The Worst Easter Candy (and the Best)

Despite the fact that a seemingly-healthy, carrot-munching animal like a rabbit is such a prominent mascot for Easter, this holiday is just as candy-filled as Halloween. The only difference is that we don't get to sit back with a glass of wine as the kids hustle from house to house collecting their prizes. Quite the contrary, actually, because we adults simply gift them a basket full of all the foil-wrapped chocolates and marshmallow candies their little hearts' desire.

While, yes, you can certainly take a load off and live a little by indulging in your favorite Easter candies, we thought it would be fun to rank the popular treats by their nutrition—just in case you were curious to see exactly how much sugar is hidden in those giant chocolate bunnies. Read on to find out where your favorites lie. And once your candy shopping is done and you're looking to steer your diet in the right direction, consider 30 Easy Ways to Stop Eating So Much Sugar.

How We Ranked Them

We aggregated the nutritional information per serving and ingredient list of each candy. We primarily sorted based on calories and then fine-tuned the ranking by looking at the composition of those calories. Candies that had a higher concentration of fat and sugar (calculated by dividing grams of fat and sugar by gram of candy) were ranked worse than those with less.

We also took into account the serving size. Studies show that the quantity of the food you eat—and, more specifically, the appearance of quantity—can play a role in satiety. For example, eating a bagel cut into small pieces can make you feel more satisfied than eating the same bagel whole. Therefore, we ranked candies with more pieces per serving size better than candies whose serving size was only one item. Additionally, candies packaged in smaller serving sizes were looked at more favorably than were candies with large packages as the size of the package dictates how much candy one can consume.

Finally, ingredients played a role in breaking ties between candies with similar nutritionals. Candies with fewer artificial ingredients and inflammatory vegetable oils were ranked more favorably than those with these processed additives.

First… The Worst

Lindt Chocolate Carrots

2 pieces (27 g): 150 calories, 10 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 25 mg sodium, 13 g carbs (0 g fiber, 13 g sugar), 2 g protein

These might be among our favorite Easter candies, but Lindt's Chocolate Carrots have both the highest concentration of fat and saturated fat per gram of candy.

Reese's Pieces Easter Pastel Eggs Mini Carton/Reese's Pieces Easter Peanut Butter Eggs

9 pieces (29 g): 140 calories, 7 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 35 mg sodium, 18 g carbs (1 g fiber, 15 g sugar), 3 g protein

Reese's sneakily cut back the serving size from 12 pieces to 9 pieces since last year so they could cut off 5 grams of sugar from the label without actually reformulating the recipe to be lower in sugar. So, knowing how people eat Reese's Pieces, you're likely going to still eat more than your fair share of the sweet stuff.

Cadbury Creme Egg

1 piece (34 g): 170 calories, 8 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 45 mg sodium, 22 g carbs (0 g fiber, 15 g sugar), 2 g protein

Sorry, but the Easter classic is among the worst of the candies due to its high sugar count and small serving size. Just one egg will fill you up with 30 percent of your recommended daily intake of added sugars! Speaking of Cadbury Creme Eggs, do you happen to know these cadbury creme eggs facts?

Reese's Easter Peanut Butter Gold Eggs

3 pieces (30 g): 150 calories, 9 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 65 mg sodium, 17 g carbs (1 g fiber, 16 g sugar), 3 g protein

Reese's ended up changing the serving size of these bad boys because they had too much sugar before (20 grams, or 5 sugar packets worth). Now, you can comfortably snack on these golden eggs and only eat 4 packets worth of sugar!

Reese's Easter Peanut Butter Eggs

2 pieces (34 g): 180 calories, 10 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 130 mg sodium, 18 g carbs (1 g fiber, 16 g sugar), 4 g protein

Reese's eggs are an Easter basket staple and a twist on the brand's beloved Peanut Butter Cups, but don't let the gimmicky nature of this sweet treat fool you. Two chocolate-covered eggs pack 10 grams of fat and 17 grams of sugar—the amount of sweet stuff you'd find in 20 jelly beans.

Twix Easter Caramel Cookie Bar Candy Easter Egg

1/4 egg (35 g): 170 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 80 mg sodium, 24 g carbs (0 g fiber, 18 g sugar), 1 g protein

You no longer have to choose between a left and right Twix on Easter—but we wouldn't necessarily recommend picking up the egg either.

Ghirardelli Hollow Milk Chocolate Bunny

1/3 bunny (35 g): 180 calories, 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 30 mg sodium, 21 g carbs (1 g fiber, 20 g sugar), 2 g protein

We're happy Ghirardelli doesn't use any artificial flavoring in this milk chocolate bunny, but we wish they didn't use as much sugar.

Hershey's Solid Milk Chocolate Princess Easter Bunny

1/4 bunny (35 g): 180 calories, 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 25 mg sodium, 21 g carbs (<1 g fiber, 19 g sugar), 3 g protein

Although Hershey's bunny has similar nutritionals to the one above, this nutrition information is only for a quarter of the bunny as opposed to a third. That translates to potentially eating 720 calories, 44 grams of fat, 28 grams of saturated fat, and 76 grams of sugar from this princess bunny.

Reese's Easter Peanut Butter Crème Eggs

1 piece (34 g): 180 calories, 11 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 85 mg sodium, 19 g carbs (1 g fiber, 17 g sugar), 3 g protein

Reese's response to the Cadbury egg is slightly lower in sugar but is bursting with an extra 5 grams of fat. We're ranking it so low because, come on, you really think you'll stop after just one?

M&M'S Easter Peanut Butter Chocolate Candy Speckled Eggs Candy Bag

8 pieces (28 g): 140 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 60 mg sodium, 16 g carbs (<1 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 3 g protein

These Peanut Butter M&M's are pretty similar to the Reese's above them, but we ranked the M&M's worse because at least the Reese's hinder your consumption by forcing you to unwrap each piece—making it harder to shove handfuls of the candy in your mouth.

Cadbury Mini Eggs Easter Candy

9 pieces (32 g): 150 calories, 6 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 25 mg sodium, 23 g carbs (0 g fiber, 22 g sugar), 2 g protein

If you thought Reese's Pieces Eggs were bad, just look at what Cadbury came up with! Eating nine of these mini eggs will set you back a whopping 22 grams of sugar.

Butterfinger Chocolate Nest Eggs

6 pieces (43 g): 210 calories, 11 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 35 mg sodium, 28 g carbs (1 g fiber, 24 g sugar), 2 g protein

Starting to see a pattern here? Peanut butter in candy makes for a high-fat, high-sugar disaster. Luckily, not all peanut butter has to be bad. Check out our favorite jar in our exclusive report: We Tested 10 Peanut Butters, And This Is The Best!

Kit Kat Easter Milk Chocolate Bunny Ears

1 package (43 g): 220 calories, 12 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 30 mg sodium, 28 g carbs (<1 g fiber, 22 g sugar), 3 g protein

Gimme a break, Kit Kat. Munching on one of these bunny-faced bars is going to give you quite the jolt of sugar.

Dove Easter Milk Chocolate Candy Solid Easter Bunny Box

1/3 bunny (43 g): 240 calories, 14 g fat (8 g saturated fat), 30 mg sodium, 25 g carbs (1 g fiber, 24 g sugar), 3 g protein

Dove's Milk Chocolate Bunny tied with Lindt Carrot-Shaped Chocolates for having the highest fat density: with 5.6 grams of fat per gram of candy.

AND THE #1 WORST EASTER CANDY IS…

Chocolate Covered Peeps

3 chicks (42 g): 160 calories, 3.5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 15 mg sodium, 33 g carbs (0 g fiber, 30 g sugar), 1 g protein

What do you get when you take an Easter classic and bathe it in chocolate? A 30-grams-of-sugar monstrosity, that's what.

And Now… The Best

Peeps Easter Bunny Marshmallows

4 bunnies (32 g): 110 calories, 0 g fat, 10 mg sodium, 28 g carbs (0 g fiber, 26 g sugar), 1 g protein

They might be a classic of every Easter table, but be wary of overeating; these Peeps pack a bit of a sugar punch.

Cadbury Crème Eggs Mini Easter Candy

4 pieces (36 g): 180 calories, 9 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 45 mg sodium, 23 g carbs (0 g fiber, 16 g sugar), 2 g protein

If you want to eat Cadbury Crème eggs on Easter, why not choose the smaller version. If you stick to just two, you'll only be eating 80 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 10 grams of sugar.

WHOPPERS Easter Robin Eggs

6 pieces (30 g): 140 calories, 4 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 40 mg sodium, 25 g carbs (0 g fiber, 21 g sguar), 0 g protein

This Easter classic won't make too much of an impact on your waistline. But if you like Robin Eggs a lot, keep scrolling for a better option.

M&M's Almond Easter Egg Candies

9 pieces (28 g): 140 calories, 8 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat), 15 mg sodium, 17 g carbs (1 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 2 g protein

That bit of crunch and touch of salt make these candies a treat that satisfies many cravings.

Hershey's Easter Cookies 'n' Creme Eggs

6 pieces (29 g): 150 calories, 8 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 50 mg sodium, 18 g carbs (0 g fiber, 14 g sugar), 2 g protein

Does it make you feel better that each of these chocolate eggs is lower in calories than an Oreo? Maybe not. But, hey, they make a worthy—and festive—competitor.

Hershey's Marshmallow Eggs

1 piece (26 g): 110 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 15 mg sodium, 20 g carbs (0 g fiber, 16 g sugar), 1 g protein

These marshmallow eggs look a York Peppermint Patty and taste like a Peep. Sounds like the best of both worlds, if you ask us.

WHOPPERS Easter Mini Robin Eggs

18 pieces (31 g): 140 calories, 4 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 45 mg sodium, 26 g carbs (0 g fiber, 22 g sugar), 0 g protein

You'd have to eat a whopping 18 of these Whopper mini eggs to consume 22 grams of sugar. So unless you're snacking on these by the handful, this Easter treat is a great option if you want to feel like you've really indulged.

Kinder Easter Joy Sweet Cream Topped with Cocoa Wafer Bites Chocolate Treat + Toy

1 egg (20 g): 110 calories, 6 g fat (n/a g saturated fat), 60 mg sodium, 11 g carbs (0 g fiber, 10 g sugar), 2 g protein

We're happy that the Kinder egg is relatively low in calories and sugar, but it's still a bit high for only one of something. Hopefully, your kid will be too preoccupied with the toy to realize he or she wanted to keep munching on candy.

WHOPPERS Easter Mini Eggs

23 pieces (30 g): 140 calories, 6 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 70 mg sodium, 23 g carbs (0 g fiber, 17 g sugar), <1 g protein

This low-sugar, crunchable candy is one of our personal favorites.

Lindt Milk Gold Bunny

Lindt milk chocolate bunny — Courtesy Lindt

1/4 bunny (25 g): 110 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 5 mg sodium, 13 g carbs (0 g fiber, 12 g sugar), 1 g protein

You can breathe a sigh of relief knowing one of your favorite Easter candies ranks so favorably. We just recommend you stick to eating your treat in stages. May we suggest the ears first?

Lindt Dark Gold Bunny

1/4 bunny (25 g): 120 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 0 mg sodium, 13 g carbs (0 g fiber, 9 g sugar), 2 g protein

This dark chocolate bunny has more fat and calories than its milk counterpart, but at least its first ingredient is chocolate and not sugar.

York Peppermint Patties Eggs

2 pieces (27 g): 100 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 10 mg sodium, 22 g carbs (<1 g fiber, 18 g sugar), <1 g protein

These egg-shaped candies will freshen your breath without setting your calorie bank back too far.

Sour Patch Easter Bunnies

2 bags (30 g): 110 calories, 0 g fat, 20 mg sodium, 27 g carbs (19 g sugar), 0 g protein

These Sour Patch Bunnies scored so well on our list because of their smart packaging. That nutrition information you see above is actually for two of the snack packets! If you gave your child just one (or ate one for yourself), it would only equate to 55 calories and 10 grams of sugar.

Tootsie Roll Eggs Easter Candy

5 pieces (28 g): 100 calories, 2 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 5 mg sodium, 21 g carbs (0 g fiber, 15 g sugar), 0 g protein

Low in calories and sugar with a bit of chocolate and touch of candy coating? Sign us up!

AND THE #1 BEST EASTER CANDY IS…

SweeTARTS Chicks, Ducks and Bunnies

11 pieces (15 g): 60 calories, 0 g fat, 0 mg sodium, 14 g carbs (0 g fiber, 13 g sugar), 0 g protein

Yes, SweeTARTS do have the highest concentration of sugar per gram of candy, and, yes, you're basically just eating flavored, artificially-colored, and moulded sugar, but at least you can eat 11 of these candies and you'll still consume the least number of calories and least amount of sugar among all the candies on this list. If you do want to start cutting back on sugar after Easter, you might want to read up on these 30 Easy Ways to Stop Eating So Much Sugar.

The 30 Best & Worst Easter Candies—Ranked!