Mark your calendars, as August 26 marks the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s return to Starbucks. It just means one thing: the fall menu is officially here! But while we get to taste the returning menu items like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, some classic seasonal favorites won’t make the cut. Today, we’re bringing you the 15 best Starbucks fall menu items we won’t get this year.
15. Maple Macchiato
The Maple Macchiato used to be on Starbucks’ fall lineup, but it fell through and was phased out by 2012. The Maple Macchiato features an espresso base with vanilla syrup, steamed milk, and a velvety foam topper with maple drizzle. If you miss this drink, then you can head over to the Starbucks At Home website, as there’s a Maple Cinnamon Macchiato recipe available that you can create at home.
14. Chile Mocha
Launched in the fall of 2016, the Chile Mocha didn’t live up to the seasonal menu the following year. To create this drink, the Starbucks team looked into the Mexican-spiced infused drinks like horchata and champurrado for inspiration. With this, the drink features a rich chocolate and espresso-based beverage with spice enhanced by ancho and cayenne chile powder.
13. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
Uh-oh, Starbucks isn’t dropping the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin this August, which was a part of the annual fall menu. This pastry is the perfect side to your spiced pumpkin beverages, as it features a moist pumpkin muffin base topped with sweet cream cheese filling and a sprinkle of chopped and spiced pepitas.
12. Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
If you want a break from everything Pumpkin Spice, the Apple Crisp Macchiato is the perfect drink. This was part of Starbucks’ fall menu from 2022 until last year. This beverage features flavors from apple, cinnamon, and brown sugar, all combined in a rich espresso poured over oatmilk and topped with a spiced apple drizzle.
11. Apple Cider Donut
There was a time when fast food places made apple flavors happen in their fall menu. One year reminiscent of everything apple was in 2018, when Starbucks released their apple-flavored treats. One is the Apple Cider Donut, which features a donut in apple cider flavor and sweet vanilla icing for balance.
10. Cake Pops
This year, we won’t get seasonal cake pops resembling different animals. For last year’s fall menu, Starbucks released the Raccoon Cake Pop, which features a vanilla cake and buttercream coated in chocolate icing. Meanwhile, the 2023 and 2022 fall menu features the Owl Cake Pop. They already took the Cake Pops for their summer menu, Strawberries & Cream Cake Pops.
9. Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino
While we’re getting our seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte, a fall-exclusive drink won’t appear this year. Yes, we’re talking about the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. However, the chain released them in flavored coffee formats in grocery stores, such as Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Flavored Coffee. You can get them in Roast & Ground, K-Cup pods, and Starbucks Coffee Capsules for Nespresso Vertuo Machines.
8. Salted Caramel Mocha
Sadly, Starbucks won’t bring back the Salted Caramel Mocha from last year. It has been a staple in the chain’s fall menu but isn’t an annual thing, unlike the Pumpkin Spice lineup. It features combined toffee nut and mocha syrups. Still, you can get the Salted Caramel Mocha Strato Frappuccino Blended Beverage instead if you miss the drink.
7. Maple Oat Scone
During the early 2000s, many of us enjoyed a good Maple Oat Scone as a fall breakfast. However, it’s been years since they quietly slipped away from the menu. Starbucks doesn’t plan to return them, but the good news is you can always recreate them from copycat recipes online.
6. Baked Apple Croissant
Due to Pumpkin Scones on the fall menu, Starbucks changed it to the Baked Apple Croissant. But sadly, they weren’t available for this year. The Baked Apple Croissant features layers of flaky dough with a warm apple filling. They’re perfectly paired with the discontinued Apple Crisp line.
5. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
You may be familiar with Starbucks’ popular fall secret menu, Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate. But did you know it’s inspired by its cousin, which used to be an annual flavor from the chain? Back in 2012, Starbucks released the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. It features a hot chocolate made with mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup. It is topped with whipped cream drizzled in caramel sauce and finished with a sprinkle of sea salt and Hawaiian Turbinado sugar.
4. Chocolate Chai Tea Latte
In 2013, Starbucks released the Chocolate Chai Tea Latte, a new drop apart from the Pumpkin Spice lineup. The drink features a blend of spices, black tea, and cocoa in steamed milk topped with whipped cream. It’s a unique choice for the fans who love the comfort of the hot chocolate.
3. Peppermint Hot Chocolate
While we often associate peppermint flavors with holiday menu drops, Starbucks dropped the Peppermint Hot Chocolate in fall 2011. This unique mix features steamed milk with peppermint, mocha, and vanilla-flavored syrups. The hot chocolate is topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.
2. Pumpkin Scone
Nope, Pumpkin Scone isn’t in the lineup this year (again). Since 2023, Starbucks hasn’t been bringing the Pumpkin Scone back in their fall menus. Back in 2023, a representative from Starbucks explained to Country Living that it’s a standard course that their team evaluates the items on the menu with criteria to meet the needs of the fans and the business.
1. Teavana Oprah Chai Latte
While the discontinued Teavana Orah Chai Latte used to be available year-round, it was featured in Starbucks’ 2014 fall menu. In collaboration with Oprah Winfrey, this beverage features a brewed blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, loose-leaf black tea, and rooibos. The tea is served over milk and ice with sugar.