The Most Popular Easter Candies In America
Easter is all about eggs. No, we're not just talking about the eggs you turn into omelets and frittatas for your Easter brunch. We're talking about the best kind of eggs: candy eggs.
We love an excuse to gorge on chocolate and treats, and Easter is just as good as Halloween, Valentine's Day or Christmas when it comes to getting lots and lots of goodies. But what Easter treats are the most popular in your state?
We turned to job seeking site Zippia's state-by-state data to find out the top snacks for Easter Sunday. Using Google Trends from the two weeks around Easter 2020, they were able to analyze which states searched for certain holiday treats at greater proportions than other states — and you'll probably be surprised by what came out on top. Among the 50 states, these 11 treats — ranked from least to most popular — were the standout favorites.
Sweet Tart Jelly Beans
If you lump all jelly beans together in the same category, then clearly you don't live in Michigan. Michiganders show a specific brand lots of love: Sweet Tart Jelly Beans. These are a little tangy, but folks in the Great Lakes State know that Easter is a time to have some fun.
Kinder Easter Eggs
Owned by Italian company Ferrero and highly popular in Germany, Kinder Easter Eggs are a favorite around the world. In the US, though, no one loves them at Easter like New Yorkers. And they may be onto something — who needs an Easter egg hunt when you have all of those games and toys inside your candy?!
Mini Eggs
If you like your candy crispy and resembling actual bird eggs, Cadbury Mini Eggs are your Easter go-to. That's certainly the case if you're in Wyoming, where residents search for Mini Eggs more than any other state.
White Chocolate Eggs
White chocolate is a favorite of kiddos everywhere. But white chocolate eggs are a particular favorite in three states: Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas.
Cadbury Creme Egg
Meanwhile, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and South Dakota have a more classic chocolate egg on their minds: Cadbury Creme Eggs. These super-fun "yolk" filled sweet eggs are a seasonal treat that's especially popular in the UK — and these four US States.
Starburst Jelly Beans
What's better than your everyday jelly bean? Starburst Jelly Beans! If you know, then you know. And Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee definitely know that these strawberry, cherry, orange, green apple, grape and lemon flavored beans are where it's at.
Jelly Beans
Though you can get real specific when it comes to jelly bean preferences, folks in Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire and West Virginia aren't particular. From those mysteriously flavored beans from Brach's to every flavor under the sun from Jelly Belly, people in these states know a seasonal candy when they spot one.
Chocolate Bunnies
It wouldn't be a "hoppy" Easter without the legendary Easter Bunny. Besides delivering treat-filled baskets, this cheerful rabbit appears in many edible forms: hollow, solid, white chocolate, dark chocolate, sprinkled with crisp rice, filled with peanut butter, with extra long ears, holding candy carrots... Whatever your choice, it's the right one. While these are a staple of Easter baskets across America, they're the top candy in Alabama, Connecticut, Hawaii, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia.
Peeps
You don't need to know how Peeps are made to enjoy these sugarcoated, brightly-colored marshmallow chicks and bunnies. Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Rhode Island all claimed these super adorable yet slightly controversial sweets as their No. 1.
Boiled Eggs
While not a sweet treat, perfectly hard-boiled eggs dyed in pastel shades of blue, pink, green and yellow are an Easter classic — and blew away the sugar competition when it came to Easter search data. This make-ahead breakfast staple-turned-holiday-snack is the favorite in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Now that we know the candies Americans are searching for every Easter, we have to ask: Which Easter candies are actually any good?
Also, we feel snubbed that peanut butter eggs didn't make the list, but luckily we know how to make our own. If you'd like to learn how, then watch our video on copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs (via The Daily Meal's YouTube channel).
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