9 Snack Pack Pudding Flavors, Ranked

Few foods transport us back to childhood the way a container of Snack Pack pudding does. When introduced in 1968, these portable puddings were almost the perfect lunchbox snack, except for their lethal lids, which could slice the dickens out of your tongue if you weren't careful. Early flavors of Snack Pack pudding included chocolate, vanilla, chocolate fudge, lemon, butterscotch & banana.

Not only has the catalog of Snack Pack pudding flavors expanded exponentially, but its packaging has also gotten a much-needed overhaul. In 1987 they introduced the plastic container, and with that, the modern era of Snack Packs was born.

We wanted to take a trip down memory lane by sampling some of the staple favorites from our childhood, along with some newer offerings. The flavors we always loved were still our favorites, but there were a couple of new standouts. Here is our round-up of Snack Pack puddings. We listed them from least to most favorite based on taste and texture.

If we were basing our rankings strictly on the packaging, the Unicorn Magic Snack Pack pudding would win hands down. Not only is the packaging colorful, but it also comes with two surprise temporary unicorn tattoos inside. Sadly, the flavor, texture, and color did not have us as excited as expected.

We are unsure which of the ingredients on the nutrition label were made with Star Dust, Fairy Dust, and Princess Kisses, but we did not taste them. Nor did we detect the flavors of Joy and Rainbow Sparkles, all of which were promised on the label. Instead, the blue and pink-hued puddings tasted vaguely of cotton candy but not enough to transport us back to the state fairs where we first ate cotton candy as kids.

We might have gotten past the flavor if the texture was more pleasant. These were incredibly thick and gummy, like a cross between an overly thickened gravy mixed with the chalkiness of Pepto Bismol. It was deflating because we wanted to love them. Because of the mouthfeel, we ranked these at the bottom of our list. That said, we can see these being super popular with children because they are distinct from all the other flavors in look and gimmick.

Tapioca was one of our comfort flavors from childhood. We joyfully recall the little tapioca pearls popping as we shoveled spoonfuls of this pudding into our mouths. Somehow those little snappy pearls have gotten less firm over the years, which took some of the fun out of this Snack Pack flavor. The pudding texture was also a bit more on the loose side than we recall it being in the past.

As far as flavor is concerned, this pudding is slightly reminiscent of a rice pudding. It is sweet but not cloying, which is surprising because it does have a substantial amount of sugar, 22% of the recommended daily value. We did appreciate that this flavor has obtained OK Dairy Kosher Certification

We wish it had a bit richer mouthfeel and that tapioca was a more prominent ingredient rather than sixth on the list behind nonfat milk, water, sugar, palm oil, and modified corn starch. That said, it still has a nostalgic place in our hearts which would prompt us to keep it on hand for a pick-me-up on one of those days when we need an escape.

Vanilla is one of the flavors that has withstood the test of time. It has always been and will remain a solid standby. Though we are more acutely aware of the slightly artificial vanilla flavor as opposed to pure vanilla extract than we may have been as kids, this Snack Pack is one we would most certainly include in our grown-up lunch boxes. We noticed that the aftertaste of this flavor is reminiscent of a classic dulce de leche, which we enjoyed.

As far as texture is concerned, this is a smooth, creamy pudding with a pleasant mouthfeel that gently coats the tongue. We did not rank it higher because we had strong opinions on other flavors that we could not deny. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this Snack Pack. Like many of the other flavors, it is both gluten-free and Kosher-certified. This is the perfect option for someone who prefers a plain, not overly sweet pudding that isn't fussy.

We were somewhat divided on this flavor. Butterscotch is one of those things that you either love or hate. We are in the love camp. We grew up in an era when your grandmother would have a handful of Werther's or Brach's tucked into the pocket of her house dress. These would get slightly warmed, and when you popped one into your mouth, it would melt on your tongue and coat your teeth with a sticky film that would linger for what seemed like hours.

The flavor of this pudding is precisely that of a melted butterscotch candy in your mouth without the stickiness that could damage expensive dental work. Its texture was pleasant, not overly thick, and not gummy. And at 90 calories a cup, this is a low-calorie treat that will satisfy a sweet tooth with a bit of historical sentimentality. For a pro tip, we recommend combining the vanilla Snack Pack with the butterscotch. The two complement one another, and the vanilla can help tame the sweetness of the butterscotch for those wanting something a bit less saccharine.

Banana is another flavor that elicits strong opinions. Though we love real bananas and a good banana cream pie, we weren't sold on this flavor initially. When you open the container, it smells aggressively like a banana, perhaps slightly inauthentically. If you look at the pudding, it has two distinct layers. The top is like the whipped cream topping, and the bottom resembles the custard base of a banana cream pie. We tasted each layer separately at first to get a sense of the difference.

The top layer was slightly banana-forward with a whipped cream-like quality. The bottom layer was the part that seemed like a synthetic banana. When we mixed the layers, that's where the magic happened. The two need each other to balance out. The juxtaposition of the cream with the banana helps tame the bottom portion, giving it a lovely aftertaste.

We didn't rank this higher because banana is an acquired taste. For the banana fan, however, this is a nice treat. We will note that this flavor is slightly higher in calories and sugar than the others we sampled. It comes in at 160 calories per 5.5-ounce cup and 19 grams of sugar, 38% of the recommended daily value.

We now enter the chocolate phase of our tasting, which made things hard on us. One chocolate flavor was seemingly better than the next, so attempting to parse out the minutia was a challenge. As such, our lowest-rated chocolate flavor was the sugar-free variety, not because it was inferior but because the other two were slightly more palatable.

As its name suggests, this flavor is not particularly sweet, which for someone who dislikes overly sugary desserts, is just fine. Its sweetness is conferred from predominantly the sugar alcohols Sorbitol and Maltitol, with scant amounts of Sucralose. Both are slightly lower in calories than sugar and are considered low-glycemic. At 70 calories per 3.25-ounce cup, it has fewer calories than the full-sugar chocolate flavor.

The texture of this pudding was similar to a chocolate mousse, light and fluffy. The flavor most closely resembled dark chocolate, slightly bitter with a hint of residual sweetness, which is typical of cocoa powder. We enjoyed this flavor and would gladly eat one for a light dessert after a big meal.

The regular chocolate variety ranked ever so slightly higher than the sugar-free only because of its texture, which was slightly more creamy and smooth. The color and flavor of this pudding were far more like milk chocolate than dark chocolate.

At 100 calories per 3.25-ounce cup, this is higher than the sugar-free chocolate flavor. Where it differs is its sugar content, which is 12 grams or 24% of the recommended daily value. Still, this would be a reasonable sweet treat for someone who enjoys milk chocolate flavor.

It is perhaps worth noting that as packaging is concerned, we found these pudding cups rather challenging to open. The seal on the foil lid is quite adhesive, which would make it difficult for a young child to handle alone. This might be a plus or a minus depending on whether or not a parent wants to monitor what their kids are eating or if they are hoping this would be an easy snack for a child to take to school with them.

We deviated from our favorite chocolate flavors to try out the Cinnabon flavor Snack Pack, which was divine. If you have ever eaten a Cinnabon Bakery classic cinnamon bun, this little cup of pudding tastes just like the real deal.

Like the banana cream pie flavor, this pudding is divided into two layers, the top layer, which resembles the icing, and the bottom layer, which mimics the cinnamon pastry. We sampled each separately and then together. In this case, each could be a delectable flavor alone, but together they are dynamite. It has a warm spiciness that virtually transports us to Christmastime, with similar notes to egg nog or hot apple cider.

The texture of this pudding is perfectly executed with just the right balance of creaminess to firmness, giving you the idea of a cinnamon bun. And at 120 calories for a 3.25-ounce serving, this is a marked improvement on its 880-calorie namesake. That is a win-win in our book. This one gets an A+, and we cannot wait to eat another one.

And the winner of our Snack Pack pudding tasting is the chocolate fudge flavor. This variety successfully blends what we liked most about the regular and sugar-free iterations of the plain chocolate pudding. It is slightly sweeter with a smoother texture than the sugar-free but still retains a hint of that bitterness that is so appealing about dark chocolate.

The richness of this flavor could best be equated to the batter of a fudgy brownie. There is nothing overly synthetic or aggressive about it. It may appear sinfully decadent, but it only has 120 calories and 13 grams of sugar per 3.25-ounce cup serving. That is not much higher than the plain chocolate flavor. The only problem with the chocolate fudge Snack Pack is that grown-ups and kids will fight over who gets to eat the last one in the pack. We give this one an enthusiastic A++ and will be stocking up on it during our next grocery trip.