. There is no middle ground.

To burn it off: About 20 pieces of candy corn take a 17-minute jog.

Seventeen minutes of jogging for candy corn feels like a prank. But hey, if you love it, live your truth.

10. The Random Fun-Size Candy Pile

This is the real Halloween monster. One mini candy bar here, a little pack of something there, maybe a peanut butter cup “for quality control.” Suddenly you’ve eaten 10 fun-size candies and the wrappers are judging you from the couch.

To burn it off: About 10 fun-size candies equal roughly 3,500 jumping jacks.

Yes, 3,500. At that point, you’re not burning off candy. You’re training for battle.

The Bottom Line

Halloween candy is not evil. It is tiny, delicious and wrapped in seasonal joy. But it does add up fast, especially when “fun-size” turns into “I blacked out near the variety bag.”

If you want the best strategy, enjoy your favorites, skip the candy you don’t actually love, and maybe take a walk, rake some leaves or dance around the kitchen like a goblin with a sugar problem.

It’s Halloween. Have the Reese’s. Just know your jumping jacks are waiting.