The best sugar free gum is refreshing, long lasting, and satisfying to chew. It should snap you out of an afternoon slump, keep your mouth busy when you’re bored, and take away your bad coffee breath in three seconds flat.
As anybody who’s ever owned a smartphone car charger will tell you, manufacturers build things to break—and going into this taste test, I figured that would apply to most gum brands, too. The sooner you run out of flavor, the quicker you pick up your next piece, right? Well, it’s true that not all gums are created equal; some start strong but fizzle fast, while others keep their cool long after you’d expect. But on the whole, I was pleasantly surprised in my search for the best long lasting sugar free gum. Most of them didn’t wane as quickly as I expected.
For this taste test, I focused on your basic minty flavors (spearmint, peppermint, cool mint; you get the gist). While longevity is important, my real sticking points (haha, get it?) were impeccable flavor and chew. Yes, as someone who travels frequently, I’ll always be on the hunt for that one piece of gum that lasts my entire trans-continental flight. Will I ever find it? Maybe, maybe not. In the meantime, buckle those seatbelts and get ready to see which brands of the best sugar free go the extra mile.
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- Pur Peppermint Gum
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Pur really surprised me! For a slightly pricier brand that markets itself as aspartame-free with “all natural flavors,” I expected the worst—zero flavor and weird texture. No sir. Each piece comes in a hard shell that’s extremely satisfying to break with your teeth, and the chew is immaculate. It’s slightly tougher and quite bouncy. Their peppermint flavor is light, bright, and minty—good for people who can’t usually stand the sharp bite of peppermint—but it definitely doesn’t last. That’s the big downside, really. I’m willing to overlook this, though, and say it’s the best sugar free chewing gum for texture freaks like myself. (If you’re a texture freak and have suggestions for other brands, please leave a comment below!)
Credit: Merc / The Pur Company
- Extra Spearmint Gum
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Extra gum has a soft, almost pillowy chew. Each piece is a long, wide rectangle pretty much folds like putty in your mouth. For some people, that’s a selling point. For me, it’s my personal hell. I prefer a tougher, bouncier chew to my stick of gum, but hey, different strokes for different folks, am I right? Still, the flavor here really stands out—it’s pretty sharp for spearmint, but has a subtle cinnamon thing going for it that balances out that minty bite. Also, I tried three different Extra flavors, and I can say that they make some of the best long lasting sugar free gum.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Ice Breakers Peppermint Gum
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Who remembers the early 2000s Ice Breakers craze? It was like a whole new product materialized into existence. As a kid, I would beg my parents to buy it for me in the check out line; it felt like chewing tiny bits of space rock that crashed into the earth. And luckily, that nostalgia holds up today: There is something particularly satisfying about chomping down on an “ice cube” of soft peppermint. Not true to my memory, though, was just how soft this gum really is. Like Extra, it has a very cushiony, squishy, easy-going chew—not my favorite, but those crunchy little ice crystals bursting with minty freshness really make up for it. Ice Breakers aren’t the best long lasting sugar free gum—that blast of flavor starts to dwindle after only a few minutes—but honestly, I couldn’t care less. It’s still among the best sugar free gum and I’ll always return to it.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Mentos Pure Fresh Mint
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Mentos Gum comes in a UFO-shaped disc with blue flecks of flavor crystals and a satisfying hard outer shell. Similar to Pur, it has a neat, firm texture and smaller size that lets you enjoy the chew without overwhelming your mouth. The flavor starts strong and fades to something long lasting, mellow, and slightly sweeter, which I can appreciate. While it didn’t take the top spot, its balanced texture and refreshing flavor make it a strong contender for the best sugar free gum on the market.
Credit: Merc / Walgreens
- Orbit Sugar-Free Spearmint
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Orbit Spearmint is the gold standard of gum—simple, classic, and immediately cooling to your palate. It comes in a thin, pocket-friendly pack, with medium sized pieces that slide right out. Each stick of gum strikes a good balance between firm and soft, offering just enough resistance to keep it from going limp in your mouth. But what makes it the best sugar free gum is that classic, slightly sweet, effortlessly refreshing spearmint flavor, which lingers longer and stronger than Mentos, Ice Breakers, and Pur (and for better or worse, even coats the back of your throat a bit). It’s a reliable choice for anyone looking for a long lasting, enjoyable taste and, well, fresh breath.
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
Best Bouncy Chew
Best Soft Chew
Best Flavor Crystals
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other sugar free gum we tried: Extra Gum Polar Ice Sugar Free Chewing Gum, Wrigley Extra Gum Peppermint Sugar Free Chewing Gum, Trident Spearmint Sugar Free Gum, Ice Breakers Spearmint Sugar Free Chewing Gum, Mentos Gum Sweet Mint, Mentos Gum Spearmint, Orbit Gum Sweet Mint, Nathan & Sons Remineralizing Gum
💪💪💪 ORBIT SUPREMACY 💪💪💪
I do agree about Pur gum, tasty, I like the bubble gum, but the flavor doesn’t last. I like it because it’s aspartame free and has non-mint options because I don’t like mint. It’s made with Xylitol, so keep away from the pets.