Every so often, an innovation comes along that doesn’t just tweak the original but completely upstages the OG. The new Dark Chocolate Reese’s Puffs Cereal does exactly that.
Apparently, this is the first new Reese’s Puffs flavor combination since the cereal debuted in 1994?! That feels wild, considering there have been limited-edition shapes (bats, bunnies), Minis (which I loved), and other variations like Big Puffs and Peanut Butter Lovers. But flavor-wise, Reese’s Puffs has always stuck with milk chocolate…until now.
And honestly? I am obsessed. General Mills tried to position this as a “midnight snacking” cereal – something clever about dark chocolate and late-night eating – but let’s be real: I ate this all day. I had it as a snack. I had it for dinner. No regrets because this is what Reese’s Puffs should be.
This version uses real Hershey’s cocoa, and you can actually see the dark chocolate cereal pieces as well as taste them. Not just “cereal chocolate” flavor. The chocolate finally pulls its weight and does the Reese’s candy justice. After eating this, the original Reese’s Puffs just taste like peanut butter puffs to me.
Texture-wise, it matches the original, meaning it doesn’t completely pulverize the roof of your mouth. From a flavor perspective, General Mills describes it as a richer, deeper take on the peanut butter and chocolate combo, and that description holds up. The cocoa-forward chocolate balances the peanut butter perfectly, and the cereal finally honors the candy. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my all-time favorite, for the record.
I tried it both dry and with milk, and enjoyed it both ways. It doesn’t really turn the milk into peanut butter chocolate milk, but I’ll let that slide because the cereal itself tastes so good.
At first, I felt annoyed that I had to buy a giant family-size box of this new flavor. But, this is the Reese’s Puffs glow-up we didn’t know we’d been waiting nearly 30 years for.
They’ve reassured fans that the current classic isn’t going anywhere, but I’m officially petitioning for this dark chocolate version to become the new classic.
Purchased Price: $4.93
Size: 19.7 oz
Purchased at: Walmart
Rating: 10 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cup / 39g) 160 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, 1 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 polyunsaturated fat, 2g of monounsaturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 220 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar (including 12 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein.
I have no self control with the regular Reese’s Puffs. I’m afraid the “family-sized” box would end up being a single serving.