Pop-Tarts Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

There are some people who grew up eating Pop-Tarts for breakfast every single day of the week. While on the other hand, there's a population of people who were only introduced to Pop-Tarts when they got older and have maybe tried them once or twice. But either way, whether it was every day as you ran out the door to catch the school bus, you grabbed them from a vending machine for lunch, or your friend urged you to try a new flavor, chances are you've come in contact with these iconic pastry treats. 

Pop-Tarts hit the test market in 1963 in Cleveland, Ohio, and were officially released in 1964 to the rest of the nation, thanks to the work of Kellogg's food technologist Bill Post. Since then, the Kellogg's brand has continued to develop new, wild flavors to keep kids (and adults) coming back for more. Pop-Tarts are a pretty basic recipe concept, consisting of a filled pastry, usually topped with frosting, which allows for customization and creativity to go wild. And while there's still some debate as to whether it's best to toast your Pop-Tarts or eat them straight out of the package, one thing is for certain — Pop-Tarts has never slowed down on introducing new, creative flavors. From S'mores to Wild Berry to Frosted Confetti Cupcake, we decided to try as many flavors of Pop-Tarts as we could fit in our pantry, and we've compiled a list ranked from worst to best just for you.

A Chocolate Chip Pop-Tart seems like it would be absolutely delicious, especially when it comes straight out of a toaster. Just like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, right? Absolutely wrong. 

This Pop-Tart has chocolate chips baked into the pastry, with a little squiggle of chocolate frosting on top. It sounds like the perfect flavor, but once you bite into it, you're longing for so much more. The filling is good, but the outer pastry shell offers an incredibly odd flavor, almost a bit too chemical. As it turns out, this Pop-Tart is one of the only flavors that has Datem listed on its ingredients label. Perhaps that's where that flavor is coming from? Datem is an additive used to give a bit more elasticity to a baked product, ultimately changing its texture. The Chocolate Chip Pop-Tarts are softer than the other varieties, and that's partially thanks to that lovely little chemical addition. Perhaps if this Pop-Tart had more than just a little squiggle of frosting it could mask the chemical taste. For now, it won't be making its way back into the pantry. 

For those people who have an Oreo addiction, or perhaps an obsession with Cookies & Creme ice cream, this may seem like the most appealing flavor of them all. It sounds like a promising idea to pick it up off your grocery shelves, but for your own sake, think again. 

This flavor really doesn't taste anything like Cookies & Creme, and truthfully, it just tastes fake. Essentially, it's a big smack of chocolate in the face, which would be great if it tasted like real chocolate, but it has a strong aftertaste that makes you wonder if there's actually any real chocolate in the pastry. 

The creme inside the pastry is a sweet vanilla filling, but there's not nearly enough filling to balance out the strange, bold flavor of the chocolate. It's topped with a white frosting and sprinkled with cookie crumbles, but even cookie crumbles aren't enough to mask that terrible cocoa flavor.

You're right. It's fair to wonder why in the world this is even on the list in the first place, but apparently, there are people in this world who eat Unfrosted Pop-Tarts. Pop-Tarts like to market these pastries by telling people "it's all about what's on the inside," but we're not sold on it. 

When Pop-Tarts launched in 1963, they didn't have any frosting. It took a few years to perfect the recipe and figure out a way to make it so the pastries wouldn't catch fire while in the toaster. In the meantime, people were eating these lackluster options.

This variety is still packed with the strawberry flavored filling used in the frosted version, but the pastry crust is a bit thicker. Kellogg's told Quartz they had to make up for the lack of frosting and provide uniformity for all products, ultimately making the unfrosted pastry with a bit more heft. 

These are good, but only if you're okay with boring. The filling is tried and true and totally delicious, but pairing it without any frosting just doesn't make this feel like a Pop-Tart at all. 

Wild Berry is a funny product from Pop-Tarts. On one hand, sure, its oddly hued purple frosting with a crazy bright blue squiggle on top may be considered wild and fun, but there's certainly nothing wild about its flavor. In fact, it's wildly boring. As you break into the pastry, a deep, red colored filling appears, and you think you've won the flavor jackpot. But not so fast, wild one. 

If you dig a little deeper into the ingredients list for this flavor, it'll all make a bit more sense. There's actually only one type of berry included in the filling — strawberry. There are dried strawberries, along with dried apples and dried pears, so what exactly is making this berry flavor so wild? Last time we checked, apples and pears were not berries, and this one could definitely use some more berry flavor. 

This flavor made a short appearance on shelves in 2005, but debuted again in 2018, and it looks like it's here to stay. If this were a competition for the cutest Pop-Tarts on the market, this would absolutely take the cake (or the ice cream). The Strawberry Milkshake flavor is an adorable, pink pastel Pop-Tart with rainbow sprinkles. Seriously, it's just darling. It's too bad it doesn't taste as great as it looks. 

As you break into the pastry, you find a pink pastel goo. It's a pretty malty flavor, but a little too sweet and a little too fake to make it any higher on this list. It's a good comparison to that strawberry milk you thought would be a good idea to try as a kid (or maybe now as an adult). Decent, but not great. However, it does get better if you put these in the freezer and try them cold. At least that way you can pretend you're having a real milkshake.

First thing's first, there really should be some discussion about the topping on this flavor of Pop-Tarts. Why Kellogg's felt the need to add little white specks that looks a bit like salt on top is confusing. These specks add no pop of color and no flavor, which could really help this Pop-Tart to raise to a higher level. 

The Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tart is truthfully a bomb of chocolate flavor, which makes these taste sort of OK, but there's something slightly off. It has the same fake chocolate flavor as the Cookies & Creme variety, but luckily, the filling offers some saving grace. The filling is a deep chocolate flavor, which makes it edible, and would easily help to curb a chocolate fix in a pinch, but it really tastes nothing remotely like fudge. If there was more filling, or it was a bit creamier, this option would be far better.

This Pop-Tarts flavor left grocery shelves in 2017, but it came back in summer, 2019 thanks to all of the Pop-Tarts fans who requested its return. And it's one of Pop-Tarts' best takes on a dessert-like snack. 

Whether you grew up with birthday cake from the grocery store every year or one baked from scratch, chances are you've tried that standard vanilla cake, topped with vanilla buttercream and circular shaped confetti sprinkles — otherwise known as Funfetti. It's an absolute classic, and Pop-Tarts decided to jump on the nostalgic treat bandwagon. The top of the pastry is covered in white frosting with sprinkles, and it certainly smells just like a grocery store cake or cupcake, which, for the cake-obsessed is really enticing. 

What's disappointing is when you bite into the pastry. The filling is barely noticeable, and frankly pretty plain. It seems as though Pop-Tarts decided to use the same frosting on top as they did for the filling, rather than the gooey filling you typically get in other flavors, leaving much to be desired. Overall, a decent sweet snack if you need to fix a sugary cake craving, but there's definitely room for improvement. 

For those of you who hate pumpkin spice season, you may see this and run. And given the over-saturation of the pumpkin spice craze around fall, it's totally fair to do that. But Pop-Tarts' addition to the season is worth giving a try. 

Unlike most pumpkin items we see this season, these aren't too pumpkin-y, which is a nice change. And, they're not overly sugary and sweet like many other pumpkin-flavored products. The standard pastry crust is filled with a pumpkin filling, which uses dried pumpkin and molasses to give it that warm holiday flavor, closely resembling the filling of actual pumpkin pie. It also utilizes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and clove to round out the fall flavor — all classic spices utilized when making pumpkin pie. It's maybe not a flavor you would want to have year-round, but it's definitely a solid option for the fall. 

Here we are again with another chocolate crust, but at least this flavor is a bit better than the other chocolatey Pop-Tart options. This flavor is described on the Pop-Tarts website as a "chompable sundae," but, truth be told, this tastes nothing like a hot fudge sundae. The chocolate pastry is topped with a white frosting, a swirl of fudge frosting, and bright rainbow sundae sprinkles. It definitely welcomes you and tricks you into thinking you're getting something just like a sundae, but overall it's still a decent flavor.

The pastry is filled with a gooey vanilla concoction, which really doesn't compare to vanilla ice cream, but it provides enough substance paired with the chocolate pastry to make this combination taste good. Overall, it's a good option for an afternoon snack to fix that sweet tooth on the run, but if you happen to have the time to pop it in the toaster, the hot fudge flavor comes out a bit stronger when it's warmed up. 

Pop-Tarts began with their Gone Nutty! flavors in 2013, and they rocked the Pop-Tarts world with the introduction of gold pouches.

As you consider eating this flavor, don't think that you're getting anything remotely like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Just because it combines a few of the best flavors on the planet, doesn't mean it's quite the same.

But, that's not to say this isn't delicious in its own right. This flavor starts with a chocolate crust, which on its own, is pretty bland. But paired with the peanut butter filling you find once you take a bite, which actually uses peanut butter, it's pretty darn good. Truthfully, it's not as strong of a peanut butter flavor as it could be, and it might be better with a bit more oomph, but it seems like Pop-Tarts did that on purpose. The ingredients list also includes almond butter, which you can definitely taste. Almond butter can tend to mellow thing outs with its simple flavor, which makes you wonder if that's why it was added. Overall, a welcome addition to the Pop-Tarts family, but like most chocolate and peanut butter flavored treats, more peanut butter is always better. 

The Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tart debuted in 2015 as a limited edition option, but low and behold, it's still available. Apparently, there are quite a few people that like it just as much as we do. 

Now, first thing's first, opening a package of this flavor is truly an experience in itself. The smell hits you in the face like a bakery with cinnamon rolls that were just pulled fresh from the oven. You certainly don't get that experience with any of the other flavors. This Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts use the traditional pastry, which lends itself perfectly to this flavor. It's topped with a squiggle of frosting, which certainly doesn't taste like cream cheese like a traditional cinnamon roll, but that doesn't detract from it too much. 

The top of the pastry looks like a buttery, cinnamon mixed was added on top before baking, giving it that same gooey flavor of a tried and true cinnamon roll. The filling is a delicious, strong cinnamon flavor which seems a bit more powerful than the flavor you find with the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart. Does it actually taste like a cinnamon roll? No, but it is pretty darn close, and it's an absolutely a respectable breakfast option, if you ask us.

If you've never tried a Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart, well, we really don't know why that might be. Out of the non-fruit flavored options, this is absolutely one of the best. Plus, it's one of the originals (though at the time, it was served without frosting), so obviously they came up with something good years ago and decided to stick with it. There's definitely something to be said here for continuing on with what works. 

The original pastry is paired with the most delicious cinnamon filling, which isn't overpowering, but just enough to pack a warm, cozy flavor. The top is completely covered in a brown frosting, which, in theory is the "brown sugar" portion of the name, but there's actually no mention of brown sugar on the ingredients label whatsoever. With caramel color on the label, it's possible consumers just assume it's brown sugar, since it's sweet and tan, but honestly, we don't really care. What it all boils down to is that it's ridiculously delicious and the perfect way to start your day on the run.

The S'mores Pop-Tarts are maybe one of the most genius creations Kellogg's could have possibly come up with when they started dabbling with new flavors and pastry possibilities outside of their fruity norm. This flavor utilizes a graham cracker base, which is made with a bit of molasses, rather than the typical butter pastry, and it is so darn good. The Pop-Tart is filled with a chocolate filling and a marshmallow filling, so you get all of the true flavors of classic s'mores mixed into one. Plus, it's striped, so you get all three flavors in every single bite. Talk about a great design. 

The chocolate is well balanced, and the marshmallow flavor isn't too overpowering or sweet, leaving a great pairing for the flavors of the crust and the frosting on top to swoop in. It's one of those flavors that reminds us all of childhood, camping, summertime, and all things cozy and delicious, whether you enjoy it untoasted or toasted.

For most people, you either love fresh blueberries and blueberry flavor or you absolutely hate it. There is no in-between. But for those blueberry lovers, this is the perfect flavor for you. Blueberry was one of the original Pop-Tarts flavors, so it's had time to age to perfection, growing in popularity along the way. The pastry is covered in a white frosting with a fun mixture of little crystal sprinkles in lively colors to match its delicious blueberry flavor. 

Once you take a bite, the blueberry flavor smacks you in the face, which in this case, it's a good thing. The powerful blueberry flavor pairs really well with the pastry to offer an experience of complementing flavors. The filling is made with dried blueberries, but it also utilizes dried grapes and apples, which one might assume is to balance out the flavors. Definitely a solid choice on the developer's side, because this is absolutely one of the best Pop-Tarts on the market.

Strawberry Pop-Tarts are perhaps the most iconic flavor of all time. According to HuffPost, they're the best selling Pop-Tart flavor, along with Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and that may be because Strawberry Pop-Tarts can be found literally anywhere. There are several box sizes, even value packs at Costco, but there are also individually wrapped sizes at gas stations and vending machines, making this one of the most accessible flavors to anyone needing that fruity pastry fix. And deservedly so. 

One of the original four Pop-Tarts flavors, strawberry has stood its ground for decades. It's sweet, it's tart, and it's just about perfect in every way. The original pastry is topped with white frosting, with a sprinkle of bright colored crystals. The filling is made up of dried strawberries, but it also incorporates dried apples and pears for a bit of balance. It's the quintessential, go-to flavor and will continue to live on for decades more in delicious Pop-Tart history.

While Strawberry Pop-Tarts are good, Cherry Pop-Tarts are great, and putting Cherry here may rock a few die-hard Pop-Tart lovers' worlds. It's a controversial topic, and there's plenty of people who would say this flavor deserves to be way further down the list, or perhaps even listed as the worst. But we're holding firm. It's here, and it's here to stay. 

The Cherry Pop-Tart is a cute pink pastry with the most delicious cherry filling and sparkly red sprinkles on top of the frosting. It just screams cherry party! The recipe utilizes dried cherries for its flavor, but it also incorporates dried apples, making for the ideal balance of fruit flavors. The Cherry Pop-Tarts aren't overly sweet like some of the other flavors, and they're balanced nicely with a bit of tartness, most likely thanks to those apples. It's definitely the most solid flavor of the bunch, and probably the flavor you could easily eat multiple packages of without getting sick. You know, if you wanted to.