The Sweet History of Chocolate Easter Eggs

The chocolate Easter egg has a surprisingly recent origin. While decorating eggs for Easter dates back centuries, the idea of crafting eggs from chocolate only emerged in early 19th-century Europe, where France and Germany led this delicious innovation.

The earliest chocolate eggs were nothing like the smooth, sweet treats we know today. They were solid, grainy, and bitter—made from coarsely ground roasted cacao. Chocolate was still a luxury item, and shaping it into eggs was labor-intensive. The consistency wasn't refined, making it difficult to mold into decorative shapes.

A Suspicious Confection

The first documented reference to a chocolate Easter egg is delightfully strange: in 1862, German customs officials seized a chocolate egg because it looked so unusual and suspicious. Eventually, they returned it to France, where its German owner had purchased it. Imagine a world where chocolate eggs were so rare they triggered an international incident.

Everything changed with technological breakthroughs. In 1828, Dutch inventor Coenraad Van Houten created a press that separated cocoa butter from cocoa beans, producing a smoother chocolate. By the 1860s, companies like Cadbury refined the process further, making chocolate more affordable and workable.

The Hollow Revolution

The real game-changer came when chocolatiers figured out how to make hollow eggs. British company J.S. Fry & Sons produced the first chocolate Easter egg in Britain in 1873, followed by Cadbury in 1875. Hollow eggs meant less chocolate per egg (cheaper to produce) and space inside for surprises—candies, toys, or other treats.

From Europe, the tradition spread worldwide. Today, chocolate eggs dominate Easter celebrations across continents, adapted to local tastes and preferences.

Still Going Strong

Nearly two centuries later, chocolate eggs haven't lost their appeal. In 2025, 89% of Easter baskets include chocolate eggs or bunnies. Cadbury Mini Eggs and Cadbury Creme Eggs both rank in the top 5 Easter candies in the United States, competing with Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs for supremacy.

Americans spend approximately $3.3 billion on Easter candy annually, making it the second-biggest candy holiday after Halloween. Chocolate remains the preferred treat—44% of consumers say it's the best thing to include in an Easter basket, far ahead of jelly beans (20%) or marshmallow candy (15%).

What started as a grainy, bitter novelty in 19th-century Germany has become a global tradition. Whether solid, hollow, filled with caramel, or studded with mini eggs, the chocolate Easter egg endures as one of springtime's sweetest pleasures.