For the fall lovers who hate pumpkin spice, finding new food and drink items during the season can be difficult. I mean, pumpkin spice truly takes over the fall. Even though I am one of those people who love it, I know many people who don’t. So, if you have trouble finding other autumnal options to choose from as the pumpkin spice trend is only growing, here are some non-pumpkin spice-focused foods and drinks to try:
Starbucks Banana Bread Drinks
Many Starbucks fans were devastated to see the removal of their beloved apple crisp drinks in the initial fall menu launch. However, they replaced it with new banana bread-inspired drinks. Instead of their usual Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken Espresso and Apple Crisp Macchiato, they released an Iced Banana Bread Latte and an Iced Banana Bread Chai. These drinks “combine banana, cinnamon, and the brown sugar flavors to create dessert-like notes reminiscent of the warm baked treats.” I have yet to try these new drinks, but I can’t wait to because I love banana bread just as much as I love pumpkin spice.
Dairy Queen Blizzards
Even though ice cream is more of a summer treat, it tastes just as good in the fall, especially in a seasonal flavor. Dairy Queen’s Pumpkin Pie Blizzard has been around since 1991, so the non-pumpkin spice lovers haven’t been able to enjoy a fall blizzard for decades. This year, however, they released two new fall blizzard flavors: Brown Sugar Cookie Dough and Caramel Apple Cheesecake. The Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Blizzard has “soft brown sugar cookie dough pieces and brown sugar topping” in their famous vanilla soft serve to create a cozy, comforting treat. Their Caramel Apple Cheesecake Blizzard serves up a warm, harvest feeling by blending “sweet caramel apple topping swirls together with rich cheesecake pieces” in their vanilla soft serve. Now, I have tried the Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Blizzard, and I can definitely say its rich, heartwarming flavor satisfies that fall craving just as much as pumpkin would.
Krispy Kreme Donuts
Krispy Kreme released three new autumnal donut flavors other than their beloved pumpkin spice for 2026, including maple cheesecake, cafe mocha, and Biscoff cookie butter. The Maple Cheesecake Doughnut is an “unglazed shell doughnut filled with cheesecake Kreme, dipped in maple icing and topped with graham-flavored crunch and maple drizzle” to provide a bold, but sweet taste of fall. For coffee lovers who want everything they love about autumn in their favorite flavor, their Cafe Mocha Doughnut has: “dipped in chocolate icing and topped with a coffee-flavored butter creme swirl and mocha bean” is the perfect treat. Lastly, their Biscoff Cookie Butter Doughnut, which is “filled with Biscoff Cookie Butter Kreme, dipped in Biscoff cookie butter and Biscoff cookie pieces, then drizzled with white icing,” offers the warm, spiced fall flavor in donut form. It’s a shame there aren’t any Krispy Kreme locations near Cortland because these pumpkin-alternative donuts sound like the ideal way to still experience that comforting autumnal flavor.
7 Brew Apple Drinks
This month, 7 Brew introduced five new featured seasonal drinks, three of which were not pumpkin-flavored. Those three include Caramel Apple Pie Macchiato, Drizzled Apple 7 Energy Frozen Chiller, and Apple Butter Chai Latte. So, if you favor apple over pumpkin in the fall, 7 Brew has got your back. The Caramel Apple Pie Macchiato tastes “like a slice of caramel apple pie in every sip” with its salted-caramel and apple-butter drizzle. When you’re not in a coffee mood but still want autumnal flavored caffeine, the green apple taste and caramel drizzle in the Drizzled Apple 7 Energy Frozen Chiller will satisfy your craving. For a cozier sip, the Apple Butter Chai Latte’s “green apple and white chocolate flavors come together,” with whipped cream and apple butter drizzle to give you the taste of fall. 7 Brew is always running promotional giveaways, so next time they offer one this fall, I highly recommend getting one of these fall drinks to go along with your gift.
McDonald’s Caramel Apple Coffees
As pumpkin continues to dominate fall menus, one of the largest chain restaurants, McDonald’s, opted to replace it for the first time in a decade. They ditched their traditional pumpkin spice from their seasonal menu and launched new dessert-inspired caramel apple pie coffee drinks. Each new coffee combines sweet apple and caramel with bold coffee taste and is topped with salted caramel whipped cream and apple pie crumbs. Customers can order this new autumnal release off the menu as an iced coffee, hot latte, iced latte, or a blended frappe. This transition from pumpkin to caramel apple elicited mixed reactions from longtime fans, with some frustrated and others intrigued by the new flavor. Since pumpkin has practically been the sole seasonal option at many places for years, I’m sure all of the people who detest pumpkin spice now feel appreciated and are ready to finally participate in trying new fall menu items.
Even though I love the taste of pumpkin on a chilly fall day, I know many people out there don’t. For those individuals, these non-pumpkin spice-flavored seasonal foods and drinks are your opportunity to enjoy the comforting autumnal taste in the form of your favorite treats. Whether it’s in your morning coffee or late-night dessert, you can have that cozy experience at any time with these new fall releases.