Okay, so A&W’s pumpkin pie milkshake is back, and the trick behind it is kind of hilarious. It’s not pumpkin syrup. They literally blend real pumpkin pie into vanilla soft serve. Which means this copycat A&W pumpkin pie milkshake is about the easiest thing you’ll make all week: one slice of pie, a few scoops of vanilla ice cream, a splash of milk. Blend. Whipped cream, cherry, frosty glass. Five minutes, tops.
I tried the “blend the whole slice, crust and all” thing expecting a gloopy mess. Nope. The crust turns into these tiny buttery bits, and it tastes exactly like pie à la mode through a straw.
Grab your slice and let’s go. (And if you need the pie first, my pumpkin pie with canned pumpkin is the one I use.)
Quick Facts
- Makes: 2 shakes, about 14 oz (415 ml) each
- Time: 5 minutes, plus 15 minutes to frost the glasses (optional)
- Key ingredients: pumpkin pie, vanilla ice cream, whole milk
- Tools: blender, 2 tall glasses or mugs
- Make ahead: not really, shakes are best right away (tips below)
On this page: What’s in A&W’s version · Ingredients · How to make it · Thick vs. thin · No pie? Shortcut · Root beer float twist · FAQ
What’s in the A&W Pumpkin Pie Milkshake?
From what A&W has shared, it’s vanilla soft serve blended with actual pumpkin pie, then topped with whipped cream and a cherry. Dine in and it comes in their famous frosted glass mug. That’s the whole thing. Pretty genius, honestly.
It came back for the 2026 holiday season. A&W posted that it was “back for the season” around National Pumpkin Day (October 26), and a Yahoo taste test from October 29, 2026 priced it at $4.99 regular and $6.49 large. Catch? Only at participating locations. Their tester found it in Kentucky and Iowa but not Texas, so plenty of you won’t have one nearby.
Hence, this recipe. If you’ve never heard of the chain, it’s one of the oldest fast food brands in the US, best known for root beer. Wikipedia’s A&W page has the backstory.
Copycat A&W Pumpkin Pie Milkshake Ingredients
Full measurements in grams and cups are in the recipe card. Here’s what each thing does and what you can swap:
| Ingredient | What it does | Swap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 slice pumpkin pie (with crust) | All the flavor, plus crust bits | Store-bought pie is totally fine |
| Vanilla ice cream | Stands in for soft serve | Frozen custard, or vanilla bean for more flavor |
| Whole milk | Loosens it so it’ll blend | 2% milk, oat milk, or half-and-half for richer |
| Pumpkin pie spice (pinch) | Boosts the spice | Cinnamon alone |
| Whipped cream + cherry | The A&W look | Crushed graham crackers on top |
Real talk on the ice cream: soft serve is airier and a bit less sweet than most tubs. So I use a plain, good-quality vanilla, not one with swirls or chunks. And I let it sit on the counter about 5 minutes so the blender doesn’t have to fight it.
How to Make a Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
- Frost the glasses (optional but so fun). Pop two tall glasses or mugs in the freezer for 15 minutes. That’s your homemade version of the A&W frosty mug.
- Soften the ice cream 5 minutes on the counter. Scoopable, not melty.
- Milk first. Sounds fussy, I know, but the order really does matter, because when the ice cream ends up on the bottom the blade just whirs around in its own little air cave doing nothing at all. So it’s milk, then the torn-up pie, then the ice cream on top.
- Pulse a few times and then I let it go for something like 30 seconds, until it looks smooth and still holds a ridge when I stop the motor. A few little crust flecks are good. Over-blend and it goes thin and soupy, because the motor heat melts the ice cream.
- Into the glasses. I go heavy on the whipped cream, plop the cherry on, sometimes shake a little cinnamon over it. Fat straw. Drink fast before anyone asks for a sip.
Never made a milkshake at home? It’s really hard to mess up. Worst case it’s a bit thin, and you just toss in another scoop.
RECIPE
Copycat A&W Pumpkin Pie Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cold whole milk 120 ml
- 1 slice baked pumpkin pie, chilled 1/8 of a 9-inch pie, about 155 g, crust included
- 3 cups vanilla ice cream about 400 g (6 large scoops), softened 5 minutes
- 1 pinch pumpkin pie spice optional
- whipped cream for topping
- 2 maraschino cherries for topping
Method
- Place 2 tall glasses or mugs in the freezer for 15 minutes to frost them (optional).
- Let the vanilla ice cream sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, until scoopable but not melting.
- Pour the cold milk into the blender first. Add the pumpkin pie slice broken into small chunks, then the ice cream and the pinch of pumpkin pie spice.
- Pulse 4 or 5 times, then blend about 30 seconds, just until smooth and thick with tiny flecks of crust. Avoid over-blending, which thins the shake.
- If the shake is too thin, add another scoop of ice cream and pulse twice. If too thick to blend, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Pour into the frosted glasses, top with whipped cream and a cherry, and serve right away with wide straws.
Nutrition
Notes
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!How to Get It Thick Like a Restaurant Shake
Thin shakes are the number one complaint with homemade milkshakes. It’s almost always too much milk or too much blending. Here’s the ratio chart I go by, per one slice of pie:
| Texture you want | Ice cream | Milk | Blend time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spoon-thick (Blizzard style) | 3 cups (about 400 g) | 1/4 cup (60 ml) | 20 seconds, pulsing |
| Classic straw shake | 3 cups (about 400 g) | 1/2 cup (120 ml) | 30 seconds |
| Easy sipper | 2 1/2 cups (about 330 g) | 3/4 cup (180 ml) | 30 to 40 seconds |
A frozen pie slice helps too. I’ll sometimes wrap a slice and freeze it for an hour before blending. Frozen pie basically counts as more ice cream. Colder shake, thicker shake, and the crust keeps a little crunch.
Already too thin? Don’t add ice, it just waters it down. What saves it is one more scoop of ice cream and a quick couple of pulses.
No Pumpkin Pie? Here’s the Shortcut
Craving it but no pie in the house? Totally doable. Instead of the slice, I toss in 1/2 cup (120 g) pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, and two graham cracker sheets crushed up. The grahams stand in for the crust. It’s not quite the same (pie has that baked custardy thing going on), but it’s close and really good.
Made your own puree? It works great here, just drain it so it’s thick. My guide on how to make pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkin walks you through it.
Plain pumpkin puree, by the way, not pumpkin pie filling from a can, unless you skip the brown sugar and spice. Pie filling already has both in there.
Why People Are Hunting for This Shake Right Now
Searches for the A&W pumpkin pie milkshake jumped into “Breakout” territory on Google Trends in the days around its return, which basically means a sudden spike from almost nothing. Makes sense. It’s limited-time, it’s not everywhere, and the Yahoo tester even called it better than Dairy Queen’s version.
And that’s the thing with seasonal fast food. Once it’s gone, it’s gone till next fall. A homemade one doesn’t care what month it is. Freeze a few slices of leftover Thanksgiving pie and you can make this in January.
Turn It Into a Pumpkin Pie Root Beer Float
This one’s straight from A&W’s own playbook (and a classic root beer float is basically their whole brand). They suggest adding root beer to turn the shake into a pumpkin pie float. And yes, it’s as weird and great as it sounds. The vanilla and sassafras-y root beer flavor actually plays really nicely with pumpkin spice.
Here’s how I do it. Fill the glass halfway with the shake. Slowly pour cold root beer down the side of the glass (tilted, like you’re pouring beer) until it foams up to the top. Pour fast and you get a foam volcano all over the counter. Learned that one the sticky way.
Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes
Shake Is Runny
Usually it’s one of three things. You poured in a bit too much milk, blended a bit too long, or let the ice cream get mushy. Either way, the answer’s the same: one more scoop and a couple quick pulses.
Blender Won’t Blend
That’s the air cave thing again. I turn it off, give everything a shove with a long spoon, and if it’s still stubborn I add maybe a tablespoon of milk and try again.
Tastes Flat
Some pies are just milder than others, especially store-bought. A pinch of pumpkin pie spice brings it back, and so does the tiniest bit of salt, which sounds odd until you taste the difference.
Big Chunks of Crust
Smaller pieces going in means smaller pieces coming out, so tear it up more next time, or hit pulse a couple extra times. I kinda like a few bits, though. That’s the pie part!
Fun Variations to Try
For a grown-up night, I’ve stirred about an ounce (30 ml) of bourbon into each glass, and spiced rum is just as good. If you’re more of a coffee person, cool down a shot of espresso and blend it in, and maybe use a spoonful of homemade pumpkin spice syrup in place of the dry spice, which pushes it into latte territory.
And if there’s a lonely pumpkin cheesecake bar sitting in your fridge, blend that instead of pie. It comes out thick and tangy and kind of ridiculous, in the best way.
Dairy-free: oat milk plus a dairy-free vanilla frozen dessert. Check that your pie crust and filling work for you too, since most pumpkin pie has eggs and milk.
Storing Leftover Pie (and Shakes)
Since pumpkin pie is really a custard pie, it belongs in the fridge, and the USDA says two hours at room temperature is the limit before it hits the danger zone. Covered in the fridge, it’s good for 3 to 4 days, according to the FoodSafety.gov chart. For shakes later, freeze single slices wrapped tight, up to 1 to 2 months.
Leftover shake? Popsicle molds! Kids love that. You can also freeze it in a cup and re-blend with a splash of milk later. It’s fine. Not as good as fresh, but fine.
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake FAQ
Does A&W really put pumpkin pie in the milkshake?
Yep, real pie. A&W describes it as vanilla soft serve blended with actual pumpkin pie, finished with whipped cream and a cherry. So you’re tasting baked pumpkin custard and crust, not a squirt of pumpkin spice syrup.
How much is the A&W pumpkin pie milkshake?
In a Yahoo taste test from late October 2026, it was $4.99 for a regular and $6.49 for a large. Your price could be different, though. And since it’s only at participating restaurants, peek at your local A&W menu before you drive over.
Can I use store-bought pumpkin pie?
Absolutely, I do it all the time. A grocery bakery pie works great. If you’ve got a frozen unbaked one, bake it fully and chill it before it goes anywhere near the blender.
Do you blend the crust too?
Yep, that’s the best part. The crust breaks into tiny buttery bits that make it taste like real pie. Don’t want any texture? Use the filling only and add a crushed graham cracker on top.
Can I make it without a blender?
Sort of. Mash the pie with a fork, then stir it into well-softened ice cream with a little milk in a big bowl. It’ll be chunkier, more like a spoonable pie sundae, but still really tasty.
How many calories are in a homemade pumpkin pie milkshake?
Our version comes out around 630 calories per 14-ounce shake with whipped cream. That’s an estimate and depends a lot on the ice cream and pie you use. Light ice cream and 2% milk bring it down.
Blend One Tonight
Last tip: keep a couple of wrapped pie slices in the freezer all season. Then a shake is never more than five minutes away. Made it? Tap a star on the recipe card and tell me in the comments if you tried the root beer float. Pin it for Thanksgiving leftovers, and check out the rest of our pumpkin recipes while you’re at it.
