11 Jell-O Gelatin Flavors, Ranked

Contrary to popular belief, Jell-O is a company, not a specific food. I know what you're thinking — what about those wiggling little cups and squares of deliciousness that come in bright colors? That is called gelatin, and although Jell-O has become synonymous with the food, the two are distinct entities. That being said, Jell-O gelatin can be used to make some amazing desserts, or it can be eaten alone, made according to the simple instructions printed on the box. No matter the plan, there are ample flavors you could choose from — and it can feel overwhelming making a choice. You want the best bang for your buck, after all, and preferably without any failed taste tests along the way.

Thankfully for you, I was given the opportunity to try 11 Jell-O gelatin flavors and rank them from worst to best — so you can skip the flavor failures and get right to the good stuff. To make my determinations, I judged each flavor based on its taste, smell, and visual aesthetics using my personal preferences and food industry experience. You can find a full explanation of my methodology at the end of this article. Let's get into it.

There are several products that make zero sugar or "sugar free" products I really enjoy. And, while Jell-O does excellent with its standard products, it really misses the mark on the zero sugar ones. This flavor was supposed to be black cherry, which typically has a rich cherry flavor with a signature tartness and the faintest earthy undertones. The deep black coloring of the Jell-O gave me hope that it would succeed in this flavor, but, unfortunately, those hopes were quickly dashed.

The smell when mixing was a powdery cherry with an oddly overpowering earthiness that put me off based on the food it emanated from. Once finished and pulled from the refrigerator, the earthiness was toned down and gave way to something much sweeter — this was pleasant and more in line with what I was expecting.

But, the taste was rough. It had faint hints of cherry and a strong tartness combined with an equally strong earthiness. There was a lingering aftertaste of artificial sweeteners and chemicals that was hard to get out of my mouth. I wouldn't purchase this again and can't recommend it.

I wish I could say that the standard black cherry flavor from Jell-O was much better than the zero sugar option. But, honestly, it's only the slightest bit better, and I was left disappointed yet again — and, as a full disclosure, I love black cherry flavored foods and drinks, so this wasn't a bias against the flavor itself. This had the same deep black coloring of the zero sugar variant, but I didn't get my hopes up too high this time  — and I'm glad I didn't.

The smell of this standard option when mixing was a powdery cherry but the overpowering earthiness was almost completely nonexistent. This makes me wonder if that smell didn't come from an artificial sweetener or additive. Once completed and pulled from the fridge, this Jell-O actually smelled really good — like the black cherry it was supposed to.

Unfortunately, the taste was still rough. The cherry was stronger here, with a moderate tartness and a mild earthiness. The aftertaste was lighter and more of a tart cherry than chemicals. This was better than the other variant by a little, but I still wouldn't buy it again and can't recommend it.

I love the taste of fresh peaches, but I've never been fond of artificial peach flavoring. That being said, I was willing to give this flavor a fair chance. And, honestly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be based on smell.

Once I opened the box, a sickly sweet smell of over-ripened fruit greeted me — it was strong enough to make my nose wrinkle in disgust. But, for the sake of this taste test, I pushed forward. The light peachy coloring was much more promising than the smell.

Finished, the smell was a little less rotting fruit and a little more ripe peach — but only barely so. My first taste granted me light notes of fuzzy peach, but those notes quickly faded into an overly sweet taste that lingered in my mouth for an uncomfortably long time. I wanted to like this, but I just couldn't. For that reason, I won't buy it again and can't recommend it.

As a Florida girl, I grew up on oranges and it's one of my favorite tastes. I don't know if it's whatever additives or artificial sweeteners they put into the zero sugar Jell-O options, but this one also didn't live up to my expectations. In fact, I'll just go ahead and say that all of the zero sugar options had a strange artificial, chemical aftertaste and the primary flavor itself was off on every option. That being said, this did have a beautiful translucent orange color that was very aesthetically pleasing.

The smell here, unlike lower ranking options, was mouthwatering. It was a distinct freshly squeezed orange smell that I really wish would have translated to the taste. If it had, this could have easily been a top-ranking product. Instead, it came in eighth place because while the smell was fantastic, the taste was mediocre.

My first bite offered me a strongly artificial orange taste with a chemical aftertaste that lingered in my mouth long after I gagged down the Jell-O. I thought that chemical taste would never leave my taste buds. I didn't enjoy this and can't recommend it, despite having one of the best smells of the flavors on this list.

Here's another Jell-O that I thought would rank better than it did because I'm so fond of the taste it's supposed to have. Raspberry should have a bright berry taste with a distinctly tart afterbite and the tiniest hints of earthiness throughout. But, like many artificial flavors do, this one fell flat. Perhaps Jell-O should have revamped its zero sugar flavors instead of rebranding its look and style. It did have a beautifully accurate coloring that reflected the light nicely every time it jiggled, however.

The smell here was mostly raspberry, with a nice balance of sweet and tart evident in the scent. However, there was a very small underlying chemical smell that disrupted what would have otherwise been a perfect scent. And, the way I feel about the smell is the same way I feel about the taste. It was honestly not terrible and — at first — I would even say it was good. Unfortunately, there was a light lingering chemical taste that ruined the experience for me. Due to this, I wouldn't purchase it again and can't recommend it.

While this ranked somewhere in the middle, it should be noted that if you need a sugar free Jell-O gelatin option, this is your best option. Honestly, I wish they had a standard strawberry option (or at least one at my local store) because it could have definitely been in the running for the top flavor. That being said, this has a beautiful red color that reflects the light nicely — and is anything better than watching the light reflect off jiggling Jell-O before you eat it?

The smell was delicious when mixing, and even better when the gelatin had set — it was a strong, fresh strawberry scent that was only mildly artificial. As the best ranking zero sugar option, the chemical aftertaste is least noticeable here. A nice, fruity flavor that's distinctly strawberry is the primary profile, with only the faintest hints of chemical that lingers in the mouth — and, even better, it's easy to get rid of with a swig of water. However, I wouldn't buy it again for myself, and can only recommend it to those who need a decent zero sugar option.

I'm going to be honest and say that I'm not sure what flavor "berry blue" is supposed to be. My first thought was blueberry (for obvious reasons), but that's not really what this is. Maybe it's a mixed berry since the box shows blueberries and raspberries together? That would better explain the flavor profile, which had a lot of sweet and tart notes that were distinct from one another. Either way, I think this flavor would make a really good, unique Jell-O shot — and, if you want to get it to set perfectly, make sure you use the shot ratio tip of using twice as much boiling water as other ingredients.

That being said, this has the most beautiful blue color — and the aesthetically pleasing appearance of Jell-O is one of my favorite things as someone who "eats with their eyes." The smell was delicious, too, with the same layered notes as the taste. I'd probably buy this again, although it wouldn't be my first pick, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a nice berry flavor.

If you want to level up your lemon Jell-O, consider setting it in a lemon-shaped mold. If you've battled with issues removing Jell-O from a mold, just use a very light coating of cooking spray before pouring it in. This lemon Jell-O has a beautiful yellow coloring that's very translucent and light-catching, with a bright citrusy smell that made my mouth water and raised my hopes about the taste significantly. Thankfully, this taste test didn't let me down like lower-ranking options, but instead, offered me a taste embodied by that delicious smell.

My first bite was bright and citrusy, with a light sour punch and an underlying sweetness reminiscent of freshly squeezed lemonade. There was no lingering aftertaste, which I found refreshing after some of the other Jell-O taste tests. I think this and the lime gelatin would be delicious if layered together and offer a bright summer taste. I'll buy this again and recommend it to all lemon enthusiasts.

Raspberry on its own is even better than when combined with blueberries (and potentially other berries) in the berry blue flavor. Although I will say that, while the reddish color of this is very aesthetically pleasing, the blue is much prettier. On a side note, did you know that Jell-O had some truly wild flavors in the past? I'm glad flavors like seasoned tomato and celery weren't things I needed to try for this taste test because the idea is gag-worthy.

That being said, the smell of the raspberry powder was bright and very tart, and this mostly translated to the taste. However, the finished product tasted a little sweeter than the smell indicated it would be, which I honestly really enjoyed. This is excellent on its own, but I think it would be especially good in a gelatin mold layered with the cherry and berry blue flavors — plus, it would look really nice. I would definitely buy this again and highly recommend it.

Cherry Jell-O is a classic flavor that imparts a sense of nostalgia to many who grew up eating this on hot summer days. Was there anything better growing up than eating cherry gelatin in the backyard because you were too wet to come inside after playing in the sprinklers? And, I'm happy to report the nostalgic deliciousness has withstood the test of time. The only reason cherry Jell-O didn't come in first place was personal preferences, and it's very closely matched with my top ranking flavor.

The smell is distinctively cherry, with intermingling sweet and tart notes. While the smell was more tart, the taste was more sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. And, the coloring is a gorgeous deep red that's less translucent than other colors yet still manages to catch some light. I'll definitely be buying this again and highly suggest you grab a packet to relive some childhood memories.

This would be an excellent option for making Irish Jell-O shots — and the vivid green coloring is ideal for St. Patrick's Day. Or, you could consider setting this lime gelatin in orange peels rather than cups, for adorable (and easy to eat) orange slice Jell-O shots.

I already knew I was a fan of lime flavoring generally, but I didn't know how it would stack up when compared side by side with all the other flavors. But when I smelled the fresh, tangy citrus upon first opening the box, I had the highest hopes this would rank well — and when that smell translated to the taste, the first spot was secured. I will definitely be buying this flavor again and highly recommend you try it so you can see for yourself why it took the top spot in this ranking.

I chose Jell-O gelatin flavors for inclusion in this ranking based on their availability at my local Shoprite in Vineland, New Jersey, and I judged each flavor based on its taste, smell, and visual aesthetics. Every product was created exactly per the instructions printed on the boxes — this involved dissolving the gelatin in 1 cup of hot water before stirring in 1 cup of cold water and refrigerating a minimum of four hours. For my purposes, I left the gelatin in the fridge overnight.

I relied primarily on personal preference when choosing the best (and worst) Jell-O gelatin flavors. However, I also used my more than fifteen years of food industry experience and several decades of consuming Jell-O products to help make my decisions. To negate personal biases somewhat, I also took into consideration the opinion of my partner and children when two Jell-O gelatins were closely matched.