Gwynedd Stuart
Sugar free candy gets a bad rap. Yes, sugar is a key ingredient in sweets, but advancements in food science mean that candy sans genuine sugar has come a long way from the days of artificial sweeteners that leave a gross taste in your mouth. If a lot of these didn’t say “sugar free” on the packaging, we probably wouldn’t have known the difference. Listen. We know you’re dubious, but it’s true.
Of course, another reason sugar free candy gets a bad rep is due to its, ahem, laxative properties. Unlike flavor, that’s one thing that really hasn’t improved over the years, we’re sorry to say. Just remember to indulge cautiously!
What we looked for in the best sugar free candy:
- Smart sugar alternatives: No weird underlying flavors, distracting “cooling” effects from sweeteners like erythritol, or sickly Stevia aftertastes, please and thank you.
- Decent dupes for popular full-sugar candies: Brand name or not, these should hold up to their OG counterparts.
- Right texture: Texture can be a real giveaway that something is off. If we’re asking, “What is this substance?”—it won’t make the list.
Whether you’re adhering to a low-sugar diet for health reasons, weight reasons, tooth decay reasons, or you just want a glimpse into a world where refined sugar is a lot less necessary, give these nine candies a shot.
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- Bonelle Sugar-Free Fruit Jelly Candy
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Unless explicitly told, I wouldn’t have guessed these cute little jelly candy squares were sugar free candy. They’re actually coated in granulated “sugar,” which tastes really authentic and gives them an interesting crunch. The flavors range from orange and strawberry to blackberry (my fave). The soft, melty jelly texture is personally not for me, but someone out there will love it. Honestly, the alarming “these will cause a laxative effect in large quantities” warning label on the bag is the worst part about this product; I was actively dreading having to try them. But hey, I appreciate the transparency. (And I was fine. I only had a few, but still!) —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Russel Stover Sugar Free Fruit Chews
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These are a sugar free Starburst dupe, and you know what, they totally work. They’re a little more tacky in texture, but I think Starburst fans will actually kinda like that. I’m pretty sensitive to stevia (one of the substitutes used here), so I expected to be really put off, but nope! There’s a very subtle fake sugar thing going on, but it’s easy to overlook. Russel Stover really makes some of the best sugar free candy—and you can pretty much always find their products in the sugar free section at CVS or Walgreens. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Zolli Pops
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No, it’s not the most exciting option on this list, but there’s a nice assortment of convincing flavors in this bag of sugar free lollipops: strawberry, grape, pineapple, orange, raspberry, and cherry. That’s three pink/red flavors and I love that. I also love not getting fillings, so I can appreciate the oral health angle they’re leaning into here. These have just a hint of that fake sugary after taste, but we all decided we could get past it given that these outperformed other hard candies we tried (lookin’ at you, Jolly Rancher). —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Welch’s Zero Sugar Fruit Snacks
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Welch’s full sugar and low sugar fruit snacks dominate the top spots in our best fruit snacks ranking, and I’m happy to say these zero sugar ones are also pretty good. The flavor is more muted, but you can’t taste the sugar substitutes, so I’m not mad about it. The texture does have a little bit of a pencil eraser thing going for it, but I can look past that—on the whole, these are satisfying enough to scratch my fruit snack itch. Proud of you, Welch’s. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Walgreens
- Red Vines Sugar Free Twists Strawberry
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As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m not a fan of regular Red Vines. The “Traditional Red” flavor weirds me out and I find the texture a little disturbing. Well, it turns out I can set aside my misgivings about the sort of melty, plasticky consistency if the flavor is better, and these sugar free strawberry twists really worked for me. Sporked staff writer Danny Palumbo, a Red Vines guy, liked the mild berry flavor as much as I did, and added that the texture is “really pleasurable.” —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- York Zero Sugar Peppermint Patties
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If you like the chocolatey part of a peppermint patty more than the minty slime part of a peppermint patty, you might actually prefer these to traditional York. The coating on these is thick and it makes for a different (but still very good) eating experience. “This layer is a lot thicker than a usual peppermint patty,” Sporked social media manager Mark Catangui observed. “It still tastes like peppermint but a lot more minimal than your usual peppermint patty. In fact, I might like it better.” —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Hershey’s Zero Sugar Caramel Filled Chocolate Candy
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We tried a few caramel candies as part of our taste test, and most of them were very, very bad. The texture was wrong. The taste was wrong. For that reason, these caramel-filled mini bars from Hershey’s were a nice surprise. I don’t even particularly like Hershey’s chocolate, but these were creamy and rich and tasty. And they’re individually wrapped, so you can stuff a few in your jacket pocket before you go to the movies. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Brach’s Sugar Free Gummy Bears
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Okay, this is one of the candies we tried that I would absolutely not have known were sugar free if I wasn’t actively participating in a sugar free candy taste test. In a weird way, sugar free candy can come off as slightly sweeter than regular candy and that’s the case here, but it’s not unpleasant at all. These taste pretty much exactly like Brach’s gummy bears, and even if those aren’t your faves (team Haribo here), they have the fruity flavor and squishy texture to scratch that gummy bear itch. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Russell Stover Sugar Free Assorted
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This bag of Russell Stover candy has all the fun of a Valentine’s Day sampler, minus the shug. 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. It’s like the sugary, slimy coconut stuff inside a Mounds bar. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
Best Jelly Candy
Best Starburst Dupe
Best Hard Candy
Best Fruit Snacks
Best Improvement
Best Minty
Best Caramel
Best Gummy
Best of the Best
Other Sugar Free Candy We Tried:
Sugar Free Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Sugar Free Jolly Ranchers, Cambie Sugar Free Lemon Drops, Stevita Hard Candy Cheery Cherry, Atkins Peanut Butter Cups
Justine Sterling
Jessica Block
Ariana Losch
