We Tried Aldi’s Pumpkin Spice And Apple Cinnamon Pretzels 

I might be among the few people who never really get excited about pumpkin spice, or fall-flavored, things in general. I do have a sense of seasonal decency, I promise.

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So while I won’t say my hopes were outrageously high for tasting the Aldi Clancy’s brand Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cinnamon pretzels, I was a bit giddy. On the other hand, my pumpkin spice and autumnal palate is also ridiculously well-informed, so as I share my thoughts below, please understand, I’m inclined to enjoy these kinds of flavors, but I know―and can admit―when they go just a bit, or a lot, wrong. 

Clancy’s Pumpkin Spice Pretzels

Pros: It sounds silly (compared to what’s to come) but the color’s kinda nice―like a really ripe, perfectly tender apricot. The texture of the confectionary yogurt covering is actually really, really good: firm enough to coat a pretzel the way you’d like, but soft enough to get silky and start to melt on the tongue pretty quickly. 

Cons: You know how if you’re a baker and you use too much clove or nutmeg, you’ll definitely realize it? Well, someone over at the Clancy’s factory might have shaken too hard when they were doing all the pumpkin-spicing because―yes, there’s an autumnal bakery spice thing happening here―but it has a lot more of the clove and/or nutmeg (gently peppery, subtly medicinal) vibe. Most pumpkin spice blends are cinnamon-heavy, and though we kinda respect that Clancy’s went a bit harder with the hardcore spicing, it just tastes like a more muscular pumpkin spice than we’d like. And then there’s the other thing: the salt. 

First of all, yes, salt belongs on all delicious pretzels. And (true story), I have like, deer-level lust for salt. I’ll keep eating something that’s too salty for way too long if there’s not another grown-up in the room. But even with the sweet yogurt coating, the salt on these little pretzels legitimately burns. Maybe the salt grains are too big? Because they don’t taste oversalted generally. Just, when the salt comes through, it tastes… unfriendly. 

They’ll pass at a party, and they’ll look nice on the table. But they’re not gonna disappear from the snack table. The official serving size is 6 pretzels (140 cals, 6 grams of fat), but the bag itself has a serving suggestion of just three pretzels and I’d tend to agree. 

Clancy’s Apple Cinnamon Pretzels

Pros: It sounds like a reach, but these days you gotta celebrate any grocery store item that’s reasonably priced. Both these and the Pumpkin Spice are just $2.99. And, like the Pumpkin Spice flavor, again the texture of the confectionary/yogurt coating is oddly perfectly silky and seductive, that melty-creaminess you get from a really nice white chocolate. But then you get to the…

Cons: Clancy’s just had trouble with the flavor profile balancing act for both flavors. Instead of spice, you’ll find an apple flavor that’s definitely present, and tart, amplifying the yogurt tartness (but not necessarily in a great way). But that apple flavor is too artificial, more Apple Jacks-esque. To be honest whatever apple flavor they were going for would do a great job in a lollipop. And again, thanks to that surprising singe of the salt, the artificial apple taste is even more out of place.

You have no idea how much I want to recommend these―both kinds of pretzel: they’re affordable, they’re fall flavors, and they make me think of Halloween. But both flavor profiles are just imbalanced. But maybe there’s hope. After all, taste is subjective and the bags are only $2.99. So you could always see for yourself. But if, like me, you have cozy, crisp-leaf dreams of fun fall flavors, these might (spicily) disappoint.