Dunkin’ has beaten Starbucks to pumpkin spice again this year, the latest round in a rivalry the doughnut chain usually wins. Dunkin’ confirmed its comeback first, teasing the news in a slow Instagram reveal, before Starbucks followed with its own pumpkin spice announcement a day later. The full head-to-head record is even more lopsided than this year’s gap alone suggests.
Commenters skipped past the pumpkin news to ask about something else entirely: the Spider Donut and its social media takeover, a Halloween treat that debuted in 2017 and got its own online persona, Spidey D, in October 2024. It’s a small detail, but it says something about how closely regular customers track every seasonal reveal, sometimes caring more about what’s missing than what’s already confirmed.
A 6-day head start
Starbucks confirmed its own return a day later, setting the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s comeback for Aug. 25. Six days separate the two chains this year, a margin that has repeated in five of the last seven years, since 2020. Dunkin’ has beaten Starbucks to pumpkin spice in six of the past seven years, losing the race only once, in 2024, when Starbucks moved first by six days.
Dunkin’ keeps moving first
Dunkin’ has offered its pumpkin flavor swirl since 2007, and its Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte, introduced in 2020, is the centerpiece of a lineup the chain hasn’t fully detailed yet this year. What is confirmed is the date and the pattern behind it. Dunkin’ has consistently launched in mid-to-late August over the past six years, with dates ranging from Aug. 10 to Aug. 28. The one exception was 2024, when a later-than-usual Aug. 28 drop let Starbucks slip ahead by six days, breaking the pattern of Dunkin’ typically moving first.
Last year’s return included a new lineup featuring the Cereal N’ Milk Latte, so a similarly deep menu for 2026 would fit the chain’s recent habit, even though Dunkin’ has only confirmed the date so far.
What Starbucks is adding this year
Starbucks isn’t just bringing back the Pumpkin Spice Latte on Aug. 25. The company is adding the Chaider, a chai-and-cider hybrid available hot or iced, alongside new pumpkin drinks, including the Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, Pumpkin Spice Chai and Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha.
Returning favorites like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino round out the drink menu, while the chain is also launching a PSL Society merchandise collection built around drinkware and a hat for its most devoted customers. First introduced in 2003, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is still Starbucks’ most popular seasonal drink more than two decades later.
Where the race goes next
The pattern itself has become as much a story as the drinks. A six-day gap has repeated often enough this year to look deliberate rather than coincidental, even if the exact margin has shifted from year to year. If the last seven years are any indication, Dunkin’ heads into most autumns first, and Starbucks answers on its own timeline days or weeks later.
For now, both chains continue to set their own pumpkin launch dates rather than converging on one. Starbucks chair and CEO Brian Niccol has described the Pumpkin Spice Latte as the drink that defines the season for Starbucks, and the company has said it has no plans to sell it year-round. Keeping the drink seasonal gives Starbucks a fixed window to bring it back each year, while Dunkin’ has its own opportunity to turn its early date into an annual event.
What happens next year is anyone’s guess, since neither company has locked its date to a formula. But the tease itself, not just the drink, has become part of what keeps people watching. Coffee may be one of the few categories left where a release date alone counts as news, and pumpkin gives both chains a reason to test that theory every August.
Mandy Applegate is the creator behind Splash of Taste and seven other high-profile food and travel blogs. She’s also the co-founder of Food Drink Life Inc., a unique and highly rewarding collaborative blogger project. Her articles appear frequently on major online news sites, and she always has her eyes open to spot the next big trend.