12 Easter Peeps Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best
It wouldn't be a complete Easter basket without a bed of fake grass, a few plastic eggs, and the all-important candy assortment highlighted by chocolate bunnies, Cadbury Creme Eggs, jelly beans, and, of course, marshmallow Peeps. Though the candy can be divisive with its fair share of highly vocal detractors, we happen to love bright yellow marshmallow chick, and fortunately, manufacturer Just Born has been experimenting in recent years with new fun flavors. This year's Easter roster (there are Halloween and Christmas versions as well) features an impressive variety of flavors and shapes with a few bells and whistles thrown into the mix.
While these flavors are super fun all on their own, including them in fun holiday recipes is a great way to incorporate this sweet treat. The good news is that even if you don't enjoy the traditional Peep candy, there's a reasonable chance that there will be a different flavor out there that is perfect for you. One thing is for sure: From chocolatey and sparkly to sour and sweet, the many options will take you on an adventurous and delicious journey. Here's what we thought of the 2023 Peeps flavor lineup.
12. Tropical Burst
We love a delicious, fruity drink as much as the next beachcomber, so we were hoping for a flavor here that would make us think of a tropical retreat with palms swaying in the breeze and a delicious cocktail in hand. Unfortunately, these Peeps didn't quite take us to flavor paradise.
In truth, even before tasting these, we were wondering how different this flavor would be from Fruit Punch, but it turns out this one was substantially different. Biting into the bright orange marshmallow, we got some sense of tropical fruit notes, but, unfortunately, they tasted distinctly artificial. Rather than freshly squeezed, we got juice-box-from-the-bottom-of-mom's-cooler vibes. An off-putting aftertaste definitely didn't help matters. We also encountered an odd issue with this particular pack. While the colored crystals adhered to the marshmallow quite well with other flavors, that wasn't the case here as the sugar-coating fallout was rather substantial. In truth, we had high hope for this one because the color is so lovely, but were ultimately disappointed in the lackluster showing.
11. Fruit Punch
The fruit punch box is a more recent addition to the official Peep lineup, but it isn't the first time the brand has offered this flavor. In 2015, as part of a promotion, Peeps sold two different varieties of mystery flavors. Both were white, but each had a different taste. In the end, the bunny flavor was a sour green apple, while the chick flavor was fruit punch. These specialty, mystery flavors were a Walmart exclusive item, and Peep loyalists had a few months to try the Peeps before the flavors were revealed right before Easter. However, this one would have been better as a one-off.
Ultimately, we found the fruit punch option to be extremely sweet and even a little stifling. The taste was so strong it felt like a weird spin for Peeps because the marshmallow candy tends to be quite mild in flavor.
All told, we didn't really enjoy this flavor as much as we thought we would. Even though it successfully accomplished the task of mimicking the taste of fruit punch, it just wasn't a good fit for Peeps. Perhaps it's because we like our fruit punch to be extra icy cold, and a Peep just can't be that.
10. Classic Peeps
When you imagine a brood of Peeps, chances are that you're picturing little yellow chickies all in a row. It turns out, there's a good reason for this. Just Born explains that while the standard sugar flavor comes in a variety of colors, the classic sunshine bright version is actually the best-selling variety of these marshmallow treats.
As you might expect, the yellow Peeps taste just like a sugared marshmallow. If you've had a Peep before, you know that this is just a slightly sweeter taste than a normal marshmallow, with a little bit of a gritty mouthfeel, thanks to the coating. In fact, our biggest beef with this variety of Peep is, in fact, sugar. The original flavor had much more sugar fallout than most of the specialty options. As soon as you hold on to one of these little Peeps, you instantly have little crystals on your fingers and on the table. We found it interesting that most of the varieties avoided this mess but the original Peep is still stuck with it.
9. Decorated Eggs Peeps
In 2015, Just Born introduced a new variety of Peep: Decorated Eggs. Cashing in on a tradition many thousands of years old, these marshmallow eggs have little decorations on them, perfect for the Easter season. With other cute symbols like a spring chick and cute bunnies, it's apparent why an egg would be an excellent addition to the Peep lineup. Unlike other varieties of Peeps, these do not have a unique flavor to them. Rather, they taste just like a typical Peep but with a little extra decoration. They also come in smaller packages with only six to a container. Each creamy white egg is decorated with lines, dots, and zig zags in pink, green, and blue.
Upon biting into one, we were really struck by just how much like a traditional marshmallow these taste, even more so than the classic yellow chick variety. We really like the decorations because they would be the perfect complement to any Easter basket and would certainly add some color and design. However, we just found these to be decorated marshmallows and would have preferred that they had their own unique flavor. That said, the white coating has much less fallout than the regular Peeps, so that's a nice perk.
8. Milk Chocolate Delights
Delights Peeps are a cool spin on the classic treat. When they debuted in 2011, these dipped marshmallows were available in milk or dark chocolate, but now, there are more varieties to choose from. In fact, you can even get your own Peeps customized with a coating and crunch topping to suit your tastes.
With such a squishy treat, chocolate can give the Peep an odd-mouth feel, so we appreciate that the whole chick isn't drenched in chocolate. That said, the chocolate was thicker than expected, similar to an ice cream sundae's shell. We were hoping for something thinner that would cling more to the Peep rather than providing that crunch. All told, we enjoyed this one and think the chocolate taste complements the marshmallow well. However, we do wish the chocolate was a little thinner. It does make us wonder about the crunchy customization coating because this would make for an even thicker shell.
7. Party Cake
Many children celebrate their birthday with a white cake covered in sprinkles, and chances are good that you've seen, eaten, or prepared the celebratory dessert yourself. The Party Cake Peep attempts to capture this flavor combo, and though the texture is entirely different than a typical cake, it tastes oddly familiar.
Party Cake Peeps offers mild notes of vanilla and batter. Although we were fans and appreciated the flavor didn't go overboard, this was a case where the taste could have been amped up to separate this option more from the typical Peep.
While the flavor falls a bit short, the decoration on Party Cake Peeps is just festive enough. They come primarily creamy white but are absolutely covered in multicolored sprinkles. If nothing else, in appearance, they remind us quite fervently of a brightly decorated birthday cake. If these marshmallows brought a bit more to the party in the flavor department, they would definitely land higher on this list.
6. Sparkly Wild Berry
We are total suckers for rainbows and unicorns, so that's probably why we were immediately drawn to the Sparkly Wild Berry Peeps. This variety comes exclusively in little bunnies and is lavender with darker purple speckles throughout. And just as the name promises, it is also just a little sparkly.
After our first bite, it became evident that the sparkles ran all the way through and gave just got a little zip on the tongue for a sour taste. We found the fruit to be an unidentifiable mix of several different fruits and berries, but we couldn't really pin it down to just one or two. Because we enjoy sour things, we liked these, but if you are not partial to a little bite, these might be ones you want to avoid.
Like other unique flavors, these bunnies were a little heavy-handed on the flavoring, so that is another thing we didn't love about them. On the other hand, sometimes, the cuteness can just override that, and if there's one thing Sparkly Wild Berry Peeps has, it's a cute factor. For that reason, we think these would be the perfect addition to an Easter basket.
5. Dr. Pepper
Of all the food partnerships out there, one of the weirder ones we've seen is that between Peeps and Pepsi. In fact, Pepsi has even come out with a Peeps flavored soda. So perhaps it's not too much of a stretch to imagine flavoring going the other way. That's where the Dr. Pepper Peep comes into play.
While many sodas are experiencing a dip in dollar share, Dr. Pepper's is on the rise. Though it's certainly a delicious soda, we had no idea what to expect from this unusual flavor of Peep. After the first bite, we were fascinated by the fact that the flavor is spot on. A Dr. Pepper Peep tastes just like the soft drink only without all the carbonation. Although we did like this flavor of Peep, we simply enjoyed other flavors a little bit more. The flavor did get to be a little overwhelming after a while, and like some of the other specialty flavors, it did leave us with a weird aftertaste.
While many Peeps make for excellent ingredients in recipes around the holidays, we don't think that would necessarily be the case with the Dr. Pepper-flavored Peeps. That's okay though because they are fascinating all on their own.
4. Hot Tamales
Peeps are merely one of the treats that Just Born offers. Another one of their signature favorites is the Hot Tamales brand. These chewy cinnamon treats that look like little red pills are a popular movie theater snack and a classic Halloween candy to give out to trick-or-treaters. However, we weren't immediately sure how well it would transfer to Peeps. Even still, since Just Born makes both types of treats, it makes sense that one would lead to the other.
It turns out that the Hot Tamales flavor is very well-balanced, and we liked that they were not overly flavorful, but they certainly still have that cinnamon taste. Thankfully, it isn't overwhelming, though. The color of these Peeps is quite eye-catching. On the outside, they are bright red, but on the inside, they are more of lighter pink. If Just Born were to make a villainous Peep option, we think the cinnamon flavor might be perfect due to this red coloring.
3. Cotton Candy
Cotton candy is one of those iconic flavors many of us enjoy from our youth. It has the benefit of being fun to eat and super sweet — the perfect combination for a childhood favorite. Since Peeps are themselves a sweet treat, the transition from regular to cotton candy Peep doesn't seem like too far of a leap.
Upon first taste, we noticed how light and mild the flavor is. We certainly get a cotton candy taste, but it isn't overpowering at all. Instead, it seems to simply enhance the already delicious taste of a Peep. Since we aren't big fans of all of that extra sugar falloff you can sometimes get from the original Peeps, we are happy that the coating on these remained intact. In addition to the pink exterior of the Peep, it's covered in blue sparkles that look like little crystallized bits of sugar.
As much as we enjoyed eating these on their own, we also think this would make a fabulous addition to a Peep recipe. Including this instead of marshmallows in your Rice Krispie treats or even as an accent piece on the perfect Easter cupcake would be an ideal use of the cotton candy Peep.
2. Kettle Corn
Turn to every fair in the United States, and you are likely to find two treats: cotton candy and kettle corn. While regular popcorn has a buttery and salty flavor, kettle corn gets a sweet twist. Kettle corn is named for the cooking method of making it up in a large, iron kettle or pot over an open flame. Those kernels are cooked in a mixture of oil, sugar, and salt, which gives the popcorn a unique sweet and salty flavor, and that is why this flavor works so well as a Peep.
Even more than the cotton candy Peep, we were blown away at how spot-on the kettle corn flavor is. It tastes just like slightly sweetened popcorn, and because of that, each bite was a little surprising since we are expecting more crunch, like popcorn. (Yes, it's that convincing.) Since kettle corn can come in a variety of sweetness levels, expect this Peep variety to be closer to a mix between salty and sweet rather than a full sugar rush.
Unlike the cotton candy Peep, this kettle corn option did have more sugar fallout, but on the plus side, we were fans of the coloring on this one. It was a much more muted yellow than you see in the ever-popular classic Peep, but it was still a perfect shade for Easter.
1. Sour Watermelon
We are an absolute sucker for sour treats, so it's no surprise that our favorite Peeps flavor offers plenty of pucker. The Sour Watermelon Peeps is certainly a departure from the traditional Peep. However, we love this crazy flavor. If you enjoy sour candy as much as us, you will appreciate these Peeps. On first taste, we noticed the sweet, fruity, refreshing notes of watermelon. This flavor is quickly followed by a delightful sour punch to make your mouth pucker and your taste buds tingle. We love that the sourness adds complexity to the Peep, making it more interesting and exciting than just plain watermelon.
This one has every bit of that weird sensation you come to love from sour candy, all while enjoying a squishy Peep. It reminded us of the watermelon Warheads we once loved and that nostalgia was greatly appreciated. What's more, we think the coloring on this Peep is amusing. On the outside, you get a bright green color, while the inside is pink, just like you would find in a regular watermelon.
All that said, this Peep is excellent on its own and should definitely not be used in your Peep baking this Easter. We encourage you to give it a try outside of your normal recipes and enjoy the sour faces you get from friends and family.