18 Jell-O Flavors, Ranked from Worst to Best

There are a lot more Jell-O flavors out there than you might think. In fact, your favorite Jell-O flavor might be one you haven’t had yet. I tried and ranked 18 different flavors of Jell-O (sugar-free Jell-O flavors included), read on to find your Jell-O flavor soulmate. 

Many of us have dabbled in Jell-O. Maybe it soothed and sustained you after you got your tonsils out. Maybe grampa shared his cup with you when you went to visit him at the nursing home. Maybe it’s just a dessert you genuinely like. But there aren’t many who have sat down and tried every Jell-O flavor (or, at least, every flavor of mix and cups currently available). I have now done that in the name of finding the best Jell-O flavor, instead. 

Between boxes, cups, classic, and sugar-free, I tried and ranked 18 flavors of Jell-O so you can save yourself the disappointment of putting a bowl in the fridge to set for hours only to find out it’s just a heaping helping of gelatinous heartbreak. 

The process of taste testing the cups was simple: open the cup and eat the Jell-O. For the boxes, I followed package instructions, re-reading every box just to be sure. I can now recite the instructions in my sleep. Before tasting, I gave each flavor a good sniff and a jiggle to ensure it had the characteristic Jell-O wobble. I judged the flavors on how good they tasted, not how closely they came to the flavor listed. If you want real fruit, go to the farmer’s market. Here are 18 flavors of Jell-O, ranked.

Zero Sugar Cherry

A spoonful of sugar may make the medicine go down, and this Jell-O flavor could have used some as well. This tastes way too close to the cherry cough medicine I dreaded as a kid, without the promise of fixing my physical ailments. As a cherry lover, I need to go lick my wounds, which would be preferable to this Jell-O.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

2/10

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Zero Sugar Black Cherry

It’s Zero Sugar Cherry’s slightly more palatable cousin. And it’s still pretty medicinal, though it smells a little less offensive and tastes a little less fake.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

2.5/10

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Zero Sugar Lemon

Though this isn’t the worst of the sugar-free Jell-O flavors, one taster refused to swallow this one. It is pretty aggressively reminiscent of lemon-scented cleaning products, and somehow bitter and cloyingly sweet at the same time. To top it off, it had relatively poor structural integrity. The Jell-O wept, and so, too, did I.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

3/10

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Zero Sugar Lemon-Lime

Sugar-free lemon is a lot more acceptable with the addition of lime. Sugar-free lemon owes lime big time. Sugar-free lemon should promise lime their first born child. Lime was doing some real work here, taking charge of the profile from the very first sniff. While this isn’t the tastiest of the Jell-O flavors, it’s relatively harmless compared to the sugar-free lemon.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

3.5/10

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Zero Sugar Lime

Jell-O Zero Sugar Lime is pretty bland. But, compared to the other, lesser flavors of Jell-O, bland is a relief. Bland is a safe space. It tastes a little like sitting next to someone eating classic lime Jell-O. It doesn’t have much of an aroma and may very well just be green stevia without enough gelatin to get that characteristic Jell-O jiggle. But I’ll take a whisper of lime flavor over a throat punch of cherry medicine any day.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

4/10

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Grape

You’ll go bonkers for this Jell-O if you love artificial grape flavor. But that’s a big “if.” Fake grape is already plenty divisive, and this gelatin does nothing to tamp down its flavor. In a way, I really respect how unapologetically fake grape it tastes. But there are many things I’d rather have.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

4.5/10

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Zero Sugar Strawberry

Out of the sugar-free Jell-O flavors I tried, this was close to the top. It smells great! At first, it even tastes pretty okay. There’s a pleasant few seconds of strawberry flavor but then a considerably less pleasant minute before the aftertaste sees itself out. Beneath the fake sugar taste, there’s an almost interesting sourness that tastes like you ate a little too close to the stem of an under ripe strawberry. It’s alright.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

5.5/10

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Zero Sugar Orange

At this point, I’ve adjusted my expectations of Jell-O flavors. I’m pulling clothes out of the laundry and giving them the sniff test then shrugging anyway. I’m watching Kardashian reruns because they’re on. I’m swiping right on everyone. Maybe this flavor isn’t objectively fantastic, but it’s comparatively pretty darn good. The orange smell hits you right away and the aftertaste really lingers, but it’s not too shabby.

Credit: Liv Averett / Vons

Rating:

6/10

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Peach

I am disappointed in how little peach flavor there is in this Jell-O flavor. It doesn’t taste bad by any means, but if I ate this blindfolded, I probably couldn’t identify that it is peach.

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

6/10

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Zero Sugar Raspberry

Even though this zero sugar Jell-O does not smell amazing, it’s still the number one best Jell-O flavor out of all the sugar-free Jell-O flavors I tried. did not smell good. It has an aftertaste, but only to the extent that’s realistically the price to pay with artificial sweeteners. If you’re trying to cut back on sugar, this is the best Jell-O option.

Credit: Liv Averett / Vons

Rating:

6.5/10

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Island Pineapple

Big Dole Whip vibes! This Jell-O flavor took me on a trip to the islands. It’s the most complex of all the flavors. Given that real pineapple is a pretty bright flavor, I was surprised by how subtle this is. It’s as if someone somehow kept the flavor of pineapple and kept the sweetness, but got rid of the astringency. While it is tasty, I miss the acid a little.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

7/10

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Orange

Orange Jell-O cups are classic. The smell is strong from the get-go and unmistakably orange. It’s somewhere between orange soda and a real orange, but almost too close to a real orange so you might find yourself just wanting a real orange. But not before you finish the cup.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Cherry

Great flavor. Solid. Inoffensive. Nothing terribly special, but I’d happily accept a cup for dessert.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

8/10

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Lime

Lime Jell-O smells pretty strongly of lime, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t taste as overpowering as it smells. It hits bland at first then the flavor comes in a bit later, and ends up sweet, smooth, and tasty enough to eat quite a lot of.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8/10

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Lemon

What?! Who put summer in a cup and why was it Jell-O brand?! The lemon flavor tastes just like lemonade. It’s mellow yet bright without being overwhelming, and I could see it going just as well with Cool Whip as straight from the bowl after a beach day.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

8.5/10

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Raspberry

I don’t know that I’d ever in my life be able to identify this as raspberry based on the actual raspberries I’ve had, but you won’t catch me complaining about that. While other flavors did a better job of representing their original fruits, the flavor of this one is one of the best Jell-O flavors.

Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

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Berry Blue

Maybe I like this flavor so much because of the nostalgia. So many childhood memories are saturated with the distinct smell of blue raspberry sweets. Do I love it despite this or do I love it because of this? It doesn’t matter. I’m too busy loving it.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

9.5/10

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Strawberry

This Jell-O flavor received resounding approval from all tasters. It’s the only Jell-O that people were fighting to take leftovers home. It’s the strawberry of your fondest old memories. It’s the strawberry that’s in those grandma candies. It’s what you didn’t know you missed until you had it. To Strawberry Jell-O cups, I quote Fall Out Boy, “Thanks for the memories.” It’s the best Jell-O flavor.

Credit: Liv Averett / Target

Rating:

10/10

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