Knott’s Berry Farm is a local theme park here in Orange County. I grew up having gone once or twice for field trips (roller coasters are obviously physics-related right?), but it was honestly this year that I rediscovered what an amazing park it is and actually started visiting it on a regular basis.
They’re also known for being the birthplace of the boysenberry fruit! Every year, they have a festival where they create boysenberry flavored items along with speciality shows and characters. It’s one of the most beloved food festival events in the area. This year (2025), it runs from March 28 to May 18, on select days. I got a chance to try some of the items and wanted to share some rankings in case a Knott’s Boysenberry Festival visit is also a part of your spring break. Unfortunately, I learned that I’m not the biggest fan of boysenberry so ratings were pretty low, but just because it wasn’t for me, it might be for you!
Note: Sorry about the lack of photos – new to blogging, I definitely ate before the camera a lot more times than I thought.
- Deep Fried French Toast stuffed with Boysenberry Cream Cheese (8/10) – I had heard this was a highlight and it really was! Although it looked a little dark and I was worried it was over-fried or would taste like overused oil, it was actually ok. Granted, there was an oil stain on the plate so it probably could have drained a bit more, but it didn’t affect the taste. It had a less artificial tasting boysenberry custard in the sandwich and a cold fresh berry jam on the side that complemented the french toast.
- Chocolate Dipped Boysenberry Buñuelo with Boysenberry Ice Cream and Powdered Sugar (7/10) – The ice cream was surprisingly good and not artificial tasting (i.e. different from the Dippin’ Dots flavor). The only con was that chocolate and boysenberry is not the best pairing…
- Boysenberry and Lemon Tart (7/10) – This had lots of buttery crust which is a pro if you like crust like I do! You don’t taste too much boysenberry in this but the lemon curd in it is delicious!
- Stuffed Boysenberry Pie Cookie (7/10) – Although this was a really good cookie, I didn’t taste any pie filling despite the name of the item. It was more like a thin layer of boysenberry jam.
- Boysenberry Sausage on a Hoagie topped with Boysenberry Sauerkraut Slaw (6/10) – I actually would have enjoyed this more without the boysenberry sauce. It made it taste more sweet than savory which is not what I wanted in a sausage. Without the sauce, the sausage was snappy and flavorful and the bread was soft and fresh.
- Double Stuffed Baked Potato with Boysenberry BBQ Pulled Pork and Jalapeno Chips (6/10) – While the meat was tender, the potato was really the star. The jalapeno chips added another layer of flavor and slight spiciness. Butter and sour cream were also included to enhance the baked potato experience. A solid choice but I’m not the biggest fan of spicy so again, would be ok not getting it again.
- Boysenberry BBQ All Beef Meatball Hoagie with Provolone Cheese (5/10) – I think boysenberry works best in a BBQ sauce for savory items since it naturally adds in that sweetness and slight tartness. This BBQ sauce was definitely sweeter than a typical BBQ sauce but as long as they’re not too much sauce, the balance with the salty meatballs was ok. The only unfortunate thing was that the cheese was not melted. Glad I tried it but would be ok not getting it again.
- Creamy Boysenberry Grits with Cajun Shrimp (4/10) – While the boysenberry note did not enhance the flavor of the dish, it oddly didn’t distract as much as I thought it would. The purple grits were a bit of an odd color, but overall, the dish had a sweet and savory taste to it. A couple of the shrimps were good, and a couple were chewy and not so good. It was a bit weird but it wasn’t bad and I’m glad I tried it.
- Boysenberry BBQ Beef Tips over Mashed Potatoes garnished with Green Onions (4/10) – The mashed potatoes were delicious but the beef was a bit sweeter than I wanted it to be. In addition, the beef pieces were small so the gravy, boysenberry taste definitely outweighed the beef taste. It also started to taste more one-note the more you ate it.
- Boysenberry Infused Beef Chili over Mac and Cheese with Chili Cheese Corn Chips (3/10) – Similar to the item before, the mac and cheese was good but was completely overshadowed by the boysenberry chili that made the whole dish sweeter than it needed to be.
- Boysenberry Honey Garlic Chicken Wings (3/10) – Too much sauce and the skin was too soggy.
- Boysenberry Sangria (1/10) – While ok at the beginning, the taste began to get a bit sickening after a few sips. The boysenberry flavor in this was artificial and syrupy. The aftertaste had notes of intense sweetness followed by grape medicine which was not my cup of tea. To improve it, I would recommend adding more fruit juices and brandy to make it lean more into a typical sangria. I sadly could not finish this drink.
- Boysenberry Dippin’ Dots (1/10) – This had the same boysenberry flavor note as the sangria, artificial and syrupy. Again, not my cup of tea.
