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.
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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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- Trader Joe’s Milk Chocolate Bunny Bar
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If you’re building an Easter basket for a child who is easily wooed by glitz, this is the chocolate bunny to buy this year. The milk chocolate bunny itself is pretty small, but it’s absolutely covered in stuff—colorful non-pareils, candy gems that are kinda like M&M’s Minis, little crunchy bits of caramel, and a white chocolate drizzle, too. You literally can’t see ANY of the chocolate beneath all the stuff and you probably could have guessed this, but this thing is SWEET. If I were running things over at TJ’s, I would have built the entire thing atop a layer of crunchy, pulverized salted pretzels. Alas, this is mostly fodder for kids (and kids at heart), but it’s good.
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Hershey’s Eggs
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Cadbury Mini Eggs are probably the best Easter candy of all time, so it’s no wonder Hershey’s finally got in on that action. We have good news and bad news about their efforts. The bad: These are bigger than Cadbury eggs (we needed two bites to get through one), plus the shell is much thicker and it doesn’t have that matte, eggshell effect that makes Cadbury eggs such a delight to eat. The good: They still taste great, especially if you like Hershey’s chocolate. If you loved those defunct mini Kisses that came coated in a candy shell, you’ll like these. The pastel colors are nice, too.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Tootsie Eggs
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Controversial pick alert! If you don’t like Tootsie Rolls, seriously, don’t bother reading this entry. Move on. Leave us alone. Personally, I love the chew and Yoo-hoo-esque flavor of Tootsie Rolls and I love these little pellets (warning: They aren’t remotely egg shaped). The candy coating is so light and the Tootsie center is so soft and fresh. Okay, my one issue is that eating one of these is a little bit like eating, chewing, and promptly swallowing a gumball, but just go with it.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Easter Joe-Joe’s
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These candy-coated sandwich cookies look like they would look good but taste bad. They are covered and coated. They have chocolate pieces, slabs of fondant, and sprinkles and spangles—all wildly sugary stuff. And they are cookies—cookies are sugary all on their own! I’m telling you, these are shockingly delicious for how nuts they look. We’re not even huge fans of Joe-Joe’s—Trader Joe’s take on Oreos—but we all really loved these. They’re not just for show!
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Sour Patch Kids Jelly Beans
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It seems like every year an existing candy brand enters the Easter convo with bags of jelly beans inspired by their product. Sometimes they’re great (for instance, SweeTART jelly beans rule) and sometimes they’re pretty mid (we could all swear Starburst jelly beans used to taste better). These Sour Patch Kids jelly beans are a big success. In addition to being genuinely sour in the absence of the sour dust that coats actual Sour Patch Kids, the flavors are very accurate. These are tart and tangy and really fun to eat if you need a break from your usual Jelly Belly beans.
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs
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I know I can’t be alone in the opinion that Cadbury Creme Eggs are just too damn big. I have, like, one bite of the milk chocolate and goopy, sugary fondant center and I’m done. These little guys change everything. They’re still individually wrapped in foil, but they’re a fraction of the size of a regular Creme Egg (according to Google, .31 oz each versus 1.2 oz for the original). I could probably eat these in one bite, but I still like to look at the creamy center to see the “yolk” inside. These are a new go-to for me.
Credit: Target
New Easter Candy!
New Easter Candy!
New Easter Candy!
New Easter Candy!
New Easter Candy!
Justine Sterling
Ariana Losch
Naajia Shukri
Cadbury mini eggs aren’t new, they just changed the packaging. But I do love them!!
Hmm… maybe it’s a Mandela Effect, but Hershey’s Candy Coated eggs have been around for decades. I dismissed them as inferior to Cadbury back in the 80s or 90s. Good to know that hasn’t changed though!
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