We Tasted and Ranked 26 Oreo Varieties and the Winner Was a Classic

There have been countless Oreo flavors released in history, and the company told Insider that 12 are currently listed as permanently available today.

We were able to get our hands on 26 different Oreo varieties including limited-edition flavors of the moment, Oreo Thins — Oreos made with thinner cookies and a lighter layer of creme — and Fudge Covered cookies.

In a quest to find the ultimate best Oreo, we tasted all 26 cookies and ranked them from worst to best based on how well the flavor delivers on its promise.

The absolute worst variety we tried was the Reduced-Fat Oreo. Its glue-like creme makes the sandwich cookie difficult to open ...

... and the poor taste and simply inaccurate Oreo flavor made it fall to the bottom of the pile, earning the dead-last ranking of No. 26.

We thought it would taste the same as an original Oreo, but as soon as we got a good look at it, we knew there was something off. After trying it, tasters asked, "What's the point?"

We decided we'd rather not have an Oreo at all than have the reduced-fat variety.

The Golden Oreo is a close second-to-worst at No. 25. It's ridiculously sweet all-around — from the cookie to the creme — and not something we'd want when reaching for a plainly-flavored cookie.

It's sweet without having an identifiable flavor, and for that reason, it falls behind every other too-sweet flavor we tried.

Slightly better than Golden was the Mega Stuf, which ranks at No. 24.

The amount of creme on this sandwich cookie is overwhelming. "It seemed like it would be too much for anyone who's not seven years old," one taster said. "It's just a lot."

When we separated the sandwich, the creme was so heavy and wet that it started to peel off the cookie.

In just a matter of seconds, it had fallen right off!

The surplus of creme rendered this cookie unfinishable by several tasters.

Only slightly better than the Mega Stuf is the Latte Oreo Thin at No. 23. Tasters were split on whether they liked the flavor ...

... but we felt that it tasted obviously artificial and more like butterscotch than a latte — anyone buying these hoping for a coffee flavor would be disappointed.

Similarly, Dark Chocolate isn't the worst cookie, but it's less than stellar. It comes in at No. 22.

There is a decent amount of creme in the center, and the color is spot-on for dark chocolate ...

... but the flavor just isn't there. Some tasters did think it had the richness of dark chocolate, though, so it isn't a total miss.

Red Velvet ranks at No. 21 on this list. The packaging promises a cream cheese-flavored creme in the center, but the creme fails to deliver.

As soon as we opened the package we were hit with the familiar smell of red velvety cake.

The colors are right, with a rich-looking, chocolatey red cookie and an off-white creme ...

... but the creme could have tasted a lot more like an actual cream cheese frosting.

Some tasters said it was "way too sweet" while others accepted that the flavor itself is naturally pretty sweet.

The Pistachio Thins aren't great — they rank at No. 20. The flavor of the creme is extremely aromatic and offensive on the nose.

But, the more we ate it, the more we got used to the intensity.

The Chocolate creme flavor comes next at No. 19 — it's fine. It's a regular chocolate cookie with a milk chocolate color creme inside.

The flavor is boring, but it most resembled the original Oreo. The creme doesn't taste deliciously chocolatey, but it tastes chocolatey nonetheless.

The latest Mystery flavor ranks No. 18 on this list.

We tasted the Mystery flavor without knowing what it was, which made us a bit nervous going into it. What if Oreo pulled a Jelly Belly and made a booger flavor?

Thankfully, it actually tastes pretty good. Tasters guessed flavors like pumpkin spice latte, cinnamon, and Teddy Graham — Oreo revealed the flavor in late 2019: churro.

Source: USA Today

Ranking at No. 17 is Chocolate Marshmallow, which was released in January 2020.

The chocolate cookie had small bits of dried marshmallow baked into it, which was a nice touch. The creme was good, but it tasted like regular Oreo creme to me, and not like chocolate or marshmallow.

Caramel Coconut was also released in January 2020 and comes in at No. 16. The cookie had a regular Oreo taste.

There are small, coconut-flavored pieces mixed inside of the caramel-colored creme. I didn't get the caramel flavor, but the coconut flavor was faintly present.

Coming in at No. 15 is Peanut Butter. The inconsistency of the creme dollop shapes make it look like they smeared actual peanut butter between two cookies ...

... but it doesn't taste like that. We thought Oreo could have done a better job matching the flavor — some tasters think it tastes more like a Nutter Butter cookie.

Slightly better, ranking at No. 14 is Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. The sandwich cookie has creme that's split 50/50 peanut butter and chocolate, but the texture is weird, and the flavors don't meld the way we wanted them to.

Coconut Thins rank at No. 13.

The flavor is intense, clearly artificial, and so sweet that we found it laughable. But, it did taste like coconut.

No. 12 is the classic Oreo Thins. This cookie is "optimal for crushing up Oreos for a recipe" as it's got a thin enough cookie and layer of creme that neither takes over.

Golden Thins rank at No. 11 as they "just kind of taste like milk."

There is no real flavor here, but at least they aren't as sweet as the regular Golden Oreo!

Breaking the top 10 is Maple Creme. The smell of maple syrup was potent as soon as we tore open the package.

The flavor is spot on with that of maple-flavored candy, and the texture of the creme is good. The cookie itself also tastes like it's flavored with maple syrup.

But, if you're sensitive to sweetness, this cookie is not for you. It's a sugary overload that should not be underestimated.

The Golden Double Stuf Oreo ranks at No. 9 with its perfect creme-to-cookie ratio ...

... and not-as-sweet flavor.

We were confused at why this cookie is exponentially better when it comes to flavor than the single-stuf Golden Oreo. If you're looking for a plain cookie, this is your best bet.

Birthday Cake Oreos take the No. 8 spot in this ranking.

They're super sweet but, much like maple flavors, that's what you'd expect from anything marketed as birthday cake flavor.

The creme has crunchy sprinkles inside which add a texture that some people may appreciate, and others may consider a turn-off.

Carrot Cake ranks at No. 7 with an extremely accurate representation of its namesake flavor.

Just looking at the cookie we were able to tell there's a combination of familiar spices baked into it. The cookie part alone is amazing, and we'd eat it by itself any day.

The creme tastes a little funky, though, and we weren't sure if it lives up to the cake's well-known frosting. But when we took a bite of the sandwich cookie as a whole, the flavors made sense.

The original Oreo cookie comes in at No. 6. While it is the most classic of the bunch, we thought Oreo didn't get the ratio of creme to cookie right the first time around.

What this ranking ultimately comes down to is that there are five other varieties that are simply better executed than this classic.

Lemon Oreo makes it as No. 5 in this ranking.

The flavor is super accurate ...

... and the ratio of creme to cookie is perfect. It's the same as original Double Stuf but isn't marketed as such.

The Mint Thins are "really minty in a good way" and rank as No. 4.

They're really refreshing and almost every taster said it tastes like a Girl Scouts Thin Mint cookie.

Lemon Thins are ranked No. 3 in general, but were the overall best Oreo with a golden cookie.

They have the same bright, lemony fresh flavor as the regular lemon variety, but the thinner cookie adds to the lightness of it in a great way.

The Fudge Covered Mint Oreo was by far the best cookie of the bunch. This lands at a solid No. 2 ranking.

At first glance, we thought it would be overwhelmingly sweet and just too much to handle at once ...

... but it's surprisingly delicious.

The thick layer of mint creme cuts the richness of the chocolate coating, and the cookies add a much-needed texture — it's the only cookie we really wanted to keep eating.

Finally, the No. 1 overall best Oreo is the original Double Stuf.

The makers of the Oreo finally got the ratio of creme to cookie right with the double dose of creme ...

... and with its true Oreo identity, we crowned this the best Oreo.

We tried 26 Oreo flavors and ranked them from worst to best

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

We tried 26 Oreo flavors and ranked them from worst to best

There have been countless Oreo flavors released in history, and the company told Insider that 12 are currently listed as permanently available today.

We were able to get our hands on 26 different Oreo varieties including limited-edition flavors of the moment, Oreo Thins — Oreos made with thinner cookies and a lighter layer of creme — and Fudge Covered cookies.

In a quest to find the ultimate best Oreo, we tasted all 26 cookies and ranked them from worst to best based on how well the flavor delivers on its promise.

The absolute worst variety we tried was the Reduced-Fat Oreo. Its glue-like creme makes the sandwich cookie difficult to open ...

... and the poor taste and simply inaccurate Oreo flavor made it fall to the bottom of the pile, earning the dead-last ranking of No. 26.

We thought it would taste the same as an original Oreo, but as soon as we got a good look at it, we knew there was something off. After trying it, tasters asked, "What's the point?"

We decided we'd rather not have an Oreo at all than have the reduced-fat variety.

The Golden Oreo is a close second-to-worst at No. 25. It's ridiculously sweet all-around — from the cookie to the creme — and not something we'd want when reaching for a plainly-flavored cookie.

It's sweet without having an identifiable flavor, and for that reason, it falls behind every other too-sweet flavor we tried.

Slightly better than Golden was the Mega Stuf, which ranks at No. 24.

The amount of creme on this sandwich cookie is overwhelming. "It seemed like it would be too much for anyone who's not seven years old," one taster said. "It's just a lot."

When we separated the sandwich, the creme was so heavy and wet that it started to peel off the cookie.

In just a matter of seconds, it had fallen right off!

The surplus of creme rendered this cookie unfinishable by several tasters.

Only slightly better than the Mega Stuf is the Latte Oreo Thin at No. 23. Tasters were split on whether they liked the flavor ...

... but we felt that it tasted obviously artificial and more like butterscotch than a latte — anyone buying these hoping for a coffee flavor would be disappointed.

Similarly, Dark Chocolate isn't the worst cookie, but it's less than stellar. It comes in at No. 22.

There is a decent amount of creme in the center, and the color is spot-on for dark chocolate ...

... but the flavor just isn't there. Some tasters did think it had the richness of dark chocolate, though, so it isn't a total miss.

Red Velvet ranks at No. 21 on this list. The packaging promises a cream cheese-flavored creme in the center, but the creme fails to deliver.

As soon as we opened the package we were hit with the familiar smell of red velvety cake.

The colors are right, with a rich-looking, chocolatey red cookie and an off-white creme ...

... but the creme could have tasted a lot more like an actual cream cheese frosting.

Some tasters said it was "way too sweet" while others accepted that the flavor itself is naturally pretty sweet.

The Pistachio Thins aren't great — they rank at No. 20. The flavor of the creme is extremely aromatic and offensive on the nose.

But, the more we ate it, the more we got used to the intensity.

The Chocolate creme flavor comes next at No. 19 — it's fine. It's a regular chocolate cookie with a milk chocolate color creme inside.

The flavor is boring, but it most resembled the original Oreo. The creme doesn't taste deliciously chocolatey, but it tastes chocolatey nonetheless.

The latest Mystery flavor ranks No. 18 on this list.

We tasted the Mystery flavor without knowing what it was, which made us a bit nervous going into it. What if Oreo pulled a Jelly Belly and made a booger flavor?

Thankfully, it actually tastes pretty good. Tasters guessed flavors like pumpkin spice latte, cinnamon, and Teddy Graham — Oreo revealed the flavor in late 2019: churro.

Ranking at No. 17 is Chocolate Marshmallow, which was released in January 2020.

The chocolate cookie had small bits of dried marshmallow baked into it, which was a nice touch. The creme was good, but it tasted like regular Oreo creme to me, and not like chocolate or marshmallow.

Caramel Coconut was also released in January 2020 and comes in at No. 16. The cookie had a regular Oreo taste.

There are small, coconut-flavored pieces mixed inside of the caramel-colored creme. I didn't get the caramel flavor, but the coconut flavor was faintly present.

Coming in at No. 15 is Peanut Butter. The inconsistency of the creme dollop shapes make it look like they smeared actual peanut butter between two cookies ...

... but it doesn't taste like that. We thought Oreo could have done a better job matching the flavor — some tasters think it tastes more like a Nutter Butter cookie.

Slightly better, ranking at No. 14 is Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. The sandwich cookie has creme that's split 50/50 peanut butter and chocolate, but the texture is weird, and the flavors don't meld the way we wanted them to.

Coconut Thins rank at No. 13.

The flavor is intense, clearly artificial, and so sweet that we found it laughable. But, it did taste like coconut.

No. 12 is the classic Oreo Thins. This cookie is "optimal for crushing up Oreos for a recipe" as it's got a thin enough cookie and layer of creme that neither takes over.

Golden Thins rank at No. 11 as they "just kind of taste like milk."

There is no real flavor here, but at least they aren't as sweet as the regular Golden Oreo!

Breaking the top 10 is Maple Creme. The smell of maple syrup was potent as soon as we tore open the package.

The flavor is spot on with that of maple-flavored candy, and the texture of the creme is good. The cookie itself also tastes like it's flavored with maple syrup.

But, if you're sensitive to sweetness, this cookie is not for you. It's a sugary overload that should not be underestimated.

The Golden Double Stuf Oreo ranks at No. 9 with its perfect creme-to-cookie ratio ...

... and not-as-sweet flavor.

We were confused at why this cookie is exponentially better when it comes to flavor than the single-stuf Golden Oreo. If you're looking for a plain cookie, this is your best bet.

Birthday Cake Oreos take the No. 8 spot in this ranking.

They're super sweet but, much like maple flavors, that's what you'd expect from anything marketed as birthday cake flavor.

The creme has crunchy sprinkles inside which add a texture that some people may appreciate, and others may consider a turn-off.

Carrot Cake ranks at No. 7 with an extremely accurate representation of its namesake flavor.

Just looking at the cookie we were able to tell there's a combination of familiar spices baked into it. The cookie part alone is amazing, and we'd eat it by itself any day.

The creme tastes a little funky, though, and we weren't sure if it lives up to the cake's well-known frosting. But when we took a bite of the sandwich cookie as a whole, the flavors made sense.

The original Oreo cookie comes in at No. 6. While it is the most classic of the bunch, we thought Oreo didn't get the ratio of creme to cookie right the first time around.

What this ranking ultimately comes down to is that there are five other varieties that are simply better executed than this classic.

Lemon Oreo makes it as No. 5 in this ranking.

The flavor is super accurate ...

... and the ratio of creme to cookie is perfect. It's the same as original Double Stuf but isn't marketed as such.

The Mint Thins are "really minty in a good way" and rank as No. 4.

They're really refreshing and almost every taster said it tastes like a Girl Scouts Thin Mint cookie.

Lemon Thins are ranked No. 3 in general, but were the overall best Oreo with a golden cookie.

They have the same bright, lemony fresh flavor as the regular lemon variety, but the thinner cookie adds to the lightness of it in a great way.

The Fudge Covered Mint Oreo was by far the best cookie of the bunch. This lands at a solid No. 2 ranking.

At first glance, we thought it would be overwhelmingly sweet and just too much to handle at once ...

... but it's surprisingly delicious.

The thick layer of mint creme cuts the richness of the chocolate coating, and the cookies add a much-needed texture — it's the only cookie we really wanted to keep eating.

Finally, the No. 1 overall best Oreo is the original Double Stuf.

The makers of the Oreo finally got the ratio of creme to cookie right with the double dose of creme ...

... and with its true Oreo identity, we crowned this the best Oreo.

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Read next

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know