We Tasted And Ranked Every Single Flavor Of Pop-Tarts For You
The pop culture movement of the 1960s has given the world so many edible memories, and in many cases, edible ones too that we are still eating up to this day. One of them are toaster pastries, once called the "Fruit Scone," and then to match the era it was from were re-dubbed Pop-Tarts. Pop-Tarts were first introduced by Kellogg's in 1964, and have gone on to become an icon of breakfast, and beyond mornings to an all-day love affair. The frosted treats with the delicious fillings inside have had their name dropped in "Toy Story," "Gilmore Girls," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," songs by the Wu-Tang Clan and Childish Gambino, and serve as the fully-baked idea of Jerry Seinfeld's upcoming movie based on his own joke, "Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story."
Pop-Tarts will turn 60 in 2024, but The Daily Meal didn't want to wait until then to celebrate its greatness. So we tested all 22 flavors currently available, peeled back the shiny foil of each, toasted them up, and took a bite to see which ones stole our Pop-hearts and which ones popped them. Our taste-testing team ranged from ages 75 to 4, and after a sugar crash, we're happy to report our rankings. Let's chew and review!
Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.
22. Frosted Banana Bread
Molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and banana powder, but no actual bananas, are under the hood of the Frosted Banana Bread Pop-Tarts, which recently debuted in the spring of 2023. A grainy brown Pop-Tart is covered in what could be banana cream, but when you actually take a taste of this one, which the company said in a press release was a "delicious short-cut to fan favorite nostalgic and comforting flavor," it turns out to be something not very memorable, or one to cozy up with.
The problem is that it tastes less banana bread, and more like super artificial banana candy, which, if you weren't aware of, is usually the weakest and foulest flavoring of candy. Nuts are always iffy for products these days, but some walnuts or pecans here would have helped to make it a bit more like banana bread.
21. Apple Jacks Frosted Apple Cinnamon
As children of the early to mid-1960s, Pop-Tarts and Apple Jacks are now classic products in Kellogg's vast catalog that are still going very strong. It only took almost six decades later to marry the two in 2023, as the company said in a press release, "to provide new ways of enjoying the nostalgic flavors from our childhoods."
Well, if you like your Pop-Tarts extra sugary, and to include tough, dry cereal bits within, then this is probably the flavor you've been waiting for. For the rest of us, it may remind us that Apple Jacks and its odd cinnamon pairing is better left out of Pop-Tarts, and left in the box of cereal, as well as kept on the shelves. However, we did like the alternating green and orange sprinkles on the icing, which looked like Irish flag confetti being thrown in the air during a St. Patrick's Day parade.
20. Frosted Wild Berry
Berries have long made for awesome Pop-Tart flavors, so it made a lot of sense that in 1995 a flavor that went super "Wild" on them came to be. Back then, it was made with Smucker's, and today, no co-brand dares to attach its name to this wily Wild Berry one, which brings together dried pears, dried apples, dried strawberries, and natural wild berry flavor under one hot roof.
Well, the overload of fruit flavors, which apparently isn't too many berries to begin with, proves to be... an overload, tasting like a bowl of Fruit Loops. Its appearance says it all, as it is more of a dare than delish by its flashy design, that's like a mash-up of David Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" lightning bolt make-up meets the "The Young and the Restless" intertwined "YR" logo. Hang this one on a wall to look at, but take a pass on eating it.
19. Frosted Strawberry Milkshake
As well get into much later, further down on this list, standalone Strawberry is a fantastic Pop-Tart flavor, so a different take on the same fruit should be a welcome addition. With a name like Strawberry Milkshake, the flavor could either be a cream dream come true, or a sugar rush needing to go straight out the door. In this case, for the flavor that was introduced in the early 2000s and just returned in 2023, it turned out to be the latter.
Bonus points for its festive outside, with rainbow Jimmy sprinkles caked within a light pink frosting, but the essence of this Pop-Tart is less milkshake and more like strawberry milk. That could mean different things to different eaters, but to us, it's a nauseating taste we'd rather not order at the diner. The milkshake was a good idea, but how about something more along the lines of strawberries and cream? That would be the perfect breakfast at Wimbledon!
18. Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon
When Pop-Tarts launched (frosting-free) in 1964, there were only four initial flavors, and one of them was Brown Sugar Cinnamon. As a Pop-Tart, it has proved its worth as a flavor, due to its longevity on shelves, and is apparently the second most popular flavor, according to Kellogg's. But now with so many new and exciting flavors that have come since, and many with cinnamon, why does the Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon feel a little passé?
Don't get us wrong, it's a fine flavor, but with a super strong cinnamon taste, it seems like it's a flavor only suited for Christmastime, and perhaps a stretch the rest of the time. For those seeking warmth in brown sugar cinnamon, stick with oatmeal. Come to think of it, throw some oatmeal in this Pop-Tart, and then you have something that works year-round.
17. Frosted Grape
Introduced as far back as 1967 as Concord Grape, the Frosted Grape Pop-Tart flavor gained purple crunchies along the way and maintained fans through the end of the last century. Then they disappeared, only to make a roaring comeback in 2022.
Was it worth the wait for a second helping? Well, the Grape Pop-Tarts are exactly what they say they are — Pop-Tarts with grape flavoring, but there's not much more to it beyond that. Heated grape jelly isn't something that most people scream for, and there seems to be a missing component here to offset the jammed sweetness. Can you say peanut butter? Pop-Tarts has, as far back as 1986, and here and there since, but the time again is now, and that would be such a grape idea!
16. Snickerdoodle
As we just mentioned, the Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart is fine, but there are plenty of better options to turn to in the cinnamon subgenre. The Frosted Snickerdoodle, which dropped in 2022, is one such better option. It really comes alive and stands above the Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tart thanks to its rich vanilla butter flavor.
Snickerdoodles make for tangy cookies, and as a Pop-Tart, make for a tangy Pop-Tart type cookie as well. While it's labeled as "Frosted," there was no frosting in sight on the exterior shell. This was actually a slight issue, as it made the Pop-Tart's cakey bread more crumbly and hard to keep together since no frosting was acting as a usual glue.
15. Eggo Frosted Maple
The elements of the Eggo waffle date back to 1935, and the brand came under the stewardship of Kellogg's in the 1970s. Outside of cereals, Eggo waffles and Pop-Tarts are common breaded options offered by Kellogg's found on breakfast tables around the world. To save everyone from making a choice between the two, in 2021, they came together in the unique Pop-Tart — Eggo Frosted Maple.
While this flavor leans heavily on the maple end, and less on the waffle tip, it's still a really good flavor that would satisfy fans of both Eggo and Pop-Tarts. It also has a really striking look to it, with a vibrant yellow breading, iced with a snow white covering, and decorated with zig-zagging sunny yellow lattice-like drizzles. It's so bright that it's possible that if you turn off the lights, it may glow in the dark.
14. Frosted Raspberry
Frosted Raspberry Pop-Tarts have been kicking around since 1967, joining the line-up at the same time as Concord Grape. As a long-time flavor, there's no question about its bona fides, but its likeability depends on how much you enjoy raspberries.
Raspberries are good, but they're no blueberries, and they certainly are no strawberries, and that's how they land here in the middle of the pack. Made with actually dried raspberries, as well as dried pears, and dried apples, this dependable Pop-Tart comes off like a hot pocket filled with Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice. Sounds refreshing, right?
13. Frosted Chocolate Chip
Pastries and chocolate are easy pairings for munching, and if you didn't realize, Pop-Tart marries the two more times than you think. Not a single one of them is a stinker, and it's hard to tell them apart or rule one better than the other. They do have slight differences between them, and the one that isn't AS good as the others, but is still a winning flavor is Frosted Chocolate Chip.
The first Chocolate Chip Pop-Tart debuted in 1978, alongside Cherry, and today's version is loaded up on the good stuff like semisweet chocolate chip, milk chocolate, nonfat milk, cocoa (processed with alkali), and molasses. The chocolate chips are visible like pockmarks on the surface, and while there is no actual frosting to be seen, milk chocolate swirls decorate the rest of the canvas. This treat is more like a dry, but good cookie than being representative of the Pop-Tart family, and that's fine by us.
12. Frosted Chocolate Fudge
Next up in the world of chocolate Pop-Tarts is the Frosted Chocolate Fudge, which has been early rising out of toasters since 1969. This one is a slight step up from the Frosted Chocolate Chip Pop-Tart as it contains an actual frosting, and packs more of a chocolatey taste.
With a dark brown breading, and slightly lighter brown frosting, the Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts practically shouts that this is one is purely for the chocolate lovers who like to overindulge in the morning, or anytime for that matter. Others may find it needs something to offset its rich sweetness, and if any Pop-Tart seemed primed for dipping in a glass of milk, this is the one.
11. Frosted Pumpkin Pie
Since 2010, the Frosted Pumpkin Pie flavor has blown its way onto shelves when the call of fall nears. Out of all 22 Pop-Tarts we tried, if we had to single out one that nails the exact taste of the flavor it's trying to capture, it would be this limited-time-only, seasonal one.
Molasses, cinnamon, yellow corn flour, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and cocoa processed with alkali all come together and gel quite well inside this Pop-Tart, and the use of caramel color and paprika extract color clinch the look one would expect of the filling. While some colorful leaf patterns would have helped to dress up the outside of this affair, nonetheless, the red, yellow, orange, and brown sugar dusting atop the icing at least shows it's trying to usher in the spirit of autumn.
The Frosted Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tart would make for a fun, and funny dessert option to put on one's Thanksgiving table. Whipped cream is optional.
10. Frosted Cookies & Crème
This Frosted Cookies & Crème Pop-Tart, which dates to at least 2006, has chocolate cookie crust, contains a smooth vanilla crème on the inside, and is iced on the outside with a white frosting, with even more cookies, crumbled about. It all adds up to a well-balanced Pop-Tart where chocolate and vanilla unite for the best of both worlds.
It's a shame that Kellogg's doesn't own OREO because if it did, the appetizing Frosted Cookies & Crème Pop-Tart would be even more awesome than it already is. Maybe it can purchase former OREO rival Hydrox, and raise it from the cookie dead.
9. Frosted Chocolatey Chip Pancake
Don't be confused here, dear readers, this is not a repeat flavor, as the Frosted Chocolatey Chip Pancake is the second "Chocolate Chip" flavor in the Pop-Tart stable. Just released in the fall of 2023, in a press release, the company said, this flavor opens "a whole new world of breakfast and snacking experiences."
Imagine if the old standby Frosted Chocolate Chip flavor was mashed up with the Eggo Frosted Maple one, it would taste a little like this. The Frosted Chocolatey Chip Pancake's crust has a buttery pancake-like doughiness. And, with the chocolatey filling and chips embedded in the camouflaged maple icing, it makes for a delightfully delicious combo. One may almost not even want to bother to make pancakes, and just grab one of these, which almost gets you to the same place.
8. Frosted Boston Creme Donut
The Boston cream pie took off in the 19th century when chefs at Boston's Omni Parker House Hotel popularized the recipe. Eventually, its taste was borrowed for a filled donut. In 2021, Pop-Tarts borrowed the familiar taste of that donut to help its customers rise and shine in the morning.
The Frosted Boston Creme Donut box shows the image of a bit-open donut with cream oozing it. The pastry is essentially doing the same but in rectangular form. The reality of the actual Pop-Tart isn't as pleasing. Not to be crass, but it looks like an unfrosted Pop-Tart was abandoned on a sidewalk, and along came a dog who did its business on top of it.
Luckily, it got a lot better from there. The chocolate frosting has a nice restrained sweetness to it, that's quite unlike the chocolate frosting you'd find on an actual donut. The interior jelly has the appearance of apple pie filling and is almost as sweet. It tastes like a syrupy custard that might be hard to eat on its own. Together, the two balance each other out for a great flavoring combination that makes it one of the better chocolate flavors in Pop-Tarts' roster.
7. Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae
Again, you're not seeing a repeat flavor, just another take on an existing one. Well, if you're a fan of Frosted Chocolate Fudge Pop-Tarts, then you will love the playful Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae even more!
Here, in this Pop-Tart introduced in 2003, the vanilla is both a welcome sight on the brown crust and a taste in the mouth. Along with the rainbow sprinkles, the vanilla helps to offset the overindulgent chocolate taste of the standard flavor, making for a more complete flavor. But where is the cherry on top, promised in the photo on the box?
6. Frosted S'Mores
Out of the six choco-centric Pop-Tart flavors, the Frosted S'Mores one takes the (pastry) cake above all others. This flavor, which brings the enjoyment of campfire roasting from the outdoors and into the comfort of your own home, has been satisfying those looking for a little campiness since 1992.
Graham cracker crust with chocolate icing? Yes, please. Gooey chocolate and squishy marshmallow alternating filling nicely tying it all together? You know it! The best part of it all is that with this S'mores-in-one treat, there's a lot less sticky mess than the genuine article, and no actual tree branch sticks are needed to sandwich them together.
5. Frosted Blueberry
1964 was quite a year for America, with the arrival of the Beatles on its shores and the launch of Pop-Tarts. One of the four original flavors was Blueberry. After almost six decades of existence, this classic Pop-Tarts flavor is not showing any signs of rust. Instead, it simply contains a lovely, fruit-filled crust.
Need to cure the morning blues? This flavor has got you covered. Today's Frosted Blueberry Pop-Tarts are made of dried blueberries, dried grapes, and dried apples. With a rainbow of sugar sprinkles, it looks like a party in the front with business in the back.
4. Frosted Cherry
Some people are not fans of artificially cherry-flavored baked goods and treats, but if you are, then the Frosted Cherry Pop-Tart is easily one of the best to be found in a supermarket. Super sweet and tart, the Frosted Cherry Pop-Tart has been gushing in mouths since at least 1968, making it yet another all-time favorite finding new mouths and fans in another century.
While the Frosted Cherry Pop-Tart box doesn't hide the fact that it is artificially flavored, even spelling it out below its flavor name, it does contain actual dried cherries, as well as dried apples. With a pretty pink frosting, and a ton of red specks covering it, it's almost as exciting to look at as it is to eat it.
3. Frosted Confetti Cupcake
One of the more surprising revelations in this entire taste test is how great the Frosted Confetti Cupcake Pop-Tart is. Where other flavors like the Snickerdoodle, Strawberry Milkshake, and Eggo Frosted Maple may sound good on paper, or look good on the box, they couldn't fully come through on their promises, like this one does, which tastes like an actual cupcake.
The Frosted Confetti Cupcake Pop-Tart first hit the scene in 2011 as a limited-time-only treat, and after disappearing from shelves, Kellogg's brought the flavor back after much demand from its fans. We can see why this flavor is worth celebrating, as it is a party wrapped in foil — and the party begins as soon as that foil is ripped open. We were surprised that the confetti didn't shoot right into the air when we opened the packaging. Dear Kellogg's, we allow you to steal this idea of having actual confetti pop up from the Pop-Tart when opening the package.
2. Frosted Sugar Cookie
Another pleasant surprise in this taste test task was the Frosted Sugar Cookie flavor. This seasonal Pop-Tart only gets to spring up for life during the colder months, and has only been doing so since 2013. In a decade's time, it has proven to be an absolute winner, winter after winter.
Tasting like a warm Nilla wafer, this Pop-Tart gives off comfy and cozy vibes, during a time when such things a greatly needed. Adding to the seasonal cheer are up to eight different designs etched over the white icing, where snowmen are finding new and playful ways to stay toasty before getting rightfully toasted.
1. Frosted Strawberry
If we were stuck on a desert island (not to be confused with a dessert island) and had to choose only one of the 22 flavors to bring with us, without any doubt, we would bring Frosted Strawberry with us. Strawberry was one of those original four introductory Pop-Tart flavors from 1964, and there's a reason why decades later, it remains the best-selling flavor – hint: it's awesome!
Even before this taste test began, if you asked me which flavor most perfectly personified what a Pop-Tart is, I would have easily said Frosted Strawberry. But my eating team and I were willing to give the other 20 flavors a fair shake, and then see where the chips, or crust lay. After much back and forth, crunching and munching, and way too much jelly sweetness burning the roof of our gums, we came to the conclusion that the Frosted Strawberry was indeed the top of the Pops! Congratulations Frosted Strawberry! Long may you reign, for you will always warm our Pop-hearts.
Methodology
This ranking examined all 22 flavors of Pop-Tarts sold by Kellogg's as of May 2024. Some flavors are seasonal and are only available at certain times of year. Others may have been discontinued over time. All but one flavor was supplied by the manufacturer to the writer for taste-testing purposes.
In November 2023, I gathered a group of 10 taste testers, who ranged in ages from 4 to 75 years of age, including children, teens, college students, parents, and grandparents. All Pop-Tarts were toasted before being tasted. As a group, we assessed the strengths and weaknesses of 21 of the Pop-Tarts, based on flavor, design, texture, lovability, and sense of nostalgia. The rankings took the group's opinions into consideration, with the ultimate decision left to the author of this article. In May 2024, the Frosted Boston Creme Donut was taste-tested by the writer and another eater, using the same methodology, and then added to the rankings accordingly.