McDonald’s rarely changes its dessert menu aside from adding seasonal McFlurries and bringing back the Shamrock Shake every year.
Recently, however, the chain brought back its classic fried apple pie for the first time in 34 years.
“The OG Fried Apple Pie is back at participating restaurants nationwide for a limited time. The all-day menu item features our signature filling made with 100% American-grown apples, wrapped in the same golden crunch and flaky fried crust fans remember – or soon won’t forget,” the chain shared in a June press release.
To put that return into perspective, in June 1992, the last time the Fried Apple Pie was offered, U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin met at a Washington summit and agreed to a historic accord to dramatically slash their nations’ nuclear arsenals.
That was also the summer the Dream Team debuted at the Olympics and “Batman Returns” with Michael Keaton debuted.
Now, while it’s not quite as historic, McDonald’s has opted to bring back another classic pie, the Pumpkin and Crème Pie, while leaving a traditional fall season classic off its menu.
McDonald’s brings back the Pumpkin and Crème Pie
McDonald’s Pumpkin & Crème Pie has not been officially announced by the chain, nor has it appeared on the official New Menu Item Spotter page. It has, however, been spotted in select restaurants.
“So far, it’s been spotted at a few McDonald’s in Brooklyn and Dallas. It seems more and more locations are getting it by the day before its eventual return nationwide,” Sporked reported.
Brand Eating, a popular food blog, has also seen the pie at select Los Angeles-area stores and shared more details.
“Prices vary, but at my local McDonald’s, the Pumpkin & Creme Pie costs $2.39 for one or $3.99 for two,” the site shared.
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McDonald’s has not confirmed the extent of the release, but it has added the pie to its national website.
“No matter the season, it’s the perfect time to enjoy your fall favorites. The Pumpkin and Crème Pie features a baked, sugar-coated premium pie pastry crust with a pumpkin pie filling on one side and a crème filling on the other,” the chain shared.
McDonald’s drops a seasonal classic
McDonald’s has surprisingly made a change to its seasonal McCafe beverage lineup, which will not include a Pumpkin Spice Latte for the first time since 2016.
“We’re always exploring new ways to give fans seasonal flavors to enjoy,” McDonalds said in a statement to USA Today. “We chose Caramel Apple Pie because it offers a fresh take on the familiar tastes of fall — and one we think fans will fall in love with.”
McDonald’s was actually late to the Pumpkin Spice Latte party, or PSL as it’s commonly known, after Starbucks first introduced it in 2003.
McDonald’s McCafé fall seasonal includes:
- Caramel Apple Pie Frappe
- Hot Caramel Apple Pie Latte
- Iced Caramel Apple Pie Latte
- Caramel Apple Pie Iced Coffee
The company called the drinks a “seasonal blend that mixes notes of apple and caramel flavoring with McDonald’s bold blend coffee, topped with salted caramel-flavored whipped cream and bits of apple pie crumble” in its statement.
Starbucks.
McDonald’s responds to pumpkin spice backlash
In recent years, pumpkin spice has become ubiquitous, and Starbucks has received some pushback for bringing it back earlier and earlier every year. McDonald’s embraced the opportunity to do something different while tweaking its rivals.
“Step aside pumpkin spice, there’s a new flavor in town!” McDonald’s said on its menu spotter webpage.
And, while there has been some social media backlash, one expert sees the move as a smart one for McDonald’s.
“Pumpkin spice will always be a classic people keep coming back to, but consumers are also craving interesting alternatives that deliver surprise and comfort,” Yelp’s VP of community expansion and trends, Tara Lewis, told Axios.
Caramel apple is not the only flavor making fall gains, according to Axios.
- Brown sugar overtook pecan as DoorDash’s breakout fall flavor of 2026, the delivery service tells Axios, with orders up 58% year over year.
- Maple latte searches on Yelp rose 65% in July from a year earlier, while searches for “salted maple latte” jumped 591%.
- Cardamom, peanut butter, and hazelnut are also among Google’s top-trending latte searches.
McDonald’s has not commented as to whether it will bring the PSL back in future years.
Starbucks brought the PSL back on August 25.
McDonald’s bets big on beverages
McDonald’s has been making moves designed to help it win business from Starbucks and other beverage-forward chains. That’s something CEO Christopher Kempczinski talked about during the chain’s first-quarter earnings call.
“And yesterday, all U.S. restaurants nationwide began offering 3 different refreshers and 3 crafted sodas as part of our new U.S. beverage platform under the McCafe brand. The soft launch results over the last week are encouraging, and we’re looking forward to introducing different flavors and Red Bull-infused energy drinks throughout the year,” he said.
Many of those drinks were taken from the chain’s short-lived CosMc’s spin-off concept.
He sees beverages as a global growth driver.
“There’s no better example than the beverage category. In Q1, Australia successfully executed the beverage test, building on learnings from last year’s U.S. pilot. We’re continuing to build real momentum in the category with both Germany and Canada launching new beverage platforms a few days ago,” he added.
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