Long before after-dinner mints came individually wrapped, restaurants and wedding venues across America were scooping pastel buttermints straight from a bowl.
A softer kind of mint
Buttermints are made using a fondant-style process: a sugar and corn syrup mixture whipped with butter flavouring until it turns soft, smooth and slightly opaque, quite different from the boiled-sugar method used for hard mints like mint imperials or extra strong mints. The result dissolves gently on the tongue rather than requiring any real crunching or sucking.
A staple of American hospitality
Through the mid-20th century, buttermints became closely associated with American hospitality: bowls left by restaurant registers, dishes on hotel reception desks, and small bags handed out at weddings. Their low cost and easy portioning made them a practical choice for venues wanting to offer guests something on the way out, and the tradition has barely changed in decades.
How buttermints are made
The fondant mixture is pulled and whipped to incorporate air, giving buttermints their light, soft texture, then tinted with pastel food colouring and cut or dropped into small pillow shapes before setting. It's a different technique entirely from boiled sweet production, closer to fudge or fondant-making than to traditional hard candy.
A retro favourite worth rediscovering
Buttermints sit comfortably alongside other American classics in our American candy and snacks and retro sweets collections.
Frequently asked questions
What is a buttermint?
A buttermint is a soft, smooth, melt-in-the-mouth mint sweet with a creamy, slightly buttery flavour, usually tinted in pastel colours like pink, green or yellow and sold loose in bags or bowls rather than individually wrapped.
Why are buttermints associated with weddings?
Buttermints became a fixture of American wedding receptions through the mid-20th century as an inexpensive, easy-to-portion favour that could be scooped into small bags or bowls, a tradition that has carried on largely unchanged for decades.
Are buttermints the same as mint imperials?
No. Mint imperials are hard, dense boiled sweets, while buttermints have a soft, powdery, dissolving texture closer to a fondant than a boiled sweet, giving them a much gentler mint hit.