The official start of fall is still months away, but the season is just around the corner for Starbucks fans.
The coffee chain’s popular Pumpkin Spice Latte is set to return on Aug. 26, Starbucks announced Monday. Although that’s a later release date than last year, the 2025 return of the PSL is still on the earlier side for the company, which traditionally had waited until September to bring back the seasonal drink, closer to the actual start of autumn, which falls on Sept. 22 this year.
The popular menu item consists of espresso, milk, Pumpkin Spice Syrup and whipped cream, with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on top. The coffee chain started adding real pumpkin to the drink in 2015.
The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte as well as Starbucks’ new fall menu comes at a critical juncture for Starbucks, which is pulling all of the levers it can to lure customers back into its stores. After enjoying years of strong growth, the company’s progress has stalled, with U.S. same-store sales slipping 2% last year.
The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte as well as new menu items are “cultural touchstones that spark connection, nostalgia and excitement,” said Starbucks global chief brand officer Tressie Leiberman in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
The perennial debut of the Pumpkin Spice Latte may not be enough on its own to turn around the fate of Starbucks. But if past years are any indication, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser and revenue booster.
What is on Starbucks’ new 2025 fall menu?
Starbucks said several other fall-inspired drinks will be returning to its menu, including the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte.
The chain is also adding a new fall drink, called the Pecan Cortado, with Leiberman describing it as combining “fall flavors with our bold espresso.” Starbucks is also adding a fall menu item, Italian Sausage Egg Bites.
The rollout of the new fall menu comes amid CEO Brian Niccol‘s “Back to Starbucks” campaign, which he rolled out in September of last year to increase foot traffic in the chain’s stores and revive sales.
The rise of PSL
Starbucks introduced the drink in 2003 after a months-long brainstorming session to create the company’s first fall beverage. Led by Peter Dukes, who is credited as the father of the drink, the group’s goal was to match the success of the peppermint mocha.
Little did they know it would become their most popular seasonal beverage of all time. Since debuting over 20 years ago, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, also known by its initials PSL, has skyrocketed in popularity, with hundreds of millions of beverages sold.
“Nobody knew at the beginning what it would grow to be,” Dukes said in a story posted on the Starbucks website for the beverage’s 20-year anniversary. “Twenty years later, it’s taken on a life of its own.”
Starbucks initially considered naming the drink the fall harvest latte, but changed it to the Pumpkin Spice Latte “because the spices play a really important role in bringing out the flavors of pumpkin,” Dukes said in a Starbucks post.
The Starbucks-induced pumpkin craze led Merriam-Webster to add the “pumpkin spice” to the dictionary in 2022. It also prompted other chains like Dunkin’ and McDonald’s to introduce their own pumpkin-inspired beverages in 2007 and 2013, respectively.
Mentions of pumpkin spice on U.S. menus climbed nearly 34% from 2014 to 2024, according to Technomic, which tracks consumer and menu trends.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Mary Cunningham
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
