Fall menu season apparently doesn’t believe in waiting for fall anymore. Restaurant chains have been rolling out their pumpkin, apple, maple, cinnamon, and other cozy flavors while much of the country is still firmly in summer mode.
And while pumpkin spice isn’t going anywhere, the fall menus of 2026 are getting a lot more creative. McDonald’s is channeling one of its most nostalgic desserts with caramel apple pie coffee, Wendy’s is turning apple crumble into a Frosty, Sonic is making pie-inspired sodas, and Caribou Coffee is putting Honeycrisp apples front and center.
Some of these seasonal menus are already available, while others arrive in late August or early September. Here are 15 restaurant chains with fall menu items that look worth keeping an eye out for this year.
Starbucks
Starbucks’ fall menu arrives August 25, and the Pumpkin Spice Latte has plenty of new company this year. The most intriguing newcomer may be the Chaider, a chai-and-cider-inspired drink built around cinnamon and sweet spice. There’s also a new Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, Pumpkin Spice Chai, and Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha, giving pumpkin fans several alternatives to the classic PSL. And if you’re ready for a break from pumpkin altogether, the chain is introducing Iced Banana Bread Latte and Iced Banana Bread Chai, alongside returning pecan drinks.
Dunkin’
Dunkin’ launched its fall lineup on August 19, and it’s doing much more than bringing back the Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte. The new Pumpkin Cloud Dunkalatte puts a seasonal spin on the chain’s extra-creamy Dunkalatte, while the Pumpkin Pie Coffee Chiller takes things in a frozen, dessert-like direction. Tiramisu is also having a moment here, appearing in the new Tiramisu Cloud Latte and Tiramisu Shakin’ Espresso, as well as a Tiramisu Marshmallow Matcha. If your definition of fall is basically “coffee plus dessert,” Dunkin’ seems to understand the assignment.
Panera Bread
Panera is making pumpkin as much a bakery event as a coffee event this year. Along with hot and iced Pumpkin Spice Lattes, the chain introduced a Pumpkin Spice Frozen Java and Pumpkin Spice Iced Coffee. The bakery case may be even more tempting, thanks to a new Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll and Caramel Pumpkin Slice with pumpkin pie spices and salted caramel swirls. The full lineup arrived August 19, meaning you don’t have to wait for sweater weather to get started.
Dairy Queen
Pumpkin makes perfect sense in coffee, but it arguably makes even more sense when blended into ice cream. Dairy Queen’s full Fall Treat Collection arrives August 31 and includes the returning Pumpkin Pie Blizzard, made with pumpkin pie pieces and finished with whipped topping and nutmeg. The big newcomer is the Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Blizzard, which combines brown sugar cookie dough pieces and brown sugar topping with soft serve. There’s also a new Toasted Marshmallow Mocha DQ Coffee Cooler for anyone who wants their fall dessert with a caffeine boost.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s is giving fall fans both dessert and comfort food. The new Apple Crumble Frosty Fusion mixes spiced apple syrup and oat crumble into a Vanilla Frosty, essentially turning an apple dessert into something you can eat with a spoon — or attempt to drink through a straw. On the savory side, the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger is back after winning Wendy’s customer “Bring It Back” bracket earlier this year. The pub lineup has also expanded to include a chicken sandwich and Pub Fries.
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McDonald’s
Rather than competing in yet another pumpkin-spice showdown, McDonald’s is leaning into apple pie. Its new seasonal Caramel Apple Pie coffee flavor is available as an iced coffee, latte, and frappe, combining apple and caramel flavors with McDonald’s coffee. The drinks are finished with whipped cream, salted caramel sauce, and apple-pie crumbles. Considering how closely McDonald’s is associated with its classic apple pie, this is one fall flavor that feels surprisingly natural for the chain.
Sonic
Sonic may have one of the strangest — and most interesting — fall drink collections of the year. Its Hotumn lineup launches August 24 and skips hot coffee entirely in favor of cold, pie-inspired sodas. Blueberry Pie Made With Dr Pepper combines the soda with blueberry puree, sweet cream, and vanilla, while Cherry Pie Made With Coke adds cherry and vanilla flavors. There’s also a Harvest Berry Made With Sprite and a Cranberry Orchard Sweet Tea. It’s fall flavor designed specifically for people who aren’t ready to admit summer is ending.
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme’s fall menu has pumpkin, but some of its most interesting additions have nothing to do with it. The new Maple Cheesecake Doughnut is filled with cheesecake Kreme and topped with maple icing and a graham-style crunch, while the Café Mocha Doughnut adds coffee-flavored buttercream to a chocolate-iced Original Glazed doughnut. There’s also a new Apple Crisp Latte topped with caramel drizzle and graham crumble. Pumpkin Spice Cake and Biscoff Cookie Butter doughnuts round out the seasonal collection, which is scheduled to stick around through November 2.
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First Watch
If you’d rather eat your fall flavors than sip them, First Watch has you covered. The chain’s seasonal menu includes the returning Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast and Pumpkin Spice Donuts, but the new savory options are equally noteworthy. The Godfather Breakfast Bowl combines Italian sausage, eggs, seasoned grits, arugula, Parmesan, and Calabrian chile, while the Maple Bacon Croissant Sandwich piles bacon, pork sausage, egg, jalapeños, cheddar, and bacon-apricot jam onto a croissant. The fall menu is scheduled to run through October 26.
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel is leaning into apples and hearty comfort food instead of making pumpkin the star of everything. Its seasonal breakfast offerings include Sweet Cream Caramel Apple Pancakes and Sweet Cream Caramel Apple French Toast, giving apple lovers two particularly indulgent reasons to stop in. For lunch or dinner, Crispy Homestyle Chicken gets several new treatments, including Maple Bacon, BBQ Smokestack, Nashville Hot, and Honey Butter. It’s a fall menu for anyone who thinks autumn should taste more like comfort food than a scented candle.
Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee has a particularly fitting connection to one of fall’s biggest flavors: the Honeycrisp apple was developed in Minnesota, the same state where Caribou was founded. This year’s menu builds on that connection with a new Honeycrisp Cold Foam and Frozen Caramel Apple, alongside returning Honeycrisp beverages. Pumpkin fans aren’t forgotten, either. The Pumpkin White Mocha and Pumpkin Espresso Shaker are also back, making this one of the better menus for anyone who refuses to pick a side in the apple-versus-pumpkin debate.
Scooter’s Coffee
Scooter’s Coffee is throwing just about every major fall flavor at its menu this year. The new Pumpkin Cinnalicious combines pumpkin with cinnamon and brown sugar, while the Maple Caramelicious Crème Cold Brew brings maple into the mix. Apple shows up in both a Caramel Apple Shake and a caffeinated Caramel Apple Red Bull Infusion. The chain is also offering sugar-free pumpkin flavor for the first time, while returning favorites include the Pumpkin Caramelicious, Pumpkin Chai Latte, and Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has plenty of pumpkin on its fall menu, but the real wildcard is hojicha, the roasted Japanese green tea known for its warm, toasty flavor. On the pumpkin side, there’s a Pumpkin Iced Latte With Cream Cap, a Pumpkin Dry Iced Americano, and an Extreme Pumpkin Ice Blended alongside returning classics. The combination gives customers a choice between familiar fall sweetness and something considerably different from the pumpkin-and-apple flavors dominating everyone else’s menus.
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons is giving caramel apple a major role in its U.S. fall menu. The new Cinnamon Caramel Apple flavor can be ordered as a latte, iced latte, or coffee, combining caramel apple sweetness with cinnamon. Traditionalists can still get the returning Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Spice Iced Capp, while the Pumpkin Spice Donut makes sure pumpkin isn’t confined to the drink menu. The U.S. fall lineup arrived August 12, well before anyone needed to pull a jacket out of the closet.
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins is keeping things refreshingly simple when its fall offerings arrive September 1. Returning Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream, the September Flavor of the Month, combines pumpkin and cheesecake ice creams with cinnamon cream-cheese swirls and pieces of gingersnap cookies. The new Pumpkin Spice Cappy brings the same general flavor territory to the chain’s frozen coffee line. One is basically fall in an ice cream scoop; the other is fall with caffeine.
