The 23 Best Trader Joe's Candies, Ranked

It was tricky to determine which Trader Joe's candy we tasted was the worst, and to do so we had to balance expectations with results. These fruity licorice bites end up dead last because they were the most disappointing. 

Trader Joe's Trio of Soft Licorice Twists features three flavors: raspberry, mango, and green apple. For starters, all of these flavors are odd choices. The Green Apple bites were the most tasty, due to that sour edge. The raspberry and mango flavors did little to live up to their namesake.

What truly sinks this treat is the texture of the licorice. Even compared to Trader Joe's black licorice, these twists were dry and hard. The soft and chewy texture you would expect from licorice was absent here, therefore they wind up in the last spot. 

Let's start this off by saying that if black licorice is your thing, Trader Joe's makes a decent one. The texture is certainly closer to what a good licorice should be than the fruity trio option led us to believe. It still doesn't hold a candle to Wiley Wallaby's licorice, or other similar gourmet brands, but the Trader Joe's variety is fine. 

The problem is that black licorice is a candy that only appeals to a small portion of the population. We can't say we know many folks who go straight for the licorice when their sweet tooth starts aching. This is all to say, we just didn't find that this tasted very good. If you like that bitter, medicinal flavor, though, more power to you.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are a thing of legend. But the grocery chain also offers alternative nut butter fillings that offer various health benefits. The blandest one of these is Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups. According to Nutrionix, this treat is lower in total fat and sodium contents compared to the beloved Trader Joe's peanut butter cups. 

Calories-wise, though, these end up in a similar ballpark, which makes the disappointing flavor of the sunflower seed butter a true shame. The dark chocolate in these cups tastes good, but the sunflower seed butter truly lacks that salty element to contrast with that cocoa bitterness. We could even taste bits of sea salt added in to try and enhance that salty element of the snack, but it wasn't enough to bring the flavors into balance.

This might win the prize for most adorable packaging, but overall we found this take on the traditional gummy bear to be ill-advised. Traditionally a perfectly fine candy, Trader Joe's shrinks the gummy bears down to an adorable size that ultimately gives the snack a weird texture. Something about shoveling a handful of four or five bears into your mouth is odd and unsatisfying. 

The flavors of these organic gummies are all pretty fruity and good. The problem is you get a mixture of a bunch at a time since these candies are so small. Eating one of these bears by itself is unsatisfying, but eating a whole handful muddles the flavor. 

As established, spicy candy is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. But we have to admit that the Cinna-Dragons sold at Trader Joe's are a good option for what they are — even if we never want to eat them again. 

While Hot Tamales might come to mind, these cinnamon-flavored red gummies are most comparable to Cinnamon Bears in terms of texture and flavor. There is a solid balance between the cinnamon spice and the sweetness of the gummy candy. This is a treat for a niche craving, but when it comes to cinnamon candy you can do a whole lot worse than Trader Joe's Cinna-Dragons.

These ring-like candies are an old-fashioned gummy. With a white gummy base, these turtles are colorful and fruity on top, making them one of the cutest treats on the list. If only they tasted as good as they looked. 

Trader Joe's Tangy Turtles deliver on being both sweet and tart, but they are also remarkably chewy. The sweetness overwhelms the tartness and if we are being completely honest guessing the flavors of the different colors of turtles was a futile task. 

This isn't to say this candy is bad. These are decent gummy candies, but you can find better. Even at Trader Joe's.

These beach-themed treats are hitting TJ's shelves just in time for summer. Falling somewhere between fruit snacks and the gummy candies of yore, the Trader Joe's Beach Day Gummies are tasty and tropical. 

These gummies come in easily identifiable beach shapes like sunglasses and palm trees. The flavors are less immediately recognizable, although one definitely stood out as watermelon, which was a refreshing change of pace. If anything, the flavors of these candies are a lot less muddled than the Tangy Turtles or Trader Joe's jelly bean varieties. Overall, we found these to be pretty crave-able, even if the texture might be too close to childhood fruit snacks for some to consider as a legitimate candy option.

Here's another one that isn't going to be for everything. But for what it is, Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Coffee Buzz bars are an excellent combination of coffee and chocolate. Plus, with 70mg of caffeine per bar, these chocolates do pack a significant punch. For context, according to the USDA, one 1.5-ounce shot of espresso has around 90 milligrams of caffeine, making one bar of this chocolate almost comparable to your morning coffee. 

In terms of flavor, these bars obviously have the downside of being pretty bitter, given that both dark chocolate and coffee are naturally bitter. However, we were impressed by the richness of the coffee flavor and felt like there was just enough sweetness in the Coffee Buzz bar to make it all work. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, these caffeinated chocolate bars are a great option.

While these chocolate grahams don't look as pretty as the packaging suggests, they taste as good as you might hope. If you are still thinking of picking up the S'mores Clusters, check out these wonders instead. Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Honey Grahams are a rich, sweet (and salty) little treat. 

The salt might not be as visible on the outside, but after trying one of these Grahams it was clear that element was present. The salt is balanced quite nicely against the chocolate and graham cracker flavors. It all works together to create an insanely crave-able dessert that will leave you reaching into the bag for just one more.

If you haven't cheated and just skipped ahead you know how much we love Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups. These Dark Chocolate Almond Butter cups offer a delicious alternative that has a slightly different flavor profile.

While these candies are only marginally more healthy than the peanut butter variety, they are pretty much just as tasty. The almond butter brings more of a natural sweetness to the salty interior of the candy. Additionally, the creamier almond butter makes for a textural difference that makes the cups fall apart more easily. We can't say that's a major downside, though, since we loved this almost as much as the original. 

These candies are old and reliable and come in a variety of different packages, depending on just how big of a stockpile of Peanut Butter Cups you need. We will just be straight up and say it: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups rival Reese's. These candies are among the best in the whole store. 

For starters, the high-quality dark chocolate goes a long way to give these an edge over your standard Reese's cup. Now, take into account that the peanut butter to chocolate ratio in these small cups is nearly perfect and you've got yourself a quick and easy dessert or late-night snack. Just do yourself a favor and don't eat them all in one sitting.

These Cocoa Truffles might just be Trader Joe's best-kept secret. The only negative that we can possibly conjure is that eating more than one of these in a sitting might feel too indulgent for some less committed chocolate fans. But at 180 calories in a four-piece serving, that's only 45 calories per truffle which isn't the worst ... relatively speaking. 

These lightly dusted truffles will get a bit of melty chocolate on your fingertips, but it is worth it to experience the melt happening in your mouth. The truffles are creamy as can be, and the flavor is outrageous. The chocolate shines but is complemented by a really pronounced saltiness. Of all the Trader Joe's candies that we tried, these are the ones we are still going back to every day.