Wendy's Pumpkin Spice Frosty And Cold Brew Review: A Hit And A Miss

Wendy's has really gotten into the seasonal spirit these days, introducing the pretty in pink Strawberry Frosty in the summer of 2022, (that also returned for 2023) and a Peppermint Frosty last November, which was also pink. The thought of another autumn passing without a flavor to match in the line-up was just unthinkable, so Wendy's is finally ready to deliver one, and as you can imagine, like Cinderella's stagecoach, it turned into a pumpkin. Welcome to pumpkin spice world, Wendy's!

Lindsey Radkoski, U.S. chief marketing officer for Wendy's said in a press release, "Wendy's is helping turn our fans' cravings into reality this fall by introducing our new Pumpkin Spice Frosty," adding. If you thought one new pumpkin spice item was enough, you underestimated how much Wendy's is fall-ing for it this season. In addition to the Frosty, it is also dropping the Pumpkin Spice Frosty Cream Cold Brew. Now you can both start and end your day with pumpkin spice and everything nice at Wendy's.

We decided to start and end our day in one sitting, dropping into Wendy's to sip and spoon both the Pumpkin Spice Frosty and the Pumpkin Spice Frosty Cream Cold Brew. Are these autumnal items ones to truly rake in and totally fall for, or do they deserve a frosty reception, and not in that good Frosty sense? Here's our chew and review for you to stew over...

Looking more like a peachy Frosty than a pumpkin one in complexion, the color of the Pumpkin Spice Frosty was nonetheless beautifully bright, and in a way, soothing to the eye. There were no red or orange spice specs to be found within this creamy dessert, just a sea of off-orange swirls. When we grabbed hold of our small-sized order, the Frosty wasn't in a completely solid state, but good enough to begin spooning up into goopy tastes.

Expecting a bombast of pumpkin spice, we were immediately shocked at how mild the actual spice was in a product called Pumpkin Spice Frosty. With a smooth pumpkiny taste that was more akin to a pumpkin purée, it was much more palatable than most all other pumpkin spice products out there on the market that try to emulate the innards of a pumpkin pie as if it was swept by a cinnamon-scented broom.

While the Pumpkin Spice Frosty quietly screams autumn treat, it also gives off the faint hint of sipping on eggnog at the first sign of winter. Considering they share common ingredients, minus eggs, this dessert possibly has legs that could help it run well into December.

Since Frostys melt, we tried it first before sipping on the new Pumpkin Spice Frosty Cream Cold Brew. After a completely satisfying taste test of the Pumpkin Spice Frosty, we were ready to be equally surprised by the coffee beverage that uses the very same Pumpkin Spice Syrup the food scientists at Wendy's whipped up in the lab.

Well, the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew didn't exactly match up 1:1 with its Frosty sister. More like Frosty — won, and Cold Brew — a complete zero. The darker of the two products, this mocha-looking beverage smells like the interior of a Yankee Candle store location in Vermont at the height of fall foliage season. That sounds like a wonderful place to be in early October, but not a place we want to physically drink up any day in the calendar. We aren't sure there was any coffee to actually taste as the drink was nothing but pumpkin spice. It was like a horchata gone mad. Here, the milk is unable to combat the spice, and after two nauseating sips, we were ready to call it quits. We actually persevered for many more sips, but only for the sake of having our minds possibly change over time (hint: it didn't work).

The Pumpkin Spice Frosty begins life as a Vanilla Frosty, which is made of milk, sugar, corn syrup, cream, nonfat milk, whey, and other minor ingredients, including a touch of molasses. The Frosty is then mixed with Pumpkin Spice Syrup, consisting of pure cane sugar, water, unspecified natural flavors, and other elements. Nutritional values differ per size, but a small Pumpkin Spice Frosty nets 330 calories, 8 grams of total fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 160 milligrams of sodium, 57 grams of carbohydrates, with 51 of them being sugar, and 8 grams of protein.

The core ingredients of the Pumpkin Spice Frost Cream Cold Brew are no real surprise, using Wendy's Cold Brew 100% Arabica Coffee as a base, with ice and milk, and here utilizing the very same Pumpkin Spice Syrup that the Frosty does. Both new products contain Milk, but in Alaska and Hawaii, additionally contain soy. Nutritional values also differ per size with the Cold Brew, and a small one accounts for 150 calories, 3 grams of fat, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of carbohydrates, and 3 grams of protein.

The new Pumpkin Spice Frosty and Pumpkin Frosty Cream Cold Brew are available at nationwide locations of Wendy's starting September 12. The Cold Brew beverage can be ordered from opening to close, including breakfast, which starts at many locations as early as 6:30 a.m. The Frosty is not available during breakfast, but once the magic half (lunch) hour of 10:30 a.m. hits, its chill time anytime from them until close.

These and all other menu items can be ordered at Wendy's in-store either at the counter or via its kiosks, or drive-thru windows, where available. The Frosty and Cold Brew drink can also be ordered in advance, or even in person, using the Wendy's app or online. Delivery is also an option, and the various options to do so are listed on its app and website. 

The Pumpkin Frosty Cream Cold Brew is listed under Wendy's Coffee submenu, and comes in sizes small, medium, or large. No customization options appear on the app and website, but you can always request less, more, or no ice at all in person. The Pumpkin Spice Frosty is listed on the Frosty submenu, and is available in four sizes, including a small Junior.

Wendy's did the right thing by falling victim to pumpkin spice craze and joining the autumn parade just like every other company on planet Earth has before them. It chose products suited quite well to carry the weight of such a strong flavor, as we don't even want to think about a pumpkin-spiced burger bun or fries.

The Pumpkin Spice Frosty is an instant fall favorite we will look forward to returning each year, thanks to its level-headed amount of spice. The same kind words cannot be bestowed upon the Pumpkin Spice Frosty Cream Cold Brew, which is too much of not a good thing. Unless you're a pumpkin spice aficionado, it should probably be tossed.

As our Pumpkin Spice Frosty began to melt as time passed, we decided to take a big swig of it as is, and what was once a nice ice creamy dessert became a really good milkshake. That got us thinking: If the Pumpkin Spice Frosty works in a liquid form, when its "cream" was adapted into a caffeinated Cold Brew beverage, why couldn't the same great taste transfer with it? This is not a mystery for us to solve, just to raise before we get ready for a new set of flavors to engulf our lives as... winter is coming!