The best Valentine’s Day candies should feel special. You can literally eat any candy any day of the year, but the best candy for Valentine’s Day is giftable, shareable, and, most importantly, romantic.
This should also go without saying (but tell that to the candy companies): Valentine’s Day candy should taste good. Sure, everyone loves a pretty pink confection, especially when we’re craving something festive during the least festive time of year, but way too many candy brands tend to go off script when V-Day rolls around, whether they’re wedging in strawberries (M&M’s, we’re looking at you) where they’re not needed or taking “sweets for your sweet” way too literally.
Allow us to spare you the disappointment of bringing home crappy Valentine’s Day candy to gorge on while you watch romantic comedies on the couch or, worse yet, to share with someone you love. These are the best Valentine’s Day candies (including new Valentine’s Day candy) you’ll find on shelves this year. (Oh, and if you’re looking for the boxes of the best chocolate candy for Valentine’s Day, we have you covered there, too.)
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- Starburst FaveREDs Conversation Hearts
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If you aren’t into Necco Wafers (I’m with you), you probably don’t particularly love the classic Sweethearts conversation hearts. But if you like SweeTARTS, you’re going to dig these new Starburst Conversation Hearts. They’re crunchy but they aren’t chalky, and they come in the two best Starburst flavors: cherry and strawberry. Plus, the corny little messages are stamped into the candy hearts rather than printed onto them, so you can actually read what they say for a change. These are the best candy hearts for Valentine’s Day to buy if you firmly believe that the holiday wouldn’t be complete without conversation hearts in the mix. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Choceur Strawberries & Cream Bark
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I’ve talked a lot of shit about strawberry-flavored Valentine’s Day candy in the past, but this cookie bark from Aldi is so very tasty. It’s thin and snappy but absolutely melts in your mouth. It tastes like melted strawberry ice cream laced with little bits of dehydrated strawberry for crunch and tang. This is the best Valentine’s Day candy for people who’d pick strawberry ice cream over chocolate any day of the week. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Aldi
- Lindt Lindor Strawberries & Cream
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Lindt Lindor truffles are the best Valentine’s Day candies available at any grocery store (and plenty of pharmacies) that look like you got them from somewhere way fancier. The bags are ultra-giftable. And every Valentine’s Day the company releases limited edition flavors like these—the best Valentine’s Day candies for white chocolate lovers. The white chocolate shell is ultra creamy and it actually tastes like white chocolate. The filling tastes like strawberry ice cream. Even though it’s sweet, for sure, it’s balanced—there’s just a hint of salt to keep it all in line. I’m a white chocolate skeptic, but even I like these. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Hearts Creme Brulee
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We tasted these Ghirardelli Creme Brulee hearts last year and found them to be far too sweet. But this year? Something’s changed. Yes, they’re sweet, but they have crunchy bits of burnt sugar that temper the sweetness. This Valentine’s Day heart candy truly tastes like solid creme brulee. Sporked writer and chocolate hater Ariana Losch tasted these and immediately said, “Whoa,” and then proceeded to eat the whole candy. And when you eat as much candy as we do on a taste test day, that’s a true testament to tastiness. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Choceur Donut Shaped Chocolates
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If you’re a sucker for cute things, this is the best chocolate candy for Valentine’s Day. Look at these chocolates! They’re shaped and decorated to look like mini doughnuts and they taste good. They’re very truffle-like; the interior is very smooth, creamy, and melty, like it contains cocoa butter. And we liked the variety of flavors, too. My favorite was the one with the cinnamon-y sprinkle on top. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Aldi
- Sour Patch Kids Love Me Love Me Not
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Look, Sour Patch Kids are great. If you agree with that fact, then you’re going to want to pick up these new Valentine’s Day sour gummies. The little heart shapes are perfectly bite-sized. The gummy texture has the perfect amount of give. And the sourness is delightful. The dark hearts are grapey and the red hearts are bright and fruity (Is it strawberry? It’s probably strawberry). And they rip up the top of your mouth just like they should. These are the perfect romcom movie snacks.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Hershey’s Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Kisses
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I did not expect to like these. First of all, they look like a horror movie. Seriously, with their gloopy red interior, Hershey’s should release them at Halloween and call them Vampire Kisses (oh wait, they do). Then there’s the fact that artificial strawberry flavor is frequently so bad. But, wow, these are good, and I’m not usually a Kisses fan (I can fux with some Hugs, though). The syrup center isn’t really syrupy—it’s luscious and creamy, almost like the inside of a Cadbury Creme Egg if it were strawberry flavored. Flavorwise, these remind me of Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, one of my forever favorite chocolate candies. If you can’t resist taking a chance on a new Kiss, these are the best Valentine’s Day candies to toss in your cart. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Target
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Hearts Lava Cake
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Even better than the Ghirardelli Creme Brulee Hearts are Ghirardelli’s Chocolate Lava Cake Hearts. They’re filled with chocolate-flavored caramel and truly taste like lava cake. There’s this dark, cocoa bitterness that does the trick. It’s not just chocolate—it’s the gooey innards of a lava cake. I really don’t know how they do it. It’s rich and gooey (but not too gooey) and decadent. If you’re a dark chocolate lover or you’re shopping for one, these are the best candy hearts for Valentine’s Day to buy for a change of pace. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Haribo Sweet & Sour Hearts
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If you’re a fan of Haribo Sour Snakes (aka some of the best Haribo candy), then you’re going to love these sweet and sour gummy candy hearts for Valentine’s Day. The red hearts are sweet—they’re juicy, fruity, and firm. But the real stars are the sour pink hearts. Unlike so many sour gummies, they aren’t coated in sour sugar. Instead, the gummy itself is sour. I really enjoy the texture of these hearts and could absolutely demolish a bag in one sitting. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Reese’s Pink Hearts
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If you’re indifferent to chocolate and Reese’s peanut butter is your favorite component in a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, wow, are you gonna love the best Valentine’s Day candy we found in our taste test. Reese’s Pink Hearts have a sweet but otherwise neutral-tasting pink coating that really lets the peanut butter in these bad boys shine. There’s sooo much peanut butter and it’s so salty and delicious. I’ll admit that these look insane (turn one upside down and tell me it doesn’t look like a pair of dangly balls), but if your lover loves peanut butter, buy these. — Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Target
Best Conversation Hearts
Best Bark
Best White Chocolate
Best for Chocolate Haters
Most Adorable
Best Sour
Best Updated Classic
Best Chocolate Candy
Best Gummy
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Sweethearts Conversation Hearts, Hershey’s Strawberry Creme Hearts, Hershey’s Cookies and Creme Hearts, Favorite Day Valentine’s Collection, Lindt Lindor Cherry Vanilla, Twizzler Hearts, Haribo Berry Hearts, Strawberry & Creme M&Ms, Red Velvet Reese’s, Kit Kat Bears, Kit Kat Raspberry Creme, Lindt Lindor Dark Strawberry
