Pumpkin Spice Taste Test

Even though it can be a polarizing flavor, over the past few years, pumpkin spice has become the official flavor of fall. If you’re like me and love it, you are always on the lookout for new pumpkin flavored items to try. As a fun experiment, this year, my family and I set out to try as many pumpkin and pumpkin spiced flavored items as we could find. We had a blast doing our taste tests, and I hope that our findings can help steer you in the right direction when it comes to buying pumpkin spice food for your family.

Pumpkin Spice Must-Buys

Trader Joe’s Mini Hold the Cone Ice Cream Cones: Pumpkin & Ginger

If I had to pick an overall winner, these min cones would probably take the top prize. We all loved them. They are tiny, little ice cream cones filled with pumpkin cream and coated with what they describe as a “white confectionery coating.” They taste like fall and their tiny size makes them such a fun treat.

Trader Joe’s Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies

We have been a fan of these cookies for a few years now. They are coated in yogurt, pumpkin spice and sprinkles, and they taste amazing. Plus, they are shaped like adorable little pumpkins.

Pumpkin Spice Cheerios

My whole family loves this cereal. We are already on our second box. I normally don’t like flavored cheerios, but I love the pumpkin spice.

STōK Pumpkin Creamed Cold Brew Coffee

I am a big fan of this cold brew. It tastes like something you would buy at a coffee shop. It gives me and my husband a Starbucks Pumpkin Cold Brew type fix at a much cheaper price. Also, reading the content on the container is very entertaining. Their marketing team is very clever.

Good & Gather Pumpkin Pie Granola

This granola has become a breakfast staple at our house. It tastes great on its own, but my kids love to eat it mixed with some Greek yogurt.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix

This mix is incredible. In fact, it’s so good that there are currently seven boxes in my pantry because we need a year-round supply. It’s too good to only be eaten in the fall. If you love pancakes or waffles, do yourself a favor and go buy some.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels

These are delicious. The whole bag was gone in under two days. I will definitely be going back to buy more.

Trader Joe’s This Pumpkin Walks Into A Bar

My kids loved these bars in other flavors already, but the pumpkin is now their favorite. Plus, you have got to love the witty name.

Pumpkin Spice Disappointments

Trader Joe’s Frozen Pumpkin Waffles

These didn’t have much of a pumpkin flavor at all. They tasted very plain and were a “no” from my whole family (even the one-year-old).

Swiss Miss Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

It was almost impossible to taste any pumpkin spice flavor at all. I would just stick to regular hot chocolate

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Joe-Joe’s

I really wanted to like these cookies. They weren’t bad, but when compared to the other pumpkin foods Trader Joe’s has to offer, they were just okay. I would skip these.

Nature’s Path Organic Pumpkin Pie Toaster Pastries

These were a lot like a Pop-tart, but they didn’t taste good. NO ONE in my family liked them. My kids wouldn’t even eat them.

Pumpkin Spice Surprises

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Hummus

I was not sure what to expect when I tried this hummus, but I really liked the taste. It wasn’t super sweet and still had the hummus flavor along with the pumpkin spice flavor.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Tortilla Chips

These chips initially sounded gross to me, but they are actually great. The pumpkin spice flavor pairs surprisingly well with a tortilla chip. Even the cashier at Trader Joe’s was talking about how good they are. I highly recommend buying some to try.

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter

This stuff is excellent on toast, bagels and probably a lot of other things. It’s a lot like apple butter but (obviously) with pumpkin instead of the apple.

Our Biggest Taste Test Takeaways:

• Trader Joe’s has the best selection and best items, hands down. If you are looking for something pumpkin to try, start there.
• “Pumpkin spice” can mean lots of things. Sometimes it means it tastes like pumpkin and other times it means it just tastes like cinnamon.
• Pumpkin spice k-cup coffee doesn’t taste good no matter the brand. This might be a controversial opinion, but I challenge someone to name one that tastes good and not super artificial. Thus far, I haven’t been able to find one anywhere.
• Taste tests are a super fun activity. If you haven’t done one with your family, you should give it a try.

Let me know in the comments if you agree with our findings and if there are other pumpkin spice foods we should try.