The time has come at last: the Great Pumpkin-ing is upon us. Consume copious amounts of orange-colored "pumpkin"-flavored foods and drinks, and be merry!
We tasted every pumpkin spice product we could find — here's the ultimate ranking
October 26, National Pumpkin Day, is coming up. So why not eat copious amounts of orange-colored "pumpkin"-flavored foods and drinks?
Recommended articles
From breakfast cereals to favorite candies, the flavor is everywhere. But is any of it good?
We tasted all the pumpkin-spice products we could find at Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, CVS, Dunkin' Donuts, and Panera Bread to find out.
Here's our ranking of the 20 pumpkin-spice products we tasted:
Marina Nazario bravely contributed reporting on a previous version of this article.
20. Trader Joe's pecan pumpkin instant oatmeal
The texture of the oatmeal, combined with a weak flavor, makes for a watery disappointment.
19. Pumpkin-spice candy corn
Incredibly gross. We couldn't discern any "pumpkin spice" flavoring, just straight sugar — unsurprising, considering it's candy corn.
18. Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin-N-Spice trail-mix granola bar
This granola bar lacks the taste of pumpkin spice. It's essentially sugar-coated pumpkin seeds, clumped together with trail mix.
17. Trader Joe's country pumpkin spice granola cereal
The actual granola is fine, but the dried pumpkin bits thrown in for taste don't work.
16. Pumpkin bagel from Panera
The bread doesn't taste much like pumpkin, and it has a rather bland taste. The sugary frosting is the source of the cinnamon flavor, but we're unimpressed.
15. Dancing Deer pumpkin-spice shortbread cookies
Though pumpkin-shaped, this product lacks the pumpkin flavor and tastes like a sugar cookie.
14. Trader Joe's "This Pumpkin Walks into a ... Cereal Bar"
The filling tastes more like apple flavor than pumpkin. The bread of the bar contains the spice, so it ends up tasting like cinnamon apple.
13. Trader Joe's organic frosted pumpkin toaster pastries
This is comparable to the cinnamon-flavored Pop-Tart. It's OK, but the pumpkin flavor is absent.
12. Trader Joe's pumpkin biscotti
While we expected this product to taste like a ginger-snap cookie, it did have a hint of pumpkin flavoring that went well with the cookie.
11. Trader Joe's Pumpkin-O's
This cereal is delightful. It's not too sweet, and it captures a pleasant pumpkin flavor that's suitable for a relaxed autumn breakfast.
10. Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Rooibos tea
This tea has a savory, thick pumpkin-spice flavor that is comforting and gratifying. In our opinion, it's better than the previous tea.
9. Dunkin' Donuts pumpkin-spice donut
Now this tastes like a pumpkin-spice doughnut! Artificial flavoring or not, it tastes great.
8. Trader Joe's pumpkin spice chai tea latte mix
With the pumpkin-spice aromas of it filling the air, it also perfectly captures the pumpkin-spice taste and goes well with the light spiciness of chai.
7. Pumpkin-pie bark
This is our favorite pumpkin-flavored chocolate! Not too rich and not too sweet. It begins with a rich chocolate taste and slowly transitions to light pumpkin flavors.
6. Noosa pumpkin-flavor yogurt
The pumpkin flavor is subtle yet sweet, creating a simple blend that goes well with the product. Also, decidedly less sour than most Greek-style yogurts.
5. Trader Joe's pumpkin butter
With only a handful of ingredients, we almost thought it was healthy — until we tasted it. How can something so good be healthy? It's naturally sweet and offers a unique pumpkin-spice flavor that we couldn't get enough of.
4. Trader Joe's pumpkin pie spice cookie butter
This is amazing. It has the consistency of peanut butter, but with a delicious pumpkin taste. It is well-balanced, and the cookie aspect adds an incredible richness.
3. Trader Joe's pumpkin panettone
Yum! This fluffy Italian bread has creamy pumpkin flavors with hints of spice nestled within, creating a sensational taste experience. It's light and sweet — nothing sickly sugary.
2. Trader Joe's pumpkin-y pumpkin bites
These are delicious! Think of a pumpkin-flavored brownie with a rich flavor and gooey texture. Trader Joe's definitely got these right.
1. Trader Joe's pumpkin ice cream
Everything about this is phenomenal. Our winner by a landslide! Not because it's ice cream, but because the flavors actually blend well together — creating the perfect pumpkin-spice-flavored product. The pumpkin flavor is fresh and bright, and the spicing is subtle.