The Short Answer
Golden OREO is the vanilla-wafer version of OREO, launched in 2004, with the same classic OREO creme as the original chocolate cookie. One serving of 3 cookies (34 g) has 160 calories, 12 g of sugars, and 120 mg of sodium. Golden OREO also comes as Golden Double Stuf, with 150 calories per 2 cookies, and as Thins Golden, with 140 calories per 4 cookies. This page covers the US product only.
What Golden OREO Is
The Vanilla Wafer
Golden OREO replaces the chocolate wafers of the original cookie with golden vanilla wafers. The product copy describes them as “golden vanilla wafers” and the cookie as a “vanilla sandwich cookie.” The wafer is the only part that changes; the format — two wafers with creme between them — stays the same.
The Same Classic Creme
Golden OREO is a wafer variety, not a creme variety. The filling is the same original OREO creme used in the original cookie: the product copy calls it “classic OREO creme filling” and “original OREO creme.” Golden OREO does not introduce a new creme flavor of its own.
Launched in 2004
Golden OREO was launched in 2004, more than ninety years after the original cookie and thirty years after Double Stuf. It changed the wafer rather than the creme, and became a permanent part of the OREO lineup.
Golden OREO Nutrition and Ingredients
The figures below come from a current US retail listing, because the standard Golden OREO product page did not appear on oreo.com when this page was researched. The serving is 3 cookies (34 g).
| Nutrient | Per serving (3 cookies, 34 g) | About per cookie |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 160 | About 53 |
| Total fat | 7 g | About 2.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 2 g | — |
| Trans fat | 0 g | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | — |
| Sodium | 120 mg | About 40 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 25 g | — |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | — |
| Total sugars | 12 g | About 4 g |
| Added sugars | 12 g | — |
| Protein | 1 g | — |
The ingredients, in label order, are: Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Sugar, Soybean and/or Canola Oil, Palm Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Baking Soda, Soy Lecithin, Natural and Artificial Flavor. The label states “Contains: Wheat, Soy.” Milk is not an ingredient, but milk cross-contact is possible on shared equipment, as explained on Are OREO Cookies Vegan?.
Golden vs Original: What Actually Changes
Only the wafer changes. Golden OREO uses golden vanilla wafers; Original OREO uses chocolate wafers. Both use the same original OREO creme, and both have 160 calories per serving of 3 cookies (34 g) — the same figure, not a lower one. The differences are small: Golden has 12 g of sugars and 120 mg of sodium per serving, against 14 g of sugars and 130 mg of sodium for Original.
| Cookie | Serving | Calories | About per cookie | Sodium | Sugars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden OREO | 3 cookies (34 g) | 160 | About 53 | 120 mg | 12 g |
| Original OREO | 3 cookies (34 g) | 160 | About 53 | 130 mg | 14 g |
| Double Stuf OREO | 2 cookies (29 g) | 140 | About 70 | 90 mg | 13 g |
| Golden Double Stuf | 2 cookies (29 g) | 150 | About 75 | 80 mg | 12 g |
| Thins Golden | 4 cookies (29 g) | 140 | About 35 | 95 mg | 11 g |
The table compares label servings, not equal weights: a serving of Double Stuf or Thins is 29 g, while a serving of Golden or Original is 34 g. For the full three-way comparison, see Original vs Double Stuf vs Thins.
The Golden Family: Double Stuf and Thins
Golden Double Stuf
Golden Double Stuf uses golden vanilla wafers with double the original OREO creme. The product copy describes it as “golden vanilla wafers stuffed with double the original OREO creme.” One serving is 2 cookies (29 g): 150 calories, 7 g of total fat, 2.5 g of saturated fat, 80 mg of sodium, 21 g of carbohydrates, 12 g of sugars (12 g added), and 1 g of protein. About 75 calories per cookie.
A note on the saturated fat figure: the pack photo shows 2.5 g, while Mondelēz’s SmartLabel entry shows 2 g. The two figures likely come from different pack editions. This page uses the pack figure of 2.5 g and records the difference here.
Thins Golden
Thins Golden packs the Golden OREO flavor into a thin cookie. One serving is 4 cookies (29 g): 140 calories, 6 g of total fat, 1.5 g of saturated fat, 95 mg of sodium, 21 g of carbohydrates, 11 g of sugars (11 g added), and 1 g of protein. The oreo.com copy says Thins Golden packs “the scrumptious flavor of Golden OREO cookies into a delicate cookie with a crispier texture and fewer crumbs.”
Gluten-Free Golden
Gluten-Free Golden OREO is a separate product, certified gluten-free, and it is not the same cookie as Golden OREO. Its formula is different: the ingredient list starts with Sugar, White Rice Flour, and Tapioca Starch, instead of the enriched wheat flour of the standard cookie. One serving is 3 cookies (34 g), with 160 calories and 7 g of total fat. Its figures are given here on their own and are not mixed with the standard Golden figures above. It was first released in January 2024, according to a secondary source.
How People Use Golden OREO
The official product copy calls Golden OREO “supremely delicious and dunkable,” and describes it as a cookie to enjoy “with a cold glass of milk” or “serving at your next party.” The same copy says Golden OREO is “great for mixing into dessert recipes” — a use, not a recipe, and this page gives no quantities or times. The twist, lick, dunk ritual described on How to Eat OREO Cookies applies to Golden the same way it applies to the original cookie: it is the brand’s ritual, not a rule.
What Golden OREO Is Not
- Not a creme variety. Golden OREO changes the wafer, not the creme. The filling is the same original OREO creme.
- Not a lower-calorie version of Original. Both have 160 calories per serving of 3 cookies (34 g).
- Not gluten-free. Only the separate Gluten-Free Golden product is certified gluten-free.
- Not a different brand. Golden OREO is an OREO variety, made by the same company and sold under the same name.
- Not a global claim. Everything on this page describes the US product; availability and formulations in other markets are not claimed here.
Timeline at a Glance
- 2004 — Golden OREO is launched.
- 2009 — Golden Double Stuf is introduced in late August (secondary source).
- 2015 — Thins Golden is introduced in the United States, with the Thins line.
- January 2024 — Gluten-Free Golden OREO is first released (secondary source).