It’s that time of year again—pumpkin-flavored everything fills your newsfeed, your stores, and your life. Pumpkin started as one of the many signs of the changing seasons but has now become the symbol of fall. Sales of pumpkin-flavored products accounted for $361 million last year alone, a 79% increase since 2011, according to Nielsen.
Given the popularity of this seasonal flavor, food and drink makers everywhere are scrambling to find ways to work pumpkin into their products. And they have: Pumpkin has infiltrated everything from dog food to chewing gum—yes, you read that correctly. To our pleasure, the list of pumpkin products expands to cheese. So whether you’re a basic millennial girl who couldn’t make it to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte today or an autumnal bro looking for a way to eat even more delicious dairy, we’re here for you. Feast your eyes on our pumpkin-flavored cheese round-up.
Pumpkin Chèvre (R&G Cheesemakers)
Photo Credit: R&G Cheese Makers
High-quality chèvre mixed with fresh pumpkin compote sounds, well, super fancy, but also super delicious. This creamy, tangy cheese is perfectly complemented by a notable pumpkin taste and a sweet finish. If you want to get even more upscale, R&G recommends rolling the log in maple sugar and pecans for a cheese plate or mixing it into mashed potatoes—YUM.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread (Trader Joe’s)
Photo Credit: Trader Joe’s
According to our old friend Trader Joe, pumpkins aren’t just for picking but also for mashing up and slathering on anything and everything. This magical tub of real pumpkin and tart cream cheese is pazzazed with a hit of brown sugar and cinnamon. Sounds like the makings of a delicious pie, but you can eat this for breakfast!
Pumpkin Spice Spreadable Cheese (alouette)
Photo Credit: Food Fete
I don’t know about you, but anything that involves the words “spreadable” and “cheese” always gets my attention. Add pumpkin to that list and it seems we have hit the ultimate-snack-food trifecta. This slightly-sweet cheese delivers real pumpkin flavor mixed with the spices of the season. Get creative with your cheese vehicle because—let’s be honest—anything under this spread is just a means to eat more of it. Try it on cupcakes or waffles!
Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese, Philadelphia (Kraft)
Photo Credit: Dinosaur Dracula
Good ol’ faithful Philadelphia wrangled up a variation of its popular tangy bagel spread and this time, it’s orange. Luckily, the color isn’t the only sign of pumpkin here—the spread has a sweet creamy pumpkin spice flavor. Swap pumpkin cream cheese in for regular in these cream cheese brownies for a delicious sweet and savory fall treat!
Bonus Round
In addition to these pumpkin cheeses, there is… wait for it… a cheese pumpkin!
Photo Credit: “Long Island Cheese pie pumpkin” by Seacoast Eat Local | CC
This variety of squash, named the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, is unfortunately not cheesy in flavor. It gets its name from how much it looks like a wheel of cheese. But we can dream!
Marissa Donovan
Marissa Donovan is a former upstate New York girl living in a cheese-centric world. Although cheese is her day one, she doesn’t discriminate, as she adores all food. Similar to what Beyoncé advises, she likes food so much she put a degree on it—she’s a registered dietitian and master’s student in the nutrition communication program at Tufts. When she’s not filling her head with food info, she’s filling her belly with food and, as always, trying to bring up cheese in casual conversation.
