Gwynedd Stuart
The best Easter candy is fun and festive, it looks great atop a pile of plastic grass—and you probably can’t get your hands on it all year long. New Easter candy makes the season fun and special. And that’s what we wanted to focus on for this taste test of the best Easter candies.
Yes, there are the perennial hits you can and should buy every year. Some of our favorites are Cadbury Mini Eggs, Cadbury Creme Eggs, Reese’s Eggs, and Jelly Belly Jelly Beans—unimpeachable and delightful, every one. But what we’ve ranked here are the unique finds that are either new or newish to shelves this year. So, while this list may not have the be all, end all best jelly beans and best chocolate Easter candy, you’re sure to find something new to toss in the ol’ Easter basket this year. Oh, and if you’re specifically in the market for the best chocolate bunny or the best vegan Easter candy, we have you covered there, too.
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- Reese’s Spring Sprinkles Cups
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We were really hoping (hopping?) that the cute, colorful sprinkles buried in the filling in these new Reese’s cups would contribute texture and wouldn’t just be for show—and our hopes were fulfilled! We tried a bunch of Easter Reese’s in our taste test (they’re doing a lot this year), but this particular peanut butter cup is the best Easter candy if you want something that’s actually a departure from the norm. Leave the eggs behind and grab these instead.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Lindt Lindor Carrot Cake Truffles
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M&M’s didn’t come out with a new Easter flavor this year (it looks like last year’s flavor, Easter Sundae, may be available at some stores), but you can always count on Lindt to innovate for a holiday. These new Lindt Lindor Truffles really do taste like carrot cake—they have all those nice warm spices and the creamy white chocolate center has a tang that nods to cream cheese frosting. Do we wish there was some sort of textural element? Perhaps a morsel of chewy cake in the center of the truffle? Sure. But this is definitely the Easter candy we tried for white chocolate lovers.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Trader Joe’s Candy Coated Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
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If you happen to be filling eggs for a grown-up Easter egg hunt or filling a basket for an adult and want something to put in it besides liquor minis, this is the best Easter candy to seek out. Trader Joe’s chocolate-covered almonds have a sophisticated flavor profile—the chocolate is pleasantly bitter, which is tempered by the candy shell—but they’re still whimsical as all get out. The matte, pastel shells are mottled like little robin eggs. They’re adorable and delicious. This is a great chocolate Easter candy for people who prefer dark to milk chocolate.
Credit: Liv Averett
- SweeTARTS Jelly Beans
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It took me a minute to decide if I love or hate these SweeTARTS Jelly Beans, but I landed on love. Do you really like tangy, sour candy? Then these are the best jelly beans for you. They are WEIRD. It really is like a SweeTART wrapped around a jelly bean center. They somehow channel that slightly chalky quality that disintegrates in your mouth without making them crunchy. The green bean is very tart—almost too sour for some people, I’d bet—but the others are pretty pleasant for everyone. This is a fun new candy Easter innovation, so if you’re looking for an alternative to the all-time best jelly beans (Jelly Belly, obvi), give these a shot.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Break Apart Bunny
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This Easter treat kind of has it all. It’s a classic hollow bunny made with really lovely tasting milk chocolate (Trader Joe’s tends to import the good stuff). It’s an activity (you get to break it open, which you can do gingerly or you can do by smashing it against a table like we did). AND wait! There’s more! Trader Joe’s Peas & Carrots, one of the best Easter candies we tried for the first time last year, are inside the bunny! The gummy peas taste like yummy apple fruit snacks and the carrots are like orange-flavored jelly candies (they remind me of Chuckles in terms of texture). This is the best Easter candy, especially if you don’t have the budget for a full basket.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
Best Reese’s
Best Truffle
Best Eggs
Best Jelly Bean Collab
Best Easter Candy!
Justine Sterling
Naajia Shukri
Vinz Karl
funny candy
The Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Bunny is the chocolate bunny to rule them all. This is really a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. The packaging looks cheap and corny, but the chocolate is world class. It’s not too sweet and it’s very creamy. It even has some deep notes that almost reminded us of coffee. Don’t worry, though. This bunny isn’t too sophisticated for younger palates. Everyone will love this Russell Stover chocolate bunny. —Jordan Myrick . I like it because it is so sweet my favorite chocolate bunny
the sugary shell cracks and the chocolate better and it is good.
It’s good beclaus it chocolate better
good
Ohhh boy, you guys have GOTTA try the ferrero rocher eggs 😩 they’re available in the US, quite literally the best thing ever. Like little mini ferrero rochers with an even smoother inner filling than their ball shaped predecessors. Incredible!
The Russel Stover caramel filled egg is by far the best.
DEFINITELY Starburst jelly beans for the best bean.
Gotta say my favorite part about Easter is Cadbury mini eggs! Waiting a whole year for them to be in stores again is way too long!!
My absolutely favorite chocolate of all time is Iddy Biddy Bunnies from Russell Stover. They don’t taste quite like the regular kinds of RS, and they’re tiny, so you can let one melt on your tongue or toss a whole handful into your mouth for those of us (me) who don’t have the self control to eat one.
Agree!! They’re like even better versions of little milk chocolate chips. Now I’m craving them. You have good taste, Robin! 🙂
Like Danny, I am also from Pittsburgh and I agree with his list 100%. Yinzers for life
we can do no wrong
The Key lime pie M&Ms look amazing! Does anyone know where they sell them? And will they be around after Easter?
they’re REALLY divisive.
I see them at Target quite often. They might stay on the shelves for another week or so after Easter. But, always available on Amazon I believe.
Target, by the way, carries most of these things. They seem to be leaning into the Easter Candy Aisle magic hard this year.
Thank you! I love most things white chocolate, so I’m running over to Target as we speak!
There are 2 “Best Chocolate Egg” awards, was it a tie?
aha. fixed it. Tony’s was supposed to be “best chocolate.” The quality and variety of that little egg carton is incredible.
Thanks for catching that
thanks for the article Danny. Thanks for getting me excited for the spirit of easter, which is the spirit of candy, identical to the spirit of Halloween and Crismus. Is it weird if I buy easter candy for myself and eat it out of a walmart sack instead of an easter basket? I am a married grown man with no children to buy candy for. please advise. I think the article should have dealt with the controversial nature of cadbury eggs more directly. Although I enjoy the first bite of the regular cadbury eggs, even the miniature eggs can be too rich and too much after one or two, and I’m a hardcore chocolate boy. I know many people that see that Cadbury brand and take a hard pass, but maybe its just too British for my southern brethren. In conclusion, thanks for the article.
I totally agree!! Those are really insightful opinions, and you write really well. Mythical should contract with you as a freelance writer on your snack reviews.
I think it was would MUCH weirder if you bought an easter basket for yourself. Keep using that Walmart bag, pal!
Ahhh, I think the richness of Cadbury is its strength. The decadence of Cadbury is why it has won over the hearts of so many Americans and candy enthusiasts. If it wasn’t rich, it’d just be another Hershey’s Bar. Sure, it can be a little off-putting to some, but overall, no company has snatched the candy crown of Easter quite like Cadbury.
I think this site is great and I love most of the content but an article that correctly states the eggs are the best Reese’s ratio AND then teaches me of a new Fruity Pebbles candy is the pinnacle of what I’m looking for here. Thanks!
My ultimate easter treat is Number 2. You just cant beat a Cadbury creme egg!
Fruity Pebbles eggs are insanely good to me. I impulse grabbed a bag at check out and I know I’m going to be sad when they can’t be found anymore.
right? truly think they’re here to stick around
Along with Cadbury, I would have put Lindt at the top as well.
I would not want to live in a world where I had to choose between Cadbury Mini Eggs and Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs! No way, Jose! So I agree with your ranking! I am sucker for good, old-fashioned jelly beans from Brach’s, picking out the licorice ones for my Mom.
Cadbury Mini Eggs