Goldfish Butterbeer Flavored Grahams Review: This Harry Potter-Inspired Snack Casts A Tasty Spell

Author J.K. Rowling has quite the way with words. She created a magical world with her Harry Potter book series, which conjured up a reality through a movie franchise, a Broadway show, a theme park, and endless paraphernalia for fans to snatch up. One item everyday muggles had always wanted to get their hands and mouths around is a glass of butterbeer. The drink was first mentioned in the third book "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" where our heroes throw it back at the beloved Hogsmeade pub Three Broomsticks. Rowling once described her made up brew of butterbeer to Bon Appétit as, "I imagine it to taste a little bit like less sickly butterscotch." The drink was eventually made into a sudsy reality and can be enjoyed at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, Harry Potter shops, and in bottle versions through its online store.

In 2025, the mythical flavor of butterbeer is (hopefully) casting a spell of Goldfish graham crackers, in one familiar shape, and two Hogs-worthy ones. Are these branded-Goldfish magically delicious, or are they brewed from the Dark Arts and a bigger joke than renaming them Chilean Sea Bass? This muggle, on behalf of The Takeout, broke open a bag to find out where the truth lies.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Goldfish Butterbeer Flavored Grahams are a limited time only offering, available nationwide, starting this February. They will be available for sale for an unspecified amount of time, while supplies last.

They are available for sale in only one size at 6.1-ounce bags and can be purchased at online or brick and mortar retailers, grocery stores, and convenience stores. They have a suggested retail price tag of $3.69, although price may vary by retailer. Based on the expedition date listed on the bag, these graham crackers should remain golden for at least four or so months.

Like all Goldfish, these two are made with "smiles." The Butterbeer Flavored Grahams one are rounded out with whole wheat flour, enriched wheat flour made of flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, vegetable oil, sugar, cornstarch, brown sugar made of sugar, invert sugar, molasses, and invert syrup. It also contains 2% or less of natural flavors, salt, nonfat milk, baking soda, fructose, corn syrup solids, baking powder, sweet cream powder, corn syrup, spices, cinnamon, autolyzed yeast extract, milkfat, butter, citric acid, turmeric and paprika extracts for color, vanilla extract, and soy lecithin. It contains the allergens wheat, milk, and soy.

There are approximately 155 Goldfish resting comfortably in a bag of Butterbeer Flavored Grahams. A single serving is 31 pieces, which is 30 grams. Those 31 Goldfish will net an eater 140 calories, 5 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of protein, 22 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, and 6 grams of both total sugars and added sugars. It also contains 10 milligrams of calcium, 0.7 milligrams of iron, and 40 milligrams of potassium.

Like many packaged and branded Harry Potter products, this bag of Goldfish Butterbeer Flavored Grahams is primarily decked out in a shade of midnight navy, and decorated with familiar book and film iconography and text in a shimmering golden foil. Opening the bag and sticking my nose inside, the strong, and warm aroma of butterscotch filled my nostrils. It smelled more like the mustard-yellow hard Brach's candy kind than the one you'd get at a chocolate shop, or even ones you make at home. To some, the smell may be a bit nauseating. But to me, as a fan of butterscotch, it was rather inviting.

To the touch, these sandy brown grahams were super dusty. They came in three shapes — standard smiling fish, a butterbeer barrel monogrammed with a "B," and a standing owl that honors Harry's furry friend Hedwig. The first bite was a roaring success. The crackers themselves had an excellent crunch, where they didn't easily crumble or turn into a mash-mush in the mouth. After the tactical experience concluded, the flavoring kicked in. Unlike the strong aroma, the actual flavor turned out to contain a very lean level of butterscotch, which is probably for the best. Instead, it leaned towards a buttery vanilla profile, coating the typical solid taste of a Goldfish graham cracker.

As some of the cracker bits got stuck on the teeth, it left behind a nice smooth aftertaste. It was a friendly reminder of the enjoyment my mouth just experienced, as it was ready to do it all over again with the next handful.

So, what does butterbeer in the real world actually supposed to taste like? Steven Jayson, the Corporate Executive Chef of Universal Orlando, described his version to Bon Appétit as, "I thought of those soft butter cookies, or butterscotch, and that's what the recipe is based off of." Before coming to a conclusion on the Goldfish grahams' take on the flavor, I headed to New York's Harry Potter shop for a taste of the realized libation, as well as a few butterbeer-flavored desserts for comparison.

The butterbeer was served in a fun little plastic mug, with its cold liquid a beautiful amber color, and topped with a stark white sea of foam. One sip and I instantly recoiled. It tasted like bad cream soda, drowning in a diet sugar substitute, and then topped with way too many pumps of butterscotch flavoring. The two butterbeer dessert items I opted for fared much better with my palate. The ice cream only had a hint of butterscotch, and the muffin had just a drizzle on top to make a nice little mark.

What's truly amazing is that the Goldfish version tops all of those butterbeer items by being more restrained with its flavoring. The graham cracker base helps to balance it out, and this subtleness made it a much more approachable option for any muggle mouth. In a way, it cast its own magical spell by not getting too Hufflepuffy in the process. They're great to munch on their own, or even as a topping on vanilla ice cream. Better yet, crumble up a bunch and have it form a unique graham cracker crust for a wizardly pecan pie.

In advance of the release of Goldfish Butterbeer Flavored Grahams, the company sent two identical bags for sampling. Since they are crackers, they required no refrigeration or other special storage needs, and were ready to eat.

These Goldfish were taste tested by myself, as well as a handful of others. Their opinions were noted, but ultimately the final verdict was handled by me. After tasting them, I headed to the Harry Potter shop and ordered a mug of butterbeer, a cup of butterbeer ice cream, and a butterbeer flavored muffin, which were taste tested by myself and one of the previous taste testers.

The ultimate criteria for this chew and review included flavor, uniqueness, how Harry Potterish they were, compassion to other butterbeer food and drink products, lovability, and likelihood of buying again. Sadly, they are a limited time only item, which is a shame because I just don't know how to Quidditch you.