As Willy Wonka well knew, the best candy is pure imagination distilled into something sweet that delights the taste buds and floods your brain with sugar-induced serotonin. (Or it’s bait for a trap set for greedy little boys and girls.)
Wait, you wanted a specific type of candy? Lucky for you, we’ve tasted lots and lots of candy over the course of our many taste tests. So, no matter what kind of candy you like, we probably have a recommendation for the best candies for you.
We’ve come down off our sugar high and we’re ready to talk about the best candy out there, from the best hard candy to the best gummy candy and everything in between.
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- Sour Skittles
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We looked for candy that was really, seriously sour when we were conducting our best sour candy taste test. And Sour Skittles hit the mark. Managing editor Gwynedd Stuart wrote that these colorful chews had a “face-slapping sourness” and “that classic Skittles crunch we love.” For the full experience, follow Sporked staff writer Jordan Myrick’s advice and place the candy directly on your tongue to really appreciate that wave of sourness.
Read the full best sour candy ranking
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Haribo Goldbears
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Here’s what we wanted out of the best gummy candy: not too soft, somewhat translucent, vibrant flavor, and bonus points for a fun shape. Enter Haribo’s classic version of gummy bears, Goldbears. As editor-in-chief Justine Sterling wrote in her review, “These require time to chew but you’re rewarded with long lasting flavor. And, notably, each color of bear has a definite and distinct flavor.” Plus, who doesn’t love eating a tiny bear?
Read the full best gummy candy ranking
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Starburst Original
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We tasted all the Starburst products we could get our hands on and the classic chews took the crown for both texture and flavor. “The word here is toothsome,” wrote Sporked contributor Danny Palumbo in his review. “What makes this candy so wonderful is the variety of flavors available in a pack. Lemon and cherry are fruity and tart, and the orange is sweetly refreshing.” We also can’t discount the simple, tactile pleasure of unwrapping a tasty square.
Read the full best Starburst products ranking
Credit: Merc / Starburst
- Werther’s Original Caramel Hard Candies
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When was the last time you had a Werther’s Original? Do us a favor and try one ASAP. “This is a smooth, buttery, decadent hard candy you can savor for a long time,” Danny wrote. “It’s a damn treat, and it puts any argument against hard candy to bed.” We loved the powerful caramel and toffee flavor, as well as the inclusion of real milk and cream in the mix. Don’t count these hard candies out just because they’ve been around since people called movies “the talkies.”
Read the full best hard candy ranking
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Whatchamacallit
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Not only did the Watchamacallit take the top spot in our best candy bar ranking, it also won a Sporked Award for being the best candy we tasted in 2022. “This bar really has it all,” Gwynedd wrote in her original review. “A thin, delicate coating of chocolate; a slightly salty, peanut buttery flavor; a little bit of a crisp-rice crunch; and chew from the luscious caramel within.” It is so deeply satisfying.
Read the full best candy bars ranking
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Peanut M&M’s
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Apologies to those who suffer from peanut allergies, but we couldn’t help but name Peanut M&M’s as the best M&M’s. Chocolate and peanut are a match made in candy heaven. And these candies inspire creativity. Just look at how Gwynedd eats these candies for proof: “I bisect them with my teeth and eat half the chocolate and half the shell; then my second bite is whole peanut, plus half chocolate and half shell, which, in my opinion, gives you the perfect ratio of components.”
Read the full best M&M’s ranking
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Russell Stover Sugar Free Assorted
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Zero sugar doesn’t have to mean zero flavor and zero fun. “If you like variety, this one’s for you. Here’s what you get: Dark Chocolate Mint Patties (much like York), Pecan Delights (kind of like Turtles), Peanut Butter Cups (you get it), chocolate-coated caramel, and, my personal favorite, chocolate-covered coconut,” wrote Gwynedd. Even if you aren’t on a sugar-free kick, you’ll like these assorted treats.
Read the full rankings of the best zero sugar candy and the best zero sugar chocolate candy
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Sockerbit Sweet Mix
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If you’re only ever going to try Swedish candy once in your life (don’t know why you would do that, but I’ll admit it’s not easy to come by), you must try Sockerbit. We recommend ordering the sweet mix, since every piece tastes so fresh and unique and showcases the best of what Swedish candy has to offer. They have juicy, fruity gummy worms, squishy gummy eggs, gummies coated in granulated sugar, and so much more. It’s a little bag of Swedish candy paradise. Don’t miss out!
Read our full ranking of the best Swedish candy
Credit: Merc / Sockerbit
- Bobo Peelable Candy
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Early last year, peelable candy, a popular and relatively new style of candy in East Asian countries, had its 15 seconds of viral fame in the U.S.—and honestly, we hope this trend is here to stay. While more classic peelable fruit candies like Mango Peelerz are a great intro to this phenomenon, we really liked Bobo, a Vietnamese brand we found on Amazon. Bobo calls these candies “peelable crystal fruit gummies,” which is appropriate, since they look like tiny glass fruits you can squish with your fingers. They’re extremely satisfying (and freaky) to peel, with a chewy, slightly sticky gummy center that you’re meant to pop out and eat separately. Yep. We know that sounds gross, but you have to experience it to understand.
Read our full ranking of the best peelable candy
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- De La Rosa Mazapan
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This crumbly disc of peanutty goodness totally surprised us. De La Rosa Mazapan is pretty much like marzipan, only made with peanuts instead of almonds. It’s sweet, soft, and melts in your mouth. If you spot these in a corner store, do yourself a favor and grab one. It easily earned the top spot in our Mexican candy taste test.
Read our full ranking of the best Mexican candy
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Theo Dark Chocolate Sea Salt 70% Cacao
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Dark chocolate is like the salad of the candy world, but this bar is so good it can go head-to-head with the colorfully packaged, “fun” candies. “Theo is smooth and creamy but still has that pleasant bitterness you come to expect from dark chocolate,” Danny wrote in his original review. “[It] achieves that perfect balance of bitter, sweet, and salty, and it proudly displays its dark chocolate personality.”
Read the full best dark chocolate ranking
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Moser Roth Toffee Crunch Chocolate Bar
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With its sectioned packaging designed to keep the chocolate fresh, the tiny bits of toffee that give the bar a nice crackly texture, and the smooth flavor of the chocolate itself, this Aldi chocolate bar is a real winner. We tried a lot of Aldi chocolate—almost 30 varieties, in fact—so it really says something that this one came out on tip. “This is hands down the best Aldi chocolate bar,” Justine wrote.
Read the full review of the best Aldi chocolate
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Zotz Fizzy Candy
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“This might be some of the best candy I’ve ever had,” says Sporked writer Ariana Losch, who always favors tangy, tart, and sour flavors over sweet. If you share her preferences, you will probably adore Zotz. These fruity hard candies slowly dissolve in your mouth, and when the shell breaks, they release a fizzy, effervescent, soda-like interior that literally perks you right up. There’s really not much out there like them!
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Retro Sours Mango
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Last year, Altoids finally brought back one of the best candies they’ve ever invented—Altoids Sours—in the form of these revamped “retro sours.” Tangerine was the classic flavor that everyone was excited to revisit, and while we liked those well enough, it was the new mango sours that actually surprised us the most. These are extremely sour. Perhaps too much for some, but that intense jolt of malic acid mixed with that ripe tangy mango just works. It’s like fireworks on your taste buds. (Just don’t eat too many at once.)
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Brach’s Classic Candy Corn
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Most candy corn brands taste incorrect. In other words, they don’t taste like Brach’s. Maybe nostalgia is just a huge factor here, but lined up, we swear by Brach’s poignantly sweet, almost buttery flavor compared to the rest. Their small and crumbly corn kernels are also just super satisfying. Brach’s have perfected the recipe here, folks. There’s really no need to fill your pumpkin-shaped candy bowls with anything else.
Read our full ranking of the best candy corn
Credit: Merc / Target
- Williams Sonoma the Original Peppermint Bark
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Every year, we taste test new peppermint bark when the holidays roll around. We’ve tried so many brands, but no one does it like Williams Sonoma. Many brands can’t get the right thickness, but this one nails it—it’s not too thick, not too brittle, and the layers of dark and white chocolate are perfectly balanced, with big hunks of peppermint pieces on top. It’s not the cheapest peppermint bark you can buy, but hey, that just makes it feel more like a special holiday gift. To others, or yourself.
Read our full ranking of the best peppermint bark
Credit: Liv Averett / Williams Sonoma
Best Sour Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Best Gummy Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Best Starburst
Rating:
10/10
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Best Hard Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Best Candy Bar
Rating:
10/10
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Best M&M’s Flavor
Rating:
10/10
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Best Sugar Free Candy
Rating:
9/10
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Best Swedish Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Best Peelable Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Best Mexican Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Best Dark Chocolate
Rating:
9/10
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Best Aldi Chocolate
Rating:
10/10
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Best Fizzy Candy
Rating:
10/10
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Most Nostalgic
Rating:
9.5/10
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Best Candy Corn
Rating:
10/10
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Best Peppermint Bark
Rating:
10/10
Sporks
