3 Of The Best Halloween Candy To Try In 2026 (And 3 To Avoid)

The funny thing about Halloween candy is it doesn’t really have to be scary. Granted, it’s been a while since I’ve been “out there” on Halloween night―unless I like, ran out of toilet paper, and for non-mischief reasons. But I think the same treat traditions hold true: we like fun size (and really love standard size) candy bars and in the Halloween candy bartering world, Reese’s and Snickers tend to out-value things like mini Twizzler packs and those tiny Mr. Goodbars.

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Point is, we’re not necessarily looking for novelty, new flavors, or even “kooky shapes” in our Halloween candy. Even so, every year we are treated to a few new Halloween candy shapes and flavors from some of our favorite big-name candy brands. And while 2026 didn’t see a massive influx of interesting new candies, there are at least 3 clear successes―and 3 definite failures.

The Best:

Skittles Pop’d Creepy Crunch: You’ll see this one on a lot of “must-try” Halloween candy lists, and if you haven’t tried them already, now’s the time. Not only do they have that major trending factor going for them―the fluffy-yet-crunchy freeze interior―they’re also the perfect flavors for Halloween: Blood Orange, Beastly Blackberry, Ghostly Lime, Curse Apple, and Red Raspberry (we’re assuming there’s a “Blood Red” thing implied there). Skittles definitely wins Halloween with these because they’re working in their wheelhouse: zingy, tangy, interesting fruit flavors meets on-trend, kooky textures.
Twix Skulls: Okay, unlike the Skittles Pop’d, you’re not seeing the wheel reinvented here, texturally-speaking. And yes, the flavors are still very much Twix―crunchy candy base, chewy caramel, fudgy chocolate coating. That said, it’s Twix, just in the shape of skulls. And since a ton of Halloween candy enthusiasm does indeed come from the same candies and flavors taking on ghoulish or, well, gourd-ish shapes (we’re looking at you, you delightful dependable Reese’s pumpkin), we give this high marks for skipping over bat and witch hat shapes and going straight for a creepy grinning skull.
Oreo Ghosts: Granted, we’re a bit partial to these guys (they’re so cute! and actually seem so happy to be ghosts!). Given the fact that they come from the good folks at Oreo, we can rest assured they’ll be just about as on-brand creamy delicious as anything Oreo puts out. Individually wrapped, the ghosties are in a dark (but not like, dinner party 80% cacao dark) chocolaty coating, with that fluffy-silky Oreo creme and cookies for filling.

The Worst:

Brach’s Mellowcreme Spooky Graveyard: What’s fun about hating stuff like the Brach’s Mellowcremes is you’re in good, and abundant, company. But every once in a while you will encounter a Brach’s ride-or-die fan, the kind who are still sad about the disappearance of Brach’s nuclear-level sweet Marshmallow Eggs. The Mellowcremes have an altogether unique texture―like 89 to 94% candy corn-proximate―and while the shapes are nice and spooky-kooky, the flavors flail and fail: cloying caramel corn skulls, insipidly saccharine marshmallow ghosts, somehow cough syrupy cotton candy tombstones, and green apple bats that have a lot to learn flavor-wise from say, Jolly Rancher green apple flavor.
Hi-Chew Halloween Mix Candy Bag (with Mystery Flavor): Now this is going to be a deeply unpopular opinion, since most 2026 Halloween candy lists tend to put this in the “Yay” category (not that anyone calls it that). And I’m not against Hi-Chew―if you want something smooth and chewy and available in about a million delicately sweet and interesting flavors, it’s a classic for a reason. It just doesn’t give “Halloween candy” vibes, even with a “Mystery Flavor.” Beyond that (okay, semi intriguing) mystery flavor, the mix includes Orange Creamsicle, Cotton Candy, and Green Apple.
Kinder Joy Stranger Things Egg: Another potentially unpopular opinion, but first of all, Stranger Things ended…okay, that’s for my diary. We won’t talk about the El in the room. But as for the Kinder Joy Egg alone, though it can (and does, adorably) dress up a bit Halloweeny, there’s nothing at all different about the candy moment happening inside. I do love the fact that you can get a tiny figurine of the Stranger Things monsters (you know, the ones with faces that look like wet gray slathering flowers in a nightmare garden). But really it just seems like a franchise name (and sure, a tiny Eleven) tacked onto, and packed into, a year-round just so-so treat.