October 21, 2025 – For many consumers in the global food and beverage market, seasonal flavors evoke feelings of comfort and nostalgia. While pumpkin spice is a fall staple, this year, seasonal flavors are evolving into more layered experiences, providing opportunities for brands to leverage the season in their new product developments. Fall flavors are also extending beyond desserts to other categories, with new launches bringing cozy flavors to products that are incorporated into consumers’ daily routines. Innova’s report “Trending in Fall Flavors- Global” delves into the current trends influencing fall flavors and what they mean to consumers.
Expand Beyond Pumpkin Spice
While pumpkin spice remains a core fall flavor, new flavors are emerging across regions, presenting brands with opportunities to localize flavors, so they resonate with consumers across the globe. In North America, the pecan flavor is a breakout star. According to DoorDash’s recent fall flavors trending report, pecan flavored orders have surged, with a 28% increase year after year. In addition, classic flavors like apple, caramel, and cinnamon also remain favorites among consumers, and dual flavor innovation, such as combining pumpkin spice with pecan, could help brands seize a competitive edge.
Seize Regional Flavor Trends
Brands are tapping into authentic regional flavors to boost innovation across Europe and Asia. In the European market, speculoos, hazelnut-cocoa, and chestnut cream lead autumn bakery launches. In Asia, taro, red bean, and sweet potato are among the favored flavors of the fall season. Globally, citrus is also an emerging flavor trend, as blood orange and mandarin flavors can bring a layer of brightness to fall beverages, desserts, and candies.
Cross-Category Innovations
Brands are also tapping into versatile formats that enable consumers to easily incorporate nostalgic flavors into products across categories. For instance, McCormick’s Limited Edition Finishing Sugars can be sprinkled into any recipe, making them ideal additions for beverages, snacks, or desserts alike. Their apple cider, pumpkin, spice, or maple brown sugar varieties unlock opportunities for consumers to incorporate fall into any food or beverage experience, highlighting an avenue to combine convenience and creativity for consumers.
Tap into At-Home Rituals
For many global consumers, coffee is an integral part of their morning rituals. As a result, products, such as seasonal ground coffee or pods, emphasize an opportunity to marry accessible formats with nostalgic flavor profiles. Brands like Starbucks are tapping into the breakfast habits of consumers, offering butterscotch and pumpkin spice blends of their ground coffee. Launching limited edition fall ground coffees meets demand for at-home seasonal brews, enabling consumers to create their favorite fall beverages like pumpkin spice lattes or cold brews at home. Coffee creamers are also evolving into vehicles for fall flavor delivery. They extend indulgent, cafe-like experiences into consumer homes, turning everyday coffees into festive moments.
Blend Nostalgia & Health Trends
According to Innova’s consumer research, brands can capitalize on consumer demand by launching products that balance indulgence with better-for-you claims. This allows brands to present health-driven options for conscious consumers and nostalgic flavors that appeal to those looking for a seasonal treat. For example, yogurts, cereals, and protein bars provide opportunities to deliver functional treats with beloved flavors like pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon for global consumers. Protein powders are even joining the mix, offering a path to premium positioning and purposeful nutrition.
Rethink Dairy Favorites
One of the fall flavor trend is to infuse fall flavors into dairy products like cheese to boost seasonal appeal. By pairing formats that consumers trust with fall flavors, brands are uncovering new usage occasions for their products through limited time offerings. The Laughing Cow, for example, has a limited-edition pumpkin spice cheese, and Philadelphia has turned its classic cream cheese spread into a fall favorite.
Spark “Buy-on-Sight” Moments
The limited-edition nature of fall flavors ignites what brands are calling “buy-on-sight” moments for global consumers. Especially in categories like chocolate, fall flavors promote emotional buying, as they can be linked to comfort, gifting, and nostalgia. Seasonal launches also create a sense of urgency. Thus, limited-edition launches can be an opportunity for manufacturers to test flavors and spark viral moments. For example, Ghirardelli is offering Jack O’Lantern-shaped chocolates filled with caramel and limited fall flavors of its popular milk chocolate products for consumers to purchase during the fall months.
Deliver Limited Edition, Ready to Drink Offerings
Another fall flavor trend includes fall-spiced RTD (ready to drink) cocktails and limited-release beers that also play into seasonal indulgence. Offering pumpkin spice and related profiles can not only build anticipation for brands but also boost loyalty and drive buzz. Devil’s BackBone Brewing Company is one example of a US brand that has created a pumpkin spice lager, layered with pumpkin pie spice extract for a decadent seasonal option consumers can enjoy.
What’s Next for Global Fall Flavor Trends?
Brands can expand their portfolios to include apple, maple, and chai flavors to broaden their offerings beyond pumpkin but still capture seasonal excitement. There is also ample opportunity to pair nostalgic, fall flavors with health-forward formats, such as plant-based and high protein to meet health-conscious consumers’ demands. Fall flavors can also expand into diverse categories including RTD coffee, snacks, and pet foods to turn seasonal flavors into multi-category growth.
This article is based on Innova’s Trending in Fall Flavors – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more.