Sour Starburst Fruit Chews Are Finally Coming Back in 2026—We Tried Them Early

If you need something to look forward to next year (don’t we all), pucker up: our Starbursts are making their long-awaited return to shelves in January. And because we have the best jobs in the universe, we were able to get a really early taste of them.

Sour Starburst Fruit Chews are different from Sour Starburst Gummies and Sour Mini Starburst. They are basically identical to regular OG Starburst…but sour. Now, personally, I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth on the team, so I’ve never really understood the deal with Starbursts. I’ve always seen them as a sticky, textural nightmare for hands, lips, teeth, and wherever else you feel like putting them. (How you utilize your free will is up to you.) “Wait, then why are you the one reviewing this candy, Ariana? This is a big deal for me, and you’re kinda ruining it…”

Here’s why: Sour candy is my favorite candy. I’m a bit of a sour candy snob, really. If these new Starbursts manage to woo me, then we’re dealing with something pretty extraordinary. So let’s get on with the review, shall we? I’ll be fair, I promise.

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New Starbursts!

Sour Starburst Fruit Chews

Starburst is releasing four sour flavors: blue raspberry, green apple, strawberry, and watermelon. (Basically the same line-up as the mini sours, but with green apple instead of cherry. Which is sad for me; I love cherry.)

Pros: My goodness. I can see why people were begging to bring these back. Sour Blue Raspberry Starburst might be my favorite candy of the year. It’s so brightly sour. The flavor is electric and zippy. Green Apple is nicely tart and addictive, too. (It’s actually close enough to cherry in flavor that I don’t miss cherry that much.) So, yeah: I get it. These taffy cubes may sit uncomfortably in my mouth and stick to my teeth, but the challenge of eating them almost makes them more delicious.

Cons: My gripe is mainly with the strawberry, which kinda tastes more like bubblegum than strawberry to me. It’s very fake and sweet, saved only by the lingering sourness. They could have revived tangerine or grape from the original line-up instead. But hey, some of you freaks out there will probably like it, and that’s all that matters.

Credit: Liv Averett / Starburst

Rating:

9/10

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