Yeah, yeah—hard candy is “for old people.” It belongs in that weird jar at your grandma’s house or in the dusty pocket of your elderly neighbor’s cardigan. Quite frankly, we’re tired of the stereotyping! Hard candy is more than just a sweet antique. When done right, the best hard candy can be a delectable treat worthy of savoring at any age. It’s chock full of flavor and delicious fat. In fact, we think it’s only a matter of time before the youngin’s on TikTok make the best hard candies go viral (sort of like they did with peelable candy). If there’s a resurgence coming, we want to be a part of it!
We looked for hard candies that are sweet, flavorful, and have a nice, resistant texture. If it has endurance, that’s a bonus. The core ethos of hard candy is that it can be savored for a long time. That said, we also included some “crunchy” candies that you can chew rather easily. The best hard candy is indulgent, so give us an excess of sugar, creaminess, or fruitiness. Bring us deep, robust flavor in a candy that lasts. From the best lemon drop candy to the best sour hard candy, these were the brands that really rocked our taste buds.
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- Everlasting Gobstoppers
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Staff writer Jordan Myrick shuddered when I bit into these things with my teeth, but, hey, I have strong teeth! Once you bite through the hard shell of an Everlasting Gobstopper with your molars, there’s a sugary, Runts-like interior that dissolves in your mouth (speaking of which, we couldn’t find Runts—are they okay?). I like Gobstoppers for their candy shell, hard texture, and sugary crystals, but in terms of flavor, they aren’t the best hard candy you can buy. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Dad’s Root Beer Barrels
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Root beer barrels have all the delightful snap and bite of a carbonated root beer. To me, this candy feels even more traditional than a butterscotch candy. Root beer has an old-timey, sassafras flavor that harkens back to a different time. There’s a comedy club in San Diego that has a big jar of these things near the front entrance, and it has always bewildered me because it’s such an odd choice. But, personally, I think these are a delightful blast from the past. Root beer continues to endure, in all form, and Dad’s makes the best root beer barrels we tried. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Orange Creme Savers
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Creme Savers were rolled out in the late ‘90s, then discontinued in 2011. That turned out to be a mistake, and they made a comeback in 2021 due to high demand. Orange & Creme Creme Savers are just as delightfully creamy as the Strawberries & Creme version (see #5 on this list), but they’re noticeably less fruity. Still, the flavor is reminiscent of an orange creamsicle (one of the best frozen desserts to ever do it). Personally, I prefer these to some of the other best hard candies on our list, but the weakness of the orange flavor kept them from ranking any higher. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Nerds Rainbow
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Nerds are a crunchy hard candy, but they are hard candy nonetheless. Eating a handful of Nerds is like eating sweet confetti. The flavor is not that pronounced, but these are all about that crunchy, crumbly texture. Texture and sugar are what Nerds do best. They’re crunchy, but small enough that it doesn’t feel like chewing through rocks—just some tasty fish tank gravel. Points added for texture, but docked for flavor. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Lemonheads
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Lemonheads are iconic, but they pale in comparison to the best lemon drop candy on this list (see #6). Still, Lemonheads are nice and crunchy, and the flavor is good enough—somewhat sour and tart. However, Lemonheads reek of artificial flavoring and agents. They made our list of the best hard candy for that high nostalgia factor and impeccable crunch, but there are better lemon drops out there now. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Atomic Fireballs
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If you’re seeking out the best hard candy with some serious cinnamon heat, Atomic Fireballs are a childhood classic that totally holds up in adulthood. They aren’t spicy so much as spiced. They offer a pure injection of cinnamon to the dome that’s so intense it makes you forget how much sugar is in these things (16 grams added sugar in three candies!). But the balance of spice to sweetness is actually quite nice. Fireballs succeed because they have a bold flavor that’s properly tamed. The end result is quite lovely and wholly unique in the hard candy canon. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Washburn’s Hard Candy
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This jar of hard candy has an outdated, old-timey, Christmassy aesthetic that I quite enjoy. It really leans into the traditional qualities we associate with hard candy. The art is old, the packaging is old, and the flavor? Kind of old, but it works. Washburn candies stoke nostalgia with simple, old-school tastes and textures. It comes in an assortment of classic, understated flavors: orange, lemon, strawberry, raspberry, green apple, spearmint, peppermint, and grape. I saved grape for last because it was the best one by far. There’s not enough grape hard candy, in my humble opinion. This is the best hard candy for a party, if that party is you and your 70-year-old friends reuniting after a decades-long hiatus. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
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Jolly Ranchers have such a balanced fruity and tangy flavor that they put a lot of other hard candies to shame. The Blue Raspberry flavor is as coveted as a pink Starburst, and the Cherry, Watermelon, and Green Apple candies are all bold as hell. Jolly Ranchers are also the hardest of the hard candies—they’re like concentrated and pressurized diamonds of fruity sugar. The endurance factor is also very strong; you can suck on a Jolly Rancher longer than any other candy on this list. It’s the best hard candy if you like a little tang without going full bore into sour candy territory. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Target
- Perle Di Sole Lemon Drops
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The best lemon drop candy by a mile, Perle Di Sole offers a wonderfully fragrant and tart lemon flavor that shines brightly. It’s absolutely delightful in the way that citrus candy should be, with a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness. Plus, these hard candies contain a core of fizzy lemon powder that delightfully dissolves on the tongue. Perle Di Sole also has an orange drop, but the lemon flavor is best. It’s what Lemonheads should be. This is my personal go-to. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Werther’s Original Caramel Apple Hard Candies
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Of the fall Werther’s flavors, Caramel Apple Werther’s blew us away the most. With a swirl of caramel and green apple, they look elegant and festive, but taste even better—a perfect balance of tart apple and rich, salty, buttery caramel. If you liked caramel apple pops as a kid, you need to buy these. The only thing we would change about them is their seasonal status! We want them year-round. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Werther’s
- Creme Savers Strawberries & Creme
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Strawberry Creme Savers have a pronounced fattiness and a ton of sugar. The fat works wonderfully in tandem with the sugar and strawberry flavor to create a delectable, well-balanced candy that tastes like a high-quality strawberry dessert. It’s like strawberry cheesecake in hard candy form. Compared to the iconic looking strawberry bon bon we tried, the strawberry flavor of the Creme Saver was a clear winner. It’s much more pronounced and fruity. This is the move if you like Werther’s, but want fruity flavor. A perfect score for hard candy. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
- Cavendish & Harvey Mixed Fruit Drops
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Cavendish & Harvey make hard candy fruit drops that taste like something straight from an artisan, old-fashioned candy shoppe. Made in Germany, these round, classic hard candy tins have pear, blueberry, lemon, and cherry flavors that stand out for their incredible, fresh, real fruit juice flavor. The cherry is pleasantly sweet and a little tangy—nothing like cough medicine—and the lemon is bright, tart, and balanced, too. But I simply can’t get over the smooth pear and round, ripe, mildly sweet blueberry—flavors that are harder to come by when searching for the best hard candy. I adore them! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Cavendish & Harvey Raspberry & Peach Drops
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Oh, I’m not done raving about Cavendish & Harvey. For some of you, this brand may already be deeply nostalgic. I remember seeing these tins all over my aunt’s house as a kid, but never trying them for myself. After all these years, I can definitely say: YUM! These Raspberry & Peach Drops are even juicier than the fruit mix, with a slightly softer, juicy middle and impeccable freshness. The peach tastes like real, ripe, sweet peach. If you want an authentic, old-school, family-run confectionary experience, try Cavendish & Harvey. They easily make some of the best hard candies I’ve ever tried. My one warning: These juicy drops are pretty big, and probably a choking hazard! Be careful! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Werther’s Original Caramel Hard Candies
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This is the grandfather of all grandfather snacks, and it’s time to show some respect to the name Werther’s Original. This is a smooth, buttery, decadent hard candy you can savor for a long time. It’s a damn treat, and it puts any argument against hard candy to bed. The real miracle of Werther’s? It has a strong caramel and toffee flavor that’s rich in fat (the ingredients list milk and cream), whereas most hard candy doesn’t taste fattening at all. You really feel like you’re indulging in dessert. Fat is king here at Sporked, and Werther’s brings it. Exemplary, iconic, and timeless—Werther’s Original is an OG.
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Walmart
Best Movie Theater
Best Old School
Best Orange Flavor
Best Sugar Rush
Best Nostalgia
Best Spicy
Best Old School
Best Tangy
Best Lemon
Best Seasonal
Best Fruit
Best Mixed Fruit
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Smarties, Life Savers, Acor Strawberry Bon Bons, Warheads, Claeys Old Fashioned Hard Candy, Nice! Fruit Discs Hard Candy, Werther’s Original Caramel Apple Filled Hard Candies
