Last Updated: May 22, 2023 @ 11:01 am.

What are the best snacks in the pumpkin spice universe? To find out, we turned to the pumpkin spice enthusiasts on our staff and asked to do a blind taste test. Which had the best pumpkin spice flavor? Here are the winners.

FYI: We've been reviewing and rating products for the home and families since 1994. We don't take money or freebies from the brands we review. Our work is 100% reader-supported!


Finding the Best Pumpkin Spice Snacks!

How much do we love pumpkins spice snacks?

Let us put it this way: there are two kinds of people in the world.

  1. Folks who love pumpkin spice.
  2. Folks who love pumpkin spice . . . but just don’t know it yet.

Sure, pumpkin spice is best known for its lattes, coffee and even tea. But what if you want to pumpkin spice up your snacks?

There’s good news: more food makers have been rolling out pumpkin spice-themed foods. So we rounded up the latest and most popular snacks and gave them a taste test.

Before we get to that, here is a recipe using one of our top pumpkin spice snacks—Pumpkin Spice Caramel Cinnamon Rolls!

(Credit for recipe and photos: Werther’s). 

Pumpkin Spice Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

Best Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls Reciepe

Ingredients

Dough

• 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided

• 1 pkg (8 g) active dry yeast

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter

• 1/3 cup sour cream, at room temperature

• 2 egg yolks, beaten

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 cup pure pumpkin purée

• 5 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

Icing

• 1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Assembly

• 24 pieces (8.57 oz.) Werther’s Original Pumpkin Spice Caramels, chopped

• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice blend

Makes: 18 pieces
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Instructions

  1. Dough: Combine 1/4 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes or until foamy.
  2. Meanwhile, in saucepan set over medium heat, warm milk and butter until butter just melts and milk is warm to touch (temperature should be no higher than 110˚F; if too hot, let stand for a few minutes to cool slightly).
  3. Using electric mixer with dough hook, beat together yeast mixture, warm milk mixture, sour cream, remaining sugar, egg yolks and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin purée. Add flour and salt; beat on low speed until dough gathers into a ball, and smooth, soft dough starts to form.
  4. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface; knead a few times. Transfer to greased bowl; cover and let stand for 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.
  5. Assembly: Grease 13- x 9-inch baking pan; set aside. Return dough to lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough into 15- x 11-inch (38 x 28 cm) rectangle, about 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch (1 cm) border. Sprinkle brown sugar and pumpkin spice over top. Sprinkle with chopped Pumpkin Spice Caramels.
  6. Starting from one long end, roll up tightly into log. Pinch ends to seal seams. Cut into 12 slices. Space buns evenly in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand for 15 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Remove plastic wrap. Bake rolls for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes; invert onto serving plate.
  8.  Icing: Whisk together icing sugar, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Drizzle over cinnamon buns. Serve warm.

Tip: Add chopped pecans or raisins to our pumpkin cinnamon rolls if desired.

Here are the pumpkin spice snacks we thought were best:

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Best Snack Bar

Nice blend of flavors
Loved these chewy bars, with simple ingredients you can understand. The cashews and almonds add just the right amount of texture.
$14.99 ($2.50 / Count)

Check on Amazon

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Best Candy

Just like pumpkin pie
You can taste the cinnamon flavor here—and it is glorious! Like a pumpkin spiced latte, in candy form.

Check on Amazon

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Buy Now

Best Pumpkin Butter

Great as ice cream topping
We loved this treat spread on a bagel or English muffin. Wonderful taste of pumpkin. Bonus: can be used as a pastry filling.
$3.86 ($0.39 / Ounce)

Check on Amazon

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Buy Now

Best Caramels

Simply delicious
These soft caramels have just the right amount of spice, which balances the pumpkin flavor notes. Great gift idea.
$8.69 ($1.01 / Ounce)

Check on Amazon

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York TimesWall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living off of affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!

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