Popular Starburst Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

We all know and love Starburst. The chewy, tangy candy most of us grew up with makes us really work for every juicy bite. Unwrapping and chewing Starburst candies is a workout in itself, but we still can't resist the "unexplainably juicy" flavor and consistency of this classic candy. The best and worst flavors of Starburst is a topic most fans of the candy have strong opinions about. So much so, that people tend to collect and stock their favorite flavor so they can avoid the rest. Not all of us are this extreme, but most of us pick out the ones we like the best and eat those first. We tend to save our least favorite flavors for last, pawn them off to friends and family, or leave them in the pantry forever. To help you put those candies in the correct order before eating them, we've ranked these 16 flavors of Starburst chews from worst to best.

This combo of mango and melon is not a match made in heaven. Talk about a dull flavor that makes a bad first impression. If you're one of the many people who despise honeydew, you'll know what we mean. It's like eating nothing, but worse. On the other hand, fresh mango is a juicy and delicious fruit, but it just doesn't translate well into candy in our opinion. 

In addition to all that, mango is almost an acquired taste for most. It is definitely not for everyone although mango lovers tend to be loyal. However, the taste of mango isn't sour enough to give a juicy kick in a candy. According to one candy blogger, this Tropical pack member would need to be more tangy and more zesty to impress the taste buds. The Mango Melon flavor is even available in jelly beans. That reminds us a bit too much of the Harry Potter Bertie Bott's beans. Perhaps this chew would be good if it was flavored with mango only. The melon is the black sheep here. Combining the two results in a disappointing flavor that doesn't have that "unexplainably juicy" factor we've come to love from Starburst. And for that reason, we're out.

Starburst fans wished for more red and pink Starburst in their bags, and their wish came true with the FaveREDs collection that has now become a staple in stores. In addition to red and pink, the FaveREDs bag included two new flavors; watermelon and fruit punch. 

The Fruit Punch chew is our least favorite from the FaveREDs pack. It just didn't impress our taste buds. The dark magenta Fruit Punch chew is flavorful to say the least. There are many different flavors swirling around in your mouth with this one. What is actually in this fruit punch? We can't tell, but it tastes a bit like artificial fruit punch mix from a bottle that you get at a lame party. It just doesn't taste authentic enough. 

For grape lovers, this chew might be a yummy choice. The deep purple chew has that tart intensity that the cherry flavored chew has, but with a mix-match of other flavors wrapped into it. If we had to guess, there's a hint of grape in there, probably passion fruit, and perhaps cranberry and guava? There's really no telling. We'd even go as far as to say that the Starburst Fruit Punch chew is more suited for kids than adults because, what adult really reaches for the fruit punch at a party unless it's spiked?

This Starburst Duo flavor doesn't taste all bad. But it misses the mark for being the less impressive flavor in the Duo pack. And since this Starburst Duo chew really only appeals to blue raspberry fans, it didn't place higher on this list. The Blue Raspberry Lemonade is an interestingly confusing flavor. On the one hand, we have blue raspberry, which is a hard-to-pin-down flavor to begin with. It doesn't taste like raspberry at all, but reminds us more of an ICEE Slushie which is actually where the blue raspberry flavor originated in the 1970s. Now, add lemonade to that and you have a more tart, more mellow taste of blue raspberry with a very sweet aftertaste.

Have you tried the Starburst Duos yet? The Blue Raspberry Lemonade chew is a part of this new concept from Starburst. Instead of flavors being fused together into one unique flavor, like we are used to seeing in the Tropical and Summer Splash packs, we now see a chew split in half by a line with one flavor on each side. It looks like a color block Starburst chew and we've got some fresh new combinations here. In this pack, we have Blue Raspberry Lemonade Duo flavor as well as the Strawberry Watermelon Duo flavor (more on that in a minute). 

This Summer Splash pack flavor makes it to the top 10 on this list for its juicy grape flavor. This Summer Splash flavor can be described as more subtle than the traditional grape flavored candies we know, and a little more sweet and balanced. Given that the average American grew up eating grape flavored candies like Jolly Ranchers, Nerds, and Grapeheads we expected this flavor to have a following of loyal fans. But judging from the Facebook page made specifically for this flavor, it's not attracting people by the masses. Grapes are wonderful but grape-flavored candy never really tastes like real grapes, does it? It has its own artificial flavor that is quintessentially American and we've all come to love it since we were kids. Kool-Aid comes to mind when we chew on this grape flavored Starburst slushie. It was about time Starburst came out with a grape flavor for the grape fans out there. We don't mind this flavor but it's just not for everyone. 

For those of you who say the original lemon flavored Starburst chew isn't sour enough, this one's for you. Add lime to lemon and you've got double the juicy and double the tart. There are two types of lemon fans in this world. Those who love the tart and sour freshness of lemons and will squeeze lemon in their water and order lemonade at a restaurant. And then there are those who want to water it down by baking with it. This one is definitely not for the latter of those types. 

It doesn't taste like key lime pie, and it doesn't taste like a lemon bar or a lemon cake at all. It tastes more like sour lemonade or lemon-limeade. This Summer Splash flavor obviously isn't as popular as the classic lemon Starburst, but it is a fun spin-off for those who love citrus but aren't quite satisfied with the original lemon. The lime also adds a summer vibe to this flavor, making it extra fresh. Hence the Summer Splash pack it's featured in. Considering how controversial the original yellow lemon flavor is, this one ought to be just as infamous.

This yummy red candy makes you think of sweet, tart cherries while you eat it. It tastes like the cherry on top of your ice cream. Extra tangy. It's super juicy and it holds its place up here in the top 10 with pride. We've talked about the repetitive cherry variations on this list, but here is the original cherry flavor that started it all. In a red wrapper, this red cherry chew tastes a little bit tangy, a little bit tart, not too sweet, and a little intense to be honest. It's part of the Originals pack as well as the FeveREDs bag which means it is grouped with the loyal FaveREDs cult following. 

The cherry Starburst has been ranked the second best Original flavor more than once. We suspect, however, that it is probably the last flavor people eat from the FaveREDs bag, despite liking it. It still has that cold medicine cherry taste that holds it back from the top spot. When it comes to the original pack, the red Starburst holds the silver medal as the second best original Starburst flavor. The cherry chew has many loyal followers and is one of the flavors sold in bags of one color only. 

Similar to the pink strawberry chew, this deep pink watermelon flavor is sweet and delicious and definitely won't disappoint all the pink Starburst lovers out there. Generally, watermelon candy tends to be green and has an intense artificial watermelon flavor that is almost too much for most of us. This one, however, doesn't have that problem. You can trust that it is sweet and oh, so subtle. Some might even call it pink Starburst's little twin. It tastes like a sugary watermelon on a hot day. It promises all that you look for in a watermelon, mild, fresh, and juicy. 

Some might say it tastes too much like the pink strawberry chew but we could all use a little more of that pink Starburst goodness. Even the wrapping is almost identical to the pink strawberry wrapping. So don't be surprised if when you're digging through your FaveREDs bag, you might sometimes grab the wrong pink. We're good with that because they go hand in hand somehow and neither of them disappoints. The only thing better than this pink watermelon Starburst would be a combination of strawberry and watermelon Starburst. So look no further than the watermelon strawberry duo flavor which is next up on this list.

This original pink strawberry chew is not just our favorite, but also the favorite of presidents and reality stars. If you still haven't tried one, the strawberry flavor tastes very sweet and just a tiny bit tart. It's subtle and less intense than the rest of the flavors, but it is somehow just the very best one that we all want to eat first out of the bag.

This flavor is the queen of Starburst chews. People are picking them out of the bag and collecting them. It has become so popular that a single flavor bag was released as a limited edition in 2017. It's that good. Celebrities and politicians alike have been seen eating only the pink starburst. Kim Kardashian has been seen stashing pink only starburst, Donald Trump only eats the pink and the red chews, and Paris Hilton wants us to treat everyone like a pink Starburst, not a yellow one. The pink strawberry Starburst chew was also the inspiration behind the FaveREDs collection. Trust us and the army of pink Starburst fans on this one — this flavor is perfection.