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All Of Trader Joe's Pumpkin-Flavored Foods, Ranked From Worst To Best

So many baking mixes, so little time.

By
Junk food, Food, Vegetarian food, Cuisine,
Trader Joe's/Rijuta Agarwal

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If you had any doubt fall had officially arrived, all you'd need to do is step foot inside a Trader Joe's. The store is rife with pumpkin-flavored goodies—and I walked in with a mission to try every single one of them: the cakes, the coffee, the ravioli, the rolls. A week later, I present you with this, an official ranking—from worst to best—of all of Trader Joe's pumpkin foods. Use it for good, not evil.

This Pumpkin Walks Into A Bar Cereal Bars

Food, Cuisine, Dish, Ingredient, Baked goods, Gluten, Snack, Financier, Produce, American food,
Sanah Faroke

These look good—like a fall take on a Fig Newton—but they actually taste...too pumpkin-y. The flavor is overly sweet and overly strong, and the thick filling sticks to the inside of your mouth.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Label,
Sanah Faroke

The smell was amazing—like pumpkin and all the spices listed on the box—but the sip didn't stack up. I didn’t expect it to be sweet, but it was just bitter. I added two spoons of sugar (out of character for me) to help with the taste, but it still wasn’t very good. I'm used to rich Colombian coffee, and this seemed watered down in comparison. The coffee also had a weird aftertaste.

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Pumpkin Chai Spice Loaf

Food, Dairy,
Sanah Faroke

The loaf hit the right flavor—pumpkin and spices—but it was dry. The chai icing tried to help, but it ended up being overkill.

Pumpkin Waffles

Food, Dish, Cuisine, Ingredient, Breakfast, Snack, Meal, American food, Produce, Dessert,
Sanah Faroke

These frozen waffles are pretty plain, not exactly fluffy, and you can barely taste the pumpkin. They don’t taste like regular frozen waffles, but without the packaging, there’s no way I would have been able to tell that these were pumpkin-flavored.

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Pumpkin Soup

Food, Dish, Cuisine, Soup, Ingredient,
Sanah Faroke

This pumpkin soup wasn’t bad, per se. It's a thin soup, not something you'd reach for when you're craving something super filling. And even though seemed watered down, the pumpkin was evident. But it was missing a little something—maybe salt?

Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli

Food, Vegetarian food,
Sanah Faroke

Ravioli is traditionally savory, but this skewed sweet. Not even the ricotta cheese and pasta could offset the sweetness of the pumpkin. I’m not sure what I expected with this one, but I kind of wanted it to be more savory—despite the honey roasted label. Truthfully, it was also a little bland.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

Text, Font, Paper, Metal,
Sanah Faroke

The box is cute (and looks like its holding pizza), but the actual cheesecake is definitively not cute. It's lopsided, undecorated, and didn't entice me at all—and I LOVE cheesecake. At least the pumpkin flavor was actually noticeable, though. It’s a little sweet, but not too sweet that I would say no if you offered me a slice. I did mention I love cheesecake...

Pumpkin Butternut Squash Bisque

Food, Ingredient, Drink,
Sanah Faroke

Naturally, the bisque was thicker than the soup...and it was OK. It tasted more like butternut squash than pumpkin. The label also says there’s brown sugar and sage in it, but even after a few spoonfuls, I couldn't taste either. It’s nice and light, though, and I would get it again.

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Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea

Drink,
Sanah Faroke

Before even taking a sip, the cinnamon hits your nose. It smelled like a Michael’s store around Thanksgiving time. When I tasted the tea, it was warm and pleasant, but the cinnamon taste was what stuck around. I didn't taste much pumpkin, but that’s not to say it tasted bad. It’s a nice herbal tea to have around when you're cozy on the couch, watching holiday movies.

Petite Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Text,
Sanah Faroke

Consider these the fall answer to Trader Joe's beloved Dark Chocolate Mint Stars. They have a yogurt coating with sprinkles, and they. are. sweet. Like, if I had 10 of these, I would be on a major sugar high. That said, they deliver in the dessert department: The cookies have the perfect crunch and a super-sweet pumpkin flavor.

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Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps

Food, Dish, Cuisine, Vegetarian food, Ingredient, Snack, Recipe, Comfort food, Meal, Baking,
Sanah Faroke

Teenage me would not have liked these. But late-20s me really enjoyed these. The crisps were light and crunchy, and you could taste the rosemary and the cranberries. They don't look quite as pretty in person as they do on the box, but don't let that deter you. They even smell like pumpkin spice—and not in the gross way.

Organic Frosted Pumpkin Toaster Pastries

Text, Wood, Room, Wood stain, Plywood,
Sanah Faroke

Here's the takeaway: Trader Joe's riff on a Pop-Tart was good, albeit a little too sweet. It's better when toasted and had an ideal amount of filling, so none of it got lost in an unfortunate oozing disaster.

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Pumpkin And Sweet Cream Cheese Muffin

Bottle, Glass bottle, Hardwood, Label, Distilled beverage, Wood stain, Barware, Packaging and labeling, Present, Bottle cap,
Sanah Faroke

These were perfectly moist (sorry), but I didn't taste a whole lot of cream cheese—not that it mattered. They get an extra sweet kick from the walnut praline topping. Overall, these muffins had just the right amount of pumpkin.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancake Mix

Text, Font, Label, Pumpkin, Vegetarian food, Plant, Fruit, Local food, Illustration,
Sanah Faroke

These pancakes were pretty good, although the spices are a little mild. I could taste the pumpkin flavor, and the sweetness wasn’t too much. With syrup, they're even better. Gluten free products tend to be dense, but these were super light—just not super memorable though. As in, I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either. They were just good.

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Pumpkin Butter

Food, Ingredient, Wood stain,
Sanah Faroke

Give the apple butter a break and take up this pumpkin butter. The spices are really strong, in a good way. It’s sweet, pumpkin-y, and cinnamon-y. And I know two of those words don’t exist, but what can I say? The consistency is thick and works well on toast.

Pumpkin Ginger Hold The Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones

Snack, Junk food, Label,
Sanah Faroke

This was the first time I tried any of Trader Joe's mini ice cream cones, and it didn't disappoint. There's a sweet coating on top of the ice cream, like a Drumstick. The ice cream had subtle spice, and the cone had hints of ginger in it, getting me all excited for gingerbread.

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Pumpkin Spice Almond Beverage

Pumpkin, Plant, Vegetarian food,
Sanah Faroke

This drink was very creamy and thick. It's got a light pumpkin flavor with just enough spice. Nothing was too overbearing, so you could drink a glass on its own. But even better: Put it in your coffee and you've got a healthier PSL.

Pumpkin Biscotti

Wood, Text, Hardwood, Orange, Wood stain, Label, Varnish, Produce,
Sanah Faroke

These babies tasted kind of like gingerbread and gave me all the holiday feels. The pumpkin flavor was there but wasn’t in your face, and hints of cinnamon tied it all together. Dunk these in your coffee (that's been mixed with pumpkin spice almond milk).

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Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread And Muffin Baking Mix

Pumpkin, Natural foods, Label, Calabaza, Vegetarian food, Vegetable, Local food, Plant, Food, Winter squash,

I decided to make pumpkin bread from this mix. The bread came out moist and pleasantly sweet, with enough of a pumpkin flavor was enough to make it feel like fall is actually here. Even as someone who's accustomed to my mom's perfect banana bread, if I had to make a quick loaf of my own, this would suffice.

Pumpkin Rolls With Pumpkin Spice Icing

Food, Dessert, Amber, Sweetness, Ingredient, Junk food, Snack, Baked goods, Finger food, Gluten,
Sanah Faroke

I accidentally tasted the pumpkin spice icing before even biting into a roll, and it was an explosion of sweetness and pumpkin-ness. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. But when I bit into the roll, I was pleasantly surprised. It was just the right amount of pumpkin sweetness, fluffy, and warm. And when it's actually on a roll, the icing is the perfect addition. Plus, the rolls are insanely easy to make.

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