The Dunkalatte Disappeared From Dunkin’s Fall Menus — and We’ve Got Answers

"This isn’t a goodbye…it’s just ‘see you later.’"

No, it’s not just you or your Dunkin’ app — the seasonal Dunkalatte is actually in short supply. The beloved viral beverage has seemingly disappeared from the chain’s menus even before the end of the fall season.

Created with a little bit of magic (aka coffee milk), the espresso-based drink turned out to be a massive hit with the Dunkin’ crowd — and it now has fans wondering if it’s ever coming back. And we’re here to report that this might not be the last we see of the milkshake-like beverage. We touched base with Dunkin’s head of beverage culinary innovation, Heidi Curry, for the latest dish on this elusive latte.

The Dunkalatte: what is it?

At its core, the Dunkalatte is a (very meta) love letter to coffee. The drink’s main building block is coffee milk, a sweet beverage created by adding coffee extract or coffee syrup to whole milk to achieve an extra-velvety texture. Dunkin’ uses the leveled-up dairy as the base for an espresso latte, saying it “sips like a latte and tastes like a melty milkshake.”

Dunkin’ even tapped comedian and SNL alum Kristin Wiig for the rollout in a ’70s-inspired commercial slot, which aimed to clarify the exact definition of “coffee milk.”

It’s worth noting that this drink wasn’t born in the Dunkin’ drive-through — coffee milk has actually been enjoyed by Rhode Islanders since the mid-1930s and was codified as the state’s official beverage in 1993. Initial development for Dunkin’s spin started more than three years ago. Curry says their team took inspiration from that classic New England recipe to spin something authentically on-brand. A dozen or so recipes later, the Dunkalatte was born.

Related: Dunkin’s Ringing in the Holiday Season With 5 Festive Drinks and the Return of a Fan-Favorite Treat

All that effort was for good reason: The fandom behind this syrupy-sweet coffee milk is undeniably strong. On the brand’s Instagram account, dozens of commenters have seemingly bypassed the coffee chain’s increasingly chaotic marketing efforts in favor of petitioning to “bring back the Dunkalatte!” Meanwhile, Redditors search for details on the r/DunkinDonuts page, while others clamor for answers via TikTok stitches. The development team did expect some love from New Englanders, sure, but the full scope of customers’ adoration came as a pleasant surprise for Curry and the team.

“I’ve read guest comments like, ‘The Dunkalatte made me Dunkasmile,’ and we’ve seen how many people have said they don’t want it to come off the menu,” Curry tells Food & Wine. “As a creator, that’s just so rewarding.”

The question on many coffee drinkers’ minds and quick-typing thumbs: Where in the world is the Dunkalatte?

So, is the Dunkalatte really discontinued?

We’d hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the coffee milk latte was never meant as a permanent menu fixture. The Dunkalatte launched as part of the chain’s fall seasonal rollout earlier this year, meaning it only had a short run from late August to the end of October. The Boston-based chain is now in full swing with holiday beverages with no concrete return on the horizon.

Even during the height of Pumpkin Spice Latte season, you might’ve been hard-pressed to find the drink at your closest Dunkin’ location. Due to overwhelming demand, Curry says some markets’ stocks of the signature coffee milk became limited before the end of the season.

However, the brand could be planning a comeback. On Instagram, Dunkin’s official account replied to a comment on an October 9 post that they “look to bring it back next year.” In the meantime, Curry also cheekily alludes to a possible return. “This isn’t a goodbye…it’s just ‘see you later.’ All I can say is, stay tuned!” she tells Food & Wine.

Call it wishful thinking, but crossing our fingers that, soon, a Dunkalatte will only be a few taps on the Dunkin’ app away.