Hershey's 2026 Halloween Candy Lineup, Ranked Worst To Best

For candy lovers, Halloween season is truly the greatest time of year. You get to steal a piece as you sneak past the candy basket, and you might indulge in treats that you don't eat at any other time of the year. There's no doubt that Hershey plays a huge role in the holiday, offering some of the most iconic Halloween candy treats out there. From fruity gummies to rich, chocolatey faves, the brand offers a slew of snack-sized treats to hand out to trick-or-treaters (or keep all to yourself!).

I've decided to taste test the candies in Hershey's 2026 Halloween candy lineup to get an idea of what the trick-or-treaters will be snacking on this year. I've ranked the treats, starting with my least favorite and working my way down to the best. Specifically, I looked for candies that had a pleasant texture and delivered the right amount of sweetness without overwhelming me with sugar. I also considered which ones were the most festive for Halloween, although this was largely a secondary factor. Choose one or a few of these candies to buy in bulk for Halloween, or opt for a Halloween candy variety pack — these are some of our favorites of the 2025 season.

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

When I did a ranking of popular gummy candies, I reviewed one of Jolly Ranchers' gummy varieties. Although it wasn't ranked as the worst candy in the lineup, it still wasn't anywhere near the top of this list. So, unfortunately, I'm not too surprised that I'm not the biggest fan of Jolly Ranchers Gummies Minis, either. These gummies ultimately just feel cheap. Their texture is arguably the biggest problem — you're not getting the bouncy texture you'd expect from other gummies. Instead, these are quite firm and sticky. They're chewy in that it takes you a long time to get all of the candy off of your teeth, but they're lacking a more entertaining, softer, bouncier chewiness.

When it comes to flavor, these gummies are just okay. They're fruity, sure, but they also have a bit of a plasticky flavor to them. I wouldn't say that they're bad, but I probably wouldn't seek them out again. Of course, not everyone particularly likes chocolate candy, and if you fall into that category, then these gummies might seem like a good option. But Hershey actually carries plenty of non-chocolate candy brands, so you have more to choose from than this one product.

So, technically, Jolly Ranchers Gummies Trickies Minis aren't that different from the Jolly Ranchers Gummies Minis. They do taste the same, well, kind of. The "trick" here is that the colors and flavors are mixed up and don't necessarily match the color of the candy. The green apple flavor, for instance, could actually be blue. That being said, you're still getting that same combo of blue raspberry, cherry, green apple, watermelon, and grape flavors. All of my same criticisms hold true of this variety too. The strange chewiness is still there, and the texture is lacking overall. These candies also have a hint of a plasticky flavor to them, although there's enough fruitiness to keep things sort of interesting.

But Jolly Ranchers Gummies Trickies Minis rank higher than their other Jolly Ranchers counterparts only because they're a bit more fun. The fact that these have a clever twist to them makes them seem more appropriate for Halloween. At my age, I probably have too much cynicism in my heart to get much joy from this candy novelty, but maybe the kids out there will get a hit out of it. Either way, there are better-tasting Halloween candies out there (although there are much worse candies you could hand out on Halloween, too).

If you love salty peanut butter, then there are probably few snacks you love as much as peanut butter-filled pretzels. You get the nice crunch from the pretzel itself paired with the rich creaminess of the peanut butter inside, the saltiness of the snack enhancing every morsel. And yes, technically, Reese's Filled Pretzels with Peanut Butter Filling are a fine example of the snack. That being said, they don't really feel particularly like candy, and they don't seem to have much to do with Reese's at all, besides that inclusion of peanut butter. Before trying these for the first time, I was expecting some sort of chocolate element in the mix. Missing that, they're just like any other peanut butter-filled pretzel out there.

One of the things I love so much about classic Reese's is their saltiness. The peanut butter is especially salty, and that combination of sweet and salty flavors is downright delicious. Similarly, I appreciate very salty pretzels. But with these pretzels with peanut butter filling, I didn't pick up as much saltiness as I wanted to. The peanut butter itself doesn't seem very salty — or maybe it's just obscured by the salt on the pretzel. Either way, this isn't one of my favorite Hershey offerings of the season.

Looking for a crunchy, but sweet, snack alternative to hand out on Halloween this year? Look no further than Reese's Dipped Animal Crackers. At first glance, they look like normal animal crackers with one side dipped in chocolate. But once you take a closer look, you'll notice that the other side of these crackers isn't bare — rather, it's covered in a layer of Reese's peanut butter. Of course, it's more solidified than normal peanut butter, but that same flavor is still there. When you take a bite of the whole cracker, you get that mix of chocolate and peanut butter that you'll find in the most classic version of the treat. Ultimately, I do think that this snack is a bit too sweet for my tastes, but it has some appeal for those with a stronger sweet tooth than mine.

Unfortunately, the crackers themselves aren't that good, but that should probably be expected. As fun as animal crackers are, they don't tend to be the best-tasting sweet snack out there. They're just bland, with a crunchiness that almost makes them feel stale. Overall, I probably wouldn't buy this candy again, since if I craved the flavor of Reese's, I would just snag a piece of the original candy.

For those who love M&M's, but who also crave peanut butter, Reese's Pieces is arguably the most iconic snack there is. These small, colorful candies have a chocolatey base flavor, with just a hint of peanut butter giving them some added complexity. What you might not realize, though, is that Reese's Pieces don't contain chocolate at all (which is just one of the facts you should know about Reese's candies). Honestly, this is a major drawback that makes me feel wary about the treat and less likely to seek it out in the future.

That being said, the flavor is fine. It actually does taste like chocolate, strangely enough, and the peanut butter note is pronounced enough to keep things interesting. You also get a slight crunch from the candy coating that encases the center. Plus, this treat has something else going for it: The color scheme of the candies is perfect for fall. With brown, orange, and yellow pieces, you feel like you're getting Halloween candy that's appropriately seasonal. Reese's Pieces aren't my favorite of the bunch, and I wouldn't go out of my way to add them to my candy basket, but they're a classic for a reason, and I can understand why they appeal to some trick-or-treaters.

At first glance, it looks like Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Fangs are made with white chocolate, but in reality, they're made with white "creme." This is another instance in which it seems like Hershey is using cheaper ingredients to cut costs, and it doesn't exactly leave a sweet taste in my mouth. That being said, this candy really isn't bad with its crunchy pieces of chocolate cookie inside. They create the textural balance the treat needs, all while adding more depth of flavor in the process. Although I don't love the flavor of the "creme," when it comes together with those crunchy pieces, I can get down with this candy bar.

So, what makes this candy Halloween-themed? It's not just shaped like a normal candy bar — rather, it's actually formed into the shape of fangs. It's a pretty subtle take on the original version of the candy, but it does add a fun twist to the treat that little ones are likely to enjoy. If you tend to like white chocolate, it might be worth a try, even though there are definitely better candies in Hershey's Halloween lineup.

It's true that I'm not the biggest fan of Reese's Filled Pretzels with Peanut Butter Filling. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate any of Hershey's pretzel offerings. In my opinion, Reese's Dipped Pretzels are a much better take on a Reese's-flavored pretzel. That's because you're getting the flavors of both chocolate and peanut butter here. The pretzels are covered in a layer of solid peanut butter, followed by a chocolate drizzle. Although those toppings are sweet, they're somewhat balanced by the saltiness of the pretzel inside. This gives you that perfect mix of sweet and salty flavors, all with a crunchy edge.

What I don't like about these pretzels is their oily texture — the peanut butter coating is a bit strange and, along with the chocolate, tastes kind of cheap. I think Hershey could also pull back on the sweetness a bit to make things even more well-balanced. That being said, I do think this is a fun treat, especially as an alternative to more traditional types of candy on Halloween. Out of all of the snackier options on Hershey's Halloween candy lineup for this year, these dipped pretzels are undoubtedly the best.

I love all flavors of KitKats and always have. The crispy wafer pairs beautifully with the smooth, creamy milk chocolate, creating a dynamic texture that's hard not to enjoy. Admittedly, I love those thin wafer strip shapes that KitKats normally come in, but I was excited to try these Count & Witch snack-sized bars. They're a lot beefier than standard KitKats, with a weightiness that I don't remember from the original. Once I bit into one, I felt like it had a much bolder crunch than traditional KitKats. Honestly, I think I like the original version more, but the heftiness creates a new level of decadence I don't think you get with the former.

You can get normal KitKats any time of the year, though. Since the flavor here is pretty much the same as the original, the main draw of this candy is simply its appearance. Both the count and witch shapes are quite sweet, with a cuteness to them that's far from being scary. I can imagine that it would be fun for a kid to open the package and encounter these two characters. And because this candy bar is so big, it's perfect for splitting the two characters apart and sharing them between friends.

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I adore Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There's a lot of subpar candy on store shelves these days, but Reese's still delivers with the deliciousness I always remember. Therefore, I might be a bit biased. However, I do believe that Reese's Pumpkins truly are one of the best candies in this entire lineup. The flavor is excellent: The combination of creamy milk chocolate with salty peanut butter is elite, and when they come together, you get a unique soft texture that still has some bite to it.

I appreciate that Hershey tried to create a more festive-looking version of this candy for Halloween. However, when I took it out of the package, I realized how little it actually looked like a pumpkin. I imagine that this could be a let-down to the kids out there who are expecting a detailed pumpkin piece of candy. The effort is there, and the flavor is good, so this treat still deserves its number two spot on the ranking. However, if Hershey could have pulled off a way to create a more accurate shape, it might have taken the number one spot on this list.

Now, I know what you're thinking: Why hasn't a more Halloween-themed candy taken the top spot in this ranking? While I really wanted to like one of the more Halloween-centric candies more than the original Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, I have to be true to myself and admit that this one is, in fact, better. I love how the edges of the peanut butter cup are firmer and more solid, but when you get to the center of the cup, the chocolate gets softer and more biteable. I also feel like there's a thinner layer of chocolate here than in the pumpkin-shaped variety, which creates more flavor balance between the sweet chocolate and salty peanut butter. Although the snack-sized peanut butter treats from Reese's are fun and novel, there's a reason the brand went with this shape for the original: It's absolutely integral to the deliciousness of the treat.

My one complaint, though, is that this peanut butter cup seems a lot smaller than those I used to get in the past. I discovered that Reese's actually are getting smaller over time, a clear example of shrinkflation. Do I want them to go back to their former, larger size? Yes. But do I also realize that they're the best candy in Hershey's 2026 Halloween candy lineup? Also yes.

I sourced these candies from Hershey itself, who sent me a shipment of their Halloween candy lineup. Even though I had tasted some of these candies before, I taste tested all of them at the same time in order to evaluate where each should end up in this ranking. The highest-ranked candies on this list are those that deliver both a good texture and flavor, with a nice contrast within the two categories. Additionally, I considered novelty and how festive each candy felt.