Food & Beverage

Pumpkin spice lattes are back — earlier than ever

Starbucks may lead the way, but fast casuals around the world are still carving out a place for pumpkin-based menu items.

Provided

August 24, 2021

For nearly two decades, the return of pumpkin at Starbucks has signaled the start of the fall season, and it's back earlier than ever this year.

Starting Tuesday, (Aug. 24, a day earlier than last year) pumpkin returns to Starbucks stores across the U.S. and Canada, featuring Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Pumpkin Cream Cold Brews. Seasonal fall bakery items Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and Pumpkin Scone will also return to join the Pumpkin Loaf, which is available year-round in the U.S., according to a company press release.

Starbucks is celebrating the season with the Pumpkin Love O' Meter, a digital pumpkin personality quiz that invites Starbucks customers to find out just how much of a pumpkin lover they really are.

What's in the cup?
The Pumpkin Spice Latte combines Starbucks espresso and steamed milk with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. It comes hot or iced and topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices.

Returning to the menu for the third year, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is crafted with Starbucks Cold Brew, sweetened with vanilla-flavored syrup, topped with a pumpkin cream cold foam made with real pumpkin and dusted with a pumpkin spice topping.

What's in the bag?
Starbucks is also introducing two Starbucks Reserve whole bean coffees — Starbucks Reserve Vietnam Da Latto and Starbucks Reserve Costa Rica Naranjo — to 3,200 company-operated stores in the U.S.

Notes of bittersweet chocolate and dried orange peel characterize Starbucks Reserve Vietnam Da Lat, according to the release. Anchored by the city of Da Lat, Vietnam's Lam Dong Province provides a dreamlike setting for coffee cultivation — with mist-shrouded pine forests, cool temperatures and volcanic soil. Farmers load just-picked coffee cherries onto small motorbikes and travel over rugged terrain to deliver high-quality crops.

With notes of apricot and almond, Starbucks Reserve Costa Rica Naranjo celebrates coffee's vitality in the Naranjo region where smallholder farmers in the Naranjo Cooperative worked together to produce this elevated lot rooted in community pride.

Pumpkin fans may also find a variety of pumpkin spice-flavored ready-to-drink products online and in grocery stores. Options include Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Flavored Non-Dairy Creamer and Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate.

Found "not only" at Starbucks
Fast casuals around the world are buzzing about pumpkin. See below for a round-up of other pumpkin-related menu items.

Smoothie King
Smoothie King, which has nearly 1,100 locations, is featuring five pumpkin smoothie options this fall, including a Keto Champ Pumpkin.

Made with organic pumpkin, which is naturally high in vitamin A and fiber, the smoothies are available Aug. 31. They are also high in protein, contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and are blended with specific lifestyle and fitness goals in mind, according to a company press release.

Menu options include:

Keto Champ Pumpkin: For a carb-conscious pumpkin fix, it has 9 net grams carbs, over 10 grams of protein and no added sugar. It's made with Califia Farms almond milk, organic pumpkin, almond butter, a keto protein blend and seasonal spices.
Pumpkin Coffee High Protein: This protein-rich, fitness-focused smoothie is made with organic pumpkin, cold brew coffee, dates, almonds, non-fat milk, protein and seasonal spices. Plus, it has more than 1.5 times the protein and about half the sugar of a Pumpkin Spice Latte as it's sweetened with dates.
Vegan Pumpkin: This plant-based blend is made with Califia Farms oatmilk, organic pumpkin, bananas, dates, Sunwarrior organic plant-based protein, stevia and seasonal spices.
Slim-N-Trim Pumpkin: It contains less than 240 calories per 20 ounce serving and is made with ingredients like organic pumpkin, bananas, dates, protein, a fiber blend and seasonal spices for the perfect combo of nutrition and flavor.
Pumpkin D-Lite: It features organic pumpkin, dates, vanilla frozen yogurt, nonfat milk, protein and seasonal spices.

Clean Juice
Charlotte-based Clean Juice has brought back a few fall favorites, including the Pumpkin One smoothie, Fall Bowl (acai bowl), Golden Latte and Pumpkin Spice Latte.

While other major chains fill their pumpkin-themed drinks with sugary syrups, artificial sweeteners, and hidden additives, Clean Juice remains firm in its commitment to organic fruits andvegetables to their guests with none of the additives, GMOs or harmful pesticides, CEO Landon Eckles said in a company press release. Only USDA-certified organic sweeteners like maple syrup make it into their blenders.

"Clean Juice loves to serve pumpkin, particularly organic pumpkin without harmful additives or pesticides, to our guests in a full line-up of nutritional smoothies, lattes, and acai bowls," he said. "Specialized fruits and vegetables from each major season are gifts to be celebrated and we look forward to putting a smile on our guests' faces."

The Pumpkin Featured Items include all-organic ingredients and are proudly backed by Clean Juice's transparent USDA-certified organic label.

The Pumpkin One Smoothie features organic pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, banana, vanilla, maple syrup and almond milk.
The Fall Bowl comes with acai blended with organic pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin spice, almond milk and is topped with granola, banana and pumpkin seeds.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte features coconut milk, pumpkin, coconut sugar, arabica coffee, MCT oil powder, lion's mane mushroom dual extract, reishi mushroom dual extract, Chaga mushroom dual extract, Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla and clove.
The Golden Latte has coconut milk powder, coconut water, turmeric, Ceylon cinnamon, ginger, turmeric extract, cardamom, Himalayan pink salt, ground vanilla and black pepper extract.

Jamba
It appears that Jamba was over summer before any other chain, launching its Pumpkin Smash Smoothie online-only on Aug. 10.

Made with Jamba's original pumpkin spice blend, including pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg, Jamba's plant-based smoothie features oat milk and So Delicious Dairy Free oatmilk frozen dessert, while the classic version combines 2% milk and fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt.

The smoothies are now available in stores through Nov. 15 while supplies last.

Jamba, which was founded in 1990 in San Luis Obispo, California, has more than 850 locations in 36 U.S. states, as well as Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia.

SweetFrog sweetFrog's Pumpkin Pie frozen yogurt
To celebrate the coming of cooler weather and colorful leaves, SweetFrog is serving Pumpkin Pie-flavored frozen yogurt starting Wednesday through Oct. 31, according to a company press release.

"There is nothing better than enjoying a homemade pie during fall festivities," said Brittany Goetz, national marketing manager for Kahala Brands, the parent company of SweetFrog. "With the taste of tradition, spice, and all things nice, our Pumpkin Pie frozen yogurt is everything you could want in a dessert this season."