Perhaps due to the popularity of Starbucks' seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte, we are inundated with pumpkin spice products this fall. From pumpkin spice Oreos to pumpkin spice beer and everything in between (air freshener!), we cannot escape this seasonal taste sensation. What do you think? Are you scarfing it all up while you can or is it getting a little old?
And what about the quality? Are all those pumpkin spice versions of your favorite packaged foods worth it?
The other day while I was at the market, I saw pumpkin spice versions of trail mix and bars, Hershey's kisses, various forms of tea and chai, ice cream, coffee creamer, instant coffee, instant and prepackaged pudding, candles and room fresheners, beer, cake mix, marshmallows, pancake mix, Oreos, Eggos. I could go on. And on.
It's true that we're not totally free of the pumpkin spice craze here in the Kitchn. Our hack of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte has been consistently one of our most popular posts since it went up in 2009. And a quick search of our archives reveals that we've also dabbled in some pumpkin spice-ifying here and there. So we get the appeal of this spice blend, which is simply a mix of cinnamon, ginger nutmeg and allspice (with an occasional a dash of clove.)
However, we do recommend that if you do want more pumpkin spice in your life, that you make a homemade version so that you can control the quality and quantity of the spice mix. Just take a few minutes to watch Chow's Supertaster (above) for a cautionary tale on what can happen when you start imbibing commercially produced pumpkin spice products.
In the end, I suspect that pumpkin spice will become for the Fall what peppermint is for the holidays. Like peppermint, there will be a few excellent examples of adding this flavor (Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's!) and an avalanche of poor-to-awful versions. Buyer beware!
Are there any pumpkin spice products that you can recommend?
Related: 7 Ways to Use Pumpkin Pie Spice
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Pumpkin has been my autumn go-to for years. I flavor all of my food, I have pumpkin candles, etc. It's something that reminds me of home, childhood and the northern years I spent growing up. I'd put pumpkin in everything if I could!
I also recently made a pumpkin spice cranberry granola that I use as breakfast and dessert! (http://nicoleleigh.me/2012/10/15/meatless-monday-start-right-with-pumpkin-cranberry-granola/)
i really, really hate pumpkin-flavored anything. this time of year...meh. can't wait until pumpkin everything gets packed up for the season.
Ugh, I really hate how pumpkin spice has taken over the world. But I much prefer that to the actual pumpkin flavor of everything!
I make a chai spice snickerdoodle cookie that actually could be renamed pumpkin spice because the spices are pretty much the same. They are delicious cookies, but I don't think I'd like them as much if they were called pumpkin spice!
I love pumpkin spice, but I don't want to be inundated with it. It's a spice, so a little goes a long way. It becomes a special part of the fall season.
Ditto Mike. Love it--to a point.
I do love the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter this time of year. But then again, it's not just spice added to something, it's MADE of pumpkin.
Another vote for moderation. I like "pumpkin spice" and I like the flavour of pumpkin, but I don't like cloyingly sweet things that pass themselves off as pumpkin-spice-whatever, or things that have had their actual flavour overpowered by the spices, or that just plain don't really go with the flavour of spice/pumpkin in my opinion. (i.e., coffee. The popularity of the pumpkin spice latte is something I find baffling!) But I do like an occasional slice of pumpkin pie or a pumpkin muffin.
I love it--but generally only when the pumpkin-spiced items come from my kitchen.
Proof that the trend has gone too far:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/pringles-pumpkin-pie-spice_n_1952104.html
Huh, I've somehow totally missed this trend. I guess because I don't really buy many prepared/packaged foods... But I do love pumpkin, esp. baking with it, and I buy Trader Joe's pumpkin pie spice blend because it's just the right quantity to get me through a season of pumpkin muffin baking and a few other things. It's not really worth it for me to buy all the individual spices separately because I wouldn't get through them, and actually don't really like some of the components (clove, allspice, ground ginger) on their own...
TJ's Pumpkin Butter is delicious and It's great paired with seculoos :)
The only two pumpkin-pie-flavored things I actually like are Starbucks' pumpkin pie latte and a pumpkin spice cheesecake my mom used to make. My local non-Starbucks coffee shop carries a locally made pumpkin-dark chocolate chip muffin that is pretty special, too.
I'm mostly annoyed because the proliferation of pumpkin-pie spiced things results in a bunch of people confusing pumpkin flavor and pumpkin-pie spice flavor (which, as a spice, has NO PUMPKIN).
I don't drink coffee, I limit pre-processed foods, and my tiny jar of home-mixed pumpkin pie spice has lasted me several years. I'm just not that into it.
I find myself craving pumpkin at this time of the year. I do enjoy and cook with the pumpkin pie spice, but I also like to vary the ingredients a bit per dish. Maybe this one needs more cinnamon, or that one could do with more ginger, etc.
Costco has a pumpkinseed tortilla chip this season, that also has some pumpkin in the mix (and maybe some nutmeg, and/or allspice).
The first couple chips you say, "Wow, that's delicious..." but a few chips later you go, "uh, this isn't what I'm expecting in a tortilla chip, it's getting really weird with my salsa."
They're far from bad, but there's something strange about them.
Thanks to this very blog I haven't had to buy the cheap stuff, I just use the recipe the author / commenters suggested with spices at home. Thx. Smooch.
Saw pumpkin spice english muffins and pumpkin spice bagels at Target.
Pumpkin with spices = good
"Pumpkin spice flavor" = bad
Fresh ground nutmeg is pretty life changing.
I don't like pumpkin anything, and this whole trend makes me an outcast.
THANK YOU! Not into this pumpkin spice fad. I have pumpkin pie and roasted pumpkin seeds once a year. I don't need pumpkin spice flavored dis dat and da udder ting.
I too am baffled by the pumpkin latte. I like the idea, but in reality it tastes like rotten cabbage water to me.
I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and T Joe's pumpkin butter. I think this big new crop of pumpkin products (waffles, cereal, macaroons, cream cheese, ice cream, cheesecake, soda, and on and on and on...) is pumpkin overkill.
I made my own pumpkin spice for the first time and have been using it to make cold brew coffee and stirring in some of TJ's pumpking butter for my own version of a pumpkin spice latte: http://the-cooking-of-joy.blogspot.com/2012/10/magical-pumpkin-spice-latte.html
I prefer it to Starbucks' version because it's not as super sweet and doesn't have the strange fluorescent orange color.
I love pumpkin, a hate pumpkin spice. There's always too much cinnamon, and then too much spice overall. I'd rather mix in my own spices so I can still taste the pumpkin.
Another one: love pumpkin, but not so much the ubiquitous "pumpkin spice" flavor. The cinnamon/clove/ginger combo and its ilk is nice in a pumpkin pie, cake or muffin. I don't buy the premixed spice because I'd rather vary what goes in my recipes. Sometimes you want more nutmeg, sometimes leave the cinnamon out entirely, etc.
Pumpkin has a very mild flavor, so most of what you are tasting in all those pumpkin pie flavored things is the spice, anyhow. And tons of sugar in the commercially-prepared ones.
One exception I'll make is Trader Joe's Pumpkin Granola. A very delicious store-bought granola. I don't think it tastes like pumpkin, but I like it.
I **hate** pumpkin, pumpkin pie, and anything that even faintly resembles it. I even detest the smell. I'm no fan of Starbucks, either--their coffee is too weak and too gimmicky--but dearly love good coffee. Just take me to a French, Spanish or Italian neighborhood cafe for truly good coffee! Putting artificial pumpkin pie flavor in anything is an atrocity; that goes double for spoiling the pure flavor of a good varietal or estate coffee bean. I'd love to see the fad disappear permanently. I'd also like to see artificially flavored coffee beverages disappear. What a sorry way to ruin a good varietal bean! And a good English muffin or bagel or anything else that has always been delicious in its original form.
I love pumpkin and spice things that are homemade, but I usually have all the spices in my cupboard already...so I just mix it myself. I am not a fan of pumpkin-spice flavored beverages at all.
I'm digging a pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe I saw on the Pinterest, but other than that- yeah, I'm pretty sick of seeing it everywhere. Maybe I just don't get it because I've never tried the hallowed Pumpkin Spice Latte (gasp).
I love pumpkin and pumpkin spice. I find Starbucks' pumpkin spice latte way too sweet, though. It's a drink for someone who doesn't like coffee, I guess. I like putting a bit of pumpkin pie spice in with my coffee grounds at home.
I tried substituting garam masala for pumpkin pie spice one year, and never went back. It hits all the right "holiday" spice notes for me, but it's got a richer, more complex taste. Less cloyingly sweet, too — the pepper and coriander give it a nice little bite. I usually go with pre-blended mix — even the regular supermarkets seem to have it in their spice sections, though places with bulk spices tend to have fresher. Just harvested coriander from the garden, so I think I'll try blending my own and see how it turns out.
I really don't see what the fascination is with Pumpkin Spice. I happen to not like it at all. It might be worth a try in a latte, but a word of advice, do NOT put it in scrambled eggs. I had a guy do that for me once. GROSS.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese from TJ's is awesome! Pumpkin pie greek yogurt from TJs however is absolutley disgusting.
I love your idea about using garam masala in place of pumpkin spice type blends, Claire. I will definitely be trying that.
I love pumpkin and I also love the classic pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc). But it makes me a little cynical that marketers and consumers are confusing "artificial versions of spices commonly associated with pumpkin" with real pumpkin and real spices.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that the pumpkin spice / peppermint holiday flavor crazes stem from a psychological need for seasonality and even spirituality that is totally lacking in many people's lives. I say this only because I've realized over the years that eating seasonally is a psychologically and spiritually beneficial practice for me, and I regret that so much of the industrialized world is unknowing or unable to partake of the benefits of this practice.
apk_101, I think you nailed it. Not only are we disconnected from the seasons but so many people live places where seasons are different from what is promoted in retail. I grew up in Dallas and used to wonder why the stores would fill with tweeds and woolens at back-to-school time when it would be in the 90s for two more months. I think they've gotten a little saavier and offer "fall colors" in lighter fabrics these days.
I don't think it is necessarily cynical to ID this marketing tactic, although we should be aware when we are being manipulated. But there is a reason my homemade pumpkin pie isn't as appealing around Easter as it is right now even though all the ingredients are just as available to me at either time of year.