20 Best Candies for Pinata for Next Party

Few things in life are as sweet and rewarding as trying to bust open a pinata in front of a party. As any kid and the kid inside adults would agree, the best part comes after you break the pinata, when you get to enjoy all of the candies from the pinata. Now the question is, what sort of candies are ideal for a pinata?

Choosing the right candies for a particular pinata is as important as picking the right pinata. And there are so many different candies that can fit in a pinata. That is why, in this article, we are going to present to you some of the best options for you to select from and which candies I always go back to.

List of Best Candies for Pinata

M&Ms, Skittles, Tootsie Rolls, Jolly Rancher lollipops and gummies, Pixy Sticks, etc. are all terrific choices for putting inside a pinata. But let’s see what makes them special in the ocean of sweet choices.

M&Ms

M&Ms are button-shaped candies that consist of an outer candy shell and an inner filling. The filling depends on the type of M&Ms you are purchasing. The original M&M has a semi-sweet chocolate filling. But there are also varieties with peanut butter, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel. The candy shell on the exterior is corn syrup and sugar.

M&Ms come in a whole range of colors. The colors and their size make them ideal for a pinata as the candies are both tasty and visually exciting. When you break the pinata, all the candy gems will start pouring out like sweet raindrops. They have a party-size pack that is perfect for such an occasion.

Sour Patches

Sour Patch Kids are a line of soft candy made by Mondelez international. The candy consists of a coating of invert sugar and sour sugar, which is a mixture of citric acid, tartaric acid, and sugar. This gives the candies a dynamic flavor profile as the taste of the candy changes from sour to sweet as you eat into it.

Sour Patches are small, colorful, and full of flavor. They are perfect for stuffing a pinata as they are popular with both kids and adults alike.

Jolly Rancher Lollipops

Jolly Rancher is a line of candies made by the Hershey’s Company in the US. Their lineup includes hard candies, gummies, jelly beans, sour bites, and lollipops. And while large candies are hard to fit in a pinata, Jolly Rancher lollipops are still small enough to comfortably fit inside a small container.

Jolly Rancher lollipops can come in a host of different colors and flavors. Each color represents a different fruit flavor. The flavors that come inside a pack of Jolly Rancher lollipops are cherry, watermelon, green apple, and pink lemonade lollipops. Each candy is individually wrapped so there is no fear that the candy will stick to one another in the pinata.

Jolly Rancher Hard Candy (Assortment)

Jolly Rancher has an assortment of hard candies. These candies are made out of mainly corny syrup and sugar with various artificial flavors and colors. The candies are bright and colorful. Each candy is individually wrapped.

Jolly Rancher hard candies come in many flavors such as watermelon, green apple, cherry, grape, and blue raspberry. These colorful little candies make for an ideal pinata stuffing, especially for people who are fans of hard candy.

Smarties

Nestle’s Smarties are multi-colored, flat spherical, candies similar to M&M’s. This candy has been in production since 1937. Smarties come in a total of 8 different colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, mauve, pink, and brown. 

The candy has a chocolate center that is covered with a hard shell made out of syrup and sugar. They come in various packages. From 1 kg megapacks to resealable 203 grams packs, you can find the right smarties pack for your needs.

Pixy Sticks

Pixy Sticks are powder candy that is packaged in wrappings resembling a drinking straw. The candy was invented by Frutoli Inc. in St. Louis, Missouri. The candy is currently manufactured by Ferrara Candy Company, and it is made of dextrose, citric acid, and artificial and natural flavors.

Pixy Sticks are perfect for a kid’s party since they come in various flavors such as grape, blue raspberry, orange, mango lime, pineapple, etc. They come in an assortment pack where multiple flavored sticks are collected in one.

Twizzlers

Twizzlers are a line of licorice-type candies produced by the Y&S Candies, Inc., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. These candies are long straws made from corn syrup, sugar, and wheat flour. So, Twizzlers are not gluten-free, something you have to keep in mind when your party is going to involve many people.

The strawberry Twizzlers is the most popular variety but they also have grape, chocolate, cherry, and watermelon flavors. The black Twizzlers are the only product in this line that contains an actual extract from the licorice plant.

Laffy Taffy

The name probably gives nature away. This is a brand of Taffy made by the Ferrara Candy Company, which is one of the largest candy manufacturers in the world. The name encompasses several different products that are all some version of chewy candy. So, you have a few options to choose from.

Laffy Taffy bites are small, bite-sized candies that come in cherry, grape, and banana flavors. If you want something akin to the Pixi sticks, you can buy their stretchy and tangy candies which are in a banana, grape, strawberry, and many other varieties. But probably the ideal candidate would be their minis, which you can buy in an assorted candy box.

Thanks to its miniature size and myriad of different colors, Laffy Taffies are one of the viable choices to put inside a pinata, especially for people who like to chew toffee.

Tootsie Rolls

Continuing our train of chewy candies, we come to arguably the most well-known taffy product, Tootsie Rolls. Tootsie Rolls have been in production since 1907 and have been a significant part of American culture throughout the generations. It was even a major food source for soldiers during World War II. 

But for the purposes of sufficing people’s sweet tooth, these rolls are more than adequate. Tootsie Rolls have a consistency that falls somewhere between regular taffy and caramel, which gives them a unique quality. 

The classic Tootsie Roll comes in a single color. So, stuffing your pinata with just these candies will be visually underwhelming. But if you mix it up with other more colorful candies, then you have yourself a pinata worthy of any celebration. Get the Tootsie Rolls minis to make for a comfortable fit.

Chupa Chups

Chupa Chups is a brand of Spanish lollipop that started production in 1958. The name of the candy comes from a Spanish word that translates to “to suck”.

Their classic lollipop remains their most successful product. But you also have other varieties to choose from. They have a filled-lollipop line, which is a lollipop that has a filing. The filling can be powder, bubble gum, chocolate, or various fruit-flavor. If the standard size is too big for the pinata, you can go with the mini lollipops.

Ring Pop Individually Wrapped Bulk Lollipop

If you want the punch of fruit-flavored candies with the longevity of a lollipop, then Ring Pops is a must. As a bonus, it adds a toy element to it that will no doubt be very popular with the kids.

Ring Pops is made by Topps, which is an American confectionery and candy manufacturer. The product first came into the market in the 1970s’. initially, there were only two flavors of Ring Pops available- cherry and grape. But over the years they added more flavors such as watermelon, blue raspberry, strawberry, etc. 

Airheads Gummies

Airheads is a brand of candy manufactured by Perfetti Van Melle in Erlanger, Kentucky. The trademark Airhead covers various candy products, from taffy to gummies. 

Airhead gummies are soft, jelly-like candies that come in different colors as well as shapes. Balloons, bow-ties, and sunglasses are some of the designs you can expect from a box of Airhead gummies, which are particularly appealing to kids. The gummies are fruit-flavored like cherry, watermelon, blue raspberry, etc.

These gummies are free from most allergens like milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and gluten.

Airheads Bites

Airheads Bites are made by the same manufacturers, this time in the form of button-shaped candies, similar to M&Ms. They also have a variation of this product called “soft bites’. The soft bites are taffy-like candy with a fruit-flavored center. Both of these products come in an assortment of colors and flavors that are perfect for a party.

Skittles

Skittles are multi-colored, button-shaped candies in the vein of M&Ms and smarties. This specific brand is manufactured by a subsidiary of the Mars company. 

Each pack of Skittles contains about 50 gems of various colors that correspond to a particular flavor. The original Skittles pack features the following flavors – grape, orange, strawberry, lime, and lemon. But they have other variety packs with more exotic flavors such as fruit punch, passionfruit, wild cherry, etc.

Gummy Bears

For many, a pinata is incomplete without gummy bears. These are small, fruit-flavored, chewy candies that are in the shape of bears. However, you can find many different shapes and flavors, including Cola, berries, cherries, etc.

Haribo’s gummy bears come in an assortment pack. Each of the packs contains different colored gummy bears. The bears are berry flavored. These bears are tiny and colorful, ideal for stuffing a pinata.

Blow Pops

If you are short on room to put bubble gum and lollipops separately, then how about putting them together? Made by the same manufacturer that produces Tootsie rolls, Charms Blow Pops are lollipop-like candy that has a bubble gum center and a hard candy exterior. So, the name “Blow Pops” is referencing the double nature of this candy.

The bubble gum center comes in multiple flavors such as watermelon, grape, apple, strawberry, cherry, etc.

Sour Brite Crawlers

Trolli’s Sour Brite Crawlers are sour gummy worms with a sugar coating. They come in various assortment packs which include flavors such as Cherry, Lemon, Strawberry, Grape, Orange, and Lime. 

Dubble Bubble

Here we have another product from the Tootsie Roll Industries. These are individually wrapped bubble gums that come in 4 varieties – bubble gum, watermelon, apple, and grape. This line of products is nut-free, gluten-free, peanut-free, and kosher.

Starburst Jelly Beans

Starburst is a brand of candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, which is a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. These are colorful, tiny-sized gems that come in various flavors. These flavors include – cherry, apple, grape, orange, and lemon. They are perfect for a pinata as the tiny rocks can burst out when you break the container. 

Mars Minis

Mars Minis are the miniature version of the classic chocolate bars. They come in plastic wrappings similar to Tootsie Rolls. They may be smaller than the classic counterparts but pack the same taste. Anyone that is a fan of the regular Mars chocolate bar will be delighted to find these mini chocolates after busting open a pinata.

How Much Candy Do You Need for Pinata?

This will depend entirely on the size and shape of your pinata. And how large the pinata will be is going to depend on the number of people you want to feed.

For example, a 16-18-inch pinata can hold up to 2 lbs of candy, give or take. This is enough candy to cover at least 8-10 children. If you have a larger pinata, say a 34-36 inch one, it can hold 3 lbs of candy. This amount is suitable for a party of 12-15.

Another factor to consider is the size of the candy you have purchased. If the candies are large and bulky, then the pinata will get full with a lot less. But if you pack it with stuff such as gummy bears, M&Ms, and skittles, you can utilize almost all of the space inside the pinata and stuff a lot more candy.

What Can You Put in Pinata Instead of Candy?

While pinata and candy go hand-in-hand, you can stuff them with other items. Toys such as bubbles, bouncy balls, jump ropes, sunscreen stickers, stickers of various cartoon characters, etc. are all popular with the kids. 

You can change the nature of the content depending on the audience. People also break pinatas at parties that are mostly for adults. So, you can change the content to fit more of an adult theme. Essentially, you can fit pretty much whatever you want that can fit inside the container and will not break when you hit the pinata.

What Is the Most Popular Candy for Pinata?

M&Ms, Smarties, Skittles, gummy bears, Blow Pops, and Airheads, are some of the most popular choices for stuffing a pinata. These candies are not just popular with kids. But they can also bring out the inner child of many nostalgic adults as many of these candies have been in production for a long time.

When choosing the candy, you should consider the size of your pinata, the type of candy your guests prefer, the size of the candies, and whether or not they will fit. You can also mix and match the candies to better fit a specific occasion.

How Do You Put Candy in Pinata?

Every pinata should have a marked opening at the back or at the top. Gently press at the mark which should reveal the opening easily. Fill the pinata with the candies you like. If the opening is too small for larger candies, you can cut a U-shaped hole surrounding the original opening to make more room.

To conclude, the pinata is more than just a box stuffed with candies. It is also a vessel for fun and childlike wonder. And the whole theater of breaking a pinata is a guaranteed way of livening up any party.