Gummy Candy Greatness: Ranking the Best Gummies by Category

Gummy candy has a special place in the hearts of candy enthusiasts, thanks to its incredible variety of flavors, shapes, and textures. Whether you're into classic gummy bears, sour gummy worms, sour belts, or innovative 3D shapes, there's a unique gummy candy for just about everyone. At Redstone Foods, with nearly 60 years in the candy business, we've seen how gummies have evolved and adapted to new trends and flavors. While our preferences might have changed over the years, our passion for great gummy candy has only grown stronger!

Gummies offer an unparalleled canvas for creativity and fun. From iconic bears and worms to more imaginative shapes like sushi, cola bottles, and even planets, the possibilities are seemingly endless. The infinite spectrum of fun and fruity flavors is just as wide, covering every flavor under the sun, often accompanied by unique textures and adventurous twists like sour or spicy coatings. Whether it's the childhood nostalgia of a gummy bear or the thrill of trying a new, quirky shape or flavor, gummies have continued to captivate candy lovers of all ages for over a century!

So, today we are going to dive into the best gummy candies across a variety of different categories. From the softest gummies like Albanese, to the most true-to-life shapes by Amos 4D, we’ve got it all covered. We'll also explore the most innovative gummies, unique textures, novelty shapes, and more. So, let’s dive into the delightful and diverse world of gummy candies, and find out which ones stand out as the best in their class!

1. Softest Gummy – Albanese Gummi Bears

Albanese proudly proclaim themselves as the “World’s Best” and if the manufacturing of gummy candy was an Olympic sport, we think these would take home the gold medal every time! These gummies are proudly made in the USA and are an incredibly flavorful gluten free and fat free snack! But as far as texture goes, the Albanese Gummi Bears are always incredibly soft, with just the right amount of bounce for the perfect gummy texture!

Pair that with a fantastic, true-to-fruit flavor and you simply have a gummy bear that can’t be beat! In the Albanese Gummies classic 12-flavor pack you get an array of fun, fruity flavors like cherry, pink grapefruit, lemon, strawberry, orange, blue raspberry, lime, grape, green apple, mango, pineapple, and watermelon. This is where the fruity fun begins!

2. Best True-To-Life Shapes – Amos 4D Fruit Gummies

These gummies are made to perfection to look and taste almost exactly like the real thing! Amos 4D Fruit Gummies are a phenomenally popular bulk candy option that we have seen great success in local candy stores, big and small. Coming in beautifully constructed shapes like strawberry, pineapple, grape, and green apple, these gummies are probably about as close as you can get to the real thing in world of gummy candy!

3. Best Sour Gummy Candy – Dorval Sour Power Belts

These multi-colored rainbow power belts are the perfect balance of sweet and sour, tantalizing your taste buds and sending you into pure candy bliss! Each belt offers a vibrant and eye-catching array of rainbow colors, making them not only a treat for your taste buds but also a visually delightful experience. The intense sour coating gives way to a sweet, fruity flavor that's both refreshing and long-lasting, making these out to be the perfect sour gummy candy!

4. The Most Unique Texture – Nerds Gummy Clusters

When Nerds Gummy Clusters burst onto the scene in 2020, the candy became an instant runaway success! They won the coveted Product of the Year Award at the 2022 Sweets & Snacks Expo, and the internet has been absolutely obsessed with them ever since.

Besides being completely delicious, their massive appeal comes in large part from the unique combination of textures – smooth and crunchy, tangy yet sweet. These are so popular that 81% of the total market share of Nerds candy has come from Gummy Clusters sales! They are also responsible for one of the best Super Bowl commercials that got aired on the 2024 broadcast:

5. Best Spicy Gummy Candy – Snak Club Tajin Chili & Lime Mango Rings

These aren’t the spiciest gummies on the planet, (we’ll get to that in a second) but they sure are some of the tastiest! The perfect blend of sweet with just a hint of spice, Snak Club’s Tajin Chili & Lime Gummy Mango Rings are a flavor sensation that is sure to awaken your tastebuds with the sweet and spicy fruity goodness. For people who have a sweet tooth craving, but also want a bit of a savory snack, these mango gummy rings are the perfect escape to some amazing south-of-the-border flavors!

6. The Spiciest Gummy – Lil’ Nitro: The World’s Hottest Gummy Bear

The Flamethrower Candy Company is one of those gummy candy brands you should look out for. They have made a tiny gummy bear that is 900 times hotter than a jalapeño! Coming in at 9 million Scoville units, this little bear is not a plaything. It means business. If you actually enjoy burning your face off, then this little bear is for you! Some customers on Amazon have reviewed it, saying: “It will ruin your day, but that’s what it’s supposed to do.” Either way, it is an intense experience you won’t soon forget!

7. Best Vegan Gummy – Honest Organic Gummies

From the candy and chocolate company Hershey’s, Honest Organic Gummies are a testament to clean ingredients and clean living. Made with real fruit juice and no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup, these gummy candies offer a naturally good way to satisfy all your sweet tooth cravings in a gluten free and vegan candy. Available in mixed fruit flavor, and tropical medley, these certified USDA organic gummies are a guilt-free way to enjoy a sweet treat on any occasion!

8. Best Sugar Free Gummy – Albanese Zero Sugar Gummi Bears

From the World’s Best line of gummy candy, Albanese Zero Sugar Gummi Bears are just as soft and sweet as the original Albanese gummy bears, but without any of the sugar. Always putting flavor and texture first, Albanese crafts their confections with quality, right here in the United States of America. You can find the best sugar free gummies by simply looking for the “A” on the tummy!

9. Best Giant Gummy – GGB of Raleigh Giant Gummy Worm

Who doesn’t need a 2lb giant gummy worm in their lives? This giant gummy classic worm made by GGB of Raleigh is approximately 2 inches wide and 20 inches in length, making it the largest gummy worm in existence! Coming in half red cherry and half blue raspberry flavors, this gummy worm is enough to feed an entire army of hungry birds, or a classroom full of children – which is way more likely.

10. Most Creative Gummy Concept: Amos Gummy Peelerz

Winning the Most Innovative New Product Award at the 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo, Amos Peelerz Gummy Mango and Gummy Banana are a sensationally unique take on gummy candies! Each candy has a chewy outside that can be peeled off to reveal an even softer fruit gummy on the inside. No wonder they've been trending on TikTok recently! These incredibly fun gummies are made with real fruit juice, and they have been taking the internet by storm all summer long.

11. Best “OG” Gummy Candy – Haribo Gold Bears

Haribo invented the world’s first gummy bears, way back in 1922. These instantly became candy favorites all across the world and today there are thousands of different gummy candies for consumers to choose from, but Haribo gummy candy remains the “O.G.” gummy brand. Today, the Original Gold Bears are a sweet medley of irresistible fruity flavors: pineapple, orange, lemon, strawberry, and raspberry. You can never go wrong with the OG – Original Goldbears, that is!

We hope you’ve enjoyed our roundup of some of the best gummies from each category. Did we miss one of your favorites? Hit us up on social media and let us know! Redstone Foods has been America’s favorite candy distributor since 1966. Our family-owned business is here to serve you and help stock your store with the best candy, snack, and soda products from all over the world.

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