These Are The Most Popular Jelly Bean Flavors In America
Jelly beans are an Easter staple perfect for filling the inside of a plastic egg or to pick out of the fake grass at the bottom of the basket. They look adorable next to those chocolate bunnies or even scattered next to beautifully dyed hard-boiled eggs. Americans love jelly beans, but some flavors are more popular than others.
Looking at more than 12 years of candy sales data and more than 10,000 survey responses, Candystore.com mapped out jelly bean preferences and came up with the top flavors across the country.
#21 Banana
Great for bread, pudding, cake and even splits, what can't this flavor do? Banana is a classic dessert flavor and the banana-flavored candy cracked the list this year.
#20 Red apple
There are tons of apple varieties and they are all good for different uses. However, red apple didn't fare as well as its tart brother, green apple, which ranks much higher as a jelly bean flavor. The sweeter variety still manages to rank among the nation's favorite jelly beans, though.
#19 Chocolate
With so many chocolate candy delights available from the best shops on Easter, it makes sense that jelly beans would also try to get in on the chocolate action. In Illinois, it is even the top jelly bean flavor.
#18 Grape
Grapes may not be in season until the fall, but the classic jelly bean flavor still cracked the top 20 for this spring holiday. It fell one spot from its No. 17 rank last year, though.
#17 Bubblegum
When was the last time you chewed some bubblegum? A childhood favorite, bubblegum is another flavor that saw a drop this year. It fell from its No. 16 ranking last year.
#16 Coffee
There are plenty of ways to enjoy coffee, and it seems the jelly bean format is one that Americans can get on board with. It even claimed the No. 1 flavor spot in Nevada and Oklahoma.
#15 Blueberry
Blueberries are fantastic for your heart but also make for a pretty popular jelly bean flavor. According to Candystore.com, the flavor was specifically invented to make the patriotic color scheme of red, white and blue, but it is a crowd-pleaser all on its own. It is even the most popular flavor in Indiana and Rhode Island.
#14 Coconut
Close your eyes, pop a coconut jelly bean and pretend you are on a tropical beach instead of in the middle of a park doing an egg hunt. Coconut has actually seen a dip in popularity, falling from a top 10 flavor last year. However, it's still the favorite in Massachusetts.
#13 Sour
People love puckering up. Sour-flavored jelly beans moved from No. 18 in 2019 to No. 13 this year. They also claimed the top spot in New York and Nebraska. Is this the start of a food trend?
#12 Green apple
Beyond making the perfect filling for an iconic pie flavor, green apple is a hit among jelly bean fans as well. Mississippi thinks green apple jelly beans are No. 1, but green apple has fallen out of favor with the rest of the country. In 2018 it was a top 10 flavor, coming in at No. 8. In 2019, it just sneaked into the top 10 but now it's down to 12. Hang in there, green apple.
#11 Cotton candy
A classic fair food, cotton candy jelly beans came in No. 1 in Alaska.
#10 Root beer
Maine's new favorite flavor, root beer jumped two spots to make the top 10 this year. This soda-inspired bean has been on the rise for the past two years.
#9 Orange
Citrus is refreshing and bright. It reminds people of sunshine, so it makes sense that it would be a popular flavor as the flowers bloom and temperatures warm. It's basically a great way to make the most of spring weather. Orange is also a classic jelly bean flavor that is the favorite flavor in Idaho, but oddly enough not in Florida, where oranges are one of the official state foods.
#8 Strawberry
The strawberry is a produce that is freshest in the spring, and it's also known for being a crowd-pleasing candy flavor. It's the most popular jelly bean flavor in Louisiana and South Dakota.
#7 Watermelon
Sitting by the pool with a piece of watermelon in hand, you know summer has arrived. Perhaps that's why this is such a popular jelly bean flavor — it gives people a hint of summer before the big show. New Hampshire, Oregon and Wisconsin all think that watermelon is the top taste, but those glowing reviews weren't enough to catapult the fruity flavor into the top five this year. In fact, it fell two spots since last year.
#6 Toasted marshmallow
You don't have to be at a beautiful campsite to enjoy the taste of toasted marshmallow. You just need a bag of jelly beans. And while the flavor is firmly in the top 10, it's not the top flavor in any particular state. Pop a root beer-flavored jelly bean and a toasted marshmallow jelly bean in your mouth for the taste of a delicious retro dessert: a rootbeer float.
#5 Juicy pear
Nothing really beats a fresh, in-season juicy pear. And while this is not a classic jelly bean flavor, Candystore.com is referring to it as a "new classic." This seems to be a secret West Coasters know, as it's the No. 1 flavor in Washington and Wyoming. It also tops the lists in Alabama, Florida and Vermont.
#4 Cherry
Perfect on top of a sundae or as a handful of jelly beans, cherry is an ultimate flavor. According to Candystore.com, cherry reigned supreme in the rankings for more than 20 years but has now fallen out of the top three. It is still the favorite flavor in six states and Washington, D.C., though.
#3 Black licorice
A polarizing flavor and one destined to cause a food debate, black licorice used to hold the No. 1 spot but has held steady at No. 3 the past three years. Black licorice has claimed the top spot in six states.
#2 Buttered popcorn
Buttered popcorn was 2019's champion, but it slipped to No. 2 this year. This salty snack food makes for a savory jelly bean flavor. It's the No. 1 flavor in seven states.
#1 Cinnamon
Cinnamon jelly beans had their eyes on the prize for a while, and they have finally claimed the top spot. Nine states had cinnamon as their No. 1 flavor. According to Candystore.com, sour candy, spicy candy and savory candy are all becoming more popular, and the top three jelly beans reflect that. Not a single sweet or fruity flavor claimed gold, silver or bronze in 2020. And while jelly beans are an important part of many people's Easter traditions, one can not live on candy alone. As you plan your Easter menu, take a look at some of our best brunch recipes.
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