8 Pumpkin Pie-Inspired Treats, Ranked

I love a good classic pumpkin pie, but sometimes, pie just doesn't hit the spot like I want it to. That's exactly when I may want to turn to other pumpkin pie-inspired treats. No, these treats may not be in pie form, but they do deliver the same warm deliciousness that you get from a traditional pie. Whether you just want to keep these treats on hand for autumnal snacking throughout the season or you're taking them to an event where you plan on feeding others, those pumpkin pie-like flavors are sure to please.

During the fall months of the year, there are a lot of pumpkin pie-inspired treats available at grocery stores. Therefore, I've sought out eight of these treats, taste-tested them, and ranked them to give you a better idea of what's out there for you to try out. I ranked these items according to my own flavor preferences, which skew less sweet, with a less intense pumpkin flavor — I'm looking for desserts that taste balanced with a subtle note of pumpkin. This ranking might give you more clarity on the desserts you want to stock up on and which to skip. Your fall snacks and celebrations are about to get a lot sweeter.

Listen, I grew up eating Entenmann's donuts, so I'm certainly not biased against the brand. However, I haven't had them in a while, so I'm not sure if the overall quality went down or if the company's Pumpkin Donuts are just uniquely bad. But unfortunately, I didn't enjoy these donuts in the slightest. I purchased a box of eight donuts for $6.99 at my local Star Market, which seems pretty pricey for donuts that aren't even freshly made. Because of this high price point, I was expecting these donuts to be solid at least, but I was sorely disappointed.

These donuts were exceptionally dry, although I admit that I may have just accidentally chosen a box that wasn't as fresh. That's not ideal, but dryness in a donut is something I can get over if the flavor is good enough. However, that certainly wasn't the case with these. They tasted artificial and almost plasticky, with a thick, sweet glaze that felt sandy between my teeth in the least pleasant way. The notes of pumpkin and spice were also overpowering but somehow did nothing to cover up the unfortunate artificiality I tasted. Overall, these donuts just tasted cheap, and I felt like I absolutely did not get my money's worth.

You know when you're craving a cake but you just can't be bothered to make one from scratch? I've been there plenty of times before, which is why I never judge when someone looks for a decent grocery store cake. Although Entenmann's Iced Pumpkin Cake wasn't displayed in the actual bakery section of the store but rather with the other packaged snack cakes, I still thought it looked okay, with its thick layer of white icing on top. I paid $7.99 for this cake at Star Market, which, like the Entenmann's donuts, was pricier than what I wanted to pay.

Although this cake wasn't quite as bad as the brand's pumpkin donuts, I still found it rather unpleasant. Just like the donuts, the cake had a cheap, artificial taste that immediately made me feel like I needed to do a three-day juice cleanse (which is something that I've never even considered doing, for the record). That thick layer of icing had an overly sugary texture and was way too sweet for my liking. Admittedly, the cake had a nice moistness, but that's not enough to get over the fact that it just tastes bad, period. I wouldn't buy this cake even if it were cheaper, but at this price point, I definitely don't think it's worth purchasing.

I headed to the bakery section of my local Star Market to pick up its Pumpkin Muffins. They sold for $6.99 for a pack of four muffins, which I think is expensive for what you're getting. I'm okay with paying this much for excellent, freshly baked muffins from the best bakery in the state, but I don't want to fork over this kind of money for a subpar grocery store bakery muffin. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I got here. These muffins were exceedingly dry, despite the fact that they have a sort of oily sheen on them. I'm hoping I just got a less-than-fresh batch, but that dryness might be a feature, not a bug.

They didn't deliver on the flavor front, either. While these muffins were a huge step in terms of flavor from the Entenmann's offerings on this list, I felt like the pumpkin and spice flavors were way, way too strong here. By the second bite, I felt overwhelmed by how unbalanced the muffins taste. One thing they do have going for them is that they are not that sweet. Yes, there's definitely a level of sugariness there, but it's not overpowering.

Signature Select's Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches were one of the cheaper pumpkin-pie-inspired treats I tried, costing just $2.99 for a pack of six. While I definitely don't think they were the best of the bunch, I don't think that they're that bad, either. The actual cookies were quite soft, which I really like in an ice cream sandwich — that texture makes them feel so decadent to bite into. The ice cream also had a nice, soft, creamy texture that made for a really pleasant mouthfeel. When those two elements come together, they create an ice cream sandwich that's enjoyable to eat, if unremarkable in its makeup.

But, alas, a dessert cannot be judged by texture alone. The problem I had with this ice cream sandwich was that the pumpkin flavor was so, so strong. Of course, if you buy pumpkin anything, you actually want it to taste like pumpkin. But eating a piece of this stuff made me feel like I was eating a seasonal candle. Although there may be some avid pumpkin lovers out there who can get down with that kind of flavor profile, I felt it lacked the nuance I crave in a tasty dessert.

There's something that just feels special about a whoopie pie. While they're usually relatively small, it's still a thrill to get a whole "pie" to yourself. And the combination of soft, spongy cake with that sweet, creamy filling is basically destined to be good. Therefore, I was pretty excited to try Star Market's Pumpkin Whoopie Pie, which was sold individually for $2.99. Is that more than I want to pay for a grocery store whoopie pie? Absolutely. But considering that this dessert was actually pretty decent, I didn't mind as much as I did with the lower-ranked and higher-priced desserts in this lineup.

The cake portion had a little too much pumpkin flavor for my taste, but I don't think they're egregiously too pumpkin-y. They were also soft, with the springy sort of texture whoopie pies are known for. I felt like the icing was slightly too sweet, but since there's so little of it compared to the cakes, things sort of balanced themselves out. After a few bites, I got a little bored with the flavor, but I think it would be a decent dessert to share if you don't want your palate overwhelmed by so much pumpkin flavor.

If you're looking for a little pumpkin-y bite to enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee, look no further than Overjoyed Pumpkin Spice Tea Cookies, which sell for $4.99 at Star Market. These really are teeny-tiny, hard cookies that deliver a pleasant crunch. What I appreciate about them is just how mild-tasting they were. Can you taste the pumpkin there? Absolutely. It's also mixed with a spicy, complex sort of flavor that's a lot more subtle than standard pumpkin spice-flavored food items. Then, it all finished off with a balanced sweetness that wasn't too pronounced — just enough to make it feel like a dessert.

They're not the most interesting cookies I've ever tried before, but I don't think they're trying to be. Rather, they're just there to accompany a warm, cozy drink. If you're looking for something more substantial to seriously snack on, I'm not sure these cookies would do the trick. But when you need a tiny, sweet pick-me-up that delivers a pumpkin-y punch, these tea cookies are worth a try.

Now, when you're craving pumpkin spice cookies that are a bit more substantial than the tea cookies from Overjoyed, Stauffer's Snaps Pumpkin Spice Cookies might be more up your alley. On the flavor front, I think these cookies definitely skewed more toward spice than pumpkin, although the pumpkin flavor is still pronounced enough to get a fair dose in every bite. However, those warm, spicy notes deliver complexity, which is why I enjoyed these so much. Yes, there was plenty of sweetness, but it faded into the background. It didn't leave me with that unpleasant, saccharine note that I found in some of the other desserts in this lineup.

Texture-wise, these cookies were all about the crunch. They were quite thin and hard — but not hard to the point that you're going to break a tooth or anything. Rather, they're supposed to be nice and crunchy, which makes them taste even more satisfying. I think they would make an excellent accompaniment to a cup of coffee, but unlike the tea cookies, I think they can make for a solid snack all on their own. A bag of these cookies sells for $3.99 at Star Market.

For full transparency, I absolutely love cheesecake in all its forms, so I may be biased when I say that Overjoyed's Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake was my favorite treat of all on this list. Unfortunately, it's also the most expensive, coming in at $22.99 for the whole cake. That being said, I got a lot of food here, so that price doesn't seem totally unreasonable (by today's expensive grocery standards, at least). It's basically a standard cheesecake with a pumpkin swirl. Then, on top of the cake, there were little pieces of pralines that offered an interesting sticky, crunchy texture.

Admittedly, I have had better cheesecakes before, but I'd say that this one was pretty solid for a frozen one from the grocery store. Yes, it was sweet (like any cheesecake), but it had a decent amount of balance here. The cheesecake was nice and creamy, with a rich texture that just felt decadent. And the praline topping gave it an unconventional twist you don't see in most other grocery store cheesecakes. I'd serve slices of this stuff at a dinner party when I don't feel like making cheesecake from scratch.

I sought out all of the available pumpkin pie-inspired treats at my local Star Market and ranked them according to overall flavor and texture. I preferred treats that were less sweet than, and the best-ranked of the bunch also had nicely balanced flavors where you can definitely taste pumpkin without it overwhelming the whole dessert. With baked goods, I ranked moister, fresher-tasting items higher than those that seemed too dry or tasted stale or artificial. Although I didn't take price into consideration for this ranking, I noted that some products seemed overpriced for the level of quality I received. I tried all of these treats within about half an hour of each other, one after another, to better compare their nuanced differences.