Taste-Off: The best Oreo flavors and the ones they really shouldn’t make

The classic dark chocolate rounds sandwiched with sugary white frosting came first. A cookie so popular that it is sold all over the world.

The first Oreos were introduced in 1912, and Lemon Creme Oreos were introduced eight years later. In the decades since, the company has introduced many, many more new flavors. To date, the company has offered 198 different flavors of the Oreo, including unusual flavors like apple cider doughnut, matcha, and hot chicken wing (not kidding, but only available in China). While many Oreo flavors have come and gone, Nabisco, Oreo’s parent company, confirms that new ones will continue to appear.

To find out what all the fuss was about, we gathered 13 fun and interesting Oreo flavors and tasted them. What is the takeaway? Some are significantly better than the original, while others are completely awful.

A deliciously flavored Oreo is a welcome treat. It’s crispy and sweet, with pleasant, complementary flavors that combine to create a decadent mouthful. Bad Oreos are either a melt-in-your-mouth mess or filled with a concoction so artificial and pungent that they should not be consumed indoors.

Here’s the skinny on the cookies that will vanish in seconds and the flavored Oreos that will inevitably end up in the trash. The nutritional information refers to 29 grams, which is equivalent to two traditional-sized Oreos or four thin-style cookies.

Pie with Chocolate and Peanut Butter

This graham-flavored cookie is stuffed with salty peanut butter and rich chocolate. It’s similar to a Nutter Butter, but better. The filling is extra creamy, and the flavor combination is every bit as good as a slice of pie. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, and 11 grams of sugar. Walmart charges $4.48 for 17 ounces. (4 stars)

Oreo Mint Creme Thins

Milano, beware! These thin chocolate cookies stuffed with minty sweetness have an impressive crisp texture. They’re everything a chocolate-mint cookie should be — and a lot cheaper than more expensive options. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, and 12 grams of sugar. Safeway has it for $3.49 and Walmart has it for $13.1 ounces. (4 stars)

Oreo Lemon Creme

Reduce the sugar and increase the amount of real lemon in the filling, and these vanilla-lemon cookies would be perfect. Nonetheless, they’re crisp, light, and colorful. 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, and 12 grams of sugar. Target charges $4.69 for 18.7 ounces. (3½ stars)

Peanut Butter Creme Oreos

Peanut butter fans will adore these crispy chocolate rounds filled with rich, well-balanced, salty-sweet peanut butter creme. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 125 milligrams of sodium, and 10 grams of sugar. Smart & Final charges $4.50 for 17 ounces. (3 stars)

Chocolate Hazelnut Oreo

This decadent combination of chocolate and hazelnut, first introduced in 2021, is difficult to fault. This, like Nutella, could use less sugar and more hazelnut, but it’s a tasty, if slightly too rich, effort. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. Lucky costs $5.29. (3 stars)

Pumpkin Spice Creme Oreo

The Oreo flavor experts nailed it with this cookie. The filling tastes like very sweet spiced pumpkin, with a delicate spice note in the extra-crisp cookie. 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 80 milligrams of sodium, and 12 grams of sugar. Walmart charges $4.48 for 12.2 ounces. (3 stars)

Golden Oreo Thins

These artificially flavored, vanilla-stuffed vanilla cookies are tasty, but they’re a little too predictable. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 95 milligrams of sodium, and 11 grams of sugar. Walmart charges $4.48 for 13.1 ounces. (2½ stars)

Oreo Red Velvet Limited Edition

These are simply too gentle and understated. The chocolate is drab, and the cream cheese filling, while extra creamy, lacks the tangy flavor that cream cheese is known for. 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 60 milligrams of sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. Walmart charges $4.48 for 12.2 ounces. (1½ stars)

Oreo Dark Chocolate Creme

Even chocolate lovers will be disappointed by these one-note, one-color cookies. They’re essentially an excess of two good things: sugar and cocoa powder. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 120 milligrams of sodium, and 12 grams of sugar. Walmart charges $4.58 for 17 ounces. (1½ stars)

Creme Oreo Birthday Cake

The idea of mixing sprinkles into an Oreo’s creme filling and slapping “Birthday” on the label is brilliant, as it transforms every package into a party food. The reality, on the other hand, is a filling that is unpleasantly gritty and far too sweet. 140 calories, 7 grams of fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. Safeway charges $5.99 for 17 ounces. (1 star)

Oreo Fudge Covered

Oreo Caramel Coconut Creme

The combination of coconut and caramel is appealing, but that is not what this cookie is. This Oreo tastes like fake caramel with a dash of sunscreen on the side. 150 calories, 7 grams of fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. Lucky charges $5.29 for 17 ounces. (There are no stars.)

Oreo Toffee Crunch Creme

Do not even attempt to open this package indoors.The syrupy sweet aroma is reminiscent of a cheap maple candle, which is so intense and cloying that it kills the tastebuds. 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 90 milligrams of sodium, and 13 grams of sugar. Target charges $4.69 for 17 ounces. (There are no stars.)