Reese's Vs Aldi Vs Trader Joe's: Who Makes The Best Peanut Butter Cups?

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Few things please a crowd like peanut butter cups. Of course, there's a scientific reason that chocolate and peanut butter work so well together, and it's not just because the two elements create the perfect combination of salty and sweet flavors. Alas, there's less scientific data present to determine which company makes the very best peanut butter cup.

People typically associate the Reese's brand with this particular confection as it has been making them since 1928. However, this lengthy tenure doesn't mean that Reese's has an exclusive corner on the market. Both Aldi and Trader Joe's have products that offer an alternative to the name-brand option, with TJ's even selling both milk and dark chocolate options. But how do these store brands compare to the original, and which one deserves a spot in your prized candy bowl? 

To determine a proper answer to these questions, I bought and tried the three different versions of milk chocolate peanut butter cups as well as the two dark chocolate options offered by Trader Joe's and Reese's. I evaluated every aspect of these treats, from taste and texture to packaging, before selecting one winner.

Prices are as of the date of publication and may vary based on region.

I tried the Miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, as those seemed to best match the size of the Aldi and Trader Joe's options. The traditionally sized Reese's cups have a different peanut butter to chocolate ratio as well, which probably would affect the overall flavor profile. Both Reese's and Trader Joe's offer a dark chocolate option, so I decided to include both to offer a more well-rounded review. Price wasn't a deciding factor as the prices are similar to one another. 

For flavor, I was interested in assessing the saltiness of the peanut butter and the level of sweetness in the chocolate, particularly focusing on whether the two balanced each other out. Beyond assessing the many flavor nuances of the peanut butter filling and chocolate coating, I looked at the individual textures, noting if the candies had a gritty or smooth mouthfeel. I also found packaging an important element to evaluate, as the delicate nature of the chocolate coating makes proper wrapping crucial.

I kicked it off with the classic Reese's Miniature Cups, priced at $5.97 for a 12-ounce bag at Walmart or $14.92 for a 26.6-ounce assortment bag. I immediately appreciated the thoughtful packaging. Sure, the combination foil and paper liner may seem like overkill, but it ensures that casual grazers don't have to deal with constant chocolate smudges. The neatness of this delivery system is perhaps the Reese's Miniatures' greatest selling point. Imagine thousands of hot-handed trick-or-treaters grabbing unwrapped chocolate candies. Now that's scary. I also love the universal availability of Reese's. You can go to almost any store and find it waiting in the candy aisle. However, that concludes my overwhelmingly positive notes. 

I knew exactly what I was going to get from the Reese's Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup: an overly sweet chocolate exterior and a chalky peanut butter interior. I've never expected or found much nuance in the flavor of this childhood favorite. When our taster reviewed all the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Flavors, the classic milk chocolate flavor ranked in the middle — and I get why. The dark chocolate was slightly more interesting, though I'd argue it offered a less-sweet chocolate coating rather than a true dark chocolate shell. While both varieties were overly sweet, what made these especially unappetizing was the gritty, dry peanut butter filling – a signature texture that may be iconic but is also infinitely unappetizing.

Chocolate company Choceur is one of Aldi's best-kept secrets. The Choceur Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, priced at $5.49 for a 12-ounce bag, look to beat Reese's at its own game. I'll admit that I was initially irritated by the minimalistic packaging, as the cups didn't have paper liners nor foil wrappers. The only scant piece of protection comes in the form of a resealable plastic bag, which does little to keep them safe from melting and merging into a mega cup. 

However, whatever it lacks in presentation it more than makes up for with a righteously delicious taste. The chocolate coating, while very sweet, is perfectly thin on the edges and bottom of each cup with a thicker piece at the top. The rich bit of milk chocolate is complemented by a nicely salted peanut butter filling, which adds some much-needed savoriness to the flavor. The contrast of textures is also welcome, with a pleasant snap from the chocolate and smooth creaminess from the filling. As intense as each bite was, I had no issue going back for seconds and thirds. Heck, the real problem was knowing when to stop. 

I then looked at Trader Joe's peanut butter cups. Like Reese's, Trader Joe's offers both Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups ($5.99 for a 16-ounce container) and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, which are priced the same. Packaging-wise, TJ's lands in between the scrupulousness of Reese's and the devil-may-care attitude of Aldi, opting for a paper liner and plastic container but eschewing the foil wrapper. I think this hit a nice Goldilocks level of protection for the candy without going overboard.

The cups offered an excellent texture — courtesy of the dreamy peanut butter and thick-yet-luxe chocolate coating — but they have a slightly more muted flavor profile than I expected. They weren't so sweet that they made my teeth ache, but they also seemed to lack a salty undertone that would have made the other flavors pop. That being said, the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups were still a standout. They're one of the absolute best Trader Joe's desserts, and it's easy to see why. While the milk chocolate option is perfectly nice, the dark chocolate cups have a deep cocoa nuance that lends some adult gravitas to what can be an otherwise juvenile treat. 

If there's anything to take away from this review, it's to never underestimate the power of salt. Even when the subject is desserts, this humble ingredient can make or break the flavor. Frankly, Aldi's had the least attractive product in every way. Trader Joe's and Reese's cups had better packaging and more diverse chocolate options. Reese's is easy to find and has plenty of childhood nostalgia to make up for a lackluster reality. And Trader Joe's offered a genuinely delicious dark chocolate cup that almost won out on its merits alone.

But Aldi's peanut butter cups — as messy and simple as they were — stole the show with that perfect balance of salty filling and sweet coating. I easily tired of eating the Reese's cups, burnt out on both the saccharine flavor and chalky texture. For the Trader Joe's cups, I became satisfied after indulging in a few pieces. For Aldi's Choceur cups, though, I could never quite get enough. As I reached into the bag for what felt like the 100th time and realized I was coming up empty, I knew I had picked my winner.