The Absolute Best Little Debbie Treat Has Something All The Others Lack

Little Debbie is known for having some seriously delicious treats. From Zebra Cakes to Cosmic Brownies, the brand even makes its own Little Debbie ice cream. With a huge following since the inception of the iconic brand name in 1960, there's a Little Debbie dessert out there for everyone. After Chowhound tasted and ranked nine Little Debbie treats, however, we found that one item stood out from all the rest. The Nutty Buddy was chocolatey, filled with peanut butter, and offered a crispy savory component to balance the overall sweetness, something that the other treats didn't have. This snack was like a gigantic, delicious candy bar, and came first in our ranking. 

The Nutty Buddy is a wafer bar with a peanut butter filling and chocolate coating. The bars have been around since 1964 and were even the first multipack box Little Debbie's ever created. Nutty Buddies have been a classic for quite some time, and rightfully so. The brand even released a Nutty Buddy Cream Pie spin on the treat in April 2025, swapping the wafers with peanut butter cookies. This snack also quickly became a hit among fans.

While none of the Little Debbie snacks we tried were necessarily bad, the problem was the sweetness level. Treats like the Birthday Cake Cream Pies and the Star Crunch were so sweet that it was hard to taste any other flavors. Even the Oatmeal Cream Pies, which are widely popular, were too sweet for our liking. These treats may taste great in a shortcut Little Debbie no-bake cake, but for a standalone snack they are quite overpoweringly saccharine. Nutty Buddies were the perfect balance of sweet and savory with the chocolate and peanuts, and the crisp wafers and soft peanut butter filling provided a satisfying contrast of textures, resulting in a treat that didn't leave us feeling like we needed to wash our mouth out. 

Little Debbie has an ever-changing variety of sweet treats, and people have debated over the best items for years. If you're someone who enjoys an intense sugary flavor, some of the desserts we disliked might very well be right up your alley (treats like the Fudge Rounds are best to skip on if you care for good flavor and texture, though). However, for anyone who enjoys a balanced treat, Nutty Buddies are the delicious and reliable snack you can always count on.