Overview
- McDonald’s confirmed it will not offer pumpkin spice in its U.S. fall coffee lineup this year and is introducing a Caramel Apple Pie coffee as its sole seasonal coffee flavor.
- Industry menu tracking shows a sharp rise in apple-related fall offerings, with Datassential reporting roughly 99% more Apple Pie flavors and 49% more Caramel Apple offerings year over year versus a smaller increase for pumpkin.
- Starbucks relaunched its Pumpkin Spice Latte this season and reported its strongest fall menu launch day in the U.S. and Canada, underscoring that pumpkin still has strong commercial pull.
- Search and social data point to growing curiosity for nontraditional fall flavors like banana, blueberry and marshmallow cold foam, and early reviews of McDonald’s drink on social media have been mixed.
- Pumpkin spice has deep roots in fall coffee culture since Starbucks introduced the PSL in 2003, and broad consumer familiarity—about 86% of people have tried a PSL—means the season may become more fragmented rather than dominated by a single flavor.