20 of America’s Favorite Snack and Food Brands

A 2023 scoping review published in Nutrients and indexed by the National Library of Medicine found that snacks account for roughly 20% of U.S. adults' daily energy intake. More than 90% of adults report eating at least one snack on a given day, with studies in the review putting average snacking frequency at roughly 1.2 to 3 times per day. In other words, Americans do a lot of snacking, so naturally we have opinions about it. 

The snack business is enormous, too. Statista reports that U.S. savory snack sales reached roughly $76 billion in 2024 and are projected to top $90 billion by 2028. But sales and popularity are not the same thing, and the list below is based on how favorably consumers viewed the brands rather than how much money they spent on them. 

This list uses YouGov food and snack brand popularity data from the first quarter of 2024. The dataset covered 353 brands, and popularity reflected whether U.S. adults had a positive opinion of each one. Ties were common. In fact, the six highest-scoring groups contained 23 brands, so the numbering below is a presentation order rather than a strict one-through-20 ranking. This 20-item version does not include every brand tied at the lowest score represented here.

There is not much mystery to the appeal here: peanut butter wrapped in milk chocolate. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups date to 1928, when H.B. Reese created them in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The Reese's business became part of The Hershey Company in 1963, and the original cups have since grown into a much larger candy lineup. 

M&M's are made by Mars and have been around since 1941. The original candy-coated chocolates have expanded into a long list of varieties, including Milk Chocolate, Peanut, Dark Chocolate, Almond, and Peanut Butter, along with limited-edition flavors that come and go. 

According to the Hershey Company, more than 80 million Hershey's Kisses are made every day. The chocolates were introduced in 1907 and were originally wrapped by hand. Today, the lineup includes the classic Milk Chocolate version along with Special Dark, Milk Chocolate with Almonds, and seasonal varieties. 

KitKat started in the United Kingdom in 1935 as Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp, with the KitKat name arriving in 1937. Nestlé owns the brand globally, but there is one notable exception: The Hershey Company is licensed to manufacture and distribute Kit Kat products in the United States. 

The classic peanut butter cup may be the product everyone knows, but Reese's has gone well beyond it. The Hershey lineup includes Reese's Pieces, TAKE5, FAST BREAK, caramel-filled cups, and plenty of seasonal shapes and limited releases. Apparently peanut butter and chocolate had some room to expand. 

Lay's is part of Frito-Lay, PepsiCo's snack business, and its roots go back to Herman Lay's snack-food operation in 1932. The Lay's Potato Chips name arrived in 1944. Today, the brand stretches well beyond the familiar yellow bag, with classic and Wavy potato chips, Kettle Cooked chips, Poppables, Stax, dips, and other variations. 

Heinz Tomato Ketchup first appeared on U.S. shelves in 1876, when it was still called "Catsup." Nearly a century and a half later, Heinz sells the classic version along with Simply, organic, flavored, no-salt-added, and no-sugar-added varieties. 

Ritz Crackers have been around since 1934 and are now part of Mondelēz International. The company describes Ritz as having a buttery, flaky taste, which pretty much explains why a sleeve can disappear faster than anyone intended. Mondelēz also owns snack brands including Chips Ahoy!, Sour Patch Kids, Honey Maid, and belVita. 

Snickers is another Mars brand, introduced in 1930. The classic bar combines peanuts, caramel, and nougat under a milk chocolate coating. The Snickers name has since expanded into ice cream treats and variations built around flavors such as almond and peanut butter. 

The Hershey name may immediately bring chocolate to mind, but the company's portfolio is much broader. Along with Hershey's Kisses and the U.S. license for Kit Kat, Hershey's brand family includes Twizzlers, York, Reese's, and salty snacks such as Pirate's Booty. One correction worth noting: Pirate's Booty is a puffed rice-and-corn snack, not popcorn. 

Potato chips remain the heart of the Lay's brand, with varieties ranging from Classic and Wavy to Kettle Cooked and a constantly changing collection of flavors. The Tasting Table ranking linked here put Sour Cream & Onion in its top spot, but that was the publication's own taste test rather than a nationwide measure of which Lay's flavor Americans buy or prefer most. 

Pillsbury covers a lot of territory in the refrigerated-dough aisle. Its current lineup includes cookie dough, biscuits, crescent rolls, cinnamon rolls, pie crusts, pizza crusts, breads, and ready-to-eat snacks, among other products. 

Betty Crocker may be closely associated with boxed cake mixes, but that is only part of the baking aisle it occupies. The current product line includes cake and baking mixes, brownies and bars, cookie mixes, muffin mixes, frostings, dessert-decorating products, and more.

Pringles has changed corporate homes since this list was first put together. Mars completed its acquisition of Kellanova on Dec. 11, 2025, bringing Pringles into the Mars Snacking portfolio. The brand is still known for its stackable crisps and tube packaging, with flavors ranging from Original and Sour Cream & Onion to rotating specialty releases. 

Heinz is much bigger than ketchup. Its current U.S. product lineup includes mustard, relish, gravy, vinegar, and mixed and specialty sauces alongside the company's many ketchup varieties. 

Oreo is a Mondelēz International brand that was introduced in the United States in 1912. Mondelēz describes Oreo as the world's top-selling cookie, and the brand has grown far beyond the original chocolate sandwich cookie. Double Stuf arrived in 1974, and countless specialty, seasonal, and regional flavors have followed. "Milk's favorite cookie" remains part of the brand's identity more than a century after the first Oreo was made. 

The J.M. Smucker Co. is about much more than jams and jellies. The company completed its acquisition of Hostess Brands in November 2023, adding Donettes, Twinkies, CupCakes, Ding Dongs, HoHos, Mini Muffins, Fruit Pies, and other sweet baked snacks to its portfolio. 

Doritos is part of PepsiCo's U.S. foods portfolio. The current lineup includes familiar flavors such as Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, and Spicy Sweet Chili, plus Spicy Nacho, Salsa Verde, and several Flamin' Hot varieties. 

Dove Chocolate is part of Mars Snacking. Its lineup includes Dove chocolate bars and individually wrapped Dove Promises, with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and other varieties sold under the brand. 

Fritos is another Frito-Lay brand under PepsiCo, with roots stretching back to 1932. Beyond Original Corn Chips, the current lineup includes Chili Cheese, Flamin' Hot, and Flavor Twists Honey BBQ, along with several bean and cheese dips made for scooping.