McDonald’s Skipped Pumpkin Spice This Year, and It Was on Purpose
Could the flavor that defined an entire decade of fall be losing its grip on America? According to a recent report from Fortune, McDonald’s just made a move that suggests the answer might be yes, quietly dropping pumpkin spice coffee from its autumn lineup for the first time in a decade.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s USA confirmed the change directly, telling Fortune that Caramel Apple Pie is the only fall coffee flavor the chain is releasing this year. While pumpkin spice will not be part of the current lineup, the company noted it remains open to exploring new seasonal flavors going forward, leaving the door open without committing to a comeback.
McDonald’s has never carried the same pumpkin spice reputation as chains like Starbucks or Dunkin’, but its decision to skip the flavor entirely still says something meaningful about where the broader fall flavor competition currently stands, especially as newer trends and shifting consumer habits reshape what people actually want each autumn.
Why McDonald’s Made the Switch
Part of the shift lines up with a generational turning point. This year marked the moment the youngest millennials, the generation most closely associated with pumpkin spice’s rise to fame, turned 30 years old. A 2025 Empower survey found that Gen Z customers are actually slightly more likely than millennials to buy pumpkin spice coffee, but that loyalty does not run particularly deep.
Younger customers have instead fueled major demand for entirely different drink categories recently, most notably protein-heavy beverages and matcha. That protein craze grew intense enough last year to spark a wave of new product launches, including from Starbucks, while surging matcha demand actually caused worldwide shortages of the tea powder itself.
Climate change has added another layer to the story as well. With the continental United States recording its hottest month on record this past July, according to NOAA, several chains have started launching seasonal drinks earlier in August and increasingly leaning on iced or frozen versions to match a warming climate with longer, hotter summers stretching further into the calendar.
The Data Shows Pumpkin Spice Losing Ground
Search interest offers some of the clearest evidence that the flavor has passed its peak. Google Trends data shows searches for “pumpkin spice latte” dominated just three states as of late August this year, a sharp decline from 32 states at the same point in 2025 and 48 states back in 2024, based on reporting from the Washington Post.
Other flavors have clearly stepped in to fill that gap in search interest. According to Google Trends data reported by the New York Post, searches for “matcha latte” outpaced “pumpkin spice latte” by more than 260 percent this year. Matcha and chai lattes dominated seasonal search results in many of the states pumpkin spice used to claim outright.
Delivery data tells a similar story about shifting preferences. According to DoorDash order data, several other flavors, including caramel, apple, and cinnamon, are now trending higher on the platform than pumpkin spice. Together, the search and delivery numbers paint a consistent picture of a flavor losing its former dominance across multiple types of consumer behavior.
Pumpkin Spice Isn’t Going Away, Just Sharing the Spotlight
Not every chain is backing away from pumpkin spice, though. Starbucks, which launched the original Pumpkin Spice Latte back in 2003, actually doubled down this year with its biggest fall menu yet, introducing new additions like the Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, Pumpkin Spice Chai, and Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha alongside its classic offering.
Sales data backs up the idea that pumpkin spice still has genuine staying power, just not exclusive dominance anymore. A report from analytics firm Datassential found that 37 percent more coffee establishments sold pumpkin spice drinks this year compared with last year, according to CNN. Growth in caramel apple and apple pie flavors, however, significantly outpaced that increase across the industry.
“Pumpkin spice lattes have long since graduated from trend status, but our data shows signs that it may be reaching its peak,” Cristen Milliner, a consumer trends expert at DoorDash, told Entrepreneur. Chains like Caribou Coffee, Scooter’s Coffee, and Dunkin’ have all responded by expanding their menus with new options like honeycrisp apple, maple, and tiramisu flavors, proving that fall’s flavor competition is only getting more crowded from here.
