Popular Pudding Cups, Ranked From Worst To Best

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Roughly 151 million Americans are forecast to enjoy pudding for dessert at some point this year, so it's fair to say that pudding cups are only set to grow in popularity. With the cost of living rising we can all appreciate the need for an edible ray of light in harder times, and those indulging on this creamy treat make up nearly 45% of the population.

With a history dating back over several centuries, tackling a classic pudding recipe can be a time-consuming business. That's why the humble pudding cup has gained so much fame over the years — little prep is needed beyond peeling off their lids. Nowadays, there's also a pudding for everyone, with variations suitable for those on a vegan, kosher, keto or gluten-free diet.

Given the risks of eating this much sugar in a short space of time, finding the best pudding cups out there was no easy task. But we loosened our belts and finally got there, having truly enjoyed every mouthful. We've considered price, ingredients, flavor, and the unbridled thrill of diving in to some of the most popular pudding cups on the market. So take a bite of the results below, ranked from worst to best.

Inventor Peter Cooper was making waves in both the chemical and mechanical engineering sectors when he created jello in the mid-1800s. The original brand, Jell-O has since branched out into the wider pudding arena. Enter their aptly-named Temptations product line, and the Lemon Meringue Pie pudding cups.

These earn plaudits for their classic appearance, and the layered meringue and lemon mixture certainly calls out to be indulged in. At just 80 calories per serving and certified kosher, they also taste a lot sweeter than their ingredients might suggest. For an instant citrus tang, their zingy nature is hard to beat.

But that's it, in a nutshell. The greatest pudding cups have a depth of flavor, offering fresh delights with every mouthful. Fans of homemade lemon meringue pie will likely baulk at the lack of a pastry crust here, as important to this dish as cheese to a cheeseburger. Without a crunchy base, the whole dessert falls flat, and this Jello-O pudding cup becomes little more than a lemon-mousse. Tempting, yes – life-affirming, no.

We're entering serious pudding territory here, and this classic Italian dessert has been around in various forms since its creation in 1800 (per Accademia del Tiramisù). Tiramisu enjoyed a largely-secret rise in popularity, only hitting restaurants in the wider world around the 1980s (via Eater), and once enjoying unfounded fame as an aphrodisiac. Today, many fiercely-defended varieties exist, including individual tiramisu cups from Costco.

This pudding earns instant points for being made in Italy, given the dish's origins and history. As a pudding cup in its own right, the layers of coffee-soaked sponge cake, creamy mascarpone, and a heavy shot of chocolate don't disappoint when it comes to the sweet stakes, and that first mouthful is one to savor.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves here. An important ingredient in a traditional tiramisu is alcohol, and at 0.20% per pot, any boozy flavor here is just a little too subtle (via Costco Food Database). We also found them to dissolve in the mouth a little quicker than the average tiramisu, which require at least a little jaw work. At 210 calories per cup, these are definitely an indulgence. Let's call these bellissimo, with a lowercase b – a valiant attempt at an Italian classic, but a little too flawed to justify a higher ranking.

Kozy Shack is a name synonymous with pudding cups, having been one of the first to market the humble rice pudding on a mass scale. Although originating from Asia, where rice pudding still enjoys great popularity (via British Food: A History), Kozy Shack's founder, Vinnie Gruppuso, was so enamored with a particular American version that he bought the recipe and launched a brand. So what was it that got Vinnie's taste-buds tingling?

A check through the ingredients helps explain why Kozy Shack Original Rice Pudding is an instant winner. Unlike many manufacturers, Kozy Shack remembers that the recipe of a champion rice pudding needs little more than rice, milk, eggs and sugar. Add a few natural flavorings and a pinch of salt and that's all there is to it.

These pudding cups scored highly in terms of consistency, securing that sweet spot between too set and too runny. They also won points for sweetness – at 15 grams a serving they're definitely not short on sugar, but they're far from being a pudding that sets your teeth on edge. And as an accompaniment to fruit and nuts, they're hands-down the tastiest ready-made rice pudding on the market. Kozy Shack's cups also place high on our list due to their versatility, tasting delicious both hot or cold. Plus, they're suitable to eat at any time of day, even breakfast.

Hershey's Kisses are known and beloved all over the world. Turns out, the brand knows a thing or two about pudding cups as well. Hershey's S'Mores Colliders Chopped S'mores Dessert cups are like having a perfectly rehearsed jazz ensemble performing on your tongue. The mix of a marshmallow-flavored dessert, topped with chocolate pieces and graham cracker crumbles is heavenly. And they're made with real cream for a true sense of devil-may-care indulgence.

Let's not beat around the bush here — Hershey's pudding cups are not the choice for calorie counters. At 210 per cup, they're one of the heavier offerings on our list, and they also come with 40% of your daily allowance of saturated fat. With that in mind though, little compares to Hershey's expert combination, although the relatively small size may leave some unsatisfied.

Hershey's S'Mores narrowly missed our highly-prized top ranking, but only by the width of a graham cracker. These treats are guaranteed crowd-pleasers, but perhaps not the best option for a daily dessert staple.

JiMMY! is better known as a snack bar brand, offering high-protein, low sugar "bars with benefits," as the company likes to put it.A bunch of website testimonies from a range of combat sport professionals is testament to the fact they know a thing or two about healthy, functional, and tasty ingredients. So how does this knowledge translate when it comes to pudding cups?

As fans of their protein bars, we took a taste of their Fudge Peanut Butter Keto Dessert Cups and emitted sighs of heavenly delight. The fudge and peanut butter mix rises above the competition, resembling a decadent ganache. And these cups are freezable too, for when a super-sweet popsicle is all you desire.

With a whopping 250 calories and 13g of saturated fat, these are definitely an indulgent dessert. But the product is marketed to those on a keto diet – high fat, low carbs — and it definitely delivers along those dietary guidelines with 19 grams of fat and only 5 grams of net carbs per serving. People who aren't following a keto diet can still enjoy these dessert cups, and can take comfort in the fact that they contain 64% of the daily dietary fiber we need, and remember that everything is fine in moderation. JiMMY! Fudge Peanut Butter Keto Dessert Cups retail for $29.99 for a 12-pack, which comes out to just about $2.50 per pot. We'd say that's a lot of very tasty bang for your buck.