We are a team of snackers. Come by the Bon Appétit office on any given afternoon and you’ll find a group of editors hovering over a coworker’s desk, plunging their hands into a bag of whatever product launched last week. Which is to say, we’ve been training for the Pantry Awards all year. By the time we got together to formally evaluate—a.k.a. taste—the dozens of new snacks and sweets eligible for this year’s awards, we were seasoned veterans.
Even so, the process turned up plenty of things none of us had tried before: a pistachio spread that senior service editor Kelsey Youngman now rations by the spoonful, a frozen queso that reheats like it was made an hour ago, and olive-oil-fried potato chips that we’ve restocked in the office five times (each time in boxes of six).
We judged on flavor above all, but we also wanted products that display creativity and serve needs of consumers that previously have been unmet. Here are the 18 snacks and sweets that delivered on taste and innovation.
Best new snacks
.jpg)
Tables in the Test Kitchen were piled high with snacks that needed tasting. (It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.)
Travis Rainey
Graza Homestyle Potato Chips
Graza has become ubiquitous on kitchen counters in the years since its launch in 2022. Now, it’s coming for your snack cabinet. Delicately crisp potato chips are made from thinly sliced yellow potatoes and fried in the brand’s extra-virgin olive oil. Flavors like Hot N’ Sweet and Salt and Vinegar are welcome at any cookout, but the Zesty Caesar is a revelation. Here, all the salad’s flavors—garlic, bright lemon, and a tangy buttermilk finish—come together to create a perfectly craveable bite.
One tester said: “At first, the allium-forward Zesty Caesar almost reads as a REALLY good sour cream and onion chip. But sitting with it a bit more, you begin to get a nice herbiness and saltiness from the funky parm hat really stays with you.” —Inés Anguiano, associate Test Kitchen manager
Wa-Chaa! Sichuan Peanuts
Wa-Chaa makes peanuts a bold snack by giving them a generous dusting of hot, tingly Sichuan peppercorns. Flavors run from the “just a bit of tingle” salt and pepper and Sichuan BBQ varieties through to Double Heat, which is a real punch in the mouth. (Apt, considering the brand is named for a sound effect associated with kung fu.)
One tester said: “I haven’t wanted to snack on peanuts since I used to make a mess of my parents’ car with honey roasted Planters on road trips. But I definitely do now.” —Noah Kaufman, senior shopping editor
Floura Fruit Fiber Bars
Jeni Britton of Jeni’s Ice Cream fame has moved from the freezer to the center aisle with the launch of Floura Daily Fiber Bars. In these grown-up fruit leathers, apple paste, melon, mango, and pineapple are dotted with almonds, chia seeds, and puffed quinoa for a chewy bite with a surprising crunch. The most impressive part (besides the taste): Each bar has 15 grams of fiber, a nutrient most Americans don’t get enough of.
One tester said: “Floura bars are the unexpected snack I can’t stop restocking in my desk drawer. They satisfy my sweet tooth without any artificial aftertaste and are so densely packed with fiber that getting through an entire bar is genuinely hard to do. My absolute go-to flavor is the Blueberry Matcha.” —Cristina Correa, social media manager
Quinn Snacks Filled Pretzel Sticks
Quinn Snacks is known for its sorghum flour-based pretzels, which just so happen to be gluten-free. The brand’s new peanut butter-filled sticks won us over with their satisfying snap, well-salted exterior, and creamy, peanut-y filling.
One tester said: “These remind me of the massive tub of pretzel nuggets my mom kept in her car when I was growing up, but the stick shape means a higher ratio of peanut butter to pretzel—which is a massive win in my book.” —Alaina Chou, shopping writer
BEZI Labneh Spreads
BEZI founders Ilay Karateke and Hasan Bahcivan, who both grew up in Türkiye, say they’re “on a mission to make labneh”—the kinda-cheese, kinda-yogurt spread popular in the Mediterranean and Middle East—”a thing in the US.” Let’s just say, the brand’s creamy, zesty dips are a strong case for making room in your brunch (or game day, or girl dinner) spread. Available in four varieties—Plain, Red Pepper, Everything, and Hot Honey—BEZI’s labneh is made with non-GMO milk and is free of added sugar and artificial flavors.
One tester said: “One bite of the hot honey flavor and I was Proust-ed to Istanbul, where on a recent trip I fell in love with a simple breakfast of warm simit bread with tangy clotted cream and a hunk of honeycomb. BEZI nails this delicious sweet-savory flavor combo so I can enjoy it whenever I have a craving—and thank goodness, because plane ticket prices are out of control.” —Abbey Stone, senior shopping director
Legit Provisions Legit Queso
Listen—no knock to the miracles of vacuum sealing and high-temperature pasteurization that have helped make dairy products shelf-stable, but when the only option available is the one designed to survive a war…well, nobody will blame you for wanting something fresher. Legit Provisions queso dips have straightforward ingredient lists, are free of preservatives (which is why they require refrigeration), and taste comfortably homemade while still delivering on that smooth, emulsified texture that you want from a queso.
One tester said: “Ooey-gooey, piping hot queso without making a bechamel or schlepping to a fast casual chain? I’m in love. These frozen cups of mildly-spiced cheesy dip taste freshly prepared and don’t break down into an oily, grainy mess, whether you heat them up in the microwave or on your stovetop.” —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor
Sfizi Taralli
Taralli are classic Italian crackers, so Sfizi founders Joe Fiorenzo and Sheela Prakash didn’t set out to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, they teamed up with a pair of brothers in Puglia making taralli the old fashioned way: boiling the crackers before baking to ensure they end up light and flaky.
One tester said: “I want to throw an Italian aperitivo cocktail party just to serve these tasty little snacks. Their dry, salty crunch acts as the perfect foil for a bitter and refreshing Campari spritz.”— Carly Westerfield, manager of audience strategy
Little Latke Potato Latke Chips
Imagine a bag full of only the crispiest golden pieces of a fried latke, and you have Little Latke. These crunchy, savory bites aren’t a substitute for the real thing, but rather a snack inspired by one of the finest achievements of the potato arts. Their taste is uncanny enough to make your bubbe nostalgic for the holidays. And no, they aren’t oily.
One tester said: “The best part of a latke is undeniably the lacy, wispy edges. Luckily, these addictive chips are nothing but that.” —Nina Moskowitz, associate cooking editor
Little Spoon Stellar Puffs
Little Spoon’s entire product line is geared toward kids, but that didn’t stop us adults from falling hard for the brand’s new Stellar Puffs. The sorghum- and quinoa-based snacks are delightfully crunchy and light as can be, which means it’s near impossible not to down an entire bag in one sitting. We also love that they include a hidden dose of veggies (pumpkin for the Cheesy White Cheddar and carrot for the Cinna-Banana Twist), though you’d never know from the puffs’ flavor alone.
One tester said: “These puffs are so ethereally light and airy, they melt nearly the second they hit your tongue (a delight for me; a necessity for their intended toddler-aged audience). And the lingering flavor—sweet-tart banana plus warming cinnamon—tastes refreshingly real. They’re the perfect thing to keep tucked in my desk drawer: A shelf-stable, produce-packed snack that satisfies my ‘something crispy’ craving every time it strikes.” —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor
Paro Lentil Chips Bold Global Flavors
It’s never been a better time to get into alt chips. Paro’s lentil crisps have the kind of deep crunch that’s hard to get outside of a thick cut, house-made potato chip. They also serve as blank slates for the flavors that coat them, jalapeno mint chutney and a smoky BBQ tikka that recall the tastes Paro creator Umaimah Shawani grew up with.
One tester said: “I’ll be honest: The idea of a lentil chip is not immediately appealing to me. I’ve become too accustomed to potatoes and corn. But the big crunch and smoky, earthy flavor from both the BBQ tikka spices dusting the chips and from the lentils themselves have made me a convert.” —Noah Kaufman, senior shopping editor
Siete Foods Maíz Mexican Street Corn Tortilla Chips
Siete Foods made a name for itself as one of the go-to gluten-free options forMexican cuisine in the grocery store. This year, the brand has expanded its expansion flavor library to include these tangy, spicy elote elote corn chips you’ll definitely eat by the bagful. Think Cool Ranch Doritos (complimentary).
One tester said: “As someone with a bunch of food sensitivities, Siete has become a snack brand I can count on to not only taste delicious, but also be anxiety-free.” –Abi Lieff, assistant to the editor in chief
The best new sweets

Just a small portion of the wide array of sweets we tasted in order to choose the winners.
Travis Rainey
Yasso Spoonables
Haven’t you heard? Froyo is so back. People in New York and Los Angeles are lining up around the block for the tasty summer treat—and Yasso, maker of one of the freezer aisle’s most popular frozen yogurt bars, isn’t going to be left out. Late last year, the brand released its line of Spoonables: 14-oz tubs of frozen Greek yogurt in classic flavors like Mint Chocolate Chip, Fudge Brown, and Cookies ‘N Cream. Far from the “ice cream lite” version of froyo that was popular in the ’90s, Yasso’s product is rich, smooth, and bursting with mix-ins. The 19 grams of protein per container is just a bonus.
One tester said: “To borrow a slogan from another grocery store mainstay: I can’t believe it’s not ice cream. The Spoonables are also available in cutie little mini cups that make me think of the Hoodsie Cups I grew up with—well, if Hoodsie Cups actually tasted good.” —A.S.
Pistakio Crunchy Pistachio Spread
Pistakio has a way of turning first-time tasters into instant diehard fans. Something about the lightly sweetened pistachio butter swirled with roasted pistachio bits and puffed quinoa is just really difficult to not devour by the spoonful. There’s an echo of the trendy Dubai chocolate bar going on here, but, we’d argue Pistakio has the makings of a timeless classic dessert spread like Nutella and speculoos cookie butter.
One tester said: “I’m at the point where I’m rationing my jar of this spread. You can drizzle some over your ice cream, mix it into a bowl of morning oatmeal, or perhaps dunk some strawberries right in the jar. But I might like it best eaten right off the spoon. —K.J.Y.
Date Smarter! Chocolate Covered Date Caramels
Date Smarter’s Chocolate Covered Date Caramels make for an ideal after-dinner treat when you just need a bite of something sweet. Dates and tapioca syrup give them a chewy-meets-fudgy texture and Goldilocks level of (refined sugar-free!) sweetness. Three different flavors—original, peanut butter, and peppermint—let you choose your own dessert adventure.
One tester said: “A date caramel that actually tastes, and chews, like caramel. The little squares break apart with a satisfying pull, and the chocolate coating is just bittersweet enough to balance out the sweetness.” —K.J.Y.
Lexington Bakes Protein Cookies
In this current snacking epoch, we’ve moved away from shelf-stable sweets (cough, Rice Krispie Treats) to ones that are preservative-free, yet perishable. Lexington Bakes’s cookies, brownies, and oat bars embody the benefits of this trade-off. The word “fresh” is abused to the point of meaninglessness in marketing copy—but these bars are fresh. Simply put, they taste like their ingredients: butter, brown sugar, chocolate, and vanilla (depending on the flavor you choose).
One tester said: “They’re less like a processed protein bar and more like something you’d get from a bakery. The raspberry crumble tastes like fresh butter—probably because it has actual butter in it—and the vanilla almond chocolate chip bar has a moreish balance of sweet and salty with chunks of Raaka chocolate and fleur de sel.” —Wilder Davies, senior shopping writer
Figa Foods 63% Cupuacu Bar
Figa Foods’ bars look like chocolate, but don’t be fooled. Instead of cacao, the bars are made with cupuaçu, a superfood fruit native to Brazil that the brand sources from a family-run farm. The resulting bar is rich and fruity—think chocolate meets tropical vacation.
One tester said: “As a chocolate-lover, I was skeptical to try Figa, but they’re delightfully fruity and have the fudgiest texture I can’t get enough of.” —Kate Kassin, editorial operations manager
Joy Supply Oat Cookies
These paper-thin oat cookies made from a short list of ingredients that your grandma would understand have deeply caramelized, lacy edges and, somewhat miraculously, taste as if they came straight from a home oven.
One tester said: “There’s something so primal about how crispy these cookies are, just an immediate sensory thrill as they crumble and shatter on first bite. And then you’re hit with a butteriness that lingers long after you realize you accidentally ate the whole sleeve.”—Joseph Hernandez, editorial director of culture
Better Sour Gummies
A vegan gummy fortified with fiber and sweetened with apple juice might strike you as some joyless Almond Mom candy alternative, but believe us when we say that this is seriously good sour candy. The flavors are more nuanced than a typical gummy, with each packing enough pucker to keep sour-enthusiasts returning to the bag.
One tester said: “It’s hard for any packaged good to break through the noise these days, but after being introduced to Better Sour by my editors, I’m a full-blown convert. They have a perfect firm but chewy bite and come in fun flavors like yuzu and lychee.” —June Kim, executive editor


















