Reviewing Goldfish Awesome Sauce, Nature Valley Crispy Bars, & More

It’s definitely seasoned with… something. I can’t describe it exactly, but it does feel like a sauce you’d use for things like fried chicken nuggets and tenders. Perhaps a lightly sweet, honey mustard-like vibe? Either way, it’s seasoned well and is unique enough to be enjoyable to consider buying again—and this is coming from someone who isn’t that much of a fan of Goldfish; these are perhaps one of the better ones so far.

My only complaint, like with many Goldfish products, is the texture: airy, dry, and cheap-feeling.

Released early June 2025 alongside a rerelease of a Spicy Dill Pickle flavor. Found on Amazon.

Yup, this is your typical spicy dill pickle flavor that you often find on chips, but this time, it’s on a dry, airy cracker (I really don’t like this texture!). It tastes like authentic dill pickle seasoning and has a clear kick. This spiciness isn’t at all oppressive, so don’t worry, it’ll likely be okay with most people even if you’re sensitive to spicy foods.

Initially released in early June 2024, they returned in early June 2025 alongside an Awesome Sauce flavor. Found on Amazon.

Moist, dense, and exhibits a premium mouthfeel. These are like oat bars but so much better. They’re very soft and thick, and especially creamy for what they are—one of the creamiest oat treats I’ve ever had. I also love how you can feel the oaty chunks, which provide a contrast to the chewy texture.

Inside, these have a small glob of mildly sweet apple jelly, which complements their tasty oat shell perfectly. It’s not too sweet, and it more or less tastes fairly authentic and not at all artificial. I almost want it to be a little sweeter, but honestly, this entire oat treat as a whole is sweet enough—anything more may bring it down.

While I’m not sure of an exact release date, mentions of a 20-count package are dated to March 2024. Found on Amazon.

Surprisingly, I didn’t expect the wafer part to be this noticeably buttery. On top of that, these feel slightly thicker than your traditional, cheaper wafers, which is appreciable. However, the filling flavor is flat—it’s mildly sugary sweet with just an essence of chocolate.

Overall, these wafers are decent; they don’t feel cheap and at the same time, don’t stand out. I feel like if they improved the flavor of the filling, whether it be by adding more or making the flavor more pronounced, this could give other premium wafers a run for their money.

Released in 1956.

The following review is for the Honey Vanilla and Strawberry. The Chocolate Peanut Butter review is in its own part.

These are so much more premium than the wafers you find in stores, granted, these are more expensive. The cream inside these is thick and super creamy and reminds me of a thick peanut butter—they’re very generous with this filling! The wafer is also equally thick and has a tasty, light crunch that works perfectly. Simply put, the mouthfeel is great, providing a satisfying bite each time.

I really expected these to have more of that earthy oat and grainy taste that Nature Valley is known for; however, these instead fall into more of a sweet and sugary treat. They are wonderfully creamy, the texture is great, and the flavors are spot on.

If I had to choose, it would definitely be the strawberry because it’s the sweetest, and I just like the more pronounced flavors here more!

The flavors are where they differ.

Honey Vanilla: The vanilla honey is less sweet, and its flavor is more or less accurately represented. It feels much less divisive than the strawberry, perhaps attempting to appeal to more people by being less sugary and less bold-tasting. And for whatever reason, I’m not sure if it’s the filling or whatever, but I swear I taste some essence of peanut butter or some type of nutty flavoring here. Maybe it’s just me?

Strawberry: The strawberry is extraordinarily creamy, like a creamy strawberry shake. It’s fairly sweet—sweeter than the vanilla honey one—and plus, it doesn’t come across as fake or artificial either—not that the vanilla honey does necessarily!

Peanut Butter Chocolate: I don’t have a picture of these! Anyway, this tastes and feels so much different than the other two. It doesn’t feel as premium because it’s thinner overall, has less cream, its wafer is more airy, and the flavor is meh. And what really bothers me is this flavor—as a peanut butter lover, what happened?

It’s essentially regular, hardly sweet, authentic peanut butter with a suggestion of chocolate. It’s boring, at least to me—I was expecting something much sweeter, especially given the Honey Vanilla and Strawberry versions! At the very least, I think this will appease those wanting something more traditional, organic, and lighter tasting.

Strawberry and Honey Vanilla were released around April 2024. I’m unsure when Peanut Butter Chocolate was released. They were all found on Amazon in July 2025.