What’s the buzz on Honey Roasted Peanut M&M’s?

Over here at Snackology, I take great pride in the work done to break you all the latest in snacking news and reviews. Sometimes I get it wrong, though. That was the case with my review of M&M’s Peanut Butter & Jelly back in January.

When I reviewed the previous latest permanent addition to the M&M’s lineup, I gave the PB&J flavored candies a “PASS” score. Based on how many Peanut Butter & Jelly M&M’s I’ve eaten in the more than eight months since that review, I was mistaken. I love PB&J M&M’s.

So going into my review of M&M’s Honey Roasted Peanut, the newest permanent addition to the M&M’s lineup, I made sure I had a more open mind. I obviously love M&M’s. It’s hard to go wrong with a peanut-based M&M. And who doesn’t associate a cartoon character holding that honey dipper thing with a delicious snack thanks to the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee?

What it costs

A 9 oz. bag of Honey Roasted Peanut M&Ms was $5.29 on Target’s website.

My thoughts

OK, let’s tackle the basics of the new Honey Roasted Peanut M&M’s. With rare exceptions, a new M&M flavor can be sorted into one of three varieties: Milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate. Like the traditional Peanut M&M, this new variety uses milk chocolate.

According to Mars, the Honey Roasted Peanut M&M has “a roasted nutty profile that offers the perfect crunch with a touch of honey sweetness.”

On the inside, the Honey Roasted Peanut M&M’s follow a very standard M&M playbook. A candy coating in brown and shades of yellow and then chocolate surrounding a honey roasted peanut.

“M&M’s is all about bringing people together through the power of fun and delivering joy through our iconic candies,” Martin Terwilliger, vice president of marketing, Mars Wrigley North America, said in a statement. “We know how much our fans love M&M’s Peanut, so we wanted to bring forward an innovation that builds on the classic flavor they know and love — but this time through the popular combination of sweet and salty, to share and enjoy with friends.”

That Mars exec is correct — we do love M&M’s Peanut, and the Honey Roasted Peanut flavor absolutely builds on that legacy. I’m snacking on the Honey Roasted Peanut M&M’s as I write this review, and this is a flavor that I’d definitely buy again. Going with honey roasted peanuts over a basic peanut adds a touch of nuance that you never knew you were missing in a bag of traditional Peanut M&M’s.

Snack score

🍪🍪🍪 (3 out of 5 cookies)

The Peanut M&M was introduced in 1954, and for seven decades, there was really no reason to try to improve on an iconic variation on the M&M. (Mars tried last year with the Toasty Holiday Peanut M&M, which got a “SKIP” from me.) Honey Roasted Peanut M&M’s are a worthy permanent addition to the M&M’s lineup, elevating that 71-year legacy to the next level.