Sweet, salty, spicy, or seasoned, there is a school of Goldfish for every snacker. Its latest endeavor: Seasoned Pretzels, available in Honey Mustard and Hot Buffalo varieties.
The pretzels are a little larger than standard Goldfish crackers, with seasoning uniformly coating their golden pretzel surface. The seasoning looked thorough without being heavy, and I wondered if the seasoning could a) coat my fingers like Cheeto dust or b) be enough to stand up to the pretzel.
The answers to my questions are no and yes, respectively. While the seasoning looks light, the flavor is—as the packaging promises—bold.
The Honey Mustard variety achieves the perfect balance of sweet and savory, which pairs perfectly with its pretzel base. The seasoning has the slight bite of Dijon mustard, but it isn’t overly pungent. As a honey mustard lover, I found these fish dangerously easy to eat.
Hot Buffalo is a little tangy and a little hot. It mixes vinegar with cayenne flavor that results in a tingly, slow-building heat that never scorches. Even after munching more fish than a hungry sea lion, I found that the flavor remained palatable and didn’t cause a bothersome aftertaste. The flavor was similar to Goldfish Frank’s Red Hot crackers, but without the cheesy cracker base.
The texture of both flavors is also wonderful. Even though the oven-baked pretzels are light and snackable, they are satisfyingly crunchy. Their centers are dense without being a threat to your dental work.
Goldfish Seasoned Pretzels remind me of another pretzel product: Snyder’s Pieces, specifically the Honey Mustard & Onion and Hot Buffalo Wing varieties. Snyder’s Pieces are irregularly-shaped bits of pretzel, seasoned so that the flavor can coat and seep into the non-crusty bits. I remember the Snyder’s product as somewhat oily or buttery-tasting, with a richness that feels heavy even after a small serving. Even though both products offer bold flavor, I would choose Goldfish next time.
There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but Goldfish Seasoned Pretzels are a catch. The light, crunchy snack is like the pretzel version of Flavor Blasted Goldfish: generously seasoned and a little more exciting than your usual lunchbox fare. If these fish swim to your grocery store shelves, reel them in.
Purchased Price: $2.79
Size: 8 oz bag (227 g)
Purchased at: Wegmans
Rating: 9 out of 10 (both flavors)
Nutrition Facts: (per 23 pieces) 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0.5 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 350 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.