McDonald's Fried Apple Pie is back. We tried it
The current hot menu item at McDonald's? The Fried Apple Pie.
Earlier this month, McDonald's announced the Fried Apple Pie would return to the menu for a limited time starting Tuesday, June 23.
At one time a staple on the fast-food chain's menu, the Fried Apple Pie was first offered at McDonald's locations in east Tennessee in the 1960s. McDonald's discontinued the Fried Apple Pie in 1992 and replaced it with a healthier baked version.
The original Fried Apple Pie arose from a family recipe. When Ray Kroc, who helped build McDonald's into an international brand, "was trying to come up with a dessert for McDonald’s, my Grandad, Litton Cochran, suggested a Fried Apple Pie as a classic that people would love," said Eric Cochran, who like his grandparents is an owner-operator of McDonald’s locations in Tennessee.
“My Grandmom, Jo Cochran, spent months perfecting the recipe. Bringing the Fried Apple Pie back for fans this summer to celebrate America’s 250th just feels right,” Cochran said in a news release.
McDonald's has brought back the iconic dessert to select restaurants nationwide for a limited time in honor of America's 250th anniversary. The pie will be available all day, according to the company, and will feature McDonald's signature filling made with 100% American-grown apples. You can get a single pie or a two-pack.
We snagged a Fried Apple Pie in the drive-thru and immediately dug in. It was hot but not uncomfortably so. The pie crust had a good crunch and revealed plenty of apple chunks in the sweet savory cinnamon filling.
Fans online seemed pretty jazzed about the Fried Apple Pie. "Took my dad out to get one yesterday, and just like old times, it was so good!" wrote one commentor on the social platform X.
"Make it permanent!" wrote one person on Instagram. But another commentor on Instagram wasn't as impressed: "It’s NOT the same pie!! Like not even close," they wrote.
McDonald's Fried Apple Pie nutritional information
This new limited-time Fried Apple Pie actually weighs in with 10 fewer calories and two fewer grams of fat than the current baked version, according to the restaurant chain:
- Calories: 220 (11% of daily value for 2,000-calorie diet)
- Total fat: 9 grams (about 14%).
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 125mg (5%)
- Total Carbohydrates: 33g (11%)
- Protein: 2g (about 3%)
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected].