We Tried Every New Joyride Holiday Candy — And Ranked Them

Over the past couple of years, Joyride has really shot to fame in the lower sugar/healthy alternative candy space. Their motto was always to be giving you the taste you want, but without the sugar that you’d typically expect. And for a brand that doesn’t use any synthetic coloring or excessive sugars, the fact that that they were able to consistently produce candies that people actually want to eat is pretty remarkable.

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And so with each flavor they released, we were always curious to know what they really tasted like, and whether or not they’re actually a good alternative for more stereotypical, full-sugar candies. When Joyride reached out to us offering us a taste of their new holiday collection, we figured it would be as good an opportunity as any to see how these new flavors compare. After all, we’ll still be getting plenty of sugar at the holidays. So, having a lighter option to snack on in the moments in between all of the festivities is something we’re welcoming with open arms. Let’s get into the review, shall we?

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Sour Santa Smacks

I think the thing I actually really enjoyed about these candies was that they aren’t trying to have the same artificial flavor that a lot of healthy candy alternatives still utilize, just without the sugar. Instead, these taste far more natural and familiar. These bears in particular are a perfect example of that since they kind of just taste like the super nostalgic flavor of Welch’s Fruit Snacks. And, the texture gives off a lot of that same energy too.

Not only is the shape of the gummies cells indicative of the holiday season, but the red and green colors make these feel far more profoundly celebratory too. If you’re looking for a alternative to gummy bears to snack on throughout the holiday season that still feels very festive, then this is the pack that I would be reaching for most. Plus, the little kick of sour flavor from the coating gives these a more elevated and nuanced taste.

Rating:

9.5/10

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Polar Cherry Sour Strips

Right off the bat, these set the tone for a very strong showing from Joyride. For starters,I think cherry is one of the easiest flavors to mess up in a candy due to how quickly it can come off as medicinal, rather than juicy and fruity. Luckily, these fell into that latter category. The cherry flavor was true and not overwhelmingly artificial. Not only was the actual fruit flavor very pleasant in and of itself, but as someone who has a very defined ability to pick up on that artificial, zero-sugar sweetener flavor, this didn’t provide a lot of that. And, there really wasn’t that distinct of an aftertaste from the sweetener either.

The texture was addictive on these as well. Since there were vertical stripes in the candies, you could pull apart and eat the strips individually, or chew on the gummy in bigger chunks, depending on what you want. The only thing I would say that struck us as a bit odd or different was the coating. The granular, sweet-and-sour coating on the outside of these was indicative of these not being a standard candy. The sourness really came through, but otherwise the sweet element wasn’t really there.

Rating:

8.5/10

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Frosted Polar Bears

Before trying out this last flavor, I don’t think I realized how critical the success of these flavors was on the contrast between sweet and tart, acidic flavors. Each one of the flavors before this pack provided an excellent balance of that, but I can’t say the same for these. Not only was the berry flavor disappointing in contrast to the others, but the texture suffered greatly in these too. They were more stodgy, and each flavor felt more strange and icky than the last. I would happily down a bag of any of the flavors we tried here today other than these, and I can’t say I recommend them. That said, if you like black currant and those kinds of sweet berry flavors in gummy form already, then these might be a winner for you.

Rating:

5/10

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