Barbara's Puffins - Limited Edition Pumpkin

I've been eating Puffins cereal for nearly as long as I've been vegan, I love the stuff! This year I've discovered that they've also jumped on the pumpkin spice bandwagon, and I do love pumpkin spice flavored goodies! So how does pumpkin spice fare in this cold cereal favorite? Read on to find out!

Purchasing. I bought this 10 oz box at New Seasons for $3.99.  I have spotted this flavor at other stores selling Puffins cereal as well.

Online, it's currently available on Amazon and directly from Barbara's website, and I haven't had any luck finding the pumpkin flavored Puffins anywhere else online.

Keep in mind this is a limited edition flavor.

Packaging. It's the same as any other cereal: cardboard box with the cereal inside in a plastic bag. I am happy to note the inner bag was very easy to open! No scissors needed!

Nutrition. I normally prefer my cereals to be a little less sugary and more whole grain than this. Despite the added sugars, there is only 5g per serving. Then again, the serving size is pretty pathetic, and unless you're feeding a child, anyone is going to end up eating more than one serving of this cereal at a time. But if you do stick to one measured serving, it's just a little over 100 calories and very low in fat, not too shabby!

I am a bit annoyed about the added fiber. I really don't think it's necessary, but I guess they're really trying to push this as a "healthy" cereal. Even with the added fiber, it amounts to only 3g per serving. It's worth noting that this cereal does actually contain pumpkin!

It's my opinion that this cereal isn't a really healthy option. It is a healthier option than many other "kid friendly" cereals, but it's just not a great option overall. I treat it like I would any other sugary cereal.

I measured out 1.5 servings for my sample here.

Nomming. The first piece I tried straight from the package was nice and crunchy but a bit bland. Dousing a bowlful in soymilk seemed to help bring the flavor out, and it maintained its crunchiness too. It definitely has a nice, sweet, pumpkiny flavor, but... in all fairness, the box only calls it pumpkin flavor, not pumpkin spice. It does contain cinnamon, but don't expect it to have a full pumpkin-spice flavor. I did like it, but I could see it being a little bland for many others.

Bottom Line. I like Puffins cereal, I liked the flavor of this Puffins cereal, but I'm not sure I would necessarily buy this one again. When it comes to Puffins cereal, nothing beats the peanut butter flavored one for me! Maybe when the next pumpkin spice season rolls around, I might be up for this one again, but I rarely eat sugary cereals and I'm not sure if I liked this one enough to buy it over the peanut butter flavor. However, if you love actual pumpkin flavored goodies, I do recommend giving it a try!

Barbara's Bakery website. This cereal is labeled as vegan and gluten free.

Love pumpkin spice? This is just my first of many reviews I have lined up for pumpkin spice flavored goodies! Stay tuned!