Skittles Gummy Crystals launch Nov 2 — here's how the new candy tastes
Nerds Gummy Clusters have owned the candy aisle since 2020, racking up nearly $1 billion in sales last year and leapfrogging Skittles to become America's top-selling sugar candy. Now Skittles is hitting back with Gummy Crystals, a chewy-crunchy candy that pairs a squishy gummy center with a tangy crystal coating.
Delish got both varieties ahead of the launch. Original sticks to the five classic Skittles flavors — strawberry, orange, grape, green apple and lemon — while Tropical Splash goes somewhere new with fruit punch, pink lemonade, watermelon, mango melon and pineapple.
The candy lands first on TikTok Shop on November 2, then at select retailers later this year, with a nationwide rollout following in 2027.
How they taste
Original pieces are roughly twice the size of a Nerds Gummy Cluster and taste unmistakably like Skittles. Associate social editor Taylor Daly argued they somehow taste more like Skittles than actual Skittles, which is a strong claim coming from the internet's favorite red bag. The coating looks like coarse sanding sugar but carries a gentle tang instead of pure sweetness; tester Gabby Romero wished it were a touch more tart, though she admits that makes sense for a candy modeled on the classic bag rather than the sour one.
The bigger pieces also mean more gummy per bite than a cluster, and while they're too large to eat by the handful, they're still satisfying. The texture is the star, with a genuinely different mouthfeel from the tighter, crunchier Nerds.
In Tropical Splash, the mango melon opens as clear mango before a cantaloupe note lingers, and pink lemonade reads zesty with a fruity quality Romero can only describe as "pink." Fruit punch, watermelon and pineapple taste exactly as promised.
The verdict? They're not a dupe for Nerds Gummy Clusters. Skittles Gummy Crystals bring a heartier gummy-to-crunch ratio and that nostalgic Skittles flavor, and the editors' one request is that the brand follow up with Sour Skittles Gummy Crystals next.
