9 Fall 2026 Fast Food Menu Items For Pumpkin Spice Haters

Listen: I'm not exactly a pumpkin spice hater. Anthony Bourdain may have wished the trend would drown in its own blood, but I'd be happy to simply see the fad fade. I find pumpkin-centric menus overdone and uncreative, and I've never met a pumpkin spice latte that really wowed me.

Chains seem to have gotten the "overdone" memo this year. While some are still firmly attached to the pumpkin train (shout-out to Panera's fully pumpkin-focused fall drinks menu), others are expanding. In other words, pumpkin spice haters will have plenty of autumnal options to choose from as other trends attempt to take the throne. 

Some Starbucks fans were heartbroken to see the apple crisp axed from the 2026 fall menu, but a new apple cider-chai blend has taken its place. Similarly, both McDonald's and Wendy's added apple-themed treats to their fall lineups. Marshmallow is another common theme, with Chick-fil-A releasing two marshmallow drinks and a marshmallow cold foam getting featured at Dunkin'.

One thing you won't find much of is hot drinks. Popular chains seem to be doubling down on iced options, with blended drinks and iced lattes aplenty. Every item is undoubtedly the result of months of market research, but I do find this an odd choice for fall. To me, the return of sweater weather calls for something steamy — not frappes. Still, many chains offer options to customize, so you can cozy up with one of the drinks below however you choose.

A bananas foster latte from a local coffee shop's fall 2025 menu sold me hook, line, and sinker on the banana latte trend. This year, Starbucks is cashing in, and I'm eager to try the chain's take on the treat. The new menu includes the Iced Banana Bread Latte and the Iced Banana Bread Chai. According to Starbucks' press release, the two drinks "combine banana, cinnamon and brown sugar flavors to create dessert-like notes reminiscent of warm baked treats." The Starbucks fall menu drops on August 25.

Dunkin' has a massive fall menu which dropped on August 19 and features pumpkin spice aplenty, but the haters have plenty of other options to choose from. For example, Dunkin' has introduced four new tiramisu-flavored drinks. I'm personally eager to try the Tiramisu Cloud latte, which features espresso, whole milk, tiramisu swirl, and marshmallow cold foam topped with hot chocolate powder.

If the Tiramisu Cloud Latte sounds too sugary, you might consider the Tiramisu Shakin' Espresso. The drink is made with a simple mix of oat milk, tiramisu swirl, and a double shot of espresso — still sweet, but sans the marshmallow cold foam. The Dunkin' menu also includes two other tiramisu drinks. While I'm personally over the protein-everything trend, the Tiramisu Protein Latte will appeal to folks who pound protein powder. More of a matcha person? The Tiramisu Marshmallow Matcha has you covered.

Pumpkin spice haters will be happy to hear this year's McCafe menu is entirely pumpkin-free. The menu dropped on August 17 and it's one of the few lineups that features a hot drink in the form of the Caramel Apple Pie Latte. If you prefer your autumn drinks icy, check out the frappe, iced latte, or iced coffee variations. All four options feature apple pie crumble sprinkled over salted caramel-flavored whipped topping.

Starbucks was the first to serve pumpkin spice in latte form, but Dairy Queen introduced its Pumpkin Pie Blizzard over a decade earlier in 1991. The seasonal Blizzard is still in rotation 35 years later, but this year's menu features other fall flavors too. Dairy Queen describes the Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Blizzard as "Brown sugar cookie dough pieces and brown sugar topping blended with world famous DQ soft serve to BLIZZARD perfection." It will drop with the rest of the fall menu — which includes the Toasted Marshmallow Mocha DQ Coffee Cooler and the Pumpkin Pie Blizzard — on August 31. If you want to get a head start on fall, you'll be happy to hear the chain is selling a Caramel Apple Cheesecake Blizzard through the end of August.

Chaider is a combination of chai and cider, and it isn't exactly new, but this will be the drink's first year on the Starbucks menu. The coffee chain's version is flavored with sweet spice and cinnamon, and while the drink is often served hot, a Starbucks representative confirmed this version will only be available (sigh) iced.

Chick-fil-A is offering an icy, not-so-pumpkin-spicy coffee option inspired by campfire nights as part of its fall menu, which drops August 24. The drink blends cold brew coffee with marshmallow syrup, chocolate shortbread, graham cracker crumbles, and the chain's Icedream dessert. Not interested in the extra caffeine? Try the S'mores Milkshake.

When Wendy's released the Apple Crumble Frosty Fusion in early August, the press release included straight-up pumpkin spice shade. "For those craving a sweet taste of fall beyond pumpkin spice, Wendy's is dropping an Apple Crumble Frosty Fusion that delivers coziness in every spoonful," the chain wrote. The sweet treat blends spiced apple syrup and oat crumbles with a vanilla Frosty base.

Never fear, pumpkin spice haters — the "harvest spice" in question is cinnamon sugar and chai syrup. While Dunkin' has offered chai lattes in the past, this drink adds a few new flavors for a fresh twist. It features a coconut flavor shot, whole milk, and marshmallow cold foam topped with cinnamon sugar.