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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WM chapter.

As everyone knows, pumpkin spice is the flavor of fall. It permeates all our foods, regardless of whether or not it should. So we at HCWM decided to get together and try all the random pumpkin spice flavored things — the good, the bad, and the ugly — that we could find. And of course, we wrote an article about it. Below are all our opinions, unfiltered, on a myriad of pumpkin spice foods. 

Chobani Greek Yogurt Flip, “Pumpkin Harvest Crisp”

In all honesty, this wasn’t as bad as we all expected it to be. It also wasn’t super good, but it was surprisingly edible. 

  • “I’d eat a couple spoonfuls but I couldn’t eat a whole container” -Sarah
  • “The yogurt is really just a vehicle for the crunchiness of the toppings” -Abby
  • “I don’t know why I keep eating it, but I do” -All of us
  • “The greek yogurt flavor is stronger than the pumpkin, the most you get is like the smell and some cinammon” -Dana

Final rate: 4/10

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Tortilla Chips

Since these were from Trader Joe’s, we had a lot of confidence in them. Ultimately, they did not disappoint — the tortilla flavor is much stronger than the pumpkin, the pumpkin is only kind of like a late aftertaste. So they’re pretty much like regular chips, and we would probably eat them again. 

  • “I’d actually have a bowl of these as a snack” -Staci
  • “They’d probably be alright with salsa” -Kirsten

Final rate: 7/10

Pumpkin Spice Oreos

These were extremely sugary…but pretty good. We were pleasantly surprised, and really into them. They do have a strong pumpkin spice smell, which is odd. But, despite being labeled pumpkin spice, they aren’t actually very pumpkin-y at all, which works in their favor.

  • “It smells like a candle” -Sarah
  • “It is the color of actual pumpkin, which is reassuring” -Staci and Abby
  • “Sort of tastes like candy corn” -Kirsten and Dana
  • “Sort of tastes like a dunkaroo. Not like oreo or pumpkin, but it’s not bad” -Abby

Final rate: 8/10

Pumpkin Spice Dairy Whipped Topping

This was absolutely as awful as it sounds. It was so oily, and left a bad aftertaste. We were happy it was not bright orange, but it was so chemical-y and terrible that we could barely stomach it. Blech. 

  • “You can taste the heavy cream” -Jenna
  • “It smells like super-vanilla-y perfume you would buy at limited too” -Phoebe 
  • “It doesn’t really taste like pumpkin, but it tastes bad” -Everyone

Final rate: 1/10 (we had to give it a point for not being neon orange as we had feared)

Little Bites Pumpkin Muffins

They were not good, but they were okay. The flavor of pumpkin was really strong in these, which was not great and not awful. They were solidly mediocre. However, we also tried them right after the horrible whipped topping, so we might have just been relieved to get that taste out of our mouths. 

  • “It’s like a poor man’s pumpkin bread” – Sarah
  • “They taste like a craft store smells” – Abby
  • “They’re more bitter than I was expecting” -Phoebe

Final rate: 3/10

Homemade Pumpkin Dip with Ginger Snaps

This was like a deconstructed pumpkin pie, and it was really good. Probably because it had limited exposure to pumpkin chemicals, it also seemed pretty authentic pumpkin spice. 

  • “You can taste the pumpkin, which is a positive” -Phoebe
  • “Like the yogurt but more pie-like” -Abby

Final rate: 9/10

Tastykake Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts

These alright. However, they were not pumpkin spice flavored at all, instead they are basically just really strong cinammon donuts with an orange interior. 

  • “It’s just a glorified powdered donut” -Staci
  • “They are more orange inside than expected” -Abby

Final rate: 6/10

Pumpkin Spice Candy Corn

Oh god. This was so bad, it is the reason pumpkin spice should be avoided. Never eat these. 

  • “The texture is wrong” – Abby
  • “This is so weird” -Everyone
  • “It tastes like cinammon gum left in your car for too long” – Phoebe
  • “I just got the chills” – Jenna

Final rate: 1/10

Honestly, there were some hits and misses in this bunch. But the fact that nothing was absolutely horrific (and no one threw up from even the grossest things) is really a testament to the diversity of the modern pumpkin spice market. Nevertheless, go in with low expectations…and eat at your own risk. 

 

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Dana Florczak is an English major at the College of William and Mary, with aspirations of being the boss when she grows up. She loves talking about herself in the third person.
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Phoebe is a senior at W&M double majoring in economics and classical civilization. When not writing articles, she can be found streaming Netflix, watching her beloved Washington Wizards, and finding ways to procrastinate on things that actually need to get done.
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Jenna Davis is a sophomore at the College of William & Mary studying government and sarcasm.
Sarah Shevenock is a graduate of The College of William and Mary, where she served as a staff writer and Campus Correspondent for Her Campus William and Mary. Currently, she is a National Contributing Writer and Entertainment Blogger. In her free time, she enjoys reading voraciously, watching morning news programs, and keeping up with the latest television and movie news. She loves to talk about anything and everything related to theatre, cheer for her beloved Pittsburgh Penguins, and drink fancy coffee.
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Abby is a current senior at William & Mary majoring in English and minoring in French. She plans to attend law school after college. When she isn't in class, she can be found knitting, drinking coffee way too late at night and trying to play frisbee.
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