From gourmet bananas to cookie butter indulgence, the fall flavor landscape is expanding, and the competition is heating up.
“While pumpkin spice still dominates fall, we’re seeing more competition emerging from flavors like cookie butter in winter and banana in warmer months, creating a year-round rotation of ‘hero’ coffee flavors,” says Alyssa Williams, food and beverage category insights manager at Spate.
Spate research highlights the trend.
Searches across Google and TikTok show Banana + Coffee is up +76.0% year-over-year (YoY), with banana lattes skyrocketing +143.1% quarter over quarter–though they tend to peak in spring and summer before tapering off in cooler months. Pumpkin + Coffee remains the seasonal powerhouse, up +39.0% YoY. Meanwhile, Cookie Butter + Coffee has emerged as the breakout star, surging +303.9% YoY with strong winter seasonality.
Banana goes gourmet
While Spate research predicts a drop-off for banana, the flavorists at Phoenix Flavors and Fragrances sees potential to carry banana into fall by elevating it with warm, seasonal notes:
“Banana is quite versatile, so think of adding accents of cinnamon & spice, nuts, brown sugar, maple syrup or honey to take the banana trend to a whole new level,” Senior Flavorist Brandon Olsen shares.
Phoenix’s seasonal concepts include:
- Cinnamon Banana Churro
- Fried Bananas Foster
- Banana Maple Chai
- Queen Bee-nana (honey, banana and macadamia nut)
- White Chocolate Banana
They are even suggesting a Banana Spice Latte as a cheeky challenger to PSL’s reign.
Seasonal science behind the sips
For Debbie Cole, consumer market insights manager at Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing North America, the key to fall flavor success lies in tying products to sensory and emotional cues.
“According to our primary seasonal flavors study, other tastes strongly linked to Autumn include almond, apple, blackberry, candy corn, carrot, ginger, pear, plum, rum and toffee. Culinary cues such as ‘roasted’ and ‘spiced’ also evoke the season. Combining these elements – for example, spiced apple or roasted carrot – can deepen the sensory connection to Fall and amplify consumer appeal," she explained.
This insight comes to life in the marketplace with ready-to-eat oat brand Brekki, which channels the cozy, nostalgic cues Cole describes in its crisp autumn morning-inspired flavor, Apples & Cinnamon.
GT’s Living Foods has also tapped into these seasonal drivers with two kombucha offerings: Honeycrisp Apple, described as a “gut healthy twist on the beloved apple cider staple,” and the returning Fall-Edition Living in Gratitude, inspired by “the thankful season” and crafted with Honeycrisp apple, carrot juice, turmeric, clove and cinnamon.
Global influence
Global cuisines, particularly Asian, are shaping American palates.
Lionel Hitchen Marketing Manager Fran Padgham points to the rising demand for miso, black sesame, ube and yuzu.
Yuzu is a citrus native to Japan and Korea and delivers blended notes of mandarin, grapefruit and lemon in a bright, sophisticated profile that works in both sweet and savory applications.
In the US, it has grown nearly 30% on menus over the past four years and is projected to outpace 96% of all other ingredients through 2028, according to Datassential reporting.
With this momentum in mind, it is no shock that Monin has named the yuzu the 2025 Flavor of the Year.
“Yuzu is a vibrant fruit, in both flavor and color. Its premium, sophisticated citrus profile elevates beverage and culinary creations,” says Stasha Johnston, senior VP of marketing at Monin Americas. “It delivers flavor, texture and visual appeal that today’s consumers – especially those influenced by social media – are seeking.”
From yuzu lemonades to cocktails paired with local herbs, Monin predicts operators will pair this exotic citrus with familiar fruits like peach, coconut and blueberry to create offerings that are seasonal, globally inspired and visually irresistible.
A more diverse fall menu
Pumpkin spice will always be the go-to comfort classic, but the flavor landscape is broadening. If the numbers hold, 2025 may mark the shift from one flavor’s reign to a rotating cast of seasonal favorites – keeping consumers curious and engaged year-round.
