New Fall Flavors We’d Prefer to Pumpkin Spice

For as long as anyone can remember (granted, our collective memory seems to be pret-ty short these days), pumpkin spice has been THE flavor of fall. The official harbinger of chilly evenings and a burgeoning spooky season. But let’s face it—it’s getting played out. And, really, not everything needs to taste like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice—I think the release of Laughing Cow pumpkin spice gouda cheese might be evidence that the trend has run its course.

In the spirit of identifying what’s new and next in autumnal eats, we asked Sporked readers to tell us what the next big fall flavor should be. Who knows—maybe next year we’ll all be eating little spreadable cheese wedges that taste like candy corn or caramel apple! Anything’s possible these days, for better or worse! Of the 100-or-so reader-submitted ideas, these were the most popular / our faves.

Apple (variations include: spiced apple cider, apple pie, caramel apple, honeycrisp apple, apple crisp, and candy apple)
Candy corn
Cranberry or cranberry orange or cranberry clove or cranberry spiced cider
Pralines and cream
Maple pecan
Black sesame and honey
Chai (or apple chai)
London fog
Pear or spiced pear

People who weren’t taking this exercise seriously:

Motor oil
Crunchy fall leaves

What should be the new flavor of fall?

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.