5 Best Tea Light Candles In 2023 (Buying Guide & Review)


If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best tea light candle is, then we recommend Stonebriar Unscented Tea Light Candle as the best one.

If you are looking to purchase tea light candles, then maybe this post will be able to help you.

Up first, we have a buyer’s guide to help you distinguish between the dozens of seemingly identical tealights on the market. Then, we’ve also prepared our roundup of the top best tea light candles to hopefully save you time on research and looking up candles online.

In this article, we’re going to review the following tea light candles:

Best Tea Light Candles

Let’s start without further ado!

What Is A Tea Light Candle?

Tea light candles (also called tea-light, t-lite, or tealight candles) are candles placed in thin metal or plastic cups. The name “tea light” derives from these candles’ original use as teapot warmers. Find more usages here. Compared to traditional scented or unscented candles, tealights are perhaps less practical and more decorative.

Tea lights are typically small so that they can completely liquefy while burning. Besides, the wick is usually tethered to the bottom of the tin to prevent it from floating.

Depending on whether a tealight candle is scented or not, its uses could be different. Unscented candles are most typically used as a source of heat (e.g. to warm food or burn scented oil) or accent light. Scented candles may additionally have aromatherapy capabilities.

Since tea light candles are typically very small, multiple candles are burned to achieve the desired ambiance or level of light. Due to this, tea light candles are usually sold in bulk.

Things To Look For In The Best Tea Light Candles

If a tea light candle is indeed what you are looking for, then let’s talk about the most important things that you should be paying attention to when shopping for the best tea light candles. With this information, the differences between the 5 reviewed candles should be clearer for you.

Wax

Candle wax – no matter the type of candle – is usually made from either paraffin or soy. There are some other types of wax as well, but these two are the ones that you will see the most in tea light candles.

Tea light candles are mostly made from paraffin. Paraffin generally has a stronger scent and is cheaper than soy, but it’s not as sustainable because it’s made from non-renewable crude oil.

Wax made from paraffin also tends to produce more soot and smoke than soy candles, though paraffin tea lights can be smokeless. Moreover, long-term exposure to the pollutants emitted by paraffin may be linked with cancer. With that said, the risk is high only if you are exposed to the pollutants every day for years.

On the other hand, soy has a weaker scent and is usually more expensive, but it’s made from vegetable oil and is sustainable. And more importantly, it’s safer for frequent use.

Given all of the above, you should probably opt for soy candles if you are intending to use your tealights daily. Otherwise, paraffin candles shouldn’t threaten your health in any way.

Read our full article on What Is the Healthiest Candle to Burn.

Scented vs unscented

Tea lights mostly come unscented, though you may be able to find scented candles. For more variety, we’ve included a couple of scented candles on our list as well.

Unscented candles can only work as a source of heat or accent light, while scented candles can also deliver some aromatherapy benefits.

If looking for scented tealights, make sure to get a scent that you like. Aside from that, pay attention to what the candles are made from – tealights with no chemicals usually smell the best.

From what we can tell, scented tealight candles are much more expensive than unscented ones. If you are looking just for aromatherapy, then you may want to opt for standard scented candles – they might be more cost-efficient for your needs.

Number of candles

Tea light candles usually come in large bulks. 100 candles are pretty common, though you may find bigger sets.

If you are trying out tea lights for the first time, then it would probably be more reasonable to go for a smaller pack. This way, if you don’t like the candles, you won’t be stuck with hundreds of them. You will also be saving money since smaller packs cost less up-front.

But once you find good tealights, you may get larger packs to save money.

Packaging

The packaging is also very important with tealight candles. When you are dealing with possibly hundreds of candles, you would want them to be packed neatly and tightly. This is crucial whether you are shopping offline or online.

If shopping online, then check out the buyer reviews of the desired pack. If people haven’t had issues with the packaging, then you probably won’t have any either.

Candle size

Tealight candles are usually placed in tealight holders. If you are intending to use them this way as well, then check the size of the candle tins – they shouldn’t be bigger than the candle sockets in the holder.

This won’t matter that much if the candles will be placed on the floor or a table. But if you have limited space, then pay attention to the candle size as well.

Floating ability

Tealight tins can generally float in water, so they may be used in the bath. However, not every tea light candle can do this, so check the product description if you are intending to place the candles in water.

Burning time

Pay attention to the burning time of tea light candles as well – this allows you to compare the efficiency of the candles. Check the burning time against the size of the candle – even at the same size, some candles may burn longer than others.

You can read more about Can You Burn Tea Light Candles Without A Holde.

Best Tea Light Candles Reviews

MontoPack Unscented Tea Light Candle 100-Pack

The MontoPack tea light candle 100-pack is a decent option for the money if you are looking for many candles.

Each of the candles in this pack is made from paraffin wax that is claimed to burn clean and without smoke. The included cotton wicks are also promised to ensure even and flicker-free burning. The burning time in these candles is about 4 hours, which is what you’d generally get from tealights of this size.

Notably, the aluminum tins in the MontoPack tea light candle set can float in water as well. If you wish, you may also place the tins in a tealight candle holder, but make sure that your candle holder can take them – they are sized at 0.65 inches tall and 1.5 inches in diameter.

Aside from that, keep in mind that these candles are made from paraffin, which might be a big downside for some people.

Pros:

  • Includes 100 tealights.
  • Can float in water.
  • Burn for around 4 hours.

Cons:

  • Made from paraffin.

>> Check Price on Amazon <<

Zion Judaica Unscented Tea Light Candle 120-Pack

The Zion Judaica tea lights are very similar to the MontoPack candles, but they actually seem to be more cost-efficient. Not only are you getting 20 more candles without a significant price difference, but the candles have a burning time of 4-4.5 hours. And this is despite that these tea lights are about 0.15 inches shorter than the MontoPack candles!

Other than this, the Zion Judaica candles are pretty much identical to the MontoPack ones. They come in aluminum tins that seem to float in water pretty well. Aside from that, the candles are unscented and are made from paraffin wax that is claimed to deliver a smokeless flame.

Pros:

  • 120 tealight candles included.
  • Burn for 4-4.5 hours.
  • Can float in water.
  • Low-profile containers.

Cons:

  • Made from paraffin wax.

>> Check Price on Amazon <<

Stonebriar Unscented Tea Light Candle 200-Pack

As testified by extremely good buyer feedback, the Stonebriar tea light candle pack promises reliable quality. This thing has nearly 3,500 reviews and 4.8 stars on Amazon, so they will very likely turn out to be good.

Stonebriar also ships the 200 tea lights in neat and tight packaging in protective boxes. Seeming to be better packaged than the average tealight candle set, Stonebriar candles are unlikely to come spilled or otherwise damaged.

The burning time of these tealights is also notable – they are promised to have an extended burn time of 6-7 hours. This is partially because the candles are bigger than in the previous tealight sets – they have the same 1.5-inch diameter but are 3/4 inches tall. Another reason for the long burn time might be the higher quality of the used paraffin.

And just like in the previous candle sets, the Stonebriar tealights come in aluminum tins that can float in water.

As you’d expect, such benefits come at a higher price tag. The Stonebriar candles aren’t too expensive, but they aren’t as cost-efficient as the previous 2 candle packs.

Pros:

  • Comes with 200 candles.
  • Long burning time of 6-7 hours.
  • Can float in water.
  • Extremely highly rated.
  • Excellent packaging.

Cons:

  • A bit pricey.
  • Made from paraffin.

>> Check Price on Amazon <<

Shortie’s Candle Company Pure English Lavender Tea Light Candles

If you want scented tealights, then these English Lavender candles from Shortie’s Candle Company may be a good option. There are a few other fragrance options as well, but the one we based our review on was scented as English lavender.

The scent in these candles appears to be pretty good – it’s strong but not overpowering. The scent is likely thanks to the paraffin wax – soy may not have smelled as strong.

With that said, if you hate very smelly candles, then the scent of these ones may seem too strong for you.

Notably, the Shortie’s candles are made with natural essential oils, which should allow for better aromatherapy potential.

The burning time in these candles is over 5 hours, which is decent. But it’s not the best – sized the same as the Stonebriar candles, Shortie’s candles burn for an hour or two shorter.


Keep in mind as well that these candles seem not to float in the water too well. You may try it, but you probably won’t have good results.

Aside from that, the Shortie’s candles are pretty expensive. If you are looking to buy tealight candles in a bulk, then these definitely aren’t the best option – they are far from being cost-effective.

Pros:

  • Lavender-scented.
  • Available in several fragrances.
  • Made with natural essential oils.
  • Burning time of over 5 hours.

Cons:

  • Expensive.

>> Check Price on Amazon <<

Candeo Candle Coconut Milk Tea Lights 12-Pack

The Candeo tealight 12-pack is another good option if you are looking for scented tea light candles. These candles again aren’t very cost-effective, but they are slightly more pocket-friendly for the price than the Shortie’s candles since you are getting 12 candles.

With that said, the main advantage of these candles lies elsewhere. They are made from soy wax which, as explained in our buyer’s guide, is sustainable and safer for your health than paraffin wax.

Aside from that, Candeo candles are claimed to contain no GMOs and be purely US-grown. The wax containers are flame-retardant as well and thus should be pretty safe.

The scent here is coconut milk, and as of this review’s writing, no other scents were available. In terms of strength, the scent is pretty mild and definitely far from being overpowering. If you don’t like strong candle scents, then the Candeo candles will probably be better for you than the Shortie’s tealights.

Pros:

  • Made from sustainable soy wax.
  • Burn for about 5 hours.
  • Coconut milk fragrance.

Cons:

  • Expensive.

>> Check Price on Amazon <<

Final Words

Although all of the reviewed tea light candles were great, we particularly liked the Stonebriar Unscented Tea Light Candle 200-Pack. It’s very highly rated, nicely packed, and is fairly cost-efficient for its quality.

As an alternative, consider the MontoPack Unscented Tea Light Candle 100-Pack and the Zion Judaica Unscented Tea Light Candle 120-Pack. These are less costly up-front and come with fewer candles, so if you happen not to like them, you won’t be stuck with hundreds of unused candles.

If you want scented tealights, then the Candeo Candle Coconut Milk Tea Lights 12-Pack or Shortie’s English Lavender Tea Light Candles are your only choices from the list. They cost much more than unscented tealights, but they might be worth it for you. Remember that the Candeo candles are also made from sustainable soy.

Well, that’s it for our post! Now, it’s your turn to choose the best tea light candles for yourself.

Grace Young

I love candles! I have personally tried over 100 brands of candles. The total burn time of these candles is over 5000 hours. I also talk about essential oil diffusers and reed diffusers. Essential oil diffusers and diffusers are also an important part of the scent in my home.

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