I’ve walked out of Five Below with candy I barely touched and candy I bought twice more before the season ended. This list is the difference between those two trips.
1. Nerds® Spooky Gummy Clusters 8oz – $5.00
Tangy fruit gummies coated in crunchy Nerds candy, now in Halloween colors — this 8oz bag is built for movie-night bowls, work candy dishes, or anyone who just likes having something to reach into all October. The Spooky edition brings the same texture combo that made the original go viral.
Taste: The crunch from the Nerds outer layer gives way almost immediately to a soft, chewy gummy center, and the fruit flavor is tangy-bright rather than cloyingly sweet. That contrast — crunchy for a second, then chewy — is exactly what makes it hard to eat just one cluster.
Make It Better: Pour a handful into a small bowl instead of eating from the bag; you’ll slow yourself down just enough to actually notice the layers of flavor.
Parting Thoughts: Halloween Nerds fans, this is your seasonal bag — the spooky edition delivers the same crunchy-chewy fix with colors that earn their place on the counter all month.
2. Halloween Welch’s® Fruit Snacks 26-Count – $5.00
Twenty-six 0.5oz pouches for $5 is a genuinely solid deal for Halloween treat bags, classroom parties, or a snack drawer that needs to hold up through the holiday stretch. Made with real fruit — that’s on the label, not just marketing.
Taste: Classic mixed fruit flavor with a soft, gentle chew — grape, strawberry, orange, peach cycling through in the familiar Welch’s rotation. It’s mild and pleasant rather than intense, which makes it easy to hand to anyone, kids especially.
Make It Better: Split the box between a lunchbox stash and Halloween goody bags — the individual pouches hold up well and the seasonal packaging makes them feel more intentional than a plain fruit snack.
Parting Thoughts: The parents on your block will quietly thank you for putting these in the treat bucket.
3. Amos® Peelerz® Caramel Apple Gummy Candy 3oz – $2.00
Peelable gummy candy sounds like a novelty until you actually try it — the outer layer pulls back to reveal a softer center, and this caramel apple version is a Five Below exclusive flavor you won’t find anywhere else. It’s the kind of autumn snack that earns a spot in a seasonal haul just by being genuinely different.
Taste: Warm caramel flavor in the outer layer shifts into a brighter tart apple note at the center — a better caramel apple impression than you’d expect from a $2.00 bag. The outer peel has a chewier, more substantial bite, while the inside is softer and almost jammy.
Make It Better: Take your time and actually peel each piece — the separate textures make the flavor layering more distinct, and the experience is more satisfying than just biting straight through.
Parting Thoughts: At $2.00 for an exclusive flavor, this is an easy grab if you’ve ever been curious about the Peelerz format.
4. Christmas Calendar Filled With 24 Milk Chocolates 1.76oz – $2.50
The December morning countdown ritual — one little window, one small chocolate — gets much more accessible when the whole calendar costs about as much as a cup of coffee. This 24-piece milk chocolate advent calendar is the kind of thing you buy in multiples: one for the house, one as a teacher gift, one as a stocking stuffer that actually gets used every single day.
Taste: Straightforward milk chocolate — sweet and smooth, without bitterness or complexity. The pieces are small, but that’s the point; a little daily chocolate beats none at all, and the ritual is what carries December.
Make It Better: Make it a two-person countdown — take turns opening doors or let whoever gets up first claim the day’s piece. At this price, it’s worth getting one per person in the house.
Parting Thoughts: An advent calendar at this price is a no-brainer gift for December — the milk chocolate is simple but reliable, and the countdown is the whole point anyway.
5. Werther’s Original® Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Soft Caramels 8.5oz – $5.00
Soft caramels with warm pumpkin spice built in — these are a limited fall release that comes back every year and earns its reputation. The 8.5oz bag makes them a natural candidate for a desk candy dish or a couch-side treat when the temperature finally drops.
Taste: Buttery caramel with a warm cinnamon-and-spice undercurrent that reads as genuine pumpkin spice rather than artificial flavoring. The texture is soft and slow-melting — it gives easily between your teeth and then just dissolves, which is the Werther’s signature move.
Make It Better: Let one sit for a few seconds before chewing — the full caramel flavor blooms as it warms. These pair well with hot tea or cider on a fall evening when you want something sweet but not a full dessert.
Parting Thoughts: One of the better pumpkin-spice executions in candy form — Werther’s earns its status as a yearly fall favorite.
6. Sour Patch Kids Bites 1.8oz – $2.50
My go-to when I need something that cuts through a long afternoon — Sour Patch Kids Bites deliver the full sour-then-sweet payoff and the 1.8oz bag is exactly the right size to finish in one sitting without overcommitting. Works as a small holiday stocking stuffer, too.
Taste: The sour sugar coating hits immediately and makes your cheeks work for a second, then the chewy gummy underneath is straight-up sweet fruit — that escalation-then-payoff structure is the reason these have staying power. Flavors follow the classic SPK lineup.
Make It Better: Eat them two at a time for a better sour-to-sweet balance, or pair with plain popcorn to reset your palate between rounds.
Parting Thoughts: Not a crowd-size bag, but as a personal holiday treat or stocking filler, $2.50 is exactly right.
7. Oreo Candy Canes 12-Pack – $3.00
Candy canes that taste like Oreos are exactly what they sound like — an experiment that actually works. A 12-pack gives you enough to hang on the tree as decorations and still have a solid supply left to eat before your holiday willpower gives out.
Taste: Hard candy with a distinct cookies-and-cream flavor — there’s a slightly chocolatey, slightly vanilla-creamy note that makes the Oreo connection clear without tasting chemical or fake-sweet. The texture is classic candy cane: brittle and smooth, dissolving slowly.
Make It Better: Crush a couple into a zip bag and stir them into hot cocoa — the Oreo flavor holds up in warm drinks and makes a genuinely good holiday hot chocolate topping.
Parting Thoughts: A genuinely fun holiday novelty at around $3 for 12 — grab them before they disappear from the shelf.
8. Hi-Chew® Halloween Limited Edition Candy 6oz – $5.00
If you already know Hi-Chew, you already know this bag needs to go in your cart. If you’re new to them, the Halloween limited edition is a better entry point than you’d expect — more substantial and interesting than most of what occupies the Halloween candy aisle.
Taste: Fruity and concentrated, with that signature Hi-Chew texture that starts firm and then softens into a long, creamy chew that keeps delivering flavor long after most gummies have given up. The Halloween flavors lean into bold, slightly tart fruit territory.
Make It Better: One piece at a time is the right pace here — Hi-Chew has more flavor per piece than it looks, and slowing down lets you actually taste what’s happening rather than just working through the bag.
Parting Thoughts: Limited editions of Hi-Chew go fast, and this one is worth grabbing an extra bag of while it’s still around.
9. Amos® Tasty Sounds Halloween Scream Audio Lollipop 0.4oz – $5.00
Somewhere between candy and party trick, this lollipop is part of the Tasty Sounds line — it plays spooky sounds while you eat it. At $5.00 for 0.4oz, you’re paying for the novelty and the reaction it gets, not the candy-per-dollar math. It’s labeled Ages 3+ with a choking hazard note, so keep it away from very young kids.
Taste: A hard lollipop — the eating experience is honestly secondary to what the thing does while you’re eating it. The candy is the delivery mechanism; the sounds are the product.
Make It Better: Buy it for a Halloween party favor or hand it to a kid who hasn’t seen one yet — that first reaction is the best part of the whole thing.
Parting Thoughts: Worth it as a one-time novelty; not something you’d stockpile, but exactly right for a Halloween party bag or a weird little gift.
10. Mr Beast Feastables Creamy Peanut Butter Cups 2-Count 1.4oz – $2.00
Two Feastables peanut butter cups from MrBeast’s candy brand, 1.41oz total — this is the size to grab if you’re curious about the line but not ready to commit to a full bar. Five Below’s candy section is a reliable place to find them showing up alongside holiday drops.
Taste: Creamy peanut butter filling inside a chocolate shell — the classic peanut butter cup build in a compact two-piece format. The serving size is just enough to get a clear read on the flavor without going overboard.
Make It Better: Try one alongside a Reese’s as an informal comparison — the side-by-side makes any differences more obvious and turns two pieces of candy into a slightly more intentional tasting.
Parting Thoughts: A solid pick for Feastables fans or anyone who wants to try the brand at a price with essentially no risk.
