Easter Candy You Should Be Buying From Dollar Tree
Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail ... Easter's on its way! It is nearly time for the bright and pastel-colored holiday that marks both a significant religious holiday and a time to treat young ones to an Easter basket full of goodies. According to a Statista survey, about 80% of Americans celebrated Easter in 2022 in some form or fashion.
Whether your family traditions include a big brunch, lunch with a holiday ham, or a church service, Easter baskets are a popular gift across the United States. About 66% of parents in the U.S. prepare Easter baskets for their children, per WalletHub. Some parents even mail baskets to their children who have grown up and left the nest, the research shows. A focal point of Easter baskets is the candy. Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and, of course, sugary Peeps have become a must-have for every Easter basket to feel complete.
For many parents, it can be challenging to fill up a basket on a budget. This has prompted visits to discount stores like Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Family Dollar to find the best deals. Even with Dollar Tree's recent transformation to "the $1.25 tree," there are still some competitive deals to take advantage of. If you are on the Easter basket preparation task force this year, then stay tuned, because we are going to share a full list of the Easter candy you should be buying from Dollar Tree.
Peeps of all colors
Starting with the classic candied Easter symbol, we have marshmallow Peeps. You are likely familiar with these fluffy little sugar-covered chicks, either from your own Easter snack experiences or from watching a YouTube video of mad scientists zapping them in a microwave. Peeps come in a variety of fun colors and can be in a bird or bunny form, representing the classic Easter animals. Regardless of the variety, Peeps are undoubtedly a classic Easter basket stuffer that you don't want to miss, and ideally, you won't have to break the budget by buying them.
Dollar Tree and its fellow discount stores, Dollar General and Family Dollar, all have a selection of Easter-themed candies, although it seems that Dollar Tree ranks superior for its pricing and quantity of Peeps of all colors, whether bird or bunny. For example, you can buy a five-pack of classic, yellow Peeps for $1.25 at Dollar Tree. Its competitor, Dollar General offers them at the same price but is currently out of stock at many locations, and according to its website, Family Dollar doesn't currently offer classic Peeps. Other stores like Target offer a four-pack of yellow bunny Peeps for about $2, leaving Dollar Tree the best option for a pack of beloved, classic Peeps.
SweeTart Jelly Beans
Can an Easter basket be considered complete without jelly beans? Probably not, which is why these SweeTart Jelly Beans are a perfect basket stuffer. Not only does the SweeTart brand provide delicious, fruity, and bright flavors, but it also can be found for $1.25 for a 5-ounce bag at Dollar Tree, compared to $3 for 13 ounces at Dollar General and nearly $4 for 14 ounces at Kroger.
Dollar Tree provides the jelly beans in a smaller package, which is great for individual baskets, compared to a larger bag, which would have to be manually split up for multiple recipients.
The small bag from Dollar Tree is colorful and exactly what kiddos hope to see in their basket on Easter morning. This is also a great candy option for filling plastic eggs for an Easter egg hunt, as they don't immediately perish in the heat and are small enough to fit inside the eggs with ease. Not to mention, they can also be used as a homemade maraca. Family band, anyone? Overall, you can't go wrong with these jelly beans as an Easter basket addition or as a treat in the annual Easter egg hunt.
Easter Dots fruit-flavored gumdrops
These colorful Dots gumdrops bring a similar level of Easter spirit as the joy that comes from eating jelly beans. They are colorful, sweet, sour, chewy, and a favorite candy for parents and children alike. They are completely free of the top eight allergens, including gluten, tree nuts, and coconut, and are made in a dedicated peanut, tree-nut, and gluten-free/wheat-free facility. Yet another candy that serves as a cheerful Easter basket filler, or a noise-making egg-filler, Dots-brand Easter gumdrops are a great choice for holiday candy, which is super affordable if you know where to look.
Walmart offers Easter Dots in two 6-ounce packs for nearly $16. That's a bit steep, compared to Dollar Tree, with its single 6-ounce pack for (you guessed it) $1.25 per package. Dollar General and Family Dollar don't even have Dots, and Target has a single 6-ounce pack, but for a slightly higher price than Dollar Tree, at $1.29. Yet again, Dollar Tree comes in as the winner with its price and individualized candy packaging, which is perfect for single baskets.
Chocolate crosses
If you are among those who recognize Easter as a religious holiday, then you likely want those values to be reflected in the fun baskets for the youngest members of your family. Chocolate crosses are a kid-friendly way to acknowledge the spiritual side of the holiday, while supplementing an Easter basket with a sweet treat. Dollar Tree offers solid chocolate crosses decorated with roses in milk or white chocolate for $1.25 per 2-ounce piece. These chocolate crosses are totally free of gluten, nuts, and wheat, but they do contain milk and soy. For a solid chunk of nicely decorated chocolate, $1.25 is a pretty sweet deal.
Other stores like Target offer a 1.5-ounce solid chocolate cross from a different brand for $1.29, whereas to get the equivalent at Walmart, you should expect to pay closer to $15 for a two-pack of 2-ounce crosses. Yikes! Competitors Dollar General and Family Dollar don't seem to have a comparable product. So, if you want to add a chocolate-flavored cross to your Easter baskets, it looks like Dollar Tree has the most reasonable option for this Easter season.
Chocolate-covered marshmallow bunnies
For an Easter basket to be complete, you simply must include a marshmallow-filled bunny. While solid chocolate bunnies are well and good, there is something about a sweet, gooey, marshmallow-filled chocolate character that brings a unique satisfaction. Online research from ScienceDaily in 2017 found that most people start by eating the ears off these little guys, with some publications deeming you "abnormal" if you eat your bunny treats any other way. We won't criticize any way that you choose to chow down on the marshmallow-filled critters. We just hope you find a good deal on them!
Dollar Tree sells a box of five individual marshmallow bunny bars for $1.25, making it affordable and easy to fill up multiple Easter baskets for mere pennies. To find the same box of bunnies at Walmart, you can expect closer to $15 for a two-pack of five bunnies each and likely won't find any similar alternatives at Dollar General or Family Dollar. Dollar Tree once again comes in with a strong deal and a great offering of individualized candies.
Dubble Bubble egg-shaped gum
Easter is the perfect time to usher in egg-shaped sweets, and the bubble gum eggs from Dubble Bubble are no exception. These precious little eggs are pastel-colored and speckled to perfectly resemble the cheery Easter eggs you might hide them in. Dollar Tree has a 4.5-ounce pack for $1.25, which comes very close to Target's 4-ounce carton of Dubble Bubble egg-shaped gum for $1.19, but Dollar Tree is still in the lead with a better deal.
The gumballs are a great Easter basket add-in, ideally for your slightly older children who know not to pop bubbles in the middle of a church sermon. But you will undoubtedly be the coolest grown-up in the pews if you hand out these colorful and tasty bad boys when the kids start to get bored. The affordable Dubble Bubble egg-shaped gum is another candy that works well in an Easter basket or as a treat inside an Easter egg that will hold up in the spring sun for egg hunts.
Tootsie Roll Eggs
This twist on the classic Tootsie Roll was an exciting Easter basket find for most kids from the '90s and remains a special treat to this day. Tootsie Roll Eggs, individually packaged, chocolatey, and covered in pastel-colored charm are a fabulous addition to Easter baskets, or as fillers for plastic Easter eggs for the big hunt. These chewy treats are gluten-free and peanut-free, adding to their beloved status throughout generations.
Once again, Dollar Tree takes the lead with the best price and individualized packaging. While you can find a 3.5-ounce bag at Walmart for just under $7, you can find the same-sized bag at Dollar Tree for the classic and oh-so-reliable $1.25. Thanks, Dollar Tree. Snag some of these Tootsie Roll Eggs the next time you breeze through a Dollar Tree store and feel confident that you achieved the best deal for your Easter basket and egg-stuffing projects.
Palmer Double Crisp Bunny Munny coin-shaped chocolates
Say this candy's name five times fast and impress family members as they enjoy their golden and pastel-colored coins. These cute and shiny chocolate coins come in a little netted bag that holds 3.3 ounces of chocolate currency. This candy not only sparks the imagination of the young ones in your family, but it also gives another unique flavor to the assorted candies in their Easter basket. Made with milk chocolate and crisp rice, they are the perfect crunchy snack to help your children learn the value of money, or at least of a Bunny Munny coin. While they probably wouldn't hold up in an outdoor Easter egg hunt as well as some other candies, they're still a great stuffer for baskets or a sweet treat after a big Easter meal.
Once again, Dollar Tree wins the price war at $1.25 per bag, although Walmart comes close with a 1.69-ounce bag of Frankford Bunny Bucks brand coins for just $1. Other stores like Target, Kroger, Dollar General, and Family Dollar don't seem to have the same product available, although Target has a 1.5-ounce bag of plain gold coins for $1.19. We figure that for Easter, you might as well get the cheaper and fun themed items, right?
Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
If you know, you know. Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs hit differently than the normal Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that you get other times of the year. Whether it's the peanut butter-to-chocolate ratio that's different, or the charming egg shape, this candy is one that people across the U.S. crave and will swarm to the stores to purchase when spring hits. Thankfully, even as a brand-specific treat, these eggy delights don't have to break the bank.
You can get your family the highest quality, Easter-themed Reese's eggs and still save a bundle by visiting Dollar Tree. A classic pack with just under 3 ounces is $1.25 at the trusty Dollar Tree. The closest comparable product at Target would be its single Reese's peanut butter egg, coming in at 1.2 ounces for $1.19. At Walmart, you can find a king-sized two-pack of Reese's eggs at 2.4 ounces for $1.64, leaving Dollar Tree as the reigning champion.
Palmer Carrot Patch Pete solid milk chocolate bunnies
Good ol' Pete the chocolate bunny may achieve such favor from your children that he never gets eaten because he's just too adorable. If, however, your children look beyond his cute blue eyes, orange carrot accessories, and big brown bow, and endeavor to take a bite, they will still be happy as can be. Pete is a huge hunk of solid milk chocolate, coming in at 3 ounces. Definitely a showstopper candy, Pete will stand tall amid the green grass of an Easter basket and immediately draw excited attention.
Comparing price, a solid chocolate bunny as elaborate looking as Pete comes in at (you guessed it) $1.25 at Dollar Tree. Target, Walmart, and Dollar General also have a selection of solid bricks of bunny chocolate, but none that can compete with the price of Pete. The closest options are a solid chocolate Russell Stover-brand 3-ounce bunny at Target for $2.29 and the same nameless chocolate bunny from that brand at Walmart for $2.24. Dollar Tree wins again with the best deal and brings the charm of a bunny with a name, which is sure to be an extra fun detail for your kids.
Palmer milk chocolate Easter egg candies
Perhaps one of the most classic of Easter candies is the foil-covered chocolate egg. If you didn't hunt for, find, and eagerly devour these as a child, then we feel bad that you missed out on such a joyful memory. Dollar Tree brings this classic candy to the present day at its ever-reliable price of $1.25 for a 4.5-ounce bag of individually wrapped eggs. It's almost like the good old days at the country store, where you could get a bag of candy for a quarter.
This compares to different brands of chocolate eggs at Target and Walmart, which aren't ridiculously expensive, but still can't compete with the price at Dollar Tree. To fill up your Easter basket grass with beautiful, shiny, pastel eggs, you can't beat the deal at Dollar Tree. There is no shame in stocking up on a stash for your own nostalgic enjoyment, by the way.
Sour Patch Bunnies
Taking a slight detour from chocolate, we shift into sweet and sour territory with the moody and popular Sour Patch Kids in bunny form. "First they're sour, then they're sweet," according to the tagline from the candy's ads, and they make a perfect Easter treat. While we do not get paid to advertise for them with holiday-themed rhymes, Sour Patch Bunnies are a perfect Easter-themed sour candy for the kiddos who just aren't that into chocolate. They come in a box of just over 3 ounces and are just precious with their little gummy bunny appearance.
Pricewise, you can expect to find a box at Dollar Tree for its reliable $1.25. Elsewhere, you can find deals that come extremely close. Target, for instance, sells the same-sized box for 4 cents more, and at Walmart for 1 cent less. While you could save a penny at Walmart on this one, if you're already shopping at Dollar Tree for everything else on this list, why make a whole other stop if you don't have to?
Double crisp chocolate bunnies
Can you have too many bunny-themed candies for Easter? If you think, "no way!" then here is yet another chocolate treat for your baskets of sweet, family fun. Palmer brand brings us another delicious bunny made with milk chocolate and crispy rice that your kids will become best friends with before lovingly gnawing off its head. How sweet.
Dollar Tree gives you the option of adopting a cute, crispy chocolate 4.25-ounce bunny for the reliable price of $1.25 and manages to keep the lead for best deal compared to its competitor dollar stores and even other popular chains. Walmart is actually the only store to come close, with a crispy chocolate Palmer brand bunny lollipop for $1.24, but that bunny is only 3 ounces worth of chocolate. It should be noted that the Dollar Tree bunny friend is mostly allergy friendly as it contains milk and soy but no gluten or nuts. Plus, you can choose your child's favorite color of bunny wrapping, with options of pink, gold, purple, and more. Once again, we have Dollar Tree with the win.
Egg tins with SweeTarts, AirHeads, or Nerds
If you're short on time this Easter season and don't have the will or the way to stuff plastic Easter eggs, then the extra-large candy-filled egg tins from Dollar Tree might be a good solution for you. At about 4 ounces of candy per tin, the fillings come in Sour Punch Twists, SweeTarts, Air Heads, Nerds, Warheads, or more. You can get a tin for $1.25 at Dollar Tree and can easily stock up on these to supplement your egg hunt activity for the year.
Other stores have similar pre-stuffed Easter eggs, but none that come with the same brand-name candies. For example, Walmart has candy-stuffed, pre-filled Easter eggs with chocolate, and Target has plastic toy-filled eggs (with mystery toys), but both of these alternatives come at a higher price tag than Dollar Tree's offering. Plus, if your kids can't have chocolate for health reasons, or don't like it, you may prefer to give them Easter treats with the other candy options. To get the benefit of these particular candies at the best price point, it looks like Dollar Tree will be your best bet.
Peeps Pop-Ups Lollipops
We have come full circle to another Peeps product. This time, it's the Peeps Pop-Ups Lollipops, which are sure to bring a bundle of fun to your Easter baskets. This is part candy and part toy and comes in fun colors like yellow, pink, and blue. Whoever gets to eat it — no judgment to the parents who steal their kids' candy — will push up the button that opens up the plastic Peep or bunny figure to reveal a wrapped marshmallow lollipop. This is a great delivery system for the kids who otherwise would have sticky fingers, as it gives a solid, plastic grip to keep those little hands clean.
From our research, this product seems to exist only at Dollar Tree and Walmart, as we couldn't find it at Kroger, Target, or the other discount stores. Between Dollar Tree and Walmart, Dollar Tree still takes the cake, providing its Pop-Ups Lollipops for $1.25 each, whereas Walmart's equivalent with three pops comes in at nearly $7. Once again, the winner is clear. Dollar Tree is the best place for several Easter candies, Peeps Pop-Ups Lollipops, included.