M&M’s POP’d are the greatest freeze-dried candy I've ever eaten

The past twelve months have been big for freeze-dried candy. What was once an indie trend has now fully been absorbed by the major candy companies, with Skittles jumping into the freeze-dried candy game last year — available in both traditional and sour varieties — and a trio of classic candies getting that treatment a few months ago.

The common thread when it comes to Skittles POP’d, Spree Freeze Dried, SweeTARTS Freeze Dried and Lemonhead Freeze Dried is that these were all non-chocolate sugary candies. At the end of my candy-eating day, they all tasted kind of the same. Sugary candies turned super crunchy, to varying degrees of effectiveness.

But now we finally have a freeze-dried chocolate candy. And it’s one of the biggest brands in the world of candy. Snackology readers, I introduce you to M&M’s POP’d Caramel.

“With M&M’s POP’d Caramel, we’re giving fans a whole new way to enjoy the classic caramel flavor that has been a fan-favorite in our lineup for years,” Martin Terwilliger, VP of marketing, Mars Wrigley North America, said in a statement. “This fresh and fun new treat takes everything you love about M&M’s and gives it a light, crispy crunch, bringing the flavors and textures together in an unexpected new way.”

Mars is doing a slow rollout for M&M’s POP’d Caramel. I scored my bags from the M&M’s TikTok store earlier this week, but they’re also available on the M&M’s site for a limited time. The company plans on making them available at M&M’s stores on Nov. 10 before rolling them out nationwide in January.

As you probably noticed by the headline to this edition of Snackology, I’m not hiding my enthusiasm for M&M’s POP’d Caramel. They’re fantastic.

What they cost

I got a two-pack of 5.5 oz. bags of M&M’s POP’d from the brand’s TikTok store for $11.99, but with that option seemingly sold out, you can still get one 5.5 oz. bag for $5.99, six bags for $32.49 and 12 bags for $59.99 on the M&M’s website.

My thoughts

I wasn’t sure what to expect from M&M’s POP’d Caramel. How would a chocolate-based candy translate when freeze dried? As I mentioned earlier, all the previous freeze-dried candy that I’ve tried was very much not chocolate. I knew what to expect with all of these versions of the trend, looking for a shock of pure sugary crunch.

But M&M’s POP’d Caramel are different.

The trick, though, is in the flavor of M&M’s that Mars chose for this freeze-dried version. When you think of M&M’s, you probably immediately think of the classic milk chocolate version. Maybe you think of the peanut flavor. But I’m guessing the candy scientists over at Mars realized that neither of those flavors were the right way to launch M&M’s POP’d. Your basic chocolate M&M wouldn’t have enough substance. And I have no idea what a peanut center would do if you freeze dried it.

Caramel M&M’s sit right between those two extremes. The flavor, introduced in the late 2010s and now a staple of the candy section in your favorite grocery store, has all the right elements. There’s the iconic candy coating, a layer of chocolate and then a caramel center.

When you’re eating M&M’s POP’d Caramel, the caramel center — exploded into the crunch and airy center that’s now the hallmark texture for freeze-dried candy — is the key to this candy’s success.

Snack score

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 (5 out of 5 cookies)

I’ve been housing M&M’s POP’d Caramel since I opened my first bag last week. I thought about them while at work one day, wishing I had brought them with me. (I may have a problem.) You should buy a few bags now during the soft launch. I’ll absolutely be looking for them when they go wide in January.