Halloween candy now shows up in stores months early, and 2026 brought some of the biggest brand lineups yet, from a new Kit Kat Witch to molded Oreo Ghosts and a mouth-numbing Cheetos collaboration. This is our running cheat sheet: the release timing up top, then every brand’s new-for-2026 treats with prices where we have them, plus where to buy. We keep adding to it as more candy lands.
2026 Halloween Candy Recall
One Halloween treat has been recalled this season. Crystal Temptations Chocolatey Eyeballs, sold at TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods in 13 states, were pulled for undeclared milk that does not appear on the label. The FDA advises anyone with a milk allergy to throw the candy away rather than return it, since the stores are not offering in-store refunds. See our full report on the Chocolatey Eyeballs recall for the affected style number and the full list of states.
When Halloween Candy Hit Shelves in 2026
Candy season starts earlier every year. In its 2026 report, Hershey found that 67 percent of parents had already bought Halloween candy by early July, and it now calls Halloween “a season spanning a third of the year rather than a single day.” Here is when this year’s new treats arrived:
| Timing (2026) | Brand | What is new |
|---|---|---|
| Late July | Monster Cereals | Puppet boxes for the 55th anniversary |
| Early August | Oreo | Oreo Ghosts, molded chocolate |
| Aug 13 | Hershey | 20-plus new items, including Kit Kat Count and Witch |
| Aug 14 | Ferrero | Kinder Joy x Stranger Things egg |
| Aug 31 | Cheetos | Sweet Phantom Heat Puffs |
| Oct 1 | Monster Cereals | Fuzzy Count Chocula box, Walmart only |
| Aug. 27 | HI-CHEW | Halloween Mystery Mix returns with a secret flavor to guess |
| Aug. 27 | Keebler | Spookie Fudge Stripes return with an expanded zoo scavenger hunt |
Hershey (its biggest lineup yet)
Hershey called its 2026 lineup its largest and most diverse to date, with more than 20 new items across chocolate, sweets, and salty snacks. “Our Halloween leadership is earned long before consumers walk into a store,” said Katie DeCapria, head of Hershey’s Hersheyween program.
- New: Kit Kat Count and Witch (a Witch shape joins the returning vampire Count), a Reese’s Sweet and Salty assortment, an Amazon-only Reese’s Pumpkin Bowl, and Hershey’s first broad push into Halloween salty snacks
- Where to buy: nationwide retailers, with the Reese’s Pumpkin Bowl exclusive to Amazon
See the full Hershey 2026 lineup
Oreo Ghosts
Oreo Ghosts turned up in Halloween aisles this year, and they are not a ghost-shaped cookie.
- New: molded dark chocolate ghosts filled with Oreo creme and cookie pieces, sold as individually wrapped singles in a bag marked “made with real Oreo”
- Where to buy: Halloween candy aisles now, while supplies last
See the full Oreo Ghosts details
Ferrero and a Stranger Things Surprise
Ferrero’s 2026 Halloween candy is led by a Stranger Things tie-in, alongside more than a dozen treats across Kinder, Butterfinger, Keebler, Mother’s, and Crunch.
- New: a Kinder Joy x Stranger Things egg that hides one of 24 Funko-made toys, for $2.39
- Also on shelves: Butterfinger Skulls at $1.99 and a Kinder Joy 15-pack up to $19.99
See the full Ferrero 2026 lineup
Cheetos and Blumhouse’s Flavor of Fear
Cheetos teamed with the horror studio Blumhouse for a snack built to do more than flavor your mouth.
- New: Sweet Phantom Heat Puffs, branded “The Flavor of Fear,” which start sweet and turn hot, then leave your mouth fizzing, tingling, and numb, with no artificial dyes or flavors
- When: nationwide on August 31
See the full Cheetos Flavor of Fear details
M&M’S Practical Magic 2 Amas Veritas Packs
M&M’S is celebrating the theatrical release of Practical Magic 2 with a limited-edition Amas Veritas Spell & Snack Pack, free with the purchase of a Milk Chocolate Fun Size Sharing Bag at MMS.com/Practical-Magic while supplies last.
- New: custom candies printed with 12 symbols, eight drawn from the film’s “Amas Veritas” love spell plus four new ones that tease the sequel
- When: two midnight-ET drops, Thursday, September 3 and Monday, September 14, 2026
See the full M&M’S Practical Magic 2 details
Monster Cereals
Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry are back for their 55th anniversary, with a couple of new twists.
- New: every box turns into a build-your-own puppet using Jim Henson Company designs, plus a limited-edition fuzzy Count Chocula box on October 1, Walmart.com only, for $7.76
- For collectors: the trio also arrived as blown-glass ornaments from Old World Christmas at $27.99 each, six in all
See the full Monster Cereals 2026 details
Where to Buy 2026 Halloween Candy
Most of this year’s new candy is at the usual spots, from Walmart and Target to grocery and drugstores, with a few online exclusives. A few pointers for 2026:
- Online exclusives: the Reese’s Pumpkin Bowl is Amazon-only, and the fuzzy Count Chocula box lands on Walmart.com on October 1 for $7.76.
- Priced items to know: the Kinder Joy x Stranger Things egg runs $2.39, Butterfinger Skulls are $1.99, and a Kinder Joy 15-pack goes up to $19.99.
- For handing out: variety bags and bulk multipacks are the cheapest per piece, and the deepest discounts tend to land in the weeks right before Halloween, with clearance after November 1.
- Budget grocery: Aldi’s 2026 Halloween Finds run cheap, with Choceur mini chocolate bars at $3.65 and Werther’s caramel apple candies from $3.05, plus a Disney character collection in the same aisle.
- Trader Joe’s: its fall and Halloween 2026 lineup has Halloween Joe-Joe’s, Wicked Good mini chocolate bars, and Halloween Gummies, plus the $2.99 Trick-or-Treat mini totes for hauling it all home.
- Costco: the warehouse novelty this year is the Ten Acre Gifts Monster Mash Chocolate, a 5.5-pound smash-open chocolate head filled with gummy body parts.
Halloween Candy FAQ
What is the best new Halloween candy for 2026?
Taste is personal, but a few 2026 releases stand out for doing something new. Oreo Ghosts turn the cookie into molded chocolate, Cheetos’ Flavor of Fear adds a fizzing, numbing heat, and Kit Kat’s Count and Witch give the classic bar two collectible shapes. For collectors, the puppet Monster Cereals boxes and their glass ornaments are the season’s novelty.
When does Halloween candy come out?
Earlier every year. Hershey’s 2026 report found that 67 percent of parents had already bought Halloween candy by early July. This year the major new candy rolled out from late July through the end of August, with a few items, like the fuzzy Count Chocula box, arriving in October.
Where can you buy 2026 Halloween candy?
Most new candy is at Walmart, Target, grocery, and drugstores, with the Reese’s Pumpkin Bowl exclusive to Amazon and the fuzzy Count Chocula box exclusive to Walmart.com.
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HI-CHEW Halloween Mystery Mix
HI-CHEW’s Halloween Mystery Mix is back for 2026, and this time there is a catch. The limited-edition bag mixes three known flavors, Green Apple, Orange Creamsicle, and Cotton Candy, with one secret Mystery Flavor disguised as an all-white chewlet that fans have to guess. The brand’s mascot, Chewbie, gets a Frankenstein’s Monster makeover on the packaging. It comes in 5.6-ounce and 11.6-ounce stand-up pouches at Kroger, Target, Albertsons, and HI-CHEW.com, and a nationwide flavor-guessing challenge kicks off September 15 with clues on HI-CHEW’s social channels. Read our full HI-CHEW Halloween Mystery Mix breakdown.
Keebler Spookie Fudge Stripes
Keebler’s Spookie Fudge Stripes return for Halloween 2026, the same chocolatey cookies dressed in vanilla-flavored orange stripes and festive designs, at retailers nationwide while supplies last. The bigger draw is the Spookie Stripes Safari, back for a second year. Scan the on-pack QR code and OpenForMagic.com opens an illustrated zoo where you hunt for striped cookies among striped animals and log them for a chance to win, no zoo ticket required. It runs September 1 through October 31. In person, Keebler is running safari activations at six zoos, Brookfield, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Phoenix, Kansas City, Houston, and Minnesota, with sampling, signage, and appearances by Ernie the Elf. The grand prize is a VIP weekend for a family of four to Nashville Zoo.
