Brands across the board have been relying on increasingly gimmicky ad campaigns to capture the public’s attention. Velveeta hair dye, Auntie Anne’s perfume, 7-Eleven hot dog seltzer—name a brand, and they’ve probably released something absurd. Many of us were hoping that this trend would be left behind in 2024, but our dreams were dashed when Progresso threw their hat into the ring.
The iconic canned soup brand made waves earlier this month with the launch of Soup Drops, a hard candy modeled after the savory, comforting flavors of their beloved chicken noodle soup. The brand released the candy, described as “soup you can suck on,” to the public on January 16th—only to sell out in just a few hours.
Progresso released more Soup Drops a week later, and the demand was so high that their website crashed and the product completely sold out again. In an Instagram post, the brand revealed that even more Soup Drops will be available on January 30th.
Clearly there is some interest in these candies, with fans both intrigued by—and afraid of— how they actually taste. Our team was skeptical, but we managed to get our hands on a package so we could try it for ourselves. So whether you want to buy your own can of Soup Drops or just want to know how they taste out of morbid curiosity, read on.
The individually-wrapped candies comes in a tube with a pop-top lid that really channels chicken noodle soup vibes. And the candy itself looks almost like a caramel at first glance…until you take a closer look. The soup drops are speckled with brown and orange flecks, which I assume would be some sort of savory seasoning.
When it comes to the flavor, there’s a surprising sweetness that immediately threw us for a loop. “The initial taste was a bit like caramel then it took a hard left turn into chicken and celery,” said Delish Community Producer Catherine Sillars. Once the top layer of sweetness faded, the overwhelming flavor was savory—which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“It did taste like a bouillon cube—which I love,” said Food Editor Francesca Zani. “I used to sprinkle packets of bouillon over buttered pastina.” Assistant Editor of Audience Development Izabela Campos described the flavor as “not terrible.”
But none of us thought that we’d ever reach for another one, and some of us couldn't even finish a single candy. Digital Director Katelyn Lunders said, and we quote: "It tastes like my dog's food smells." She added that it would be “the ultimate white elephant or gag gift”—but not much else.
You may like this candy if you really love the taste of bouillon or ramen noodle seasoning packets. But Progresso Soup Drops aren’t anything more than just a viral stunt, so don’t expect to find these in your local candy store anytime soon.
Expertise: TikTok Trends, Drinks, Pop Culture
Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.S. in Communications from NYU, Culinary Arts degree from The Institute of Culinary Education
About Me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes to content on our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s making cocktail-inspired dishes like Dirty Martini Pasta and Aperol Spritz Trifle. Her features cover online trends like the Millennial Shopping Cart, rank everything from hard seltzers to frozen French fries, and answer some of your most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posting content on Delish’s TikTok, including her three-part series about cooking like influencer Nara Smith that garnered over 3M combined views. She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can.