18 Popular Easter Candies, Ranked Worst To Best

In terms of candy- and food-centric holidays, Halloween obviously takes the cake (err ... Jack-o-lantern). However, I would argue that Easter is a close second. While many people celebrate the religious connotations of the holiday, a big focus is on the food, including Easter-themed deviled eggs, elaborate brunch spreads, and, of course, the Easter basket candy. 

I didn't grow up in a family who celebrated Easter, but I did grow up in a family who visited the local Walmart the day after to stock up on discounted pastel-colored candies, tin foil-wrapped eggs, and all the delicious confections associated with springtime. These candies vary, from standard candy molded into Easter-appropriate shapes to selections that are only really popular during the months of March and April. And, as with any food, everyone is going to have their favorites (I certainly do). 

But for a moment, I wanted to put my inherent, sugar-fueled bias aside to make an objective ranking of popular Easter candies. So, I headed to my local Walmart, stocked up on all of the popular candies I could find, and then ranked them from worst to best based on their flavor, texture, novelty, and embodiment of the season — whether that be in terms of unique flavors, seasonal colors, or fun shapes. 

I was today years old when I tried my first Cadbury Creme Egg. And I have a couple of questions. The first: Why is the inside pink? Was it supposed to be fruit-flavored? Why is it gooey and sticky — treading a cloying middle ground between marshmallow creme and caramel? Maybe these are better left unanswered. 

When I bit into the egg, all I could say was, "Good grief, this is an awful candy." The chocolate is so cheap and sugary, and the inside tastes like an extra-sugared version of sweetened condensed milk. I almost wanted to spoon some of that molten center out and add it to my coffee (or, better, the trash can). The chocolate clearly isn't high-quality, so even if the sweetness decreased significantly, it wouldn't be one worth unwrapping. While the experience of unfurling the silver wrapper is novel, the candy inside is, frankly, putrid. 

In case you haven't already guessed it, many of the candies on this list are going to be egg-ified versions of classic candy brands. Whoppers Robin Eggs, for one, transform the malt ball candy by giving it a crispy sugar shell. 

I hated Whoppers as a kid, but after trying them for a ranking of classic movie theater snacks, I realized that they do have redeeming qualities. Unlike the other candy-coated chocolate eggs on this list, these have the added benefit of a crunchy Whoppers center, which adds textural intrigue. However, the concept overall was poorly executed, to put it nicely.

For one, the candy coating on the outside of these Whoppers made me worry I was going to crack a tooth. When I bit in, I got very little chocolate; instead, my palate was overwhelmed by the candy coating, which had turned dusty, and the dry malt ball center. If the candy coating were thinner and took up less of the bite, these could have ranked much higher on my list. 

Twix was one of the many candies that my Walmart sold individually as well as in multi-packs. The single chocolate basket was just the candy's classic formula adapted to give it an Easter shape — in this case, the basket you hope to put it in. However, the execution of this concept was poor because of the dramatic ratio changes: The cookie was larger and flatter, and the chocolate coating was practically double what you'd find on a normal Twix bar. I fear this was why these cookies were so sickeningly sweet. I had one bite, and I couldn't take another.

I placed this candy above the Whoppers Robin Eggs (read: Robin Rocks) because it had a little more chocolate and better embraced the classic Twix candy. However, this isn't a candy I would ever go out of my way to buy, especially because of how overwhelmingly sweet it is. 

Although this might discredit all of my opinions, I have to admit that I love Twizzlers — and hate whatever these mini gummy things are trying to imitate. The classic cherry (it could have passed as general red berry) flavor was way off base, and the gummy pieces just stuck to my molars like superglue. Unlike regular Twizzlers, these also tasted more medicinal and less like a confection. Plus, trying to see the bunny shape is like looking at a cookie cutter and trying to guess what it resembles. 

The sweetness wasn't as overwhelming as some of the other confections on this list. But even diehard Twizzlers fans won't like them, which pushed them below many of the others I tried.

I have to ask an important question: Does anyone still eat jellybeans? They're a weird candy, and honestly, I don't know why there are brands that sell them — especially ones like Starburst, which makes normal, square-shaped morsels that taste pretty darn good.

These berry-flavored jellybeans taste like normal jellybeans; there's nothing that ties them to the "Starburst" name. I could have bought Jelly Belly candies and not noticed the difference. The inside is just as gritty, and they're just as sickeningly sweet. Luckily, they weren't as medicinal tasting as the Twizzlers.

There's nothing really worthwhile about them — but if you needed to restock the candy jar on your grandma's coffee table, by all means, buy them. Otherwise, try one of the better fruity candies on this list. 

I decided it was only fair to give two jellybean brands a spot on this list, and while I can't say I will buy a bag of these Jolly Ranchers candies anytime soon, I will say that, unlike the Starburst jellybeans, I could tell these were Jolly Rancher-flavored when I took a bite of them. They resembled the same flavors you'd find in the hard candy — from the bright blue raspberry to the medicinal grape. The texture is chewy, and the flavor is bold, but the familiar grittiness of jellybeans infiltrates the bite and effectively ruins it. 

These aren't my pick of the litter, but if you are partial to jellybeans (and have a penchant for Jolly Ranchers), you may want to try them. I prefer candy with more textural diversity and less grittiness, which is what landed these jellybeans low on my list. 

Are we sure these Sour Patch Kids Bunnies are supposed to be bunny-shaped? They look like amoebas, or like someone tried to draw a Sour Patch Kid with their eyes closed. The flavors are similar to the regular candy, as far as I could tell, though there weren't any blue ones in my box (which is the best flavor). They stuck to my molars, forcing me to play dentist and extract them, and their inverse sugar coating made them easily snackable rather than too sweet. 

I wish these candies were just more special and seasonally unique. Since they're exactly the same as regular Sour Patch Kids, just in Easter packaging, you might as well buy a big bag of the classic candy and avoid the seasonal candy upcharge.

When I saw that my Walmart carried Dr Pepper-flavored Peeps (among many other flavors), I was, in one word, appalled. I remember a time long ago when there was only one flavor of Peeps — the original — which came in the classic sugar-coated marshmallow flavor in either the bunny or the chick shape. I got them in my Easter basket all the time as a kid, and while they were delicious at the time, I can't say I'll be reaching for them as an adult with a developed palate. 

These Peeps are one flavor and one flavor only: sweet. I can't help but note that pairing an already sweet marshmallow with a granulated sugar coating is an absolutely awful idea. It's cloying, and I got through two bites of the soft mallow before I threw the package in the trash. While the marshmallow's texture is, admittedly, dreamy, it's not even a candy I could come back to, as it tends to go stale within hours of opening. 

I don't think we really need to get into the semantics of how bad an idea a chocolate bunny is. You have to gnaw at it like a feral animal eating a carcass, and when you do, all you get is bad chocolate. At this point, is it even worth the effort? 

Although Russell Stover does win some brownie points for its seasonality and Easter-ness, I can't say its chocolate was particularly good. It was slightly waxy and very sweet, though it wasn't as low quality in terms of chocolate flavor as I assumed it would be. The milk chocolate is, frankly, boring, and I would much rather have a uniquely flavored chocolate bunny instead of this one. At least it doesn't go stale as fast as Peeps.

Okay, now this is a cute concept. This budget-friendly egg carton of 12 chocolate-covered marshmallows immediately caught my eye. The eggs inside are more Reese's egg-shaped — meaning they're flat rather than egg-adjacent — kind of like the Cadbury Creme Eggs. After having my run-in with Cadbury, I can't say that I was excited for another lackluster egg — or worse. However, I'm happy to report that these eggs are much better. They even beat out Peeps. 

The marshmallow is the same consistency as the Peeps, but the chocolatey coating (as poor quality and unflavorful as it is) balances out the natural cloyingness of the mallow. The candy has a far better flavor balance than many of the others on this list, but the waxy and underdeveloped chocolate flavor still makes it one I wouldn't buy again. 

I knew that I had to try Hershey's Candy-Coated Milk Chocolate Eggs as the direct comparison to one of the most popular Easter candies of all time (more on that later) because the two are similar. They both have a candy coating, a plain chocolate center, and nothing to distract from either of these components.

The candy coating on the Hershey's version was very thick — too thick. I had to, yet again, cross my fingers that I wouldn't crack a tooth during the sampling process. The chocolate inside didn't taste like what I expected (a light, M&M's-like chocolate). After a few bites, I realized it was like a richer version of a classic Hershey's bar (perhaps because it was round in shape, rather than thin and flat). I ate a couple, so they weren't that bad, but I was still too worried about my enamel to devour the whole bag.

I'm a gummy candy fiend, so I was happy to see that Haribo made Easter candies, including these chick-shaped gummies. They seem to be following the exact same flavors and texture as Haribo's standard gummy bear mix, which is not something I could say about some of the lower-ranked treats, such as Twix, which fundamentally changed when its shape was altered. 

Although I am used to the texture of these candies (and why I eschew Trader Joe's weirdly wet gummy confections), I understand that not all folks are. They require a little bit more jaw work than other candies, which may not appeal to all eaters. 

M&M's played it safe with these pastel-colored candies. It didn't offer any sort of Easter flavors. Instead, it traded the classic technicolor array of its classic milk chocolate flavor for a pastel coating. Will I be saving the extra to make fun Easter cookies? Yes. But will I be eating them out of hand? No, because they're kind of, well, boring. 

I will start by saying that plain M&M's are not my favorite flavor, but they are a safe and agreeable option. They're easy to eat handfuls of at a time, and you can bake many different recipes with them. But they're not really what I look for when I'm thinking "Easter candy," so I couldn't put them near the top of the list.  

I don't know in what world these Junior Mints are supposed to look like eggs, but I know it's not the one I'm living in. These little dark chocolate rocks integrate a seasonal element in the form of a colored candy center. I don't know about you, but I don't eat a standard-sized Junior Mint and ponder the color of the center midway through the bite. Compared to brands that embrace the season and sell candy eggs in egg cartons, Junior Mints' attempt at a holiday candy seems half-hearted. 

These are your classic Junior Mints: a little too sweet, but perfectly minty and contrasting with the dark chocolate. It's like M&M's in that it's a safe bet, albeit boring. Though, after tasting so many cloying and heavy mallow- and chocolate-forward creations, I was glad to see that there was a refreshingly minty option in front of me — which earned them a spot above M&M's. 

I am certainly no stranger to Kit Kats and their chocolate-covered wafer appeal. They're a classic candy for a reason, so I'm not surprised to see the brand carries a seasonal Easter candy in the shape of a bunny. 

This candy is just your classic Kit Kat — very sweet, very crisp, and very crushable — just in the shape of a cute rabbit. The chocolate coating on the outside of the candy was thicker than I remember — possibly due to the fact that it was larger than the standard stick-shaped candy. As such, this Kit Kat tasted pretty sweet — but not so sweet that I wouldn't go back for another bite. However, it was very fresh, and the wafer inside cracked just like in the commercials. It's a passable candy for a Kit Kat-loving child, but I do think there are some more Easter-y candies on this list worth exploring.

If your metric for ranking Easter candy is chocolate quality, Lindt will take the cake. This brand, which is most known for its crushable, foil-wrapped chocolate truffles, offers this gold foil-wrapped chocolate bunny every year. It's one of the ones I remember eating as a kid, though I would argue it's likable enough for an adult to chow down on it, too. The flavor is just like the coating on its truffles and likely its chocolate bars (which one Chowhound reviewer considered to be one of the better popular chocolate bars on the market). It blows cheap, waxy, Russell Stover right out of the water. In short, it's an Easter candy made for people who appreciate quality chocolate over gimmicks. 

However, since its flavor is just plain chocolate, I grew tiresome of it after a few bites. It's a classic for a reason, but if textural and flavor diversity is more your jam, I'd recommend one of my other higher-ranking candies. 

Remember when I said that I went to Walmart for all of these candies? Well, I lied. I had to go to four different stores, three of which were out of stock, just to get a bag of these Cadbury Mini Eggs. If that doesn't say something about their popularity, I don't know what does. 

These candies are classic for a reason. The colored candy shell is thinner than many of the other brands I tried, but it's still crunchy and compelling enough. The chocolate inside is milky and sweet. And you can't really get much more novelty than a candy that is only really found around Easter. I wanted to give it first place, really, but I don't think it has the same complexity and flavor diversity as my top pick. I knew it was going to be a tight race, and I understand that it's opened me up to hate mail, but I stand by my decision. 

The fact that I could buy a single Reese's Peanut Butter Egg at Walmart is dangerous for my sweet treat complex, though it's arguably a better option than buying a whole bag and eating it in a single sitting — because I have no problem doing so. I have a theory that the seasonal Reese's flavors (including the Reese's Halloween shapes, which are the best Halloween candy by a long shot) are better than the regular cups because there is so much more peanut butter, and the chocolate coating is thinner. It works so well with the sweet chocolate, delivering a bite that's flavorful and decadent, yet balanced and approachable. 

There is nothing wrong with this candy, which is why it placed at the top of my list. Seriously, I have no notes, as the kids would say. If you gave me an Easter basket full of them, I'd be thrilled. 

I tasted these candies the same day that I purchased them, ensuring peak freshness. Since there is such diversity among Easter candies — from chocolate eggs and bunnies to jellybeans, gummy candy, and chocolates dressed in their holiday best — I sampled multiple options from each category before ranking them from worst to best based on flavor, texture, and novelty. 

To remain as objective as possible, I focused on the flavor balance, textural diversity, resemblance to brand or namesake candy, and incorporation of the springtime theme. The highest-ranked confections on this list were tantalizing enough to warrant a second bite (or more) and had some sort of Easter connection that distinguished them as distinctly Easter candy, rather than just a run-of-the-mill sweet taking up refuge in an Easter basket.