TikTok's New Starbucks Trend Gives Pumpkins A New Purpose

One of the best parts of fall, for many autumn lovers, is picking out and carving pumpkins. Maybe you like to buy just one large pumpkin for that year's jack-o'-lantern, or perhaps you want to buy a bunch of small pumpkins to scatter around your home. (For either of these purposes, you can find the best pumpkin at the pumpkin patch with an easy knock test.) But there's another purpose for pumpkins you may not have thought of: Using them as a fun cup to instantly elevate your drink and make it more festively fall-themed.

There's a trend going around TikTok where Starbucks customers bring in one small pumpkin that has already been carved out (so that it is now hollow, like a round mug) and then ask the barista to make their drink in said pumpkin. In one TikTok, the Starbucks customer nicely asks, via the drive thru, if they'll make her drink in a pumpkin — much to the excitement of the barista, who then enthusiastically follows through with the request. The drink is topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. The result is the most autumn-looking beverage you've likely ever seen.

There are other similar videos going around of customers participating in the trend. Meanwhile, the comments are full of people who love the idea. In the comments of one of the videos, someone wrote, "Stop that's soooo cute!!" Another commenter wrote, "This is everything to me," and another declared, "The right way to get Starbucks."

While you can use the carved pumpkin hack to ask for any drink at Starbucks, you'd be remiss not to consider ordering something from the fall menu. Of course, there's the obvious choice for the carved pumpkin cup: a pumpkin spice latte. You can't go wrong with such a classic choice. However, the Starbucks fall menu has more than just pumpkin spice.

There's the iced pumpkin cream chai or the pecan crunch oatmilk latte, both of which would make for fantastic candidates for the carved pumpkin cup trend. Other options for the autumnal theme include the cinnamon dulce latte or the caramel macchiato. Of course, if you like to keep your drinks simple, then there's nothing wrong with opting for a simple latte or even a classic brewed coffee in the carved pumpkin cup — the fact that you're participating in the pumpkin trend will make your drink feel more fall-like and festive.

And while this trend is making its way around Starbucks locations, you can also recreate this drink at home — either with your homemade coffee or with other types of drinks. It's the perfect vessel for homemade hot spiced apple cider. Or, for an evening drink, fill the carved pumpkin cup with one of these fall-themed cocktails that give you the taste of autumn.