We taste-tested every marshmallow and candy-coated Easter egg we could find – and the winner was clear

 ·24 Mar 2024

Going against all dietary advice, the BusinessTech team decided to find out which Easter egg is the ultimate by blind testing over 24 different brands of seasonal confection – and Woolworths and Lindt came out on top.

Because the different types of Easter eggs on sale vary, we split the test into three main categories: the classic chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs, candy-coated hollow eggs, and the more decadent ‘filled eggs’.

Up to 20 tasters took part in the test, scoring each treat out of 10 over the course of the day. Some chose to get things over quickly and score all at once, and others chose to pace themselves – so the scores reflect various taste responses.

Each taster was presented with the Easter eggs where no branding or packaging was visible, so brand bias could not be factored in.

In each category, different aspects were being taken into account.

With the marshmallow eggs, tasters were looking at overall flavour, chocolate texture and mouth-feel, chew of the marshmallow, and distinction in marshmallow flavour.

For the candy-coated eggs, there’s only really the candy and the chocolate going on, so we looked at those and the overall flavour.

The filled eggs were the most varied, so the tasters judged them on the flavour profiles, as well as the chocolate distinction.


Disclaimer: Taste is subjective, and as the scores show, opinions on chocolate Easter eggs can differ greatly. All Easter eggs were procured from local retailers. The rankings are not exhaustive or comprehensive, as other brands also make variations. This list is just a bit of fun; please don’t email us complaining that your favourite brand was ranked low.


The results:

Woolworths’ house brand Easter eggs walked away with the top spot in both the marshmallow and candy-coated categories while also scoring well in the filled egg category.

The Lindt Easter eggs were the clear winner in the filled egg competition, however, comfortably beating out all the other brands.


Marshmallow Eggs

In the marshmallow testing, what stood out the most was how indistinct most of the eggs were. Even where the marshmallow centre had a different flavour (chocolate or caramel) it was not much of a deviation from the general profile.

BrandScore
Woolworths Marshies Vanilla7.4
Beacon Mmmmallows6.8
Woolworths Marshies Choc6.5
PnP Marshmallow Eggs6.1
Woolworths Marshies Caramel5.6
Sweetie Pie Vanilla5.4
Sweetie Pie Chocolate5.2
Choco Luxe Mallow5.0

In this test, participants were asked to identify the Beacon marshmallow egg – known as the original and classic – and only a third of the testers were able to do so. Another third identified the winner (Woolworths vanilla) as the Beacon classic.

It was a close race, however, with the Beacon classic coming out in second place – showing how much of an impact it has made on the tastebuds over the decades.

Woolworths’ vanilla Marshies stood out above the others by having a smooth and tasty chocolate coating with a soft and distinctly vanilla centre.

On the opposite end, the eggs that performed poorly had a lower quality chocolate (which left an aftertaste) and the marshmallow centre was either bland and flavourless or had too much of a chew.


Candy-coated Hollow Eggs

With the candy-coated hollow eggs, Woolworths again stood out as the top pick, largely for the quality of its chocolate. The candy shell was also smooth, sweet and crunchy, making it a complete package.

BrandScore
Woolworths Hens Eggs7.6
Woolworths Dark Chocolate Eggs6.6
Choco Luxe Hen Eggs6.4
Shoprite Eggs Galore5.6
Beacon Hen Eggs5.2
PnP Milk Choc Eggs5.0
Clicks Hen’s Eggs4.7

For this test, a lot of the ratings came down to chocolate quality – although some eggs also had a questionable candy texture going on.

Incidentally, it was the candy shell that was the Beacon classic’s undoing, with tasters describing it as “waxy”. The lowest performers, though came down to bad chocolate.


Filled Eggs

The final test was the more “luxury” filled egg selection. These Easter eggs are far more costly and provide a more decadent experience with different flavourings – and way more sugar all the way through.

BrandScore
Lindt Lindor Easter eggs9.2
Lindt Lindor Hazelnut mini eggs7.9
Sweetie Pie Choca Eggs Hazelnut7.7
Woolworths Filled Eggs7.4
Cadbury Caramel Egg7.3
Sweetie Pie Choca Eggs Custard6.4
Woolworths Caramel Bliss5.8
Sweetie Pie Choca Caraberry5.4
Cadbury Creme Egg4.1

Because this test is mostly about the chocolate, it comes as no surprise that Lindt’s Lindor eggs came out on top. Lindt chocolate was the top scorer in our last chocolate test, and the office’s love for it has not waned.

Lindt also took the second spot with its hazelnut-centred mini-egg. Strangely, this egg was milder in taste and was not as sweet, but the flavour was on point.

Speaking of sweetness, the Cadbury Creme Egg is proof that too much of a good thing can be really bad. The entire package is sugar through and through, with the filling and the chocolate almost obnoxiously sweet, to the point that it is an indistinct mess.

The brand has something similar with the Cadbury Caramel Egg, but in this version, there is at least some distinction in flavour, so it performed much better.

We included the new Woolworths Caramel Bliss Easter egg in this section, which is the group’s luxury take on Easter eggs, filling a white and milk chocolate shell with a caramel mousse.

While the egg was certainly delicious, the flavour was quite mild, and the mousse made the whole package feel more like a dessert than a chocolate treat.


Conclusion

Taking all three tests into account, it’s clear that the filled eggs performed better overall, with the marshmallow eggs and candy eggs being less preferred as an Easter treat.

Lindt’s Easter Eggs were the top-rated – but probably because it’s just Lindt chocolate that everyone already loves, not necessarily because it’s an Easter egg.

The Cadbury Creme egg, however, tanked to the bottom, with the warning to steer clear unless you just want nothing but sugar.


Read: We tested Coke and Pepsi against every cola we could find – and it was closer than you think

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