12 Skittles Products, Ranked Worst To Best

I can't remember the first time I had Skittles, but it was probably multiple decades ago. For most of my life, I had the original, and then at some point, I had the Sour Skittles, and that was where my Skittles expertise ended. So, fast forward to modern times, I wanted to rectify this and try more of what the brand has on offer. In my hunt to taste the rainbow, I tried a dozen Skittles options available on the market, including sour, mini, gummies, and regular flavors.

I judged them based on the overall flavor intrigue and texture. Some were especially dynamic and interesting, while others fell a bit flat. There's quite a lot of variety here, so you might find a new option that you haven't tried yet. I found a couple of really compelling flavors and my new favorite Skittles options. The top one is excellent, but I already know it won't be to everyone's liking. Which one is that exactly? You're about to find out.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

My least favorite Skittles of the bunch is the tropical variety, surprisingly. This has an interesting blend of flavors, including banana berry, kiwi lime, mango tangelo, strawberry star, and pineapple passionfruit. Admittedly, the pineapple passionfruit is quite tasty with a noticeable pineapple flavor, but the others fall flat. The strawberry star (is that supposed to be starfruit?), in particular, almost has a soapy taste that I wasn't a big fan of. 

Then, of course, if you eat them by the handful, which people often do, then you're just left with a nondescript fruity, soapy taste. The rest of the flavors are pretty good, and as I said, the pineapple passionfruit is tasty enough to be on its own, but those odd flavors stand out the most of all 12 Skittles I tried, giving it a last-place spot on my ranking. The rest of the flavors are pretty palatable in comparison.

I like the idea of the Skittles Pop'd because freeze-dried snacks are ultra-crunchy, but these fail to deliver. They're the same flavor as original Skittles: strawberry, lime, lemon, orange, and grape. Admittedly, this flavor combination isn't my favorite from the Skittles lineup, but aside from that, the flavor isn't as prominent once they are freeze-dried. They're more muted than the regular Skittles — at least when I taste them side by side. And instead of having a multi-dimensional texture in terms of the snappy outer shell and then the chewy center, these are mainly crunchy. 

They don't have as much flavor and dimension as the regular Skittles, but overall, they're still more successful than the tropical variety. However, I can appreciate the unique texture this variety offers, and it could be good on its own (not pitted against other flavors and options). I recommend trying them without chewing and letting them melt in your mouth.

The Sour Skittles Pop'd variety fares slightly better than the original thanks to its sour coating and candy flavors, which come in sour strawberry, sour cherry, sour lemonade, sour watermelon, and sour blue raspberry. I like the strawberry, watermelon, and blue raspberry in particular over things like lemon, lime, and orange in the regular flavor Pop'd. I feel like the sour ones provide a more interesting flavor combination, too, with the sweet and sour — it's a win-win.

The biggest problem with these is the absolutely enormous clump of stuck-together Skittles. I'm not sure whether the sour coating had anything to do with it, or if it was just a coincidence with my specific bag. However, that doesn't really factor into this ranking, but it's worth noting. This ranks 10th because there are other options I like better.

Next up, we have classic Skittles. These are the ones you're probably most familiar with; that's certainly the case for me. In a showdown against YumEarth's Skittles-looking sweets, Skittles still came out as the winner — so they are known and successful for their juiciness. It has the same flavor base as Skittles Pop'd, which I've established isn't my favorite combination of Skittles flavors; they are a little humdrum and just not up my alley. The lemon, lime, and orange are somewhat similar in their slight tartness, so it feels like most of the five options in the packet are ones I would avoid. 

I do enjoy the original Skittles texture with the snappy exterior that gets softer as you chew. The brand really nails it with its signature texture and shape. It's chewy without being hard to bite into, which I can appreciate. But flavor-wise, there are better options to pick from. 

Skittles Littles have all the same flavors as standard Skittles, so there's not much to say there that hasn't been said. However, the smaller size is quite appealing. Even if it has the same flavors, you're not eating as much of them in one bite, if that makes sense. You could pop several in your mouth, and it's a little easier to chew and bite into, and then you get more balanced flavor variety. 

Even if it has three flavors that I'm not super fond of, the smaller size means there's less of them to eat in a given bite. I kind of wish all of the flavors were available in a mini version because I like the snappy exterior and that nice soft center, but it is much smaller. These are especially satisfying to eat because their miniature size makes them even more fun and enjoyable.

Of all the regular Skittles flavors (not sour, gummies, or Pop'd), the Wild Berry is my top pick. I feel like the fruitiness is much more captivating, and the flavors are much better. Here we've got wild cherry, berry punch, raspberry, strawberry, and melon berry. First of all, the flavors are so much better than anything so far. The latter four are among the best, as the cherry is a little less captivating. So that means I quite like four out of the five.

The strawberry is especially tasty and wonderfully fruity; I kept seeking that one out from the bag. The colors are a little more pastel and interesting, so this wins me over the most out of anything so far. The fruitiness makes for a much more satisfying snacking experience and is easily the most complex, fruit-forward flavor combination.

While Sour Skittles ranked eighth in a ranking of 12 popular sour candies, Sour Skittles get my sixth pick because I am a fan of that sour coating and a couple of the flavors.  Surprisingly, the options are different from the Sour Skittles Pop'd, and here we have green apple, strawberry, orange, lemon, and grape — the former two are my favorites of the bunch. We find success in the standard Skittles shape, rather than the Pop'd variety. The sourness is enticing and encourages you to eat candy after candy. 

This also has a slight nostalgia factor because I recall always picking Sour Skittles to eat at the movie theater, and I would leave the theater happy, having just watched my movie, but feeling like my cheeks were raw from the sourness. Oh, the memories. This option has just about everything I'm looking for in terms of the most interesting flavor and texture among everything I've talked about so far, but it will have even better things coming up. 

Now we go back to the standard Skittles flavors, except it has green apple instead of lime; everything else is the same. Maybe Skittles realized the lime, orange, and lemon trio was a bit much. The green apple adds a sweet, tangy note to the mix that works well with the strawberry. And this time, they are in gummy form, which makes all the difference for an enhanced sensory experience. These are incredibly satisfying to nibble on. I am very interested and surprised by the gummies' softness.

They still have chewiness, but they aren't like Dots, where it feels like you really have to gnaw on them with your back molars to make a dent in the gummy candy. Instead, they are soft, and you could even rip them apart in your hands. Skittles found a really great formula with the way it has created its gummy varieties. I am glad I tried these because they are quite enjoyable, and it somehow softens the somewhat tart flavors of lemon and orange that typically aren't my faves. That said, Skittles Gummies took last place in a gummy candy ranking, so perhaps I'm in the minority here.

Alright, now we have an even better flavor with the addition of the sour element in these Sour Skittles Gummies. It has the same flavors as the Skittles Gummies, but they're made all the better with the sour coating. Rather than just pure sweetness, it has a pleasant, mouth-puckering tartness that makes it more compelling to eat.

As you place the candy in your mouth, the tart comes through first, but it dissolves on the tongue as you bite, revealing a sweeter interior. But it also adds a smidge of grittiness as you chew into the soft gummy, which provides more textural intrigue in every bite. If you like Sour Skittles, then I think you'd like this option. Green apple, strawberry, and grape are my favorites in this batch.

The Wild Berry was my favorite flavor of the classic Skittles size, so it makes sense that it's also better than the original and sour gummy varieties. Of course, we have the same gummy, soft texture that's so delightful, but we also have the deliciousness of the Wild Berry combinations. Berry punch and raspberry are especially satisfying in this application.

I find the flavors more palatable and enjoyable to eat than the other two gummy options. I'm more likely to eat all five flavors, rather than picking out one or two of my favorites. If someone were seeking a fruity gummy, this would be the first I'd suggest among Skittles' selection.

Given all my thoughts on the sour Skittles options and the Wild Berry ones, what if I told you there was the perfect combination of both? That's how we get Sour Wild Berry Skittles, which are so easy to eat. They have a snappy candy coating, a softer inside, and a sour exterior that adds a trio of dimensions; on top of that, we have the best fruit flavors combined with sourness. It creates the most balanced and interesting Skittles flavor out of everything I've talked about so far. They make an easy No. 2 pick.

While all Skittles are fruity, Wild Berry has a distinctive fruit flavor that leans toward sweet-tart rather than mouth-puckering sour. I think they're a bit more approachable than my top pick, though. So if I were to recommend one to the average consumer, I'd say stick with the Sour Wild Berry Skittles or go with Wild Berry Skittles Gummies if you prefer a sweeter treat with a softer texture. 

And we've reached the creme de le creme of Skittles flavors: Skittles Gummies Fuego. Here we have some new flavors we haven't seen in any of the previous options, which are strawberry, mango, lemon, raspberry, and watermelon. I'm fond of everything but the lemon, which feels out of place with the ultra-fruity flavors. I'm from San Diego, California, so the fruit and spicy combination is something you'll find all over the place, whether that's on the side of the road from a fruit vendor or in the premade section of big box grocery stores like Albertsons. 

The mango and watermelon ones especially remind me of the little lollipops I've had for probably close to 20 years. We see the sweet gummy interior paired with the chili powder and salt exterior, which creates the most dynamic, marvelous combination. However, the gummies are much firmer in this flavor, resulting in a noticeable chewy bite. The base flavors are pleasantly fruity, but then you can add a touch of heat in each bite to offer balance. If you like Tajín on watermelon slices or perhaps a fruit salad with Tajín, these Skittles offer that same vibe. They are the clear winner! 

I tried 12 types of Skittles flavors and varieties to rank them. I judged them by the overall pleasantness of the flavors and the intrigue of the textures. Things I found slightly dull or less tasty ranked lower, while the highest-ranking picks were multidimensional, with dynamic, drool-worthy flavors. A lot of this boils down to one's personal preference, though. 

To test them out, I opened all 12 packages and consumed one of each flavor from each packet to get a baseline of the flavors on their own. On another day, I had small handfuls, as an average consumer would probably eat, to get a sense of the flavors combined; however, I did not use this approach for the gummies because they are quite large and chewy.