I Tried 13 of the Most Popular Oreos, and the Best Flavor Totally Shocked Me

Oreo cookies were introduced in 1912. More than a century later, it’s hard to resist grabbing a pack to twist and devour, smash into a pie crust, or fold into a homemade ice cream batter. Beyond the OG flavor, the brand has introduced a wide variety of spinoffs, with some bordering on bizarre (i.e., Wasabi and Hot Chicken Wing) and others beloved, like the now-discontinued Blueberry Pie and Fruity Crisp.

No matter which one you prefer, you’ll find dozens of Oreo flavors to choose from when you step into a grocery store nowadays. Unless you follow the brand closely, you may not keep up with new releases—which is where I come in to help. I gathered a variety of options and spent nearly a month sampling them to determine which cookies are worth adding to your cart, and which ones aren’t worth your time.

After years of sticking to the OG Oreo flavor and avoiding most limited-edition or new releases, I was surprised by the winner. Read on to see which one took the GOAT title.

How I Chose the Oreo Flavors

When it came to choosing Oreo flavors, I visited major grocery stores and other retailers and scanned the cookie aisles to find as many varieties as possible. For this test, I chose not to sample the gluten-free options, since those could be a category of their own.

Navigating the world of Oreos can be complex, with new flavors dropping frequently and seasonal releases coming and going. For consistency, I stuck to the varieties that were available during the week I shopped and avoided any limited-edition releases that you’d only find on reseller sites like eBay. (As fun as it would be to try a pack of Cherry Blossom Matcha Oreos worth $1000, it just wasn’t in the budget.)

How I Tested the Oreo Flavors

The best Oreo cookies encompass three key components that make up a delicious sandwich cookie. For starters, the biscuit should be subtly sweet, with a nice crumbly texture when you bite into it. As for the taste, the filling should have a pronounced flavor that isn’t overly sweet. Lastly, a truly great Oreo should be so satisfying that, once you taste it, you’re tempted to snack on an entire row.

With these qualities in mind, I set out to try the different kinds of Oreos available. To keep the tests balanced, I limited myself to tasting only three flavors per day. Between rounds, I cleansed my palate with seltzer water to wash away any fat from the cream filling and lingering richness of the cookie. Below, you’ll find my subjective list of Oreo flavors ranked from least favorite to the one definitely worth your time. 

The Best Oreo Flavors Puffs, Ranked

13th Place: Oreo Java Chip Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

As soon as I opened the pack of Java Chip Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, an overwhelming coffee aroma filled the room. The first bite hit me with a strong latte-like flavor that tasted unpleasant, artificial, and overly sweet. The icing also had a waxy texture that was hard to ignore.

12th Place: Oreo Toffee Crunch Creme with Sugar Crystals Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Toffee cookies are some of my favorites, but this Oreo version turned out to be an overly sweet mess. The toffee bits folded into the caramel-colored icing added a nice crunch, which I appreciated, but that added texture wasn’t enough to overlook the flavor. The sandwich cookie left a medicinally sweet aftertaste that was hard to ignore.

11th Place: Oreo Lemon Creme Sandwich Cookies

I usually love citrus-flavored desserts, but this one completely missed the mark. The lemon flavor was too bold and strong, and tasted more artificial than delicious. In fact, the cookie was the only edible part of the treat because the filling was unpleasant and overpowering. 

10th Place: Oreo Original Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

For years, I’ve reached for the OG Oreo flavor, but after trying over a dozen varieties, I realized the regular one is just a tad bit boring. Don’t get me wrong, it remains delicious and a GOAT in its own right, and I plan to keep using it in pie crusts and other baking projects. But, as a snack on its own, the options below offer much more excitement.

9th Place: Oreo Birthday Cake Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I didn’t expect much from the Birthday Cake-flavored cookie, since this flavor often leans cloyingly sweet. But after taking a bite, instead of tasting an overwhelming note of sugar, I found that the confetti sprinkles added depth to the plain icing. Though it didn’t measure up to the top contenders, it still offers a fun experience for anyone who enjoys twisting open sandwich cookies filled with rainbow hues.

8th Place: Oreo Loaded Sandwich Cookies

This extra-stuffed version relies on the classic chocolate cookies and fills them with an overabundance of Oreo-flavored icing. The taste impressed me, and its light, airy texture resembled desserts with fluffy frosting piped into it. However, after a few bites, the filling left a waxy aftertaste that took away from the experience.

7th Place: Oreo Mint Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Biting into this flavor brought back memories of savoring a box of Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts. The cool mint enhances the cookie’s chocolate notes. While the filling errs on the sweet side, the overall flavor is nicely balanced, thanks to the richness of the chocolate. Like the winning pick, this one would truly shine with a fudge coating, transforming it into a standout, decadent treat.

6th Place: Oreo Chocolate Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

This chocolate Oreo offers a flavor profile similar to the dark chocolate version, but with a milkier taste. While the cocoa notes could benefit from coming through more strongly, I did notice that the filling is more balanced than the traditional sugary white icing found in the OG Oreos.

5th Place: Oreo Golden Sandwich Cookies

The Golden Oreo cookie is impressive enough to earn a spot that’s high up in the ranks. Its buttery base and subtle vanilla notes create an irresistible bite. It tastes like a more delicate, thinner version of a shortbread biscuit. While the filling is rather sweet, the cookie’s butteriness brings a nice balance to the overall flavor.

4th Place: Oreo Double Stuf Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I must confess: I didn’t enjoy Double Stuf Oreos the first time I tried them years ago. But this time around, the creamy, velvety filling pleasantly surprised me. Each time I bit into the crunchy chocolate cookie, a mound of sweet icing spilled out of the sides, which I appreciated.

3rd Place: Oreo Thins Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

For years, I avoided Oreo Thins whenever I spotted them on store shelves, so my expectations were low for this option. But after taking a bite and feeling it melt in my mouth like a wafer cookie, my mind quickly changed. The texture delivers a crisp, light feel, similar to treats from Tate’s brand. Resisting the urge to eat an entire row of these chocolatey sandwich cookies in one sitting was nearly impossible.

2nd Place: Oreo Dark Chocolate Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I appreciate store-bought cookies that deliver depth in flavor, and these dark chocolate Oreos achieved exactly that. Each bite offered a nice richness that brought out the cocoa, and unlike some of the other OG fillings, this recipe managed to achieve a creamy, ganache-like taste rather than a flat, sugary icing.

1st Place Winner: Oreo Fudge Covered Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I don’t know why I haven’t been putting this fudge-covered rendition in my cart all of these years, especially since they’re priced at nearly the same cost as a traditional pack of Oreos. The fudge-covered cookies are decadent and taste like the type of dessert you’d find in a chocolate shop. 

Despite these Oreos being dunked in fudge, their flavor is nicely balanced—the coating doesn’t overpower the taste of the cookie. In contrast, the fudge adds a smooth layer to bite into before reaching that iconic, crumbly biscuit. The filling provides a different sugary surprise that helps marry all of the flavors and textures together. 

This is definitely the fanciest Oreo, but if you’re going to buy a pre-made sweet snack, why not grab one that tastes like it was made by a professional pastry chef?