Mouth, Hands … the 7 Best M&M’s Flavors Can Melt Wherever They Please

I think a good chunk of the population would argue that regular ol’ M&M’s are perfect just as they are, no nuts or fillings necessary (my colleague Jordan Myrick happens to be one of these people). Released in 1941 as wartime rations (who knew?), M&M’s have become one of the most iconic candies in the world—and I’m pretty sure I’m not being hyperbolic, considering there are big, flashy M&M’s stores in places like London, Berlin, and Shanghai, and NASA astronauts have taken M&M’s on every shuttle mission to space since 1982. I learned a lot on the M&M’s website.

Personally, I’m all about the upgrades. Chocolate in a candy shell is good. Chocolate in a candy shell with a roasty peanut inside or a dab of peanut butter is heavenly. Everyone has strongly held M&M’s opinions and preferences, but before you yell at me about this ranking, consider that I tried all of these M&M’s varieties back to back and also consulted the rest of the pros on the Sporked team too. You may disagree with the hierarchy, but can we all agree that M&M’s are pretty great?

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Best of the Best

Peanut M&M’s

$8.29 Target

$1.25 Instacart

I am extremely sorry if this is triggering for people with peanut allergies, but Peanut M&M’s are about as close as you can get to a perfect candy. A movie theater companion for the ages. The ideal marriage of chocolate and legume. I eat these in a very particular way: 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. A two-bite food! The shell is sweet and crunchy; the chocolate and roasty peanut pair perfectly. And now that I’m an M&M’s history buff, I can tell you that Peanut M&M’s came along in 1954, just 13 years after original M&M’s—a classic for a reason.

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target

Rating:

10/10

Sporks

Best Modern Classic

Peanut Butter M&M’s

$15.89 Target

$1.39 Instacart

I will always choose Peanut M&M’s over Peanut Butter M&M’s, but I have to admit that these are extremely good, especially for an occasional change of pace. The peanut butter within these big boys is oily and salty. And the peanut butter-to-chocolate ratio is good, albeit just a touch on light side in terms of filling. Still, totally delicious. It’s a toss up for number one, truly.

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best Plain

M&M’s Minis

$4.99 Walgreens

$1.14 Walmart

Okay, hear me out: M&M’s Minis are a more perfect version of a plain M&M. Their more delicate shell gives them a crispier crunch and a more ideal shell-to-chocolate ratio. Plus, they come in a tube and you can just pour them directly into your maw. I don’t love the extra waste the plastic tube creates, but the tubes are actually useful if you hang onto and reuse them. Plus, there’s a justification: These dainty lil guys would get absolutely pulverized in a regular bag. If you don’t care for additions to your M&M’s, give these a shot.

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Best New Innovation

Fudge Brownie M&M’s

$4.39 Instacart

$1.79 Vons

I try pretty much every new M&M’s flavor when it comes out, and I’ll just say that my hopes weren’t incredibly high for these. But, wow, they blew me away. These are bigger and a little more misshapen than a lot of M&M’s you’re used to—kind of like lumpy Peanut Butter M&M’s. Inside, there’s a fudgey little brownie bit surrounded by chocolate and shell, and that thing is so good! They actually managed to channel the flavor of a baked good into a tiny morsel that adds chew and a deeper chocolatey flavor to the entire candy. I brought a gigantic bag of these home with me and polished off the entire thing in record time. These are also a two-bite food, which I love.

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Vons

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Chew

Caramel M&M’s

$5.29 Target

I honestly didn’t know I wanted chew from my M&M’s until this taste test. Like Fudge Brownie, these M&M’s have a nice, squishy interior that really improves the entire textural experience. I think I’d always avoided Caramel M&M’s because I assumed they’d be too nauseatingly sweet. Not the case. I also wasn’t sure if they’d contain the drizzly kind of caramel or the good, chewy kind of caramel. It’s the latter. Best case scenario all around! I noted that the caramel flavor is a little bit artificial tasting, but that didn’t prevent me from wanting to continue housing these until my stomach hurt.

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Best Crunchy

Crunchy Cookie M&M’s

$4.09 Instacart

$4.79 Target

Now, I think these would be 1,000 times better if the cookie inside were chewy like the morsel inside the Fudge Brownie M&M’s, but do Crunchy Cookie M&M’s deliver on their promise? They sure do. As advertised, these have a great cookie crunch and a nice sugar cookie-esque flavor that compliments the chocolate. Also, if you’re a fan of slowly dismantling snacks like this with your teeth, you’ll have a blast with these since you can get the cookie morsel out entirely intact and eat it on its own. A candy and an activity in one!

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Best White

White Chocolate M&Ms

$26.68 (24 count) Walmart

There are lots of people who prefer white chocolate to dark and milk chocolate. In fact, Sporked editorial assistant Naajia Shukri is one of them. No judgement here. I like and certainly get the creamy appeal of white chocolate, and that’s why these ranked over the other white chocolate M&M’s we tried. With Peanut White Chocolate M&M’s, the flavor of the peanut is really the star of the show and the white chocolate flavor kind of gets lost. We also tried White Chocolate Key Lime Pie M&M’s, which are great, but have a bold lime flavor that sets them apart entirely. Plus, no way can I eat a whole bag of those lime guys. These plain White Chocolate M&M’s are made to eat by the bagful, and I appreciate that.

Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Other products we tried: White Chocolate Peanut M&M’s, Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M’s, Pretzel M&M’s, Dark Chocolate Mint M&M’s, White Chocolate Key Lime Pie M&M’s

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