Juicy Couture, Ed Hardy, and other early aughts labels may be making their way back into fashion, but the pumpkin spice craze never quite lost its sheen. This season, we’re once again embracing that nostalgic taste of fall, and Atlanta’s bakeries, cafes, and scoop shops are answering the call.
From a 100-layer doughnut to pumpkin cheesecake dip and plenty of pumpkin bread, these are the pumpkin treats worth seeking out around Atlanta this fall.
Laylo Cafe: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Pumpkin Bread
This Chamblee bakery is known for its intricate “knitted” desserts, but its fall loaf skips the fuss and keeps the cozy vibes. Laylo Cafe’s pumpkin bread swaps gluten and dairy for seasonal squash and warming fall spices, removing the allergens and keeping all the flavor. Order a Sweet Cinnamon Latte to complement those pumpkin notes and enjoy a quiet fall morning. 5180 Peachtree Blvd., Ste. 495, Chamblee, laylocafe.com
Little Tart Bakeshop: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scone with Maple Icing
Gluten-free eaters have spent enough autumns watching everyone else order baked goods. Little Tart Bakeshop’s seasonal gluten-free scone gets a pumpkin makeover this fall, topped with maple icing and a scattering of pumpkin seeds for crunch. Find it at the original Grant Park bakery, as well as the Krog and Summerhill locations. Multiple locations, littletartatl.com
Five Daughters Bakery: Pumpkin Spice Latte 100 Layer Doughnut
Pumpkin spice lattes have had a good run, but Five Daughters wants them in doughnut form. For its October flavor drop, the Nashville-based bakery takes its famous 100-layer doughnut, rolls it in coffee sugar, and infuses it with pumpkin-coffee cream cheese whip. Pumpkin spice frosting, a dollop of vanilla cream, and a dusting of cinnamon and ground coffee crown the top. Grab one (or a few) at Avalon, Westside Provisions, or Ponce City Market. Multiple locations, fivedaughtersbakery.com
Sugar Shane’s: Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bar
A pumpkin spice cookie and a layer of cheesecake walk into a bar. At Sugar Shane’s, they stay there. Part of the cookie shop’s fall menu drop, the Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bar stacks a soft pumpkin spice cookie base under creamy cheesecake filling and streaks sweet maple glaze across the top. It’s rolling out across the three metro locations (Midtown, Kennesaw, and Sandy Springs), so call ahead before you go hunting. Multiple locations, sugarshanes.com
Flour + Time: Pumpkin Bread
Soft crumble on top, cinnamon swirl through the middle: this pumpkin bread has layers, and it’s entirely vegan. Leah and Michael Bajalia started Flour + Time in 2020 in their apartment kitchen, where Leah turned nostalgic favorites into vegan baked goods. Now the West Midtown shop slices its pumpkin bread fresh for fall. The goods are small-batch and tend to sell out, so call ahead. 1133 Huff Rd. NW, Ste. F, Atlanta, flourandtimebakery.com
Dips Kitchen: Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Dip
Dips Kitchen, the Krog Street Market spot that turns dips into full meals, saves room for dessert—and of course dessert is a dip. Pumpkin puree and cheesecake blend into a creamy base finished with caramel drizzle and toasted pepitas for salty crunch. Cookie dippers come on the side, but we won’t judge if you bring a spoon. 99 Krog St. NE, Atlanta, dipsdipsdips.com
La Niña Ice Cream Factory: Pumpkin Milkshake
La Niña’s creamy pumpkin ice cream was just begging to become a milkshake, so the family-owned chain delivered. Served in a reusable cup lined with caramel drizzle, this shake carries all the warming spices you’d expect from a fall treat, dolloped with whipped cream for good measure. Eight statewide locations make it easy to grab one before the season ends. Multiple locations, ice-cream-factory.com
Foxtail Coffee Co.: Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll
For anyone who orders a cinnamon roll mostly for the icing, Foxtail has your ideal fall treat. The coffee shop’s classic cinnamon-sugar roll gets a seasonal makeover with a generous coat of pumpkin cream cheese slathered on top. Find it at any of Foxtail’s 10 Georgia locations. Multiple locations, foxtailcoffee.com
Revolution Doughnuts & Coffee: Pumpkin Oat Streusel Doughnut
Revolution’s October menu goes all in on pumpkin, transforming scratch-made doughs and glazes for fall. The headliner is the Pumpkin Oat Streusel, a vegan-friendly, yeast-raised doughnut coated in pumpkin glaze and topped with house-made oat streusel. If you’re buying a second, the Pumpkin Pie Custard and Pumpkin Old Fashioned cake doughnut round out the lineup. Multiple locations, revolutiondonuts.com
Cupcakin’ Bake Shop: Drunken Pumpkin Cupcake
Pumpkin cake, cream cheese frosting, and caramel are a classic fall trio, and the Drunken Pumpkin adds two twists: candied pumpkin seeds for crunch and bourbon-infused caramel for a Southern kick. It’s one of Cupcakin’ Bake Shop’s October flavors of the month, available at the Colony Square shop through Saturday, October 31. 1197 Peachtree St. NE, Ste. 180, Atlanta, cupcakinbakeshop.com
Tutti Gelati: Pumpkin Spice Gelato
The Rainbow Crosswalk gets all the Instagram glory, but the better reason to cross Piedmont Avenue might be Tutti Gelati. The family-run shop makes its small-batch gelato in-house, and pumpkin spice is back in the case this fall, scooped up with a dusting of cinnamon on top. Grab a cup and take it for a stroll through Piedmont Park. 1001 Piedmont Ave. NE, Ste. 101, Atlanta, tuttigelatiatl.com
Jeff’s Bagel Run: Pumpkin Bagel with Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese
A pumpkin treat before 10 a.m. is easy to justify when it comes on a bagel. The pumpkin spice bagel at Jeff’s is made with real pumpkin, best enjoyed with a schmear of limited-edition whipped cream cheese flavored with pumpkin spice and cinnamon. Plant-based eaters can swap in the shop’s vegan pumpkin spice spread. The Central Florida-based chain bakes its bagels in-house and serves them hot, with Atlanta-area shops in Acworth and Cumming. Multiple locations, jeffsbagelrun.com
Flaky Not Flaky: “Just Pumpkin” Sconut
This Downtown bakery built its name on the Sconut, a baked hybrid with pillowy, scone-like layers and a soft, doughnut-like sweetness. This fall, Flaky Not Flaky’s “Just Pumpkin” version piles homemade pumpkin pie filling onto a vanilla bean Sconut—simple and comforting. It’s in and out of the cafe’s lineup, so order ahead online (parking at the shop is validated) or look for it at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market on Saturdays. Truist Plaza food court, 303 Peachtree Center Ave. NE, Atlanta, flakynotflaky.com
Mozart Bakery: Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin roll is a fall classic, and Mozart Bakery’s Korean-style take gives it a spot in the pastry case alongside the bakery’s other sweet treats. Pumpkin paste gives this sweet treat a hefty dose of fall flavor and comes sliced for an easy grab-and-go taste of autumn. Find it at the Duluth flagship or other metro Atlanta locations, including Doraville, Suwanee, and Buford. Multiple locations, cafemozartbakery.com
The Salty: Pumpkin Butter Cheesecake Donut
This former Miami pop-up saw the average pumpkin cake donut and said, “hold my beer.” Built on 24-hour brioche dough rolled with cinnamon and tossed in pumpkin spice sugar, the Pumpkin Butter Cheesecake Donut goes all out for fall with swirls of cream cheese frosting and housemade pumpkin butter. The result is part cinnamon roll, part fried fair food, all worth the calories. Multiple locations, saltydonut.com
