Freeze! Spree, SweeTARTS and Lemonhead get the freeze-dried treatment

The freeze-dried candy craze continues to get bigger. I jumped into that world with a review of Skittles Pop’d (in both Original and Sour varieties) last November, and now three more of the most popular candy brands are heading your way in freeze-dried format: Spree Freeze Dried, SweeTARTS Freeze Dried and Lemonhead Freeze Dried.

Ferrara, the company behind many of your favorite kinds of candy, says that the freeze-dried take on Spree, SweeTARTS and Lemonhead “offers the same one-of-a-kind flavors from these fan-favorite brands, transformed into an unexpected and flavorful light and airy bite.”

I couldn’t tell you the last time I had Spree or Lemonhead, but Snackology’s ranking of popular jelly bean flavors this past spring reminded me of how much I’ve enjoyed the very specific sweetness of SweeTARTS in the past. Would the freeze-dried versions do the same?

What they cost

I haven’t seen an official price for this trio of freeze-dried candy, but we should know more when Spree Freeze Dried, SweeTARTS Freeze Dried and Lemonhead Freeze Dried make their nationwide debut in September.

My thoughts

When I reviewed Skittles Pop’d last year, my final verdict on that candy was that people should buy them for the experience of trying freeze-dried candy. Flash forward to this past June, and I found myself buying another bag of Skittles Pop’d while on a solo road trip. Something about Skittles in a freeze-dried format pulled me back to them, so I was definitely intrigued when it came time to dive into Spree, SweeTARTS and Lemonhead in this style of candy.

As I mentioned before, I don’t remember the last time I had a Spree. Maybe it was from one of the final times I went trick-or-treating? I guess you just don’t run into Spree much as an adult.

The crunchy candy “reimagines the traditional chewy candy with classic fruit flavors in a satisfying crunchy experience that delivers a deliciously tangy flavor with every bite.” I would actually love to have a bag of Skittles Pop’d on hand to compare them to Spree Freeze Dried. I’m pretty sure the two candies have the same batch of flavors, with Spree Freeze Dried matching the Skittles Pop’d experience.

Snackology’s jelly beans rankings reawakened my memories of biting into a chewy SweeTARTS candy. They were sweet in a way that, depending on the flavor, might leave you with a slight sour face. SweeTARTS Freeze Dried is based on that chewy take on the candy, formulated to “[showcase] the vibrant and mouthwatering combination of sweet & tart in an exciting new form.”

These freeze-dried candies hit in a more flavorful way for me than Spree Freeze Dried did. There’s just enough more oomph in a SweeTART compared to a Spree to push the candy’s profile through the freeze-dried form.

When was the last time I had a Lemonhead? (Have I ever had a Lemonhead?) When I opened this bag last, I instantly knew that I was in for a different experience with Lemonhead Freeze Dried than I was with its two freeze-dried buddies.

While Spree Freeze Dried and SweeTARTS Freeze Dried both operate in the fruity candy zone, Lemonhead Freeze Dried comes in just one flavor: Lemon. (Yes, I know that lemons are fruits too, but you get what I’m saying here.) The tartness of a Lemonhead easily powers through the freeze-dried style and was immediately my favorite of this trio.

Snack score

Spree Freeze Dried: 🍪🍪 (2 out of 5 cookies)
SweeTARTS Freeze Dried: 🍪🍪🍪 (3 out of 5 cookies)
Lemonhead Freeze Dried: 🍪🍪🍪🍪 (4 out of 5 cookies)

I probably won’t revisit Spree Freeze Dried in the future, but SweeTARTS Freeze Dried is a worthy competitor to Skittles Pop’d. The bag of Lemonhead Freeze Dried sitting in the candy basket in our kitchen closet (yes, we absolutely have a basket full of candy) has been calling my name since I wrote this review. It’s the star of this lineup of freeze-dried candy.

Spree Freeze Dried, SweeTARTS Freeze Dried and Lemonhead Freeze Dried were provided to Snackology for this independent review.