We Made Every Popin' Cookin' Kit and Ranked Them: Best to Worst

At PopnCandy Tokyo, "research" sometimes means clearing the studio table, lining up every Popin' Cookin' kit we could find, and making all of them back-to-back over one gloriously messy week. We scored each kit on Fun, Taste, Difficulty, and that all-important Wow Factor. This is the definitive ranking — from absolute must-buy to skip-it.

The Ranking: Best to Worst

• 🥇
  Popin' Cookin' Sushi Kit (おすしやさん)

  9.4 / 10 · Fun 9 · Taste 9 · Forgiving 9 · Wow 10

  No contest. The kit that made Popin' Cookin' world-famous still earns the crown. The "ikura" spheres form through real spherification, the finished pieces look genuinely like miniature sushi, and the multi-flavor payoff is delightful. It's the kit we hand to anyone who's never tried DIY candy — it converts skeptics instantly.
• 🥈
  Popin' Cookin' Ramen Kit (ラーメンやさん)

  8.8 / 10 · Fun 9 · Taste 8 · Forgiving 7 · Wow 10

  The most ambitious kit in the lineup. You build noodles, broth, a fried "egg," and toppings — each from candy powder — and assemble a tiny bowl that looks shockingly convincing. The wow factor is off the charts. It loses a point on forgiveness: the noodle-extruding step is fiddly if you rush. Worth every second.
• 🥉
  Popin' Cookin' Hamburger Set (ハンバーガー)

  8.1 / 10 · Fun 8 · Taste 8 · Forgiving 8 · Wow 8

  A tiny burger, fries, and a drink — all candy, all adorable. The "fries" are weirdly accurate and the assembly is satisfying without being stressful. It doesn't have the jaw-drop of sushi or ramen, but it's the most consistently fun kit for younger makers, and almost impossible to mess up.
• 4
  Popin' Cookin' Donut / Sweets Shop (ドーナツ)

  7.2 / 10 · Fun 7 · Taste 8 · Forgiving 9 · Wow 5

  The easiest kit here and arguably the best-tasting — the donuts and mini sweets lean genuinely dessert-like. But "easy" comes at the cost of spectacle: fewer "how did that happen?!" moments. A great first kit for a nervous beginner or younger child, just not a showstopper.
• 5
  Popin' Cookin' Takoyaki / Festival Set (たこ焼き)

  6.5 / 10 · Fun 7 · Taste 6 · Forgiving 6 · Wow 7

  A fun novelty that nails the festival-food aesthetic — the little round takoyaki with "sauce" and "bonito flakes" look great. But the flavor is the most divisive of the bunch, and a couple of steps are surprisingly tricky. Charming, but the weakest all-rounder.

Which One Should YOU Buy?

• Complete beginner or making with kids: Start with the Donut or Hamburger set — forgiving and fun.
• Want the classic "wow" experience: The Sushi Kit, every time. The perfect introduction.
• Confident maker chasing a challenge: The Ramen Kit is the boss level. Bring patience.
• Collector after something different: The Takoyaki set is a fun curveball once you've done the classics.

New to these kits? Start with our guide to the best Popin’ Cookin’ kits for beginners before you work your way up this ranking.

Once you've picked a kit, don't let the Japanese packaging stop you — here are English instructions for every Popin' Cookin' kit, step by step.

Every kit ranked here is made by the same trusted maker - read more about Kracie, the company behind Popin' Cookin'.

Picking kits for a crowd is a different problem from picking the best one - see our DIY candy party playbook for what actually scales to eight children.

Scores aside, the question we get asked most is whether any of them taste good at all. Short answer: yes, and if yours didn't, here's what went wrong.

One kit sits outside this ranking because it makes four things at once: the Omatsuri-yasan festival set.