The leaves haven’t even begun to turn, but Starbucks already has autumn on tap—and this year, it’s leaning heavily dairy-free. With the return of its seasonal menu on August 26, the brand is doubling down on oat milk-based drinks, plant-forward creamers, and richly flavored at-home offerings designed for the pumpkin-obsessed.

At the center of the 2025 launch are the chain’s pecan-spiked oatcmilk drinks that nod to café culture’s deeper roots: the returning Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte and a new Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, an espresso-forward entry built for minimalist seasonal sipping. The chain is also adding its first Maple Pecan Latte Inspired Non-Dairy Creamer made with oat milk.

Starbucks

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Patrick Penny, lead beverage developer for Starbucks said in a statement that the flavors in this latte “evoke memories of the smell of freshly baked pecan pie, but also the warmth and connection of moments at home with family and friends.”  

From seasonal gimmick to cultural mainstay

What began two decades ago as an experiment to rival the peppermint mocha has grown into a category-defining phenomenon. The Pumpkin Spice Latte’s success has not only inspired copycats—from Dunkin’s pumpkin cold foam to Trader Joe’s overflowing fall aisles—but has also helped shape a billion-dollar market. Market research forecasts the US pumpkin spice segment will surpass $1.2 billion in 2025. Starbucks’s contribution is foundational, driven by both in-store sales and its fast-growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) line, which includes bottled lattes, cold brews, and creamers sold at national retailers.

The Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate, for instance, is now among the top-performing cold brew items in its category. Starbucks says stores in 2023 prepared over 90 million Pumpkin Cream Cold Brews, outselling the pumpkin spice latte. 

Starbucks

But even as the flavor proliferates, Starbucks remains the tone-setter, leveraging emotional resonance and impeccable timing. The appeal of the PSL lies in its association with seasonal change. For many, it signals the arrival of a new routine, cooler mornings, and the anticipation of upcoming holidays.

Starbucks’s real power move may lie not in what’s served in-store, but what lines grocery shelves. From Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate to two new non-dairy creamers and two richly aromatic coffee roasts, the chain is no longer just a barista’s destination.

The dairy-free dominance of 2025’s fall lineup

The Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte returns with oat milk, pecan syrup, Starbucks Blonde Espresso, and a brown sugar topping. New to the lineup is the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, which blends espresso with steamed oat milk and pecan syrup in equal parts, topped with a dusting of spiced sugar. 

The dairy-free focus extends into Starbucks’s grocery offerings, where oat milk and almond milk-based creamers now dominate its seasonal shelves. The new Maple Pecan Latte Inspired Non-Dairy Creamer—a Target exclusive—is a smooth oat milk blend with notes of candied pecan and golden maple. It joins the Pumpkin Spice Latte Inspired Non-Dairy Creamer, also oat milk-based, which offers an at-home version of the cult-classic beverage that first launched in stores more than twenty years ago.

Starbucks

Also in stores: a Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate (perfect for customizing with non-dairy milk at home), a Smoked Butterscotch Flavored Coffee with a warm, subtly sweet profile, and a Pumpkin Spice Flavored Coffee with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. 

Starbucks’s pivot toward oat milk-forward fall drinks is a response to shifting dietary preferences and climate-conscious values. Recent data found 70 percent of adults are aware of dairy-free options, and nearly half regularly make dairy-free purchases.

In response, Starbucks has spent the past five years redesigning its seasonal menus to include at least two non-dairy beverages in every limited-time offering cycle. By 2026, analysts expect that half of its seasonal drink menu could be dairy-free by default.