6 Pumpkin Spice Flavored Fueling Snacks for Your Fall Sports and Adventures

Mallory Arnold
·4 min read

This article originally appeared on Outside

Let's face it - pumpkin spice is no longer just for lattes. It's everywhere. When Autumn rolls around, this seasonal flavor is unavoidable. Starbucks sells 20 million pumpkin spice lattes every year, with the drink being generally available (depending on the location) from September to January. The pumpkin spice market was valued at 1.34 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow 6.5% by 2028.

If you're not interested in its popularity, you may want to consider the nutritional value of PS. The homemade blend, often made up of nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, pumpkin, clove, and black pepper, is packed with antioxidants. For example, cinnamon contains anti-inflammatory properties which can help in removing free radicals from cells. Numerous studies on cloves have indicated that the spice may be able to suppress tumor growth and cancer cells.

All this to say: you can't outrun pumpkin spice - and maybe you shouldn't! So you might as well run with this 'basic-fall-girl' flavor in your athletic or outdoor endeavors. Here are our favorite fall fueling options:

GU Gels Pumpkin Spice, $12.80 for 8

pumpkin spice gel
(Photo: GU)

  • Calories: 100

  • Carbs: 22g

  • Sodium: 60mg

  • Sugars: 7g

We're starting this list strong - really strong. You can't get a more concentrated pumpkin spice flavor than in a gel, and that certainly is apparent in this GU gel. Although less pumpkiny and more spicy, you get most of the big flavor in the aftertaste. It should go without saying, if you're not a super-fan of pumpkin or cinnamon, you might not want to try this seasonal gel.

Clif Bar Spiced Pumpkin Pie, $1.99

clif bar
(Photo: Clif Bar)

  • Calories: 250

  • Carbs: 43g

  • Sodium: 210mg

  • Sugars: 18g

  • Protein: 10g

  • Fat: 4.5g

The Clif Bar Spiced Pumpkin Pie flavor is so popular that Clif Bar superfans wish they can be available year-round. The base of these bars are the same as Clif's usual recipe - rolled oats, soy rice crisps, roasted soybeans - but the real seasonal flavor is thanks to ground ginger, cinnamon, dried pumpkin, cloves, and nutmeg.

Perfect Bar Pumpkin Spice, $29 for 8

Perfect Bar
Perfect Bar

  • Calories: 310

  • Carbs: 24g

  • Sodium: 35mg

  • Sugars: 16g

  • Protein: 14g

  • Fat: 19g

Perfect Bars are soft and chilled - the perfect pumpkin pie texture. The fall flavor is made up of dried pumpkin, organic peanut butter, organic honey, and a blend of spices. While pumpkin comes through the most, Perfect Bars also contain a superfood powder made with kale, tomato, apple, flax seed, orange, and more.

Bobo's Pumpkin Spice Oat Bar, $2.79

pumpkin spice Bobo's Bar
(Photo: Bobo’s )

  • Servings: 2

  • Calories: 170

  • Carbs: 30g

  • Sodium: 75mh

  • Sugars: 9g

  • Protein: 3g

  • Fat: 6g

Bobo's Oat Bars are a great hiking snack because they can get real banged up, smushed, and hot without melting or congealing into a gross mess. The pumpkin spice flavor is subtle, with more clove and nutmeg coming through instead. This bar is moist and cakey - an ode to a warm pumpkin loaf you mind find in a cafe.

Clean Simple Eats Protein Powder Pumpkin Pie, $22.99 for 10 individual servings

pumpkin spice protein Powder
pumpkin spice protein Powder

  • Calories: 100

  • Carbs: 5g

  • Sodium: 160mg

  • Sugars: 2g

  • Protein: 20g

There are tons of pumpkin spice flavored protein powders on the market, but sometimes the artificial taste can be a lot. The Clean Simple Eats Pumpkin Pie Protein Powder tastes more like a combo of vanilla and slight pumpkin, with nothing too overpowering. The powder has some coconut oil, which you can definitely taste hints of.

Pbfit Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter, $9.49

pumpkin spice pbfit
(Photo: PBfit)

  • Calories: 70

  • Carbs: 8g

  • Sodium: 65mg

  • Sugars: 4g

  • Protein: 7g

  • Fat: 1.5g

Regular peanut butter has a time and place, but powdered pb is less messy and great to take camping or hiking. Not only is this Pbfit Pumpkin Spice peanut butter good alone, but you can use it to bake muffins, pancakes, or desserts. The pumpkin is slightly hidden beneath the peanut flavor, but it's just enough where you can enjoy the fall spice.

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