Goldfish are commonly referred to as “the snack that smiles back,” which I’ve always thought was a little presumptuous. I mean, smiling while eating crackers? In this economy? Not likely. On a good day, I look like a less-yellow version of the grimace emoji—but I suppose that could be mistaken for a smile. Anyway,we have an excuse to actually smile today because three new Goldfish flavors are coming in January—and two of them are totally new concepts for the brand.
Okay, okay! Enough with the build-up. What are the new Goldfish flavors??
Let’s start with the pretzels. Yes, Goldfish has made pretzels for years, and we actually really like them even though they’re a little dry, but for the first time ever, they’re launching seasoned pretzels in two flavors: Honey Mustard (yum) and Hot Buffalo (yum, also). We’re partial to flavor-blasted Goldfish—Xtra Cheddar is our fave—so it’s about time we got some flavor-blasted pretzels. A press release from Pepperidge Farm describes the Honey Mustard pretzels as “bold” and “zesty” with the “perfect mix of sweet and savory,” while the Hot Buffalo pretzels offer “spicy, tangy heat.”
While the seasoned pretzels are totally new and exciting, I gotta admit that I’m most excited for the new Goldfish cracker flavor: Zesty Ranch. Okay, “new” isn’t exactly correct—ranch goldfish have existed in the past, but they were called “Racing Ranch” (terrible name) and they’ve been discontinued for quite some time after initially launching in the ‘90s. Goldfish describes this new ranch flavor as a “bold blend of garlic, onion and parsley for an irresistibly delicious, zesty bite.” “Bold” and “zesty” seem to be the buzz words of the week down at Pepperidge Farm—and hey, we’re okay with that.
Lastly (and leastly, imo), Goldfish is launching Toy Story-themed crackers in their classic cheddar flavor, presumably because a new Toy Story movie is coming out in 2026. The bag features regular cheddar Goldfish, along with cheddar Goldfish shaped like Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
When and where can we get the new Goldfish crackers?
Well, the new seasoned pretzels are rolling out to retailers nationwide starting in January for $3.69 a bag. The other two flavors are classified as “additional 2026 launches” in the press release, so there’s a chance those will be rolling out later in the year. We’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, we hope this gave you something to smile about.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!