While some people think of falling leaves, more think of coffee cups when pumpkin spice season returns. The market for these flavors hit about $1.1 billion in 2025 and could double to $2.2 billion by 2032. That’s a yearly jump of 10.4 percent. Experts point to pumpkin spice trends in seasonal marketing as a key driver. Chains and food makers push comforting scents and tastes every time temperatures drop.
Drinks still lead, yet cereals, snacks, and breads now carry the same spices. Growth is no longer just American; shoppers in parts of Europe and Asia are asking for the flavor too.
Spiced drinks still top sales, but cereals, snacks, and breads now join Europe and Asia in the pumpkin craze.
Starbucks still owns roughly twenty to twenty five percent of all pumpkin spice sales. Its famed Pumpkin Spice Latte draws the biggest line. For 2024 it added a vegan PSL to court plant based drinkers and placed the same flavor in grocery aisle bags of ground coffee. The Aug. 26 rollout signals it’s officially fall even before calendars flip.
Dunkin’ holds about twelve to fifteen percent share, pairing lattes with pumpkin spice muffins. Even Kraft Heinz stirred up talk by putting the mix into ketchup in 2024. Each move adds shelf space for the taste and widens the pumpkin spice trends.
Foot traffic data show the power of seasonal marketing. When Starbucks released its PSL in late August, visits leaped 24 percent compared to weeks before. The same release gave Dunkin’ and McDonald’s extra sales, a halo effect seen across the sector.
DoorDash lists Washington State as the fifth biggest per capita latte buyer in the country, and fast-growing pumpkin spice demand in India and China is quietly shaping global planning calendars.
Search traffic rose 49 percent in July 2025, weeks ahead of the official launch date.
Flavor tweaks keep arriving. Coffee creamers, chilled cans, and bakery goods now feature pumpkin chai or spicy “swicy” blends. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove remain core, yet companies layer in sharper notes.
Retail calendars stay tight: late August rollout, peak fall buzz, then quiet until next year.
