Best Jelly Fruit Candy

Last Updated: Oct 19, 2021 @ 1:58 pm.

Best Original Jelly Candy: DinDon Fruity’s Ju-C Jello Bags

Leave it up to TikTok to kick off an exploding candy trend!

Where did the TikTok “Hit or Miss” challenge with jelly fruit candy originate?

The story starts with comedian Jaden Sprinz, who apparently has such large incisor teeth that folks do not think they are real. In order to show they are indeed his teeth and not fake, Sprinz tries various foods on camera to prove the point. 

Our hero apparently went to a candy store one day, looking for things to try on camera for that famous TikTok genre: the reaction video.

Sprinz found Fruity’s Ju-C Jello Bags, a bag of jelly fruit snacks from DinDon, a California-based candy maker. When the plastic pouch that holds the jelly fruit liquid exploded on camera, it spooked Sprinz—and set off a wave of similar videos. And the rest is candy/TikTok history.

These jelly fruit candies were perfect for TikTok . . . biting into them produced a hit or miss effect. A hit if they exploded outward, a miss if the candy exploded into your mouth. After a million or more views, the jelly fruit candy TikTok challenge is now part of social media lore.

Before you decide you have to make your own Hit or Miss challenge video with these candies, a few safety rules.

First, the plastic pouch that holds the gel was NOT designed to be put in your mouth—the candy makers included a little tab that is supposed to be removed, letting you squirt the candy into your mouth. 

Of course that defeats the purpose of the Hit or Miss challenge . . . so folks put the entire plastic pouch in their mouth. In this case, the makers warn users to WASH the pouch first. 

Second, the plastic pouch is NOT edible!

Now that the warnings are out of the way, let’s talk about the candy itself.

When the viral video took off, the DinDon candy became hard to find—and other brands rushed in to the space. We tried several jelly fruit candies, along with the DinDon original to see what was best.

If you want to go with the original jelly fruit candy that was featured in the very first TikTok Hit or Miss challenge, then you’ll want this candy: DinDon Fruity’s Ju-C Jello Bags. 

These candies became so popular they were hard to find for months . . . but apparently production has caught up with demand! 

What We Liked

• Even better when chilled, in our opinion!

• Vegan-friendly (no gelatin).

• Try them frozen.

• 8 jellies per bag.

What Needs Work

• Not everyone is a fan of the taste!

Best Multi-Flavor Jelly Fruit: Dely-Gely Fruit Jelly

The original DinDon fruit candy has a limited number of flavors. Imported from Mexico, Dely-Jely’s Fruit Jelly has more choices: pineapple, orange, strawberry, green apple, grape. It wins our award for best multi-flavor jelly fruit candy.

What We Liked

• 25 jellies per bag.

• Shaped like fruits.

What Needs Work

• Harder to pop than others we tried. We’re not sure that is a negative, as the reaction is the goal! 

• Pricey.

Best Budget-Friendly: Fruit Jelly Candy from Tik Tok

When the TikTok craze took off, it was hard to find jelly fruit candy at any price . . . and even now, the small bags are quite pricey. Good news: this pack of jelly fruit candies is actually budget-friendly—25 candies in a bag, which works out to be less per ounce that others we tested. (Most other bags had just 8 or 9 candies).

What We Liked

• Fun!

• Large quantity per bag.

• Affordable.

What Needs Work

• Not as big of a pop as others we tried. For whatever reason, these candies were harder to bit through than others we tried. The plastic is perhaps a bit thicker.

• Some of the flavors are quite sour! Some folks like that, of course . . . so perhaps that isn’t that big of a negative.

Best Candy to Freeze: Frootsy’s Assorted Fruit Jelly

This candy is our pick as the best to freeze—it simply tasted better, in our opinion! If you don’t want to freeze it, the maker suggest refrigerating it before eating (also be sure to wash the pouches before). 

What We Liked

• 9 pieces.

• Flavors include strawberry, apple, pineapple, grape, mango; 

What Needs Work

• Pricey.

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do hands-on testing—we buy the products with our own money and evaluate with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!