8 Absolute Best Fast Food Pumpkin Items To Try In Fall 2025

Fall is creeping around the corner and will be here before we know it. Depending on where you live, you may notice cooler temperatures, and if you're lucky, you might have already dusted off your sweater from the back of your closet. That hasn't happened yet where I'm based in the San Diego area, but I can feel it getting closer. To give myself a seasonal mood booster, I set out to try some pumpkin fast food products. I also wanted to make sure I'm prepared when the cozy fall season kicks off.

I was a little surprised at the narrow selection. While some places are offering other flavor profiles this year — like the Sonic Salted Caramel Toffee Iced Coffee — some fast food places have removed certain items entirely — no more Starbucks Pumpkin Scones (oh, the horror!). However, here are a handful of the favorites that I tried.

The Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai is a pure delight and was deemed a favorite when our writer tried all the new fall 2025 Starbucks menu items. And I have to agree. It's a delicious blend of black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, ginger, cloves, and star anise, giving you a fully warming experience, despite the ice. It's beautifully presented with the pumpkin spice cold foam and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves) that somehow still looked immaculate after the drive home.

The pumpkin cold foam offers a creamy touch to each sip, along with whichever milk you pick as the drink's base. The drink has a creamy foundation but isn't too cloying, which is appreciated. You get a blend of pumpkin flavor from the pumpkin puree, pleasant spices, and that black tea foundation. I even liked the delicate crunch of the ice itself. This is a must-try. If you are more of a Dunkin' frequenter, you can hack the secret menu to create an iced pumpkin chai that's perfect for fall.

Ah, the PSL. Starbucks really took this latte flavor into the stratosphere; now it's something you can expect at local coffee shops and fast food joints each autumn. It's a classic for a reason because there's not really a wrong way to execute it. The hot latte is made with steamed milk of your choice, milk foam, pumpkin sauce, whipped cream, espresso, and the pumpkin spice topping. This isn't as spice-forward as the chai (which has the spiced tea concentrate base as well as the pumpkin spice topping), making it ideal if you want a fun latte that isn't as in your face.

It has a vibrant orange hue (partly from the pumpkin puree and partly from the fruit and veggie juice used to bring color) and that light, pumpkin-spiced flavor. Unlike the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, this has espresso to round out the milkiness. You can taste the espresso in each sip. Making a DIY pumpkin spice latte is great if you have the supplies and time, but it's also good to know you can pick one up when you're in a rush. If loving a pumpkin-spiced latte is basic, you can call me basic all day long.

Dunkin's version of a Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte has espresso, milk, "sweet pumpkin flavor," and notes of vanilla — I put that in quotes because that's how the brand describes it. This drink doesn't contain actual pumpkin, just the flavoring. The concoction then gets topped with whipped cream, some caramel, and cinnamon sugar. This pumpkin beverage doesn't have the shade of orange that Starbucks has. Instead, it attains a brown-like hue.

Dunkin' Signature Pumpkin Spice Latte has those notes of pumpkin flavor and cinnamon, but it provides the additional flavors from the caramel drizzle. In this hot drink, that touch of caramel inevitably falls to the bottom and offers dimension to the overall drink profile. It's a sweet, rich, and creamy beverage from top to bottom and worth ordering when you want a decadent beverage that's not ultra-pumpkiny.

I've only had McDonald's pies on occasion in recent years, so I was pleasantly surprised with the flavor profile of the Pumpkin & Crème Pie. It's notably pumpkiny; it tastes just like a pumpkin pie with a soft, gooey center. You can taste the actual pumpkin rather than just calling it pumpkin spice or flavoring — because yes, there's real pumpkin in it. The sweetness comes from the cream, while the pumpkin offers some earthiness to round it out. The pie crust exterior is flaky and buttery.

It's served warm to make it feel like you just took it out of the oven yourself. The pie is self-contained, so you don't have to worry too much about crumbs or goo spilling out. Out of everything I tried from the fast food spots, this tastes the most like real pumpkin or pumpkin pie. Although there's a sweet profile from the cream portion, you still get the notes of pumpkin in each bite. If you like pumpkin pie, this is absolutely worth purchasing. Buy a couple and then save one to reheat later; don't worry, there's an effective method to ensure it reheats nicely.

If you like a rich cake donut, then Dunkin's pumpkin goodie is perfect. It's delightfully orange with spiced flavor on the tongue, and it has that classic cake doughnut texture. The thin icing coats the exterior and gives it the initial burst of sweetness on your tongue, but then you make your way to the inside. This donut has pumpkin powder to give it the tinge of pumpkin flavor. I really enjoy the taste and texture of this treat and would highly recommend ordering one (or more) while it's in season, especially if you want something other than a loaf cake.

Dunkin' also has the mini version in the form of donut hole Munchkins; I've had both the donut holes and the standard donut, and they're both wonderful with the same overall flavor. The smaller ones are ideal if you want something more bite-sized, though. You can also order the pumpkin Munchkins in sets of three, five, or 10 based on how many people you're feeding.

There are a handful of new products on Dunkin's 2025 fall menu, including the iced pumpkin loaf. How can you go wrong with a cakey loaf? The Dunkin' rendition has a swirled appearance rather than going full-on pumpkin mode. It gives it a cool and unique look; I imagine that each loaf may look a bit different. This version is light and fluffy with a vanilla cake base.

Since it has a mere pumpkin swirl, it may be a nice pick for someone who isn't a big fan of pumpkin but wants to dabble. It has bursts of added sweetness thanks to the layer of icing on top. This works well paired with your favorite Dunkin' tea or coffee, but it could work as a stand-alone dessert, too. The texture is light but still feels satisfying after eating it. It's a wholly different offering than the option that Starbucks sells (coming next), with added sweetness, an airier structure, and less pumpkin essence.

The pumpkin loaf that Starbucks offers comes in a pretty hefty piece, with pepitas affixed to the top. It's a heavy and dense slice, which makes it feel substantial. It's a standard loaf in terms of ingredients, much like ones you'd make from scratch. It has all the basics like sugar, pumpkin, flour, eggs, and other loaf bread essentials. That means you can have an idea of what to expect without any funky surprises.

The pumpkin flavor is mild, and there are no spices, making it a delicious option for those who are not big fans of pumpkin spice but do like pumpkin. This works well with a cup of hot coffee, a latte, or, of course, another seasonal Starbucks drink of your choosing. Despite sugar being the first ingredient on the ingredient list, it's not too sweet. Eat it warm for the best experience.

The Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin is a pretty hefty baked treat that is heavy and enjoyable. It has the pepitas on top, which provide texture and another layer of pumpkin that you don't see too frequently, and I absolutely appreciate the thought. This muffin also features a cream cheese element, which I also saw at Disneyland with its Halloween snack: the Pumpkin Cookie with whipped cream cheese dip. 

I enjoy the levity, sweetness, and creaminess that the cream cheese provides, paired with the not-too-sweet muffin base. It's like they scooped out a portion of the muffin's top to act as a bowl for the cream cheese to stay contained in. It comes with a respectable amount of the sweet dairy product. This, like Starbucks' loaf, has pumpkin without containing any pumpkin-associated spices, so it's more pure in its pumpkin essence.

To create this list, I looked around my local area to see what fast food spots had pumpkin-centric items. I compiled as many options as possible, but as I mentioned at the beginning, there weren't as many as I anticipated. I tried all the food and drink on the same day, jotting down notes as I sampled each one.

Each product had to offer pumpkin notes (whether made with real pumpkin, pumpkin powder, pumpkin flavor, pumpkin spice, or something else) and had to be interesting and flavorful. Foods and drinks had to be tasty, while foods also needed to have a pleasant texture. Although there are other pumpkin offerings at fast food places, they were a bit far from me — like Krispy Kreme's Pumpkin Cake Donut or the Denny's Pumpkin Pecan Pancake Slam. Take a look around your location to see what's available.