Every Little Debbie Snack, Ranked Worst To Best
Whether you're a diehard Cosmic Brownie fan or lover of Zebra cakes, Little Debbie is a brand you've probably seen time and time again on many grocery store shelves. While finding a box of your favorite treats can prove to be an elusive hunt (prompting a 2017 rumor the company was going out of business), rest assured they aren't going anywhere. Since its humble origins in 1933 by founder O.K McKee delivering pastries in his car, the brand has been going strong for over 63 years. The face of this iconic line of treats is no fictional character either –– "Little Debbie" is actually Deborah McKee-Fowler, the granddaughter of the founder and the current Executive Vice President.
Even though the number of snacks has evolved over the years to include 75 different treats, but which ones are worth hunting down with the brand's store locator, and which are a hard pass? This guide is here to be your Little Debbie source of truth, straight from a Little Debbie superfan. Let's start with the worst items and work our way up to the top-tier snacks.
35. Chocolate Chip Creme Pies
Good idea, flawed execution is the best way to describe this product.–The Chocolate Chip Creme Pie is comprised of two cookies sandwiching a creme center, which is pretty standard for Little Debbie creme pies. But where did it go wrong? Key word: Flavor. The consensus amongst reviewers, including this TikTok review and Good Mythical Morning roundup, call it "soft batch Chips Ahoy" with an "artificial taste." In another review on the YouTube show Ladies and Lattes, the hosts echoed these sentiments, stating that this creme pie "tastes artificial." For those that cherish the sacred experience that is warm chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk, this may not be the Little Debbie treat for you.
34. Unicorn Cakes
You might get serious side eye if you're reaching for Unicorn Cakes at the grocery store. Unicorn Cakes were brought to market in 2020 after the 2019 unicorn craze and sport unnaturally bright colors. Unfortunately, this concoction of pink strawberry cake, purple creme, blue icing, and purple sprinkles may not be as magical as it visually seems. While this product is geared towards kids and unicorn fans, it's a complete sugar bomb packed with artificial flavoring. In a review by YouTuber Bri Gai, the Unicorn Cake "gives Zebra Cake vibes with a strawberry taste" with the aftertaste being a bit "bitter." Points for creativity, Little Debbie, but this may not be worth the stomachache.
33. Cherry Pie
Sometimes you're just craving a slice of cherry pie, but that's not always readily available. The convenience of Little Debbie's pies lets you get a slice of the action, but in this case, you may say, "no thanks" to one. The gelatinous "cherry" filling is fire-engine red thanks to the generous amount of food coloring. It does use cherries, but it's supplemented with artificial flavoring and sugar (16 grams per serving, to be exact) to help boost the taste of the fruit. The pastry "crust" is soft and covered with glaze to balance out the tartness of the cherries, but this dessert is more sweet than sour, and, ultimately, a pass.
32. Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Peanut butter, chocolate, crunchy cookie –– what could go wrong? As it turns out, a lot. Whereas Little Debbie's other peanut butter products like Nutty Buddy and Peanut Butter Pie are superstars, the Peanut Butter Crunch Bar doesn't even come close. It's not quite as lightweight or with a crunchy texture as a Nutty Buddy, or as soft as the Peanut Butter Pie. As this TikTok review points out, the texture is pretty dry, with the cookie crumbling into sand as its broken apart and the peanut butter looking shriveled inside. If you still are a chocolate and peanut butter lover and willing to try it out, by all means go for it. If you're on the fence, you're probably not missing much.
31. Banana Marshmallow Pies
At first glance, this treat may strike some consumers as a Moon Pie wannabe, down to the artificial yellow coloring and banana flavoring. People either go crazy for them or hate them with a vengeance. While it uses natural flavors to achieve a strong banana taste, the yellow glaze most definitely is not naturally-made. Candidly, if you're eating any Little Debbie product chances are artificial flavors and colors do not bother you, but the highlighter yellow can be a bit off-putting. In a taste test done by YouTuber Megan McCullough, she describes the taste and texture as, "dry banana crackers" that "smell like banana Laffy Taffy." Sorry, but hard pass.
30. Easter Basket Cakes
These cakes are another seasonal item that make their rounds during the spring. The yellow Easter Basket is a repackaged version of both Fancy Cakes and Zebra cakes. There's also a chocolate version, but it tastes pretty artificial as far as chocolate goes. The aftertaste of both is pretty strong, with the flavors very much presenting as artificial chocolate and cheap vanilla imitation extract. These products are pretty identical to other top performers, just with pastel sprinkles and bright packaging. If you need a spring-themed sugar fix, there's no arguing that the Easter Baskets were made for this very purpose.
29. Jelly Creme Pie
Just like you would imagine how a jelly donut meets Boston cream would taste, the Jelly Creme Pie is two soft vanilla cookies with a creme-jelly center, enrobed in chocolate. The combination of jelly and creme isn't great, but it isn't bad either. Like other fruit-focused Little Debbie products, the jelly creme pie contains a strong artificial strawberry jelly that's more goopy than anything else. A more surefire approach Little Debbie could've taken is opting for one filling component over the other, but regardless, that's feedback for future iterations of this product. A deep dive of Influenster reviews show a barrage of comments that applaud the nostalgia this treat gives them, while others hate on the "fake, not very fresh" flavor (via Influenster).
28. Chocolate Cupcakes
Let's take a deep dive on Chocolate Cupcakes. You'll notice that Little Debbie's version is eerily similar to that of the Hostess and Tastykake chocolate cupcakes, down to the swirly white icing pattern running straight down the middle of all three. Since these brands are market competitors, each brand produces their own rendition of the other brands' bestsellers. When it comes to Little Debbie's version, it's pretty neck-and-neck with the competition in terms of the product. In a head-to-head showdown by YouTuber FoodFights, Little Debbie had a more moist cake and better icing than Hostess, but was lacking in chocolate flavor. Overall, the Chocolate Cupcakes are a nice to have, but not a need.
27. Fancy Cakes
We're not sure what puts the "fancy" in Fancy Cakes, but it's the closest thing you can get to a slice of wedding cake readily available at the grocery store. Looks-wise, it's pretty identical to the Devil Squares, from its shape to its swirled drizzle. The only difference is, it uses white cake and icing as opposed to chocolate. There isn't too much that sets this cake apart from the Little Debbie crew, as it is a basic recipe that will no doubt send a sugar shock to the system. The cake isn't dry, and the creme center layer adds some nice texture.
26. Mini Apple Fruit Pies
Little Debbie's Mini Apple Fruit Pies are here to give McDonald's Apple Pie a run for its money. These square hand pies have a generous glaze and docking-like crust, almost resembling what your grandma does with a fork to seal up pies and pastries. Inside, it's chock-full of a filling containing apple pieces and cinnamon. When Little Debbie comes to mind, you probably don't think immediately of pie, but the brand's Mini Apple Fruit Pies is actually pretty decent. As Collin and Michael explain on their YouTube channel, these pies are pretty on par with the McDonald's version, but could use some more apple pie filling to really up the ante.
25. Devil Cremes
Another Devil's food cake rendition, the Devil Cremes have been on the scene since 1988. These soft chocolate cake sandwiches have a center creme layer, and almost aim to be a more pillowy version of the squares. It's a complete toss up if they achieve that light-as-air consistency, though. As YouTube channel Snack bandits hosts E and D point out, while Devil Cremes have good "creamy" chocolate flavor, they can have a "dry taste" to them. They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that most definitely applies to Devil Cremes. Regardless, whether you're Team Devil Cremes or Team Devil Squares, Little Debbie makes sure you have options either way.
24. Mini Muffins
Little Debbie offers five miniature muffin flavors, with some paying homage to some of their other products: Honey Bun, Strawberry Shortcake, Birthday Cake, Chocolate Chip, Blueberry, and even Mini Brownies. The thread that ties these unique flavors back to their Little Debbie predecessors is exactly what sets them apart from the competition. Sounds like a solid choice right? Wrong. In a taste test review by Jason Mazurek of Little Debbie's mini muffins versus other top brands, the mini muffins flopped when it came to taste and visual appeal. They have so much potential to be a superstar product, but just isn't quite there yet.
23. Fig Bars
While the "fruit" in some of the Little Debbie treats may be just a smidge suspect, that's not the case with the Fig Bars. Using figs grown in California's San Joaquin Valley, per the product's packaging, this snack is pretty comparable to Keebler's Fig Newton. The bar is made up of soft cookie dough that envelops a thick fig paste. If you love figs, this is probably the best pick-me-up you could ask for from Little Debbie. On the other hand, if you aren't a fan of the fruit or its microscopic seeds getting in your teeth, feel free to skip this one. It's definitely more of an acquired taste.
22. Snickerdoodle Creme Pie
One of the brand's more recent additions, Snickerdoodle Creme Pies came on the scene in July of last year. If you're familiar with Snickerdoodle cookies, you know all about how it's a delicious vanilla cookie encrusted with cinnamon sugar. Little Debbie aims to capture that experience with the Snickerdoodle Creme Pie, but takes a different approach with their cookie. Instead of cinnamon sugar sprinkled all over, this chewy cookies use cinnamon morsels. The choice to use morsels over a more distributed dusting of cinnamon sugar is where these creme pies fall a bit short in the flavor department. There's no doubt it's yummy, with its soft cookie and creme combination, but just a bit more cinnamon sugar would make it stellar.
21. Raisin Creme Pie
Not quite a whoopie pie, and not quite a cookie with fruit, the Raisin Creme Pies are more of an acquired taste. Even Little Debbie admits that these treats appeal to "the enlightened few," per a 2019 rankings release. During a rapid fire taste test on Good Mythical morning, this treat was both a hit and a miss with the show hosts, with one host, Rhett, taking a liking to it with nostalgic memories, and the other, Link, giving it a much lower score. Perhaps it's more of a dark horse, pushing to win over the masses by surprise and flying under the radar. Or maybe it's just one of Little Debbie's more lackluster treats. The decision on which camp it falls into is up to you.
20. Mini Donuts
Sometimes a bag of mini donuts just hits the spot. Just like the Mini Muffins, some of Little Debbie's Mini Donuts have a similar resemblance to some of its other famous products, particularly the Fudge Round, Strawberry Shortcake, and Zebra Cakes. You can also opt for classics like Chocolate Frosted, Glazed, and Powered Mini Donuts when you need a treat or something to accompany your coffee. All of these are bite-sized cake donuts, so if you're looking for a more light and yeasty donut, you may just need to go visit a donut shop. These are still great options for when you have a hankering for a sweet treat, and eating a whole bag is easier than you'd think.
19. Glazed Donut Sticks
Glazed Donut Sticks were made to help you sweeten up your morning, with a rectangular "stick" shape that you can seamlessly dunk into your coffee or milk. These are cake donuts, so they won't have as lightweight of a taste or feel that you would expect with a yeast donut. Compared to the rest of Little Debbie's product lineup, these glazed donut sticks are pretty basic –– but there is beauty in its simplicity. One Amazon reviewer sums it up perfectly, saying "Old fashioned donut. Flaky sugar covered deliciousness" (via Amazon). Honestly, what more could you ask for from a donut?
18. Turtle Brownies
One of the most decadent desserts in the Little Debbie triage, Turtle Brownies are melt-in-your mouth deliciousness. Little Debbie goes through extra trouble to pan bake each one, so that it maintains that perfect brownie consistency you get with every edge piece in the pan — a well-done exterior, with a gooey inside (via Little Debbie). For a melding of these flavors and textures, each brownie is topped with salted caramel and peanuts. The peanuts could pack more of a punch though, as food reviewer Sean Skillet points out, "The peanuts are pretty much a non-factor as far as the flavor is concerned. They add a touch of crunch but are so small that they can't do much to cut through the luscious layers of chocolate and caramel. For a true turtle experience the nuts should be replaced with pecans." Even still, the Turtle Brownie is an all around solid choice.
17. Be My Valentine Cakes
As stated on Twitter, your valentine "doesn't want flowers for Valentine's Day. They want Little Debbie snack cakes!" This particularly applies to the Be My Valentine cakes, which come in chocolate, white, and strawberry cake flavors. It doesn't matter if you bundle them into a bouquet like the brand recommends, or just hand them out as a small token of your affection –– these heart-shaped snacks are hard to beat. The icing swirl differs slightly with each flavor, with strawberry having a white icing coating and strawberry drizzle; white cake with light pink icing and white drizzle; and, chocolate icing with chocolate drizzle. There's no going wrong with any of the flavors, as they all are simply lovely, just like the holiday.
16. Frosted Fudge Cakes
Fudge Rounds, Fudge Round Mini Donuts, Frosted Fudge Cakes –– Little Debbie is really checking off all the boxes. If you often are reminiscing about getting fudge at candy shops growing up or go hard with fudge drizzle when you get ice cream, this is the cake for you. Instead of a more hexagonal or square shape that you'd see with the Devil Squares or brownies, Frosted Fudge Cakes are lengthy chocolate cakes with a middle fudge layer topped with even more fudge icing. For even more fun, you can make these into a cool treat by putting them on a popsicle stick (a grill skewer will also do, just be careful) and freezing them, which makes total sense given their elongated shape.
15. Strawberry Shortcake Rolls
There's the Strawberry Shortcake cartoon character, and then there's the Strawberry Shortcake Rolls from Little Debbie. As it would turn out, they are connected, with the character often appearing on the front of the box and bringing back nostalgic childhood memories (via Strawberry Shortcake.) As soon as you bite into the roll, it oozes layers of vanilla creme and unnaturally red strawberry filling. Hate to break it to you, but that strawberry is not real. If you can look past the bright red gel it's a surefire treat for your taste buds. The moist sponge cake, vanilla creme, and bottom icing layer balance out well with the strawberry layers. Note that this is a very sweet treat, so don't eat too many all in one sitting.
14. Zebra Cake Rolls
Swiss rolls, Zebra Cake style: the Zebra Cake Rolls are a hybrid of the flavors and designs of these beloved cakes. And for fans of both of these items, Zebra Cake Rolls are sure to be a hit. Rolled up just like Swiss Cakes, these treats have sweet yellow cake and ooze creme. Just like their Zebra Cake counterpart, they also have the signature white icing and fudge drizzle that create a nice mouthfeel as you bite into it. Zebra Cake Rolls came onto the scene in 2016 as a revamp of the crowd-favorite Zebra Cakes, which were introduced back in 1967. No matter if you opt for cake or rolls, both are sure to please your sweet tooth.
13. Devil Squares
Devil's Food Cake is everything you could want from chocolate cake, from its rich flavor to ultra-moist density. Devil Squares try and capture that experience in bite-sized form, and are vastly underrated. Whereas other Little Debbie chocolate products can have an artificial flavor, that is not the case with these cakes, as its strong chocolate flavor powers through. The chocolate flavor from the cake is underscored with its fudge icing, with a creamy vanilla center layer. With a plethora of positive reviews, this one just sums it up so nicely: "These devil squares are devilishly delicious. It's nice to be naughty when you sink your teeth into the dark chocolate cake and white creme filling. Sinfully sweet and titillatingly tasty, these calamitous cakes will possess your soul and have you howling for them at all hours of the night." (via Amazon).
12. Honey Buns
Another Little Debbie staple, Honey Buns are pretty reminiscent of a yeast, glazed donut with a coiled shape, nice honey-forward glaze, and swirls of cinnamon. They have a pretty light texture, so it's easy to pound a few in one sitting. These go well with some morning coffee, even if it's still not quite a hot Krispy Kreme donut. In data-driven taste test performed by Varyer, Honey Bun only scored a 4 out of 10 for flavor, with one person noting that it had an "off-putting smell" to it (via Varyer). Despite this, it continues to be a recognizable favorite for many.
11. Birthday Cakes
It doesn't have to be your birthday in order to eat birthday cake. But if buying a whole birthday cake for yourself seems like overkill (but never any judgement if it's just what you need), Little Debbie has just the product for you. The Birthday Cakes give you the distinguishable birthday cake flavor, just in smaller snack-sizes portions. While on the sweeter side, Little Debbie nails the iconic birthday cake flavor to a tee: vanilla cake with rainbow confetti sprinkles, a soft creme core, white icing exterior, and more rainbow sprinkles as a garnish. No need to light the candles and start singing; just pop open a box anytime.
10. Star Crunch Cosmic Snacks
Star Crunch Cosmic Snacks have some buyers scratching their heads on the meaning behind its name. At first glance it's not clear what's so intergalactic about them, but as it would turn out they were launched to honor the first moon landing in 1969 with the original name of Moon Crunch Snacks. Since then, these cookies have been a mainstay for the brand thanks to their out of this world flavor. This cookie is topped with crisped rice cereal, all held together with caramel and drenched in chocolate. Just as you would imagine, the texture is crunchy and chewy simultaneously, thanks to the crisped rice and caramel components. Altogether it's a very appealing, simple combination with a NASA-worthy backstory.
9. Swiss Rolls
Little Debbie pulled the inspiration for Swiss Rolls when founder O.D. McKee was traveling across Europe and came across roulade pastries, and noticed competitors were making similar products (per BabbleTop). This chocolate cake is rolled up with vanilla icing into a log formation. It's nearly identical to Ho-Ho's and Drake's Cake's Yodels, which plot twist, is also owned by McKee Foods. While the blueprint of this cake seems pretty straightforward, people still go nuts for them since they are one of Little Debbie's top sellers (via McKee Foods). Love them or hate them, Swiss Rolls have been going strong since 1962 and won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
8. Fudge Rounds
Chocolate lovers, rejoice. Fudge Rounds are two soft chocolate cookies with a fudge creme core and drizzle, offering a luscious fudge flavor and chewy texture. This treat offers the same consistency as the other creme pies Little Debbie offers, with a chocolate on chocolate approach from the soft cookies to the gooey center. Fudge Rounds also ups the ante with an upgraded version called the Double Decker Fudge Round, which takes two Fudge Rounds and stacks them up. But who do we have to thank for coming up with this ingenious treat? None other than Cliff Dildy, a McKee Foods employee who helped introduce Fudge Rounds to the world in 1975.
7. Cosmic Brownies
A childhood classic for many, your day was instantly made when you got your hands on one of these. It's hard not to recognize this fudge brownie, adorned with rainbow chocolate chips and fudge icing. It has a pretty dense, moist texture, with a nice crunch from the candy coating of the rainbow chocolate chips. While it arguably has a pretty artificial chocolate taste (as is the case with many of Little Debbie's chocolate-centered products), that hasn't stopped it from being another one of the brand's bestsellers. It's inspired many spin-off products, like the Cosmic Brownie ice cream and Cosmic Brownie cereal, which was created in collaboration with Kelloggs.
6. Gingerbread Cookies
Little Debbie's Christmas-themed Gingerbread Cookies have traditionally made their yearly appearance around the holidays, but Little Debbie is here to bring good tidings for gingerbread lovers — these cookies are no longer seasonal. Little Debbie recently announced on social media that their beloved gingerbread cookies would start being available year-round. While the year-round cookies don't appear to have the red and green sprinkles that appear on the holiday edition, many would probably agree that it's fine in order to have these delicious, chewy delights available all 365 days of the year. So if you're in the mood for Christmas in July or feeling festive, these gingerbread cookies are officially here for you.
5. Zebra Cakes
In all honestly, there's no magical ingredient that sets the Zebra Cake apart from the rest of the vanilla cakes that Little Debbie offers. Or maybe, that's exactly what makes it special. Moist yellow cake with a vanilla creme center is drenched in a white icing that has nice bite to it. Its chocolate drizzle creates the iconic "stripes" that so many know and love. As one user points out in this Reddit thread, it really is the same vanilla cake "in a different shape" that can be adorned with a plethora of Little Debbie options. Even still, there's nothing quite as appealing as the Zebra Cake.
4. Peanut Butter Creme Pies
If there's one product that seems to fly under the radar but needs to be at the top of the Little Debbie products to try, it's the Peanut Butter Creme Pie. Ever heard of it before? If not, don't feel bad. This creme pie is constructed like how you'd expect with the other cookie creme pies, with two "homestyle" soft peanut butter cookies with generous peanut butter creme filling. On the hit YouTube show Good Mythical Morning, hosts Rhett and Link were bamboozled upon hearing that this product existed, but in the taste test it was dubbed, "like a giant Nutter Butter [cookie]." It didn't just earn high score of 181, but was the winner overall of all Little Debbie products tested.
3. Nutty Buddy
Formerly known as "Nutty Bars" It's no surprise that the Nutty Buddy is one of Little Debbie's bestsellers year after year. When you think of these thin cookies, think Reese's Peanut Butter Cups had a baby with wafers. These cookies are pretty lightweight, but they don't skimp on the peanut butter between airy wafer layers or the milk chocolate coating. The sweetness is pretty even keeled too, which makes for a dangerous scenario of eating the whole box in one go. On Influenster, Nutty Bars have amassed a 4.7 out of 5 stars with 524 product ratings. Of these ratings, many applaud not only the peanut butter flavor but their affordable price point. Around the holidays you'll be able to find the holiday North Pole Nutty Buddy, which is just white fudge instead of chocolate with red striping to make it look like a candy cane.
2. Christmas Tree Cakes
The Christmas Tree Cakes are seasonal and only available in stores during the holiday season. Available in both chocolate and vanilla cake options, there is no going wrong with either. Both include decadent, moist cakes with a thin layer of frosting within. Their shape is pretty distinguishable too, since they are shaped like a Christmas tree. Each cake comes decked with a red drizzle to symbolize garland, and green sprinkles serving as ornaments. If seeing these "happy little trees" (as what Bob Ross on PBS would say), doesn't get you excited there may be some serious soul-searching needed to eliminate that Scrooge energy. While these cakes are pretty sweet, it doesn't stop you from slamming the whole box in one go.
1. Oatmeal Creme Pies
Little Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies are truly the creme de le creme of all of their products. On one Ranker poll alone, this treat holds the crown with 1,292 votes. It is even top-tier according to Little Debbie, with one 2019 Twitter post revealing the brand's own ranking of their products. And it's not surprising that they are fan favorites, with their soft texture, generous creme filling, and the perfect amount of sweetness thanks to molasses and whole grain oats. Since their launch in 1960 when Little Debbie was debuted from McKee brands, this treat truly is the original that put the brand on the scene.