Last Updated on March 31, 2026 by Brian Kachejian
Photo by Cole Kachejian
Goldfish crackers have been around so long that they don’t belong to just one generation; they belong to all of them. First created in Switzerland in 1958 and brought to the United States in 1962 by Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin, these little fish-shaped crackers have quietly become one of the most recognizable snacks ever made. They’re baked, not fried, stamped with that little smile, and marketed as “the snack that smiles back.”
The original lineup started simple, but over the decades, the brand has expanded into a wide range of flavors, with cheddar becoming the most popular after its introduction in 1966. What makes Goldfish dangerous is not just the taste, but the size. You don’t eat one, you don’t eat ten, you grab a handful, then another, and before you know it, the bag is gone. It’s one of those snacks that just disappear. So the question becomes simple: with all these flavors out there, which one is actually the best? That’s exactly what I set out to find.
I grabbed a lineup of flavors and put them head-to-head in a full taste test. No guessing, no overthinking, just opening the bags and seeing which ones actually deliver.
#6 – Original
We had to start here. The original Goldfish flavor, the one that goes all the way back to the early days of the brand. And yeah… it tastes like a cracker. That’s exactly what it is. There’s nothing offensive about it, but there’s nothing exciting either. You eat it and immediately start thinking about what else you could be eating. I gave it a five out of ten. It’s fine, but it’s not winning anything.
#5 – Cheddar
Now we’re getting somewhere. Cheddar has been the backbone of the brand since the 1960s and is still the most popular flavor. You get that mild cheese taste right away, not overpowering, not too salty, just enough to make it interesting. It’s a big step up from the original. I gave this one a seven out of ten. Solid, dependable, but we’re just getting started.
#4 – Pizza
You knew pizza had to be in here. This one brings a different kind of flavor profile, a little seasoning, a little tomato, a little of that pizza-style taste. It doesn’t go over the top, but it’s definitely more interesting than cheddar. I liked this one more right away. This one gets an eight out of ten. Now the competition is heating up.
#3 – Parmesan
This is where things started to get interesting. Parmesan brings a sharper, more defined cheese flavor, and you can taste the difference immediately. It feels like a step up in terms of flavor depth, and at this point I’m starting to wonder if every single one is just going to get better than the last. This one lands at an eight point five out of ten.
#2 – Pretzel
Now this one kind of snuck into the competition. It’s not even a cracker, it’s a pretzel, but it’s shaped like a Goldfish, so it’s in. And I’ve got to be honest, I liked this a lot. It’s got that classic pretzel taste, a little more bite, a little more personality. It felt different from everything else on the table, and it worked. I gave it an eight point nine out of ten, and at this point it was in the lead.
#1 – Flavor Blasted Extra Cheddar
Here it is, the one that had to beat everything else. Flavor Blasted Extra Cheddar. You take one bite and yeah, this is what you expect when you hear “extra.” It’s bigger, bolder, and loaded with that cheddar flavor that the regular version only hints at. This one doesn’t hold back. It finally breaks into the nines with a nine out of ten, and that’s enough to take the top spot.
By the end of this, I was laughing because it turned into one of those classic snack moments. I liked this one, I liked this one, I kind of liked this one too, and then there was the original just sitting there doing its thing. But that’s the fun of it. With Goldfish, you’re not just picking a snack, you’re picking your flavor. And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably not stopping at just one handful anyway.
Watch the full video below to see how it all went down.
