McDonald’s Drops a 13-Year Favorite as It Unveils Its New Fall Drinks

McDonald’s fall menu has a conspicuous absence this year. After 13 years in the chain’s seasonal rotation, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is not returning for fall 2026. Instead of competing for another slice of the pumpkin-spice season, McDonald’s has chosen a flavor with much stronger ties to its own menu: apple pie.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte first appeared at select McDonald’s restaurants in 2013 before expanding nationwide in 2016. Its departure closes a surprisingly long chapter for McCafé, especially at a time when pumpkin spice remains almost inseparable from fall coffee menus. Starbucks, Dunkin’, Peet’s and other chains continue to make the flavor a centerpiece of the season.

McDonald’s replacement arrived at participating restaurants nationwide on August 17. The limited-time Caramel Apple Pie lineup includes a Frappe, Hot Latte, Iced Latte and Iced Coffee. The drinks combine apple and caramel flavoring with McDonald’s coffee and are finished with salted caramel-flavored whipped cream and crumbled apple pie pieces. It is less a rejection of fall tradition than an attempt to create one McDonald’s can call its own.

The Apple Pie Connection Makes This More Than a Flavor Swap

There is a certain logic to choosing apple pie. Rather than following the industry toward the same familiar pumpkin-and-spice combination, McDonald’s is borrowing from a dessert already associated with its restaurants. That gives the new drinks something the outgoing PSL could never completely have: an unmistakable McDonald’s connection.

The strategy also separates McDonald’s from a crowded seasonal coffee market. Starbucks introduced its Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003, and the drink eventually became a phenomenon copied across the restaurant industry. Good Housekeeping cited Food & Beverage Magazine figures showing Starbucks sold more than 424 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes between 2003 and 2025. Competing directly against that kind of cultural recognition leaves little room to stand apart.

Caramel Apple Pie gives McDonald’s that room. The company introduced the drinks with the line, “Step aside pumpkin spice, there’s a new flavor in town!” Early online reactions have been mixed, with some customers enjoying the salted caramel topping and others finding the apple-coffee combination overly sweet or artificial. Seasonal experiments rarely land identically with everyone, and McDonald’s appears willing to test whether familiarity with its apple pie can translate into a new coffee ritual.

The New Drinks Are Part of a Much Bigger McDonald’s Bet

The most revealing part of the change may have little to do with pumpkin or apples. McDonald’s has been quietly making beverages a larger part of its growth strategy, experimenting with drinks designed to give customers reasons to visit outside the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner rushes.

In 2025, the company tested energy drinks, iced coffees, refreshers and crafted sodas at approximately 500 U.S. restaurants. Executives later described the test as “highly successful” and said results exceeded expectations. Chief Restaurant Experience Officer Jill McDonald said the new offerings generated additional customer visits across different parts of the day while also producing higher average checks.

Some of that experimentation came through CosMc’s, McDonald’s beverage-focused concept that closed its locations in 2025. The concept may be gone, but the company has said lessons from those tests are being incorporated into its larger beverage strategy. McDonald’s has also established a global category-management team focused on beverages and desserts, putting drinks alongside beef and chicken as categories receiving specialized attention.

Why One Missing PSL Says So Much About McDonald’s Next Move

There is serious money behind the experimentation. McDonald’s has estimated that beverages represent a global opportunity worth more than $100 billion. Drinks can also give restaurant operators an attractive business proposition because ingredient costs may be relatively low compared with their selling prices.

That makes the Caramel Apple Pie lineup more interesting than another limited-time fall promotion. McDonald’s is testing whether customers who traditionally visit for burgers, fries or breakfast can also be persuaded to stop for an afternoon iced coffee or seasonal treat. The broader beverage market has become increasingly competitive, with specialty coffee, refreshers, energy drinks and highly customizable beverages creating more reasons to make a standalone drink run.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte therefore leaves behind something larger than nostalgia after 13 seasons. McDonald’s could easily have brought it back and participated in another predictable pumpkin-spice autumn. Instead, it chose a flavor tied to its own menu while continuing a broader push into beverages. Whether Caramel Apple Pie earns a similarly long run remains to be seen, but the switch makes one thing clear: McDonald’s no longer seems content simply to follow the fall coffee calendar.