Jolly Rancher Flavors, Ranked from Worst to Best
Got a sweet tooth? Jolly Ranchers are not quite a lollipop, not really a tootsie roll, and definitely not soft enough to be considered a gummy (like a Sour Patch Kid, for example) but they absolutely satisfy a craving for something sweet. Made by the Hershey company—the same candy brand behind Hershey’s kisses—Jolly Ranchers carved a path of their own and have easily become one of the more popular Halloween candies, so it’s about time we ranked Jolly Rancher flavors from worst to best.
Even though Jolly Ranchers can now be found in gummy, jelly bean, lollipop, sour bite, and even soda form, their signature hard candy will forever be iconic. The Jolly Rancher tagline, however—”keep on sucking”—gets a 0/10 for being gross, weird, and embarrassing, the many different flavors of JRs definitely score higher than that.
Keep reading for answers to frequently-asked Jolly Rancher questions—plus, the best Jolly Rancher flavors ranked worst to best.
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Why do they call it a Jolly Rancher?
Even if you’ve never thought twice about the meaning behind the Jolly Rancher, it’s still a fascinating question. What the heck is a jolly rancher? According to Hersheyland, the name harkened back to the candy’s original roots as a Colorado-based company.
Before Hershey purchased JR, Bill and Dorothy Harmsen formed the Jolly Rancher company. The idea behind the name was that it evoked “friendly, western” vibes that were approachable. So, literally, jolly Western ranchers that were approachable and hospitable to out-of-towners.
What is the most popular Jolly Rancher?
Hersheyland says that the watermelon flavor is the most popular. Of the current flavors available, some other fan-favorites include blue raspberry, cherry, grape and green apple.
What are some fun facts about Jolly Ranchers?
- The original Jolly Rancher flavors include blue raspberry, cherry, green apple and watermelon.
- Jolly Ranchers melt at 350° after about five minutes. Once liquidated, they can be made into everything from shots (Jell-O shots included) and flavored vodka to sweet, fruity pancakes.
- They’ve been around since 1949.
- Red flavors are so beloved, you can even buy a bag of solely reds. You can also find bags of just apple green too.
- Jolly Ranchers have also spun off into lollipops, sour gummies, candy canes, soda and jelly beans.
- In 2015, there was a Fruity Bash variety bag (now discontinued), which included strawberry, mountain berry, lemon, orange and pineapple flavors.
- In 2017, Jolly Ranchers introduced a Hotties variety bag, which included watermelon/cayenne pepper, blue raspberry/sriracha, cherry/habanero and green apple/ginger.
- Similarly, the big variety pack of 2020 was the Tropical variety, which featured fruit punch, golden pineapple, lime and mango.
What does red Jolly Rancher mean?
Firstly, there is an important flavor distinction between red and pink Jolly Ranchers. They’re totally separate as pink is Pink Lemonade. The red rancher, on the other hand, has a few potential possibilities.
When you reach into a bag of Jolly Ranchers and pull out a red, it could either be Cherry, Watermelon, Fruit Punch or Strawberry. That’s why you may notice a subtle difference in flavors between reds.
How many Jolly Ranchers are in a bag?
There are 360 Jolly Ranchers in an 80oz bag. A 32oz box contains 160 candies, a 14 oz bag contains 66 candies, and a 7oz bag has 33.
14 Jolly Rancher flavors, ranked
14. Cinnamon Fire
If it’s a hot and spicy cinnamon flavor you’re looking for, pivot to Hot Tamales instead. Fiery hot is just not the ethos of what Jolly Ranchers are supposed to be.
13. Grape
Meh. Grape is fine and all, but it’s mostly unremarkable compared to other Jolly Rancher flavors.
12. Lemon
Seems like Jolly Rancher discontinued the lemon flavor for good reason. It’s just not on par with the other flavors.
11. Peach
Peach is another tough flavor because people either love peach or strongly dislike it. Would we pick 10 other flavors out of the bag before peach? Absolutely. But once we got to the bottom of the bag, we’d suck it up and, you know, suck on it.
10. Pineapple
Most of the tropical flavors set the bar low, to be honest, but pineapple is definitely the best of the mix. It’s not as bad as you may think. That’s not really a glowing review, but in the interest of giving credit where credit is due, the pineapple Jolly Rancher is comparable to the flavor of piña colada Jelly Bellys.
9. Strawberry
The strawberry Jolly Rancher is actually the pink one—not any of the red options. Strawberry is all-in-all a solid flavor, but there are a handful of others with stronger, tastier flavor profiles.
8. Lime
Lime is probably one of the more underrated Jolly Rancher flavors. It hardly has a cult-like following like some of the other flavors but it definitely is one of the tastier ones.
7. Orange
Another slept-on flavor, the yumminess of the orange flavor was a pleasant surprise. More tropical than either the pineapple or lime, it’s an enjoyable addition to the Tropical Mix pack.
6. Blue Raspberry
It’s a little sour and tart but a little sweet as well—the best of both worlds!
5. Mango
The mango Jolly Rancher exists in the Tropical Mix pack. We wouldn’t be mad though if JR gave its own run among the classic flavors.
4. Fruit Punch
Fruit punch flavors can often err too much on the sugary side, but instead of the fruit punch Jolly Rancher evoking synthetic fructose corn syrup, it actually has a well-balanced, fruity taste.
3. Cherry
The cherry-flavored Jolly Rancher was a close contender for the #2 spot but it’s really hard to argue with the perfection of JR’s green apple. Still, cherry is tasty in its own right and we’d have absolutely no qualms about diving into an all-cherry bag.
2. Green Apple
A controversial pick for sure (not everyone likes green apple flavoring after all), the dominance of green apple Jolly Ranchers cannot be denied. If you can find a candy that does the green apple flavoring half as good as the JR, we’d be stunned.
1. Watermelon
Undoubtedly the best red Jolly Rancher in the bunch, watermelon is the epitome of Jolly Rancher perfection.
Next up, Dr. Pepper flavors ranked worst to best.
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