Jordan Myrick
Gwynedd Stuart
The best Pop-Tart flavors have gotten many a child through middle school. How nice that you can simply rip open a cellophane package and have two little sugary pastries for breakfast even though they are, ostensibly, way more like desserts.
How we picked the Pop-Tarts we tasted
A few of the Pop-Tarts we loved in our previous taste test weren’t available anymore (RIP, Pop-Tarts Pretzel Cinnamon Sugar), but we made up for it by trying some newer flavors we didn’t try last time (like Apple Jacks Pop-Tarts). In all, we tried 16 Pop-Tarts flavors to find the best Pop-Tart flavor of them all.
How we prepared the Pop-Tarts
I know a lot of people eat Pop Tarts untoasted for the sake of convenience, but they really do taste better once the pastry crust has been browned a little. We cooked all of these Pop Tarts flavors in the office toaster and I guess you could say we split the difference, because most of them had cooled by the time we actually tasted them.
What we looked for in the best Pop-Tarts flavors
Listen. I realize you’re coming into this with longheld beliefs and nostalgia-fueled affinity for one flavor or another. The best Pop-Tart flavor is whatever you ate on the bus as you enjoyed a little peace and quiet (and sugar) before the chaos of the school day. But, even if you have your mind made up, here’s what we were looking for in the best Pop-Tarts: good frosting distribution and boldly flavored fillings that actually taste like what the box says they’ll taste like.
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- Frosted Chocolate Fudge
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This is the chocolate-on-chocolate Pop-Tart. Personally, I like the chocolate in the filling of the Frosted Chocolate Chip Pop-Tarts better (it tastes more like chocolate pudding), but my co-taster Jordan Myrick liked the overall flavor of these Pop-Tarts better. They’re controversial, but good enough to deserve a spot among the best Pop-Tart flavors. —Gwynedd Stuart
- Frosted Chocolate Chip
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Frosted Chocolate Chip Pop-Tarts are nude with a squiggle of frosting rather than a layer of frosting, which made us FURIOUS. But we kept an open mind and ended up thinking it was one of the best Pop-Tart flavors. The chocolate goo in the middle tastes great, and I actually like that the lighter frosting distribution makes them less sugary overall. These are still an insane thing to eat for breakfast, but slightly less insane than some of the other best Pop-Tarts. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Cinnamon Roll
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If you really like sweets, you’ll like this Pop-Tart flavor. I was worried that Frosted Cinnamon Roll would be too much like Brown Sugar Cinnamon, but it has a cream cheese frosting thing going on that really works. If you don’t think it’s nuts to eat a cinnamon roll for breakfast, then you’ll have no qualms about eating a couple of these suckers for breakfast. They really do taste good and they should satisfy your sweet tooth until you get your Coke with lunch. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted S’mores
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In addition to being delicious, this Pop-Tart flavor is the most like the edible item it claims to emulate.The marshmallow is gooey. The chocolate is melty. The pastry takes on a toasty, graham cracker-like flavor (in fact, it’s visibly darker than other Pop-Tarts crusts). Don’t get me wrong, they’re great untoasted, too. At room temp, they have a pleasantly solidified chocolate-and-marshmallow filling like a candy bar. Plus, out of all the Pop-Tart flavors we tried, this one had the most even and respectable frosting distribution (something that’s extremely important to me). Could it be more chocolaty? Sure. But it’s still one of the best Pop-Tart flavors. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Cherry
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Cherry pastries are classic, and these definitely have that warm, round cherry-pie-filling thing going on. But as fruit flavors go, this Pop-Tart flavor just isn’t as punchy as the other berry flavors. It’s sweet, but it lacks pizazz. That said, it’s still one of the best Pop-Tart flavors because I think it’s exactly what a lot of people want for breakfast. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Chocolatey Chip Pancake
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These Pop-Tarts smell just like buttery pancakes and taste kind of like them, too. And they have very cute little chocolate chips on top. The filling kind of melds into the crust, which isn’t ideal if you like a lot of filling, but it’s still tasty. It reminds me of the goo in a bowl of Quaker maple brown sugar oatmeal. We were convinced the crust is different from the traditional Pop-Tart crust, and we liked this even more. If you’re up for trying something a little weird, this is a good Pop-Tart flavor. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon
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The frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavor is synonymous with Pop-Tarts. When I told friends we did this taste test, almost every single person’s response was the same. “Brown Sugar Cinnamon was the best, right?” No! They’re not. But it is very, very good. This Pop-Tart flavor is pure sugar to the dome in a way that you can’t not like. This might not be the best Pop-Tart flavor for breakfast because it’s so sugary, but I’d grab one for a snack or late-night treat. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Wild Berry
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I desperately wanted my mom to buy these for me when I was a child because they did a Wild Berry Pop-Tart x Wild Thornberrys collab that was right up my alley. Turns out, the secret to these being good wasn’t just in the packaging. They’re tasty! They have the perfect level of sweetness. Plus the blue-and-purple frostings on top are so cute. My only complaint is that I wish these had a tad more filling. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Blueberry
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Once again, fruit fillings are not typically for me, but I love these Frosted Blueberry Pop-Tarts. They are so fragrant and fruity and even a little bit tangy. The icing distribution is wonderful. When warmed, they are reminiscent of a real pastry you’d get at a bakery. The blueberry flavor is much punchier and more specific than the Wild Berry. It’s not the best Pop-Tart flavor, but it comes real, real close. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Frosted Raspberry
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I know! Dark horse! But we swear, Frosted Raspberry is the very best Pop-Tart flavor. The filling is so sweet, flavorful, and bright. Some of the other fruit fillings just taste sweet—this is tart and punchy. After our in-office taste test, I ate one of these alongside a Frosted Cherry just to make sure our enthusiasm wasn’t a fluke, and had the same takeaway. I can tell you for certain, these are the best Pop-Tarts. —Gwynedd Stuart
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Pop-Tarts!
Other Pop-Tart flavors we tried: Frosted Strawberry, Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae, Frosted Cookies & Creme, Pretzel Cinnamon Sugar (discontinued)
Ariana Losch
“When I told friends we did this taste test, almost every single person’s response was the same. “Brown Sugar Cinnamon was the best, right?” No! They’re not. ” YES, they are, you’re just WRONG…
You missed strawberry 🍓 milkshake 🥛 pop tarts if you haven’t tried them then you really should
Smores is the only acceptable answer.
Chocolate fudge above cookies and cream is just absolutely insane.
I know its not a common opinion but I believe pop tarts taste the best room temperature and then dipped in milk. The chocolate/brown sugar/dessert variants I also like toasting and dipping in milk but I don’t really like what happens to the jams of the more fruity flavored ones when toasted. my fave is room temp blueberry dipped in milk until soggy lol
An unfrosted raspberry is my absolute favorite. Something about that crispy icing just puts me off- it gives eggshell and makes the whole thing too sweet (admittedly I don’t like anything overly sweet.) I love the genuine handpie quality of an unfrosted pop tart.
It’s too bad the grape Pop Tarts were only around for a limited time. I always check to see if they have returned. They were amazing.
Weirdly enough I love the unfrosted strawberry and blueberry flavors. But frosted is also amazing too, especially when craving some extra sweetness!
Wild Berry and S’mores is a toss up for me. I woulda left Brown Sugar off the list entirely.
strawberry I agree with but brown sugar? really?
Disappointed that cherry is not on this list anywhere. They are always my go-to. The sweetness of the filling with the crunch of the sprinkles on top is so good.
Love this! My personal favorites are the cinnamon bun ones! Sooooo good. 💙
Wild Berry pop tarts all the way, for the taste and nostalgic feel
I must be the only person alive who thinks the brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts are disgusting. Blueberry and Strawberry forever!
I never liked the brown sugar cinnamon flavor. I had a great aunt who would always buy me and brother those pop tarts. We never told her that we didn’t like them because it would be rude.
I love the maple, snickerdoodle banana bread
Look. I’m not necessarily proud to say this. But I’m a huge chocolate fudge fan. I know what’re you’re thinking, “this guy must hate his teeth to eat that in the morning.” And I do. I do hate my teeth. And I will pick chocolate fudge pop tarts over my dental health. Would s’mores pop tarts do that to a person? I think not.
Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon are overrated. I wouldn’t even have them in the top 7. I also think Frosted Cherry is way better than even the Frosted Strawberry… kinda surprised it didn’t even make the list.
Hot Fudge Sunday PopTart for sure! I eat them at room temp, from the freezer, and from the toaster. Hands down my favorite PopTart would give 10/10 Sporks
YES! Smores and Cinnamon were my go-tos as a child. Smores supremacy!
When the wildberry and cookie dough ones came out, I had those plenty, too.
Unfrosted Blueberry Pop-tarts by far are the best! This is not a joke.
I think Brown Sugar Cinnnamon should have beaten out Smores. Because Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tarts are just that, They are Pop Tarts. Smores pop tarts are trying to be something else. Plus, the BSC pop tarts just taste better!
I agree!!
Boston Cream Pop Tart- If I were to Spork this flavor I’d definitely give this 5 sporks. The filling was ok but not my favorite. The outer frosting is like most chocolate frostings. P.s. I’m still waiting for Strawberry Cheesecake flavor pop tarts Kelloggs.