The Best Valentine's Candy To Buy In 2025: 35 Sweet Picks

Love is in the air and that means it's time to choose the perfect sweet treat from our round-up of the best Valentine's candy! From classic heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to gummy peach hearts and even slightly hot cinnamon candy, the choices are endless.

Whether you're looking for the perfect sweets for your other half or want to treat yourself, this guide to the best Valentine's candy is the ideal jumping off point to finding the most delicious gifts. Read on to discover the most decadent and romantic candies to indulge in during this love-filled holiday.

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• The 35 Best Valentine's Day Candies
• What Is the Most Popular Valentine's Candy?
• How Much Candy Is Sold on Valentine's Day?

The 35 Best Valentine's Day Candies 

1. Ghirardelli Chocolate Hearts 

You would be hard-pressed to find a more crowd-pleasing candy than a bag of Ghirardelli Squares. This Valentine’s Day, you can take it a step further with this much-loved treat by gifting an on-theme heart-shaped version. Not only is the seasonal shape a whimsical change of pace, but the special crème brûlée flavor found inside is available only on Valentine’s Day.

2. Brach’s Conversation Hearts  

Conversation hearts are undoubtedly one of the most ubiquitous of all Valentine’s Day candies, but debate continues to rage as to which of the three main brands — Brach’s, SweeTarts, or Sweethearts — makes the best Valentine’s candy. 

We won’t attempt to sway you, but many connoisseurs praise the texture and creativity of the Brach’s version over its competitors. In all honesty, conversation hearts are an acquired taste, but you can’t argue with their fun novelty factor, and that’s what earns them a spot on any list of best Valentine’s Day candies. 

3. Reese’s Hearts 

Reese’s rolls out another cult favorite come February in the heart-shaped version of the classic peanut butter cups. And even though any visible difference between Valentine’s version and the other 11-months-of-the-year one is completely superficial, there’s something way more fun about eating the heart-shaped kind!

Isn’t that what much of the best Valentine’s candy is — a fun seasonal variation on something you already love? For the peanut butter lovers of the world, Reese’s Hearts will always be the top Valentine’s Day candy pick. 

4. Dove Dark Chocolate and Strawberry Swirls 

Now for something a little more novel. Dove Chocolates aren’t exactly obscure, but they’re not nearly as ubiquitous as, say, Hershey’s Kisses.

So if you’re looking for an easy-to-find chocolate that feels a bit more unique to the Valentine’s season, Dove’s seasonal Dark Chocolate and Strawberry Swirls might be the best Valentine’s candy for you. They’re as creamy and indulgent as Hershey’s Kisses, but with a little something extra.

5. Jet-Puffed Strawberry Marshmallow Hearts 

Marshmallows are often a background character, more likely to be sprinkled over hot chocolate or roasted for s’mores than to be eaten on their own. But Jet-Puffed is looking to change that with this unique Valentine’s Day candy. 

Strawberry Marshmallow Hearts are exactly what they sound like, and with the light and fluffy texture you know and love, you may be tempted to eat the whole bag. Word on the street is that all the best Valentine’s Day candies are a little dangerous. 

6. Hershey’s Kisses 

Time for another all-around classic! We’ve all unwrapped a Kiss or two, and while there are countless novelty flavors to choose from these days, it’s the venerable milk chocolate flavor that makes it onto this list of the best Valentine’s candy. Simple is often best, and with its iconically creamy texture, you can hardly beat the time-tested Hershey’s Kiss for mass appeal.

7. Cupid Candy Corn

From the uber-popular to the uber-polarizing, try this unique Valentine’s Day candy on for size. Candy corn is one of those things people love to hate, and its Valentine’s Day version, complete with cute red, pink and white coloring, is no different. 

But it has its staunch devotees, too, and if you or a loved one happen to think this is the best Valentine’s candy there is — hey, knock yourself out. The great thing about choosing this cult-favorite acquired taste to love is that it won’t be selling out at your local supermarket anytime soon.

8. Hershey’s Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Kisses

The classic Hershey’s Kiss isn’t the only good Valentine’s candy that the company has to offer. This seasonal flavor is sort of like a cherry cordial, with a liquid strawberry filling inside a hollow chocolate kiss. Like all the best Valentine’s candies, Hershey’s Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Kisses combine classic flavors with seasonal flair and are sure to impress your Valentine's crush.

9. Cupid’s Mix M&M’s 

Remember our thesis about the best Valentine’s Day candy just being an already-good candy with a fancy new design? The brains behind M&M’s also get that. Cupid’s Mix is a delightfully predictable bag of pink, red and white M&M’s with holiday designs, such as hearts and bows and arrows, alongside the classic “m.”

And since M&M’s are, as we all know, one of the elite mindless-snacking candies, the seasonal packaging makes a great excuse to feel festive while you munch. Could a good Valentine’s Day candy really need more than that? 

10. Starbursts FaveReds 

Another classic Valentine’s Day candy formula is the “red pack”: it’s the normal candy, but only in shades of pink and red. Although it isn’t specifically a Valentine’s product (you can pick up a bag year-round), Starbursts gets in on that action with a “FaveReds” pack featuring only their strawberry and cherry flavors. 

That works out pretty well for fans of the candy who tend to pick those two colors as the best of the normal four. For many, cutting out the orange and yellow middlemen makes Starburst FaveReds not only one of the best Valentine’s Day candies but also a treat they’d gladly enjoy year-round.

11. See’s Candies Sour Gummy Hearts 

Many of the best Valentine’s candies can be found at a supermarket, but you may have to go a bit further afield for these ones. Never fear — they’re absolutely worth it! See’s Candies has a lineup of colorful sour gummies for every season and holiday, but these red, pink and white hearts are undoubtedly the most fun and the most giftable. 

Perfect if you’re looking for a unique Valentine’s candy that is accessible nationwide (See’s offers online ordering in addition to its retail locations) but unusual enough that your recipient may not have tried it. 

12. York Peppermint Patty Hearts 

If you’ve been feeling the absence of peppermint in your life since the Christmas stuff left stores at the end of December, you need only wait a few weeks to have it in your life again. For the mint-inclined, the best Valentine’s candy will no doubt be this seasonal release. 

York’s holiday take on the chocolate-enrobed peppermint cream confection you love is unchanged except for its shape. However, the shape change alone makes it a sought-after way to celebrate a season that can be surprisingly lacking in mint candy options.

13. Kit Kat Raspberry Crème 

Kit Kat is famous for branching out from its original chocolate flavor, with options as diverse as blueberry cheesecake and matcha (a classic in its own right) now on sale. So it’s only natural that they’d throw their hat in the ring for Valentine’s Day with a festive pink flavor. 

Raspberry Crème Kit Kats are undoubtedly one of the best Valentine’s candy choices for fans of the candy bar who will be able to enjoy the satisfying crunch they love in a seasonally appropriate package.

14. Sweethearts Conversation Hearts 

You didn’t really think we would only shout out Brach’s conversation hearts, did you? It wouldn’t be fair to restrict one of the most iconic symbols of Valentine’s Day to just one brand.

These ones earn their place among the best Valentine’s candy with their clever sayings, which have recently undergone a welcome facelift to update them for the 21st century. 

No guarantees here — we’ve never found one ourselves — but if you were going to find a “Swipe Right” or “DM Me” in any box of conversation hearts you could buy, it would be in a box of Sweethearts.

15. Sour Patch Kids Hearts

Now, may we suggest a wildly different heart-shaped option? If you’re more of a fruit person than a chocolate person or you’d rather your candy be sour than sweet, Sour Patch Kids have you covered with this seasonal design. Unlike the multicolored gummies you can get year-round, Sour Patch Kids Hearts come in festive shades of pink, purple and red. 

While they might not be the first candy you associate with the holiday, Sour Patch Kids make their bid for a spot up there with the best Valentine’s candies with these festive hearts — and if you like it sour, it’s a pretty convincing one. 

16. Godiva Heart-Shaped Gift Box  

Do you have a special someone with particular tastes? Then you might be well-served to go for Godiva. The classy chocolatier is popular year-round, but this heart-shaped box of perennial favorites makes the best Valentine’s candy pick for beleaguered significant others who have very little time to pull together an impressive box of chocolate. 

17. Hershey’s Hearts 

So maybe you’ve gotten to thinking that Hershey’s Kisses are played out. Fair enough: the best Valentine’s candies often are. Where does that leave you, though? What are you getting instead? Hershey’s has the answer to that in these heart-shaped chocolates that are near-identical in taste but unique in appearance. 

In this form, you might even be able to trick your brain into thinking it’s having an entirely novel chocolate experience — or at least avoid being the third person who shows up to a party with a bag of Hershey’s Kisses!

18. Skittles Love Mix 

If you’re the type of candy connoisseur who will always pick a fruit candy over chocolate, you’re likely used to citing Skittles as a holiday favorite already on occasions from Halloween to Easter. Lucky you: there’s a Valentine’s variant, too. 

Skittles Love Mix is pretty much what you’d guess — an otherwise classic lineup of pink-adjacent colors and flavors — and makes a fun, colorful and very welcome change from all that chocolate. Like all the best Valentine’s candy, it’s exactly what you love in a festive package. 

19. Favorite Day Gummi Peach Hearts 

Readily available at a Target store near you, these underrated gummies might not be commonly listed among the best Valentine’s candy, but they really should be. Unique and stylish but easy to get your hands on, they offer a great alternative to the chocolate options that tend to dominate shelves this time of year. 

20. Fun Dip 

Most of us would rather not relive our middle school days, but every so often, we all come across a treat so nostalgic that you can’t help but reminisce. Fun Dip might be one of those.

True, it’s one we all tend to forget about, but if you were offered a Valentine’s-themed packet, would you refuse? Highly unlikely. 

That’s what makes the perpetually-neglected Fun Dip one of the best Valentine’s candies. They might not be bringing the romance, but that’s not always what you want, and you can’t beat them for, well, plain fun. This one gets our pick for the best blast from the class-Valentine’s-Day-party past. 

21. Brach’s Cinnamon Jelly Hearts 

Brach’s isn’t only in the conversation heart business: the brand also sells these delightfully spicy heart-shaped gummies come Valentine’s Day. Though you may not think of spice as desirable in a candy, you’d be surprised by the enduring popularity of these — and by the number of fans who cite them as one of the best Valentine’s candies.

22. Peeps

This controversial marshmallow treat is much more closely associated with Easter, sure, but you can count on boxes of pink and red Peeps to appear on shelves around Valentine’s Day — and you should give them a shot. 

Opinions on Peeps range from seething hatred to adoration, and few people seem to fall in the middle of the Peeps-preferring spectrum. However, most will agree that there’s no cuter Valentine’s Day candy no matter what you think of their taste. 

So next time you want to side-eye the Peeps enjoyer in your life, remember that the best Valentine’s candy is a matter of taste — and maybe bring home a box to reevaluate just in case. 

23. Kit Kat Bears 

This isn’t the first Kit Kat to be included on this list of the best Valentine’s candy, and there’s a reason for that: while the Raspberry Crème Kit Kat got in on the strength of its seasonal flavor and color, this one comes in an even more festive design. 

Remember those giant teddy bears you’d sometimes see people walking around with on Valentine’s Day in high school? Kit Kat Bears let you give the same gift in miniature (and in chocolate). How could you resist?

24. Junior Mints Hearts 

The sole other mint candy to make this list of the best Valentine’s candies, Junior Mints Hearts follows a similar principle to the aforementioned York hearts. The difference? These ones are little. Read: if you eat them one or two at a time, you can get away with eating a whole box and pretend you barely had any. 

What’s more, Junior Mints Hearts come with festive red filling as well as the titular heart shape. We won’t tell you which mint deserves your pick this Valentine’s Day, but this one is a winner for snacking. 

25. Ferrero Rocher Heart Gift Box 

Along with mint, nuts are another oddly underrepresented ingredient in Valentine’s Day confections. So if you’ve been scrolling through this whole list hoping to find a nutty candy, look no further. 

Ferrero Rocher packages its iconic hazelnut truffles (otherwise unchanged) in a heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day, and if you’re shopping for a lover of nut-based chocolates, getting your hands on one of those gift boxes might be your best Valentine’s candy bet.

26. Sanders’ Dark Chocolate Raspberry Sea Salt Caramel Hearts 

Name a more unique Valentine’s candy than, uh… a whole tub of Valentine’s candy. That is the glorious thing about these bulk-sized, heart-shaped chocolate caramels: you could buy a huge cylindrical tub of them for the home or office and keep everyone sugared up until April. 

They’re also delicious, of course! Plus, with a seasonal look and flavor, they make a great chocolate alternative to those heart-shaped boxes you see everywhere (with no need to guess which one is the coconut and which one is the caramel).

But the real appeal of Sanders’ caramels is that you can own several pounds of them for a great price, and that’s what earns them their spot amongst the best Valentine’s candy. What more could you want? 

27. SweeTarts Hearts 

And we circle back to conversation hearts. While Brach’s and Sweethearts are popular nationwide for their fun sayings and colorful design, you’re probably not eating them for the taste — but these ones are different (i.e. mega-sour!) If you are a lover of all things tart, SweeTarts Hearts might top your list of the best Valentine’s candies. 

28. Chocolate Roses

Roses and chocolate are the classic Valentine’s Day gift, so why not combine them into one? Chocolate roses feature foil-wrapped chocolate on a stem in a faux bouquet and are undoubtedly one of the best Valentine’s candies for showing off. If you’re worried that real flowers will wilt before they reach their recipient, why not give the gift of a bouquet that can’t?

29. Jolly Rancher Red Hearts 

11 months out of the year, the best Jolly Rancher is the green apple one. Come February, it’s a toss-up between watermelon and cherry — but only because those are the flavors highlighted in the brand’s Valentine’s Day pack, and sucking on a heart-shaped hard candy would put anyone in a festive mood.

30. Jelly Belly Conversation Beans

There are countless seasonal jelly beans this time of year, and we could’ve chosen any, but these ones took the top spot for their clever take on the most iconic Valentine’s Day candy.

If you like the idea of conversation hearts but not the flavor, why not slap some sayings on jelly beans and call it a day? One of the best Valentine’s candies for sheer cleverness. 

31. Chewy Red Hots Hearts

If you like it spicy, Brach’s cinnamon gummies aren’t your only choice. Red Hots gets in on the Valentine’s Day action with its own chewy hearts — think spicy Mike-n-Ikes, but festive. They're one of the best Valentine’s candies for novelty and spice alike. 

32. Shari’s Berries Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Okay, we’ll own it: this isn’t quite a candy. But with convenient online ordering and bite-sized presentation, it might as well be. Shari’s Berries are undoubtedly one of the most indulgent and luxurious Valentine’s Day treats you could receive as well.

Your special someone is sure to be impressed if a box of these unique Valentine's gifts is delivered come February 14th. We think that’s enough to give these chocolate-covered strawberries an honorary place on any list of the best Valentine’s candy.

33. Dove Milk Chocolate Hearts

Sometimes, all you want is a time-tested classic: reliable, simple and absolutely predictable. Sometimes you just want plain old milk chocolate.

And when that day comes, Dove’s uber-basic, eminently snackable Milk Chocolate Hearts are going to be the best Valentine’s Day candy in all the land.

34. Tootsie Roll Cherry Valentine’s Day Pops

How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? We can’t say, but with these Valentine’s Day pops, you could make a date with your partner of figuring it out. (How’s that for a romantic Valentine's Day Idea?) They’re also one of the best Valentine’s candies for distributing as gifts in bulk — at the office, in class or anywhere else. 

35. Lindt Lindor Strawberries and Cream 

These are some more of the best Valentine’s candies to bring to a party. Lindor Strawberries and Cream ticks both the festive flavor and individually wrapped boxes, making them an easy and appropriate choice for a Valentine’s Day gathering.

What Is the Most Popular Valentine's Candy?

Ask any two people to tell you the best Valentine’s candy and you’ll probably get two wildly different answers. Expand your sample and it’ll only get more varied. The top-selling candy even varies by state. But, despite the myriad of differences in opinion you might find with so many candies on sale, some of the so-called "best Valentine’s candies" have the sales to back them up. 

In 2024, according to data compiled by a bulk candy seller Candy Store, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates take the top spot, being the most popular choice in the largest number of states. Conversation hearts aren’t far behind, though, and experienced a recent resurgence in popularity. Whether this year sees them reclaim the top prize remains to be seen! 

How Much Candy Is Sold on Valentine's Day? 

Unsurprisingly, customers bought more of the best Valentine’s candies than you’d know what to do with. In 2022, Americans got in the spirit of the holiday to the tune of $2.2 billion in candy purchases. In an average year, that amounts to around 58 million pounds of candy! 

So whether you’re buying a heart-shaped box of chocolates for your special someone or grabbing a five-pound bag of Hershey Kisses for your kid's classroom this year, you’re in good company.

If you’re looking to settle the question of the best Valentine’s candy, you’ll never get one definitive answer. Consumers have tastes as varied as the options on sale and making the right pick requires knowing your recipient. 

And isn’t there something fitting about that? Romance isn’t about expensive Swiss chocolate or even conversation hearts, after all, but about knowing what makes someone feel special. We hope these 35 best Valentine’s candy suggestions are a great place to start doing just that. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.