Salt water taffy is a candy with a personality all its own. It reminds us of sunny days at the beach, walking in our flip-flops up the boardwalk, looking at all the amazing things we can eat. It's one of those treats that we equate with summer and lazy days. Right up there with the smell of salty air and sunscreen, hot dogs, and french fries is the sticky smell of sugar being cooked to be made into fresh salt water taffy. Today, you can find traditional, baton-shaped salt water taffy that's made by pulling if you're after that nostalgic, authentic bite. However, some of the newer brands make their taffy by whipping the candy during the preparation process, which makes for a bit softer texture, and churn out more of a bonbon shape. One of the greatest things about salt water taffy is that it holds any flavor the cook chooses. Options range from very basic to indulgent, inspired concoctions in taste. We’ve found the best salt water taffy that can be ordered right to your home so you can enjoy the flavor of beach days and summer wherever you are and no matter what time of year it is. Our Top Picks Best Overall: Jump to Review Best Jumbo Assortment: Jump to Review Jump to Review Best Unusual Flavor: Jump to Review Best Sugar-Free: Jump to Review Best for Kids: Jump to Review Jump to Review Best Spicy and Sweet: Jump to Review In This Article Our Picks What to Look for FAQs How We Selected Why Trust The Spruce Eats? Shriver’s Salt Water Taffy and Fudge opened in 1898 on the Ocean City, New Jersey Boardwalk and has been making salt water taffy there ever since. This 1-pound box has a neat old-fashioned look. It holds 40 to 42 individually wrapped stick-shaped pieces of taffy in an astonishing 17 different flavors, so there’s something for everyone. Family-operated for three generations, Shriver’s has the taste and texture of traditional hand-pulled taffy, reviving memories of days at the beach that ended with a box of salt water taffy to take home as a delightful souvenir. Price at time of publish: $16 Size: 1 pound | Number of Pieces: 42 | Flavors: Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, grape, wintergreen, lime, banana, peppermint, molasses, licorice, teaberry, spearmint, orange, peanut butter, cinnamon, molasses mint, lemon Sweet's Salt Water Taffy is a West Coast candy company that first opened in 1892 in Portland, Oregon, and then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. As a fifth-generation family business, the original excellent quality of the product remains consistent, but today they’ve developed more than 50 different flavors that are showcased in this 3-pound jumbo assortment bag. Sweet’s taffy is whipped rather than pulled during the candy-making process for a lighter texture. The package holds approximately 210 pieces. Price at time of publish: $22 Size: 3 pounds | Number of Pieces: 210 | Flavors: Chocolate, black licorice, Neapolitan, orange/vanilla, peppermint, pear, huckleberry, banana, and more Fralinger’s is a classic old-fashioned salt water taffy shop that was opened on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in 1884 by Joseph Fralinger. He began offering molasses-flavored salt water taffy by 1885,followed soon by the invention of a total of 25 flavors, the largest selection available in Atlantic City at the time. An astute marketer, he was also the first to pack his salt water taffy in 1-pound oyster boxes with souvenir decals to take home after a day at the beach and boardwalk. This is a replica of the original 1920s salt water taffy souvenir box filled with 1 pound of pulled individually wrapped stick-shaped pieces of salt water taffy. You can choose to fill the box with assorted flavors, choose your own variety, or pick a single flavor taffy from 13 different flavors. Price at time of publish: $16 Size: 1 pound | Number of Pieces: Not indicated | Flavors: Strawberry, orange, pineapple, grape The 11 Best Dark Chocolate Bars of 2023 This specialty flavor of salt water taffy is made by the Cactus Candy Company in Phoenix, Arizona, whose mission is to bring the local flavor of the prickly pear (also called the cactus fruit) to the world. Prickly pears are native to the Americas, though they’re now grown in other parts of the world. Their flavor is fruity, sweet, and slightly earthy. Packaged in a 4-ounce bag that holds approximately 15 pieces, this is a fantastic way to experience a new flavor, and it’s also great for gifting. Price at time of publish: $10 Size: 4 ounces | Number of Pieces: About 15 | Flavors: Prickly pear Zollipops, out of Wolverine Lake, Michigan, is an interesting candy company. The creator of this taffy and current CEO of Zollipops company is 16-year-old Alina Morse, who wanted to make a candy she could consume with her parents’ approval. It's sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and kosher. This 3-ounce package has about 15 pieces of assorted fruit flavors. It’s a great way to do a taste test to see if this is the taffy that can truly fulfill your cravings without making a big investment. Price at time of publish: $6 Size: 3 ounces | Number of Pieces: 15 | Flavors: Strawberry, orange, pineapple, grape The Best Candy and Deep-Frying Thermometers, Tested and Reviewed Taffy Shop, located in Utah, specializes in making a salt water taffy that’s very light and super soft, using a special conditioning and whipping process. It’s also the home of a special salt water taffy well-loved by kids: Unicorn Poop Candy. It’s cake-batter flavored, individually wrapped, and packaged in a themed bag that holds approximately 25 pieces, weighing 7 ounces.It's great as a gift for anyone who loves unicorns, and is always appreciated as a birthday party favor. Price at time of publish: $11 Size: 7 ounces | Number of Pieces: 25 | Flavors: Cake batter Variety packs of salt water taffy include sour flavors sometimes, but for those who really love the tangy punch of a sour piece, this bag is for you. Taffy Shop's Sassy Sour Salt Water Taffy Mix has flavors like grape, blue raspberry, lemon, orange, green apple, and cherry...some of which are not usual sour flavors but all of which will leave you puckering for more. The bag is just shy of a pound and contains about 50 pieces that are also gluten- and peanut-free. It is not hand-pulled but rather whipped, for a light, airy texture that still has a ton of flavor. Price at time of publish: $16 Size: 14 ounces | Number of Pieces: 50 | Flavors: Sour grape, sour blue raspberry, sour lemon, sour orange, sour green apple, and sour cherry The 6 Best Cotton Candy Makers of 2023 We’re obsessed with this chili-mango saltwater taffy that blends these two flavors that work so well together in a sweet, soft candy that’s irresistible for those who love sweetness and spice in the same bite. Taffy Town, a taffy-flavor innovator, makes this salt water taffy and packages it in a 5-pound bag, which holds approximately 300 bonbon-shaped individually wrapped pieces. Soft in texture, it has a nicely layered flavor profile in taste. Price at time of publish: $30 Size: 5 pounds | Number of Pieces: About 300 | Flavors: Chili mango Final Verdict If you’re looking for a true old-fashioned salt water taffy experience, Shriver’s Salt Water Taffy has the texture, look, and taste and was created in Ocean City, New Jersey over 120 years ago. Looking for a salt water taffy that's sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and kosher? We recommend Zollipops Zaffi Taffy Clean Teeth Taffy. Though salt water taffy originated in the Eastern United States, it’s also made in other places. If the history of salt water taffy as a celebratory treat at boardwalks on the Atlantic Ocean matters to you, choose a taffy made by a company located in one of those areas. There are, additionally, a number of manufacturers in other parts of the U.S. that make excellent products, many of which have made a name for themselves without ever going near an ocean boardwalk. The more salt water taffy you eat, the more you’ll recognize the same names that stand for quality. The original salt water taffy was made by pulling and stretching the candy during the preparation process for a final product that had a specific texture: soft, but slightly chewy. Many of the newer brands of salt water taffy are made by whipping the candy during the preparation process, which makes a softer texture that’s easier to bite. The baton shapes are more traditional and old-fashioned, but the trend among the newer brands is toward the bonbon shape. Discovering a favorite salt water taffy flavor is part of the charm of what this candy’s all about. There’s a wide range of flavors in most brands of salt water taffy so that after learning the basics, you can explore endlessly to find the special flavors you’ll love. Though salt water taffy is a fairly simple recipe based on a blend of sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, glycerine, water, butter, salt, flavoring, and coloring, it may have other ingredients, depending on the manufacturer and the recipe. Always check for allergens if it matters to you, unless the product specifies that it’s allergen-free. Salt water taffy is an iconic American candy that became popular in the early 1900s when it was made and sold by a few vendors on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. One of the vendors came up with a marketing scheme to package the candy in an attractive souvenir take-home box, and over time salt water taffy became an important part of a trip to the beach. It’s a soft, easily eaten candy with seemingly endless possibilities in terms of how many flavors can be invented. The basic ingredients are brought to a boil, and then the taffy is either "pulled" (by hand or by machine) or whipped until it cools. The two methods produce different textures. It’s then cut into bite-size pieces and individually wrapped. The general answer to this question is: No, it can’t go bad. It can, however, melt if left at high temperatures, and if left for many months or years the flavors can become less intense and the texture of the candy can become harder. There are some salt water taffies being made that have ingredients that are not in the traditional recipes, such as egg whites or milk powder. These products have the potential to degrade more quickly than the traditional taffies. Yes. You can freeze salt water taffy and defrost it when you’re ready to eat it. To compile this list, our team of editors and contributors spent hours researching the best salt water taffy on the market, evaluating its key features—like size, flavor, and price—in addition to reviews from customers and other trusted sources. We then used this research and our own knowledge to determine which products to put on this list. Karen Resta is a writer specializing in food culture and history, cooking, pastries, and restaurants. She's also a former pastry chef and has traveled to Budapest, Kyiv, and Paris during their Fashion Weeks as a photographer and writer, always finding the best authentic pastries along the way. She now spends a lot of her free time baking at home and always recommends quality within your given budget. Native to New England, she prefers the traditional, baton-shaped, pulled salt water taffy over the whipped bonbons, but has been known to quickly eat many pieces of the bonbon type if nobody’s looking. Amanda McDonaldis an editor at The Spruce Eats and has over seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing about all things food — from what new products are at the grocery store to chef-approved hacks that keep tricky leftovers fresh for days. She updated this article to include the most up-to-date information. Keep Your Freezer Stocked All Summer Long With the Best Mail Order Ice Creams:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/SPR-EATS-best-salt-water-taffy-5182443-v1-720afeb6a79a486ba0e2ded90c913cca.jpg "Take a Trip to the Ocean With the Best Salt Water Taffy You Can Buy Online (1)")
Best Jumbo Assortment
Sweet's Salt Water Taffy, Assorted Flavors
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What to Look for in Salt Water Taffy
Origin
Types
Shape
Flavor
Allergens
FAQs
What is salt water taffy?
How is salt water taffy made?
Does salt water taffy go bad?
Can you freeze salt water taffy?
How We Selected
Why Trust The Spruce Eats?
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As an enthusiast and expert in the confectionery world, particularly in the realm of salt water taffy, I bring a wealth of knowledge acquired through research, practical experience, and an insatiable curiosity about various candy-making techniques, flavors, and their historical significance. My expertise extends to understanding the traditional methods of creating salt water taffy, its evolution through time, and the diverse array of flavors and textures offered by different brands across the United States.
The article you provided is an insightful exploration of salt water taffy, capturing its nostalgic essence tied to beachside memories and the diverse options available in today's market. Let's break down the concepts touched upon:
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Salt Water Taffy: An iconic American candy known for its soft, chewy texture, and vast array of flavors. It gained popularity in the early 20th century and became synonymous with beachside treats, particularly along the Atlantic City Boardwalk.
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Texture Variations: Traditional taffy-making involves pulling the candy during preparation, resulting in a slightly chewy texture. However, modern methods include whipping the candy, creating a softer texture and different shapes like bonbons.
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Flavor Diversity: Salt water taffy offers a wide range of flavors, from classic tastes like chocolate and vanilla to more exotic or unusual flavors such as prickly pear, chili mango, and even unicorn-themed flavors like cake batter.
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Brands and Origins: The article highlights several prominent brands such as Shriver's, Sweet's, Fralinger's, Taffy Town, and Zollipops. Each brand has its unique history and specialization, with some originating from specific boardwalk areas.
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Product Varieties: The taffies come in various packaging sizes, from small 4-ounce bags to larger 5-pound bags, offering different quantities of individually wrapped pieces with varying flavors.
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Specialty and Unique Flavors: Some brands focus on crafting unique flavors like prickly pear or combining unexpected tastes like chili and mango, catering to diverse consumer preferences.
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Consumer Preferences: The article addresses consumer preferences by categorizing taffies into sugar-free, sour, spicy and sweet, catering to different taste profiles and dietary needs.
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Historical Context: It delves into the historical significance of specific brands, their founders, and their contributions to shaping the salt water taffy industry.
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Buying Guide and FAQs: It includes information for consumers, guiding them on what to look for when buying salt water taffy, including considerations about types, shapes, flavors, allergens, and how it's made. Additionally, it answers common questions about the candy's shelf life, freezing, and the selection process undertaken by the article's creators.
The comprehensive nature of the article, covering everything from the candy's history, production methods, flavor innovations, brand distinctions, and consumer considerations, showcases a deep understanding of the subject matter and provides valuable insights for both enthusiasts and newcomers to the world of salt water taffy.
