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After more than thirty years off the national menu, the fried McDonald's apple pie returned on 23 June 2026 for a limited time. Two US locations never stopped selling it.
The baked McDonald's apple pie is 230 calories and on the permanent menu. The fried version returned to participating restaurants nationwide on 23 June 2026 for a limited time. It had been off the national menu since September 1992.
The fried McDonald's apple pie is the item fans have asked for more consistently than any other, and 2026 is the first year the company has answered at national scale. The return was tied to America's 250th birthday, which means it was framed as a moment rather than a permanent change. This page covers whether you can still get one, how the fried and baked versions differ, the two American restaurants that never stopped selling the fried pie, and where the recipe actually came from. Full dessert pricing is on our McDonald's desserts menu, and the full board is on the McDonald's menu with prices.
It returned on 23 June 2026 at participating restaurants nationwide, billed as a limited-time item with no published end date. That was a summer promotion tied to America's 250th birthday, so if you want one, treat it as something that could disappear without notice.
The two versions of the McDonald's apple pie share a filling but not a pastry. The fried version has a blistered, bubbled crust that shatters when you bite it. The baked one has a smoother, softer shell that holds its shape. Anyone who remembers both will tell you they are not the same product.
McDonald's tied it to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 2026, marketing the pie as a national object rather than a menu item, complete with a 35-foot installation. Framing it as a moment rather than a menu change also means the company has not committed to keeping it.
While the rest of America ate the baked McDonald's apple pie for thirty-three years, two parts of the country kept the fried one continuously. Each for a completely different reason.
Hawaii and several Asian markets also sell a fried taro pie, with a purple filling and the same blistered crust. It has no US mainland equivalent and is one of the more distinctive regional items McDonald's runs. Menus by market are on our McDonald's international menu page.
The baked pie is 230 calories and around $2.29. It is one of the lighter desserts on the menu, beaten only by the chocolate chip cookie at 170 and matched roughly by the vanilla cone at 200.
Contains wheat. The fried version is cooked in shared oil at most restaurants, so cross-contact applies. Full detail on our McDonald's allergen menu.
The McDonald's apple pie was not invented by the company. Litton Cochran, an owner-operator in East Tennessee, was selling fried apple hand pies at his Knoxville restaurants in the 1960s. They sold so well locally that McDonald's took the idea national.
McDonald's runs seasonal pies alongside the apple: a Holiday Pie with festive sprinkles in December and a pumpkin pie in autumn, both at selected restaurants only. Neither is national, and both appear and vanish without much announcement. More on our McDonald's desserts menu page.
Prices are a national midpoint recorded from restaurant menu boards in August 2026 and vary by location. Baked pie nutrition is McDonald's published US data. McDonald's announcement of the return is on its corporate newsroom, and the full board is on our McDonald's menu with prices.
Yes. It returned to participating US restaurants on 23 June 2026 for a limited time, marking America's 250th anniversary. It was the first national run since September 1992. McDonald's gave no end date, so check the app before making a trip.
230 for the baked version, with 16g of sugar. That makes it the lowest-sugar dessert on the menu. McDonald's has not published a figure for the 2026 fried version, but it will be higher.
The US switched to baked in September 1992 over health concerns, as public appetite for fried food fell. A practical barrier has kept it away since: the fried version needs its own dedicated fryer, where the baked one is simply reheated.
Hawaii, where every restaurant kept the fried version after customers rejected the baked pie in 1992, and the Downey, California restaurant — the third McDonald's ever opened and the oldest still trading. Fried pies are also standard across Hong Kong and much of Asia.
The pastry. The fried version has a blistered, bubbled crust that shatters when bitten; the baked one has a smoother, softer shell. Both use the same American-grown apple filling, but people who remember both say they are not the same product.
Around $2.29 for the baked version at our national midpoint. The fried version has generally been priced slightly higher. Franchisees set their own dessert prices, so expect some variation.
Litton Cochran, an owner-operator in East Tennessee, who was selling fried apple hand pies at his Knoxville restaurants in the 1960s. It went national in 1968 — the same year as the Big Mac — and was McDonald's first dessert of any kind.
No. It contains wheat and is not marketed as vegan in the US. The fried version is cooked in shared oil at most restaurants, so cross-contact applies too. Full detail on our allergen menu.
A purple-filled version sold in Hawaii and across several Asian markets, using the same blistered fried crust. It has no US mainland equivalent. More regional items on our international menu page.
McDonald's has not said. It was announced as a limited-time item tied to a specific national anniversary rather than a permanent menu change, and the fryer space problem that caused its removal has not gone away.
Prices shown are based on typical U.S. McDonald’s menu prices as of August 2026 and may vary by location. Check your local restaurant or McDonald’s app for the latest prices.