As summer comes to an end, many anxiously anticipate the arrival of cooler weather, scary movies, and of course, yummy pumpkin treats. Every year I can't wait to be finishing my Thanksgiving dinner with a slice of pumpkin pie.
But, lucky for those who like coffee because they get to enjoy the taste of pumpkin any fall day they want thanks to the ever-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. What if you just don't like coffee, but you still want in on the pumpkin trend?
Well, I took a trip to Target in search of the best pumpkin treats for those of you who don't want to suffer through the bitter taste of coffee (sorry to all the coffee-lovers out there).
Here are the top 7 treats, both food and beverages, that I found.
1. Halo Top Pumpkin Pie
This seasonal flavor from Halo Top has received the most hype since the PSL. The entire pint has about the same amount of calories as the average slice of pumpkin pie. It's basically a pint full of pumpkin pie and it even has some crust-like texture to it. It's hard to find though, and it will only be around until the end of November, so if you're lucky enough to find it in stores, grab it while you can. 10/10 would recommend.
2. Pumpkin Spice Mini Wheats
Mini Wheats are my personal favorite breakfast cereal and I couldn't wait to try these. The white sugary coating of the original Mini Wheats is replaced with a pumpkin spice sugary coating. I mean, who doesn't want to start a cool, autumn morning with a bowl of pumpkin spice cereal?
3. Chobani Flip Pumpkin Harvest Crisp
For those of you who snack on Greek yogurt and try to keep it healthy: fear not. Chobani's got you covered with their Pumpkin Harvest Crisp Greek yogurt. The pumpkin pie bits mixed with the Greek yogurt add a subtle pumpkin flavor that even those without a sweet-tooth can enjoy. Everyone can get in on the pumpkin craze, even if you prefer not to go into a sugary-pumpkin-coma (can't relate).
4. Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts
Okay, now for those of us who do embrace the occasional sugary-pumpkin-coma, this is the perfect treat. The filling inside and the crust are so reminiscent of a real pumpkin pie that if it wasn't for the crisp frosting and sprinkles on top, you might think it is Thanksgiving day when it's actually 2pm on a Monday.
5. Tazo Chai Pumpkin Spice Tea
Tazo's Chai Pumpkin Spice Tea is a black tea blended with real spices, so the flavor is authentic and comforting, not to mention the warm autumn aroma of a freshly-brewed cup. Mix it with a little milk and sugar, top it off with some cinnamon, and you have the most Instagrammable cup of tea ever. I'll definitely be packing away my vanilla bean macaron Tazo tea until November is over.
6. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Cookie Straws
I know, I know, there's just something about Starbucks that lures you in as soon as you feel the slightest breeze outside. Starbucks knows this too and has a new pumpkin spice treat for those of us who don't order the PSL. The Pumpkin Spice Cookie Straws are white chocolate wafers rolled up into a straw-shaped cookie, topped off with pumpkin spices. This one could even go with your Tazo Chai Pumpkin Spice Tea, or you could snack on it by itself.
7. Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Crème Frappuccino
If none of these items really do it for you, and you're experiencing major Starbucks FOMO, Starbucks has one more option for you: The Pumpkin Spice Crème Frappuccino. We've all been getting crème fraps since middle school when we wanted to have a Starbucks cup to hold but didn't like coffee, or maybe that's just me. Well, this is like the grown-up version of that. It's basically a pumpkin spice milkshake. It's everything good about the PSL minus the coffee.
Don't feel bad if you don't like the Pumpkin Spice Latte. It's actually more common than you think, and plenty of companies are coming on board to the trend by giving us more non-coffee pumpkin options than we ever thought we needed.
Now that it's that time of the year for the Pumpkin Spice Latte to rise out of the pumpkin patch like, The Great Pumpkin. you can refer to this list so you don't get left in the cold on this trend.