5 Best Skittles Flavors + 4 Hacks and Tips

Diana Barkley (Senior Editor)

Universally loved, colorful, and full of fun flavors. We’re talking about Skittles, of course. Did you know that they were only introduced to the world in the mid-70s? Here you’ll find the best and worst Skittles flavors, plus tasty diy hacks.

The originally British candies quickly gained popularity and were brought to the North American market in 1979. Until today Skittles have come out with around 70 different flavor combinations, featuring a range of even more flavors within each packet.

But here’s the big question: which Skittles flavors are the best? Which ones should you try, and which ones would you be better off avoiding?

What are the weirdest flavors Skittles have ever come up with? In this article we’ll explore all of these questions and more. Look out for some delicious recipe hacks with Skittles, too.

What to Know about Skittles Flavors

What to Know about Skittles Flavors

There are plenty of interesting facts about Skittles. For a start, no one knows who first invented them.

All that is clear is that they originated in the UK, and were soon brought over to America.

Skittles are, allegedly, the second most popular candy in the US, with the first being Snickers. Here is a little more about the rainbow-tastic history of Skittles.

Origin of Skittles

Origin of Skittles

Skittles were originally made in Great Britain, and were introduced to America five years later in 1979. Their ‘Taste the Rainbow’ slogan was added when they came to the US, though only in 1994.

Since then, Skittles have become known as a quintessentially American confection.

Who Invented Skittles

Who Invented Skittles

Funny enough, no one knows. There are several theories, including one (probably joke one) that a British Mr. Skittles looked up, saw a rainbow, and wondered just how it might taste.

It’s more likely that an unknown UK business or Wrigley created the famous candies.

What we do know is that a British company first created them, and that a TV ad from 1974 showed the ‘Galaxy’ logo and was under the copyright of a ‘Mars’ subsidiary.

But that’s as much as is known about their origins, the rest is murky at best.

Ingredients of Classic Skittle Flavors

Ingredients of Classic Skittle Flavors

Skittles are primarily made of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil. They also contain a variety of both natural and artificial flavors and colors, and a handful of other, minor ingredients.

The bad news here is that Skittles contain titanium dioxide, which is associated with a range of possible ailments. The good news is that the Wrigley company use 100 percent certified sustainable palm oil.

In other words, they’re not a health food, but you probably enjoy some on occasion without any harm.

Do Skittles Have Different Flavors?

This is a resounding yes. There are hundreds of different flavors of Skittles across the 70-odd ranges. Some are delicious, others are a little bit questionable. And a few are downright weird. Read on to find out the top Skittles flavors from each of those categories.

Best Skittle Flavors You Need to Try

Best Skittle Flavors You Need to Try

With so many flavors to choose from, you’ll be hard pressed to decide just which is the best. Lucky for you we’ve rounded up the tastiest Skittles flavors you must try.

Hint: none of these are from the crazier ranges of Skittles. We’d like to think this is because Skittles come up with wackier flavors for fun rather than great taste.

Melon Berry from the Wild Berry Skittles

Melon Berry from the Wild Berry Skittles

The green-colored melon berry flavor in the Wild Berry Skittles is arguably the top, most-loved Skittles flavor out there. As with other melon flavored candies, it’s juicy, sweet, and completely addictive.

Sour Lemon from the Sours Skittles

Sour Skittles are, obviously, less sweet and more sour than other Skittles flavors. The sour lemon is perhaps the most sour, and is particularly popular for its zesty lemon flavor.

Apple from the Fruits Skittles

Apple from the Fruits Skittles

These apparently divided opinion at some point, but they’re still up there as one of the best Skittles flavors. Apple-flavored Skittles are juicy, sweet and a little tart. If you like other apple-flavored candies, you’ll love this one, too.

Strawberry from the Original Skittles

Strawberry from the Original Skittles

We mention these twice in this article, but that’s because they’re just so juicy and good.

They do taste fairly artificial, but in a strawberry lollipop sort of way, which is actually really addictive. Some people really like to mix these with the green (lime) Skittles for a fruity, sweet, tangy burst of flavor.

Any Flavor from the Orchard Skittles

These seem to be universally liked by Skittles fans everywhere. They contain orange, peach, cherry, red apple, and lime flavors. They briefly got people through the lime-replaced-by-apple crisis of 2013, but they’re otherwise very popular, too.

The Weirdest Skittles Flavors

The Weirdest Skittles Flavors

When we first looked into the weirdest Skittles flavors, some of them sounded like an April Fool’s joke. None of these are particularly delicious, some are downright awful, but all are fun.

If you want some strange-flavored Skittles to prank someone or to just try something unusual (think Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans), these are for you.

French’s Mustard Skittles

French’s Mustard Skittles

These abominations are described as both a sweet and savory treat, which you’ll most likely disagree with. They taste gingery, sharp, and not at all tangy.

There’s a plasticky taste alongside one of Skittles gone bad. Overall, one reviewer described these as tasting of ‘regret’, and we kind of agree.

Rotten Zombie Flavors

Rotten Zombie Flavors

These really reminded us of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans from Harry Potter. They’re similarly disgusting, and would probably make for a great dare-style game.

The worst of the bunch appears to be the Rotten flavor, which genuinely tastes like it’s rotten.

It’s like a blend of vomit, rotten egg, and some kind of pepper. Whatever you do, steer clear of these ones.

Meat-Flavored Skittles

Meat-Flavored Skittles

These are possibly the least offensive of the bunch, and that’s saying a lot.

They range from rack of lamb to steak and chicken wings. There’s not much more to say about these, they’re just strange.

Kind of beef jerky meets gum, strange, though you might enjoy their taste if you excessively love things like candied bacon.

The Original Skittles Flavors

The Original Skittles Flavors

The original flavors of Skittles haven’t changed in a long time, and are responsible for the famous Skittles slogan, ‘Taste the Rainbow.’ They come in orange, yellow, red, purple, and green.

Of course everyone has their favorites, but when Skittles tried to change the lime flavor to green apple in 2013, it caused an uproar.

Strawberry

Strawberry

Strawberry is one of the sweeter flavors. It’s red, juicy, and bursting with strawberry flavor.

Admittedly it’s not the most true to nature taste, but if you love strawberry-flavored candy, this one’s for you. Fun fact: candy aficionados tend to prefer red-flavored sweets overall.

Lime

Lime is one of the less popular original flavors. It’s somewhat sweeter than lemon, and overall doesn’t add much. With that said, pair it with one of the other flavors and you’ve got yourself a winner.

As mentioned above, when these were briefly replaced with green apple-flavored Skittles, people lost their minds.

Grape

Grape

Grape flavor tends to be a divisive one: you either love grape-flavored anything or you don’t, it seems. This purple-colored Skittle tastes intensely of grape flavoring.

It’s yummy on its own or paired with one of the others, preferably a more tart flavor.

Lemon

The yellow Skittle is the most tart of the bunch, and offers a delicious lemon candy flavor. It’s apparently one of the more popular choices for homemade Skittles-based drinks. Think poor man’s limoncello, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Orange

Orange Skittles are, again, divisive as they do tend to err to the side of a little boring. The orange-flavored Skittles are neither very tart nor overly sweet, making them a safe choice for anyone who doesn’t like particularly strong tastes.

Best Tropical Skittles Flavors

Best Tropical Skittles Flavors

Tropical Skittles were introduced in 1989, so fairly early on in the Skittles journey. They introduced even more fruity flavors and quickly became fan favorites across the world.

Below are our top tropical Skittles flavors, which you simply must try. Top tip: these all work particularly well in the recipes further down in this article.

Mango Tangelo

Mango Tangelo

The yummy mango tangelo-flavored Skittles are right at the top of the list of best Tropical Skittles flavors. That’s because they offer a delicious mango flavor with a burst of fruitiness and a little bit of zest from the citrusy tangelo.

Strawberry Starfruit

As with other strawberry-based flavors, the strawberry starfruit flavor is on the sweeter side. Some describe the flavor as slightly syrupy and artificial-tasting, though others love it for just that strawberry-lollipop base.

Pineapple Passion Fruit

Pineapple Passion Fruit

This is heavier on the passion fruit, which fans absolutely adore.

The pineapple passion fruit Skittles are also particularly good for adding to other recipes, including our vodka drink hack below.

They’re properly addictive and, we think, you’d probably want to buy just a giant bag of them on their own if you could.

Delicious Skittles Flavor Hacks and Recipes

Delicious Skittles Flavor Hacks and Recipes

Skittles are a scrummy sweet treat on their own, but they’re even better when added to a variety of recipes. If you never thought you could ‘cook’ using Skittles, think again.

These recipe hacks are delicious and fun to make. Some are for kids, some for adults, and some for the entire family.

Make Skittles Rainbow Fudge

Make Skittles Rainbow Fudge

You can easily make Skittle rainbow fudge that’s vegan, too. All you need is some plant-based milk, sugar, vegan white chocolate, some plant-based butter, and a pack of Skittles of your choice.

These are very sweet, but fun and nice-looking. Try making them with a pack of tropical Skittles for fruity fun flavors. Serve alongside a big glass of warm milk to cut through the sweetness.

Enjoy Some Boozy Skittles Vodka

Enjoy Some Boozy Skittles Vodka

If you’ve ever been to a college party, you’ve probably had a version of this. This is easy to make and only takes about 5 minutes. All you need is about 6 fl oz of vodka and 60 Skittles of one color and flavor.

The pineapple passion fruit Tropical Skittles are particularly good, but you can experiment with any flavor you like. Beware that this will make the vodka taste sweet and quite a lot less alcoholic, so you’ll want to enjoy it with some caution.

You can use your newly-made Skittles vodka within around 24 hours of ‘infusing’ time. Use it for shots or in cocktails — Skittles vodka mixes nicely with a variety of juices. Just add some lemon or lime slices to make your drinks a little less sweet.

Bake Skittles Cookies with the Kids

Bake Skittles Cookies with the Kids

Skittles cookies are a fun treat to bake for yourself or with children. They’re so easy to make that even younger kids can get involved (with some help).

All you need is flour, eggs, brown and white sugar, salted butter, baking soda, vanilla, and some Skittles of your choosing.

The recipes we like best don’t even require the dough to be chilled, so you can make them and bake them straight away. Enjoy Skittles-cookies within around 30 minutes of prep, bake, and cool time.

Top tip: these are especially tasty with any of the berry flavors, but, as always, the choice is yours.

Whip Up a Skittle Surprise Cake

Whip Up a Skittle Surprise Cake

There are a few different ways of making a surprise in the middle cake, depending on whether you’re baking several layers or not. Our favorite and, arguably, easiest method is to cut a large circle into the middle of the finished (but un-frosted) cake.

Cut quite a deep hole, but one that doesn’t run all the way through (you don’t want your Skittles to fall out). Next, fill the hole with as many Skittles as you can fit in.

Remove most of the cake from the cylindrical shape you cut out, then use what’s left as a lid. Frost all over the cake, particularly on top, to fully conceal the surprise inside.

Top tip: you can use this special surprise cake hack for a gender reveal cake, too. Just use some blue or pink Skittles.

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