Make Apple Pie Fried Again: McDonald’s Leans into Nostalgia for America’s 250th
The fried pie was replaced with the sad, baked version after the 1992 Food Pyramid was thrust into American public policy.
As the United States of America prepares for its 250th anniversary, one of our most iconic enterprises is pulling out the stops in celebration.
McDonald’s has decided to celebrate the birth of a republic by resurrecting a legend of its own: the original fried apple pie. In an age when our political class keeps insisting we can’t turn back the clock, the Golden Arches said, “Hold my fryer.”
With America’s 250th birthday around the corner, McDonald’s is bringing back a fan-favorite that it calls a “national treasure.”
The OG Fried Apple Pie will be back at participating restaurants nationwide for a limited time this summer.
Back in the 1960s, East Tennessee Owner/Operator Litton Cochran created a fried apple hand pie. It became a local fan favorite and eventually a McDonald’s classic.
“There are certain things that just take you back – and the Fried Apple Pie is one of them. It’s something that people love and remember from growing up.” said Eric Cochran, McDonald’s Owner/Operator. “When Ray Kroc 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. 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.”
Many of the comments celebrating this announcement noted how hot this dessert was served.
Caution, will burn off all taste buds and you WILL get asked if you want a hot applie pie with that. That being said, nice nostalgic reboot. https://t.co/LtvTRggeZ4
— Brian Wiggins (@YctraderWiggins) June 16, 2026
McDonald’s replaced its original fried apple pie with a baked version in 1992 in the misguided rush to align with pseudoscience that was coming out about fat and cholesterol.
1992: The year McDonald’s replaced the fried apple pie with a baked version in most of the U.S., responding to growing consumer awareness of fat and cholesterol consumption. The U.S. Department of Agriculture first published its food guide pyramid the same year. Fried apple pie remains on McDonald’s menus in some other countries, including Mexico, Australia and China.
Amazing nuggets (get it) in this piece on the return of the McDs fried apple pie, which has fewer calories than the current baked (lesser) version, is still available in other countries, AND was only canceled here bc of since-debunked US govt health guidelines.
Perfect. https://t.co/0zKyfyhsWz pic.twitter.com/i9rj8jrKVX
— Scott Lincicome (@scottlincicome) June 16, 2026
Since 1992, there have been many revelations that food science is the most unsettled science of all.
- How the Sugar Industry Poisoned Food Science against Sugar
- America’s “Egg-perts” Get Fried by Real Science
- Weighing In on the Trans-Fat Ban
- Most Americans are actually consuming a healthy amount of salt!
One of the big changes enacted by President Donald Trump’s team is the complete revision of the food pyramid that drove the fried apple pies off the menu in the first place. The new guidelines also call for real dairy with all of the fat (and flavor). It also separates whole grains from processed grains, with the carbohydrates now residing at the bottom rather than the top of the pyramid.
Some even believe it should be at the top of the pyramid.
The McDonald’s Apple pie is the top level of the food pyramid, it is god in his purest form.
— m ★~(◡‿◡✿) (@iluvhotchip00) February 26, 2019
It turns out the fried apple pie was McDonald’s original dessert and was created by one of its franchises in Tennessee.
McDonald’s Apple Pie is a fast food icon, but the crispy, spiced apple pie that’s on menus today is not the same one Ray Kroc introduced in the 1960s. Kroc was known for asking his franchisees to experiment with new menu items—that’s how we got the Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, and, of course, Fried Apple Pie, which was Mickey D’s first-ever dessert.
The hand pie started as a family recipe of Litton Cochran, an East Tennessee McDonald’s owner and operator. Cochran’s wife, Jo, spent months perfecting it, and the Fried Apple Pie became a local legend—then, eventually, a nationwide favorite.
…Beginning June 23, the original recipe Fried Apple Pie will be back at drive-thrus nationwide. McDonald’s Fried Apple Pie is filled with 100% American-grown apples in a golden, flaky crust that’s fried for the same crispy, crunchy bite you may remember from nearly 35 years ago.
If you order the pie, make sure to eat it carefully so as not to burn your mouth!
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Comments
Anyone else concerned that there is a food guide pyramid in the first place?
Aren’t there more important tasks for our government?
Certainly. They make sure vaccines are safe and effective, sometimes by changing what the word “vaccine” means. 🤪
If they bring back their original fries, and improve the quality of their burgers to 1990’s standards, I might actually be tempted to buy lunch. Provided that lunch costs me less than $10 – including the apple pie.
They will never bring back the original fries because they were coated with beef tallow I believe. Depending upon what you order you can get lunch for less than $10 including a pie. This is especially if you use their app which used to be a great deal but is less and less of one each month (inflation can be tracked by watching how they change their app product pricing),
The beef tallow is what made the fries worth eating. I don’t do apps. If I can’t get a decent meal at a decent price without and app, I just don’t eat there.
Depending upon how much you eat you can still get a lunch for less than 10. I often get 2 McChickens, 4 piece nuggrets, small fry, and small coke for 7.30. Apple pie costs something like 2,29, With tax you might just be over 10,
Steak & Shake is touting beef tallow for their fries……it is only a matter of time for the rest to follow.
Beef tallow caused McD a lot of grief. They were advertising their fries as vegetarian, I believe it was (dot) Indians that ended up suing them. I don’t see them changing but who knows,
Not “coated” with tallow, but tallow WAS used in their frying oil. A significant contributor to taste (Steak and Shake has gone back to tallow)..
Muslims objected, corporate knelt. Never occurred to anyone that muslims and hindus could simply choose to not eat the fries at McDonalds, just the way vegans and diabetics could.
Zak – you are behind the times. Beef tallow is no longer considered the killer it once was said to be. In fact it may be healthier than some of those oils used in industrial cooking like MacFries.
I’m not complaining about the ingredient. Just relating what I recall. I’ve come to the conclusion that you should eat everything in moderation unless you have an allergy or genetic issue with an ingredient.
Some McDonalds should just start using beef tallow instead of the dele crap they use now.
Don’t tell anyone they switched.
People will flock to that McDonald’s.
I don’t think there are many young people who have ever tried the old school McDonald fries.
Yummy.
If this was my business, it would take me a year or two just to locate the old recipe! Glad they’re more organized than me!
Not if you’re still currently making it for other countries.
Why for a limited time if you can buy it in 3 other countries
Don’t know, They do this for a lot of items. Lobster roll. McRib. Other pie flavors. Makes them special.
Hardee’s had a better apple pie, but I did like the McDonald’s lava pie!
I hope President Trump serves the first one.
guess I am odd man out (yeah thats not new to me LOL ) but I always preferred the baked version.
no matter I go there maybe once a year.
Yeah, You’re odd, man. OUT!
;-{)}}}
Now let’s get rid of this Tran fat fear nonsense. I would really like to be able to buy a fig Newton again where the crust on it doesn’t crumble to dust like it does now. Back before they decided Tran fats were bad for us. the crust actually had far better texture.
Who cares about trans fats when the roof of your mouth is sloughing off?
Buddy – uh Too much information there.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: government involvement in any industry does two things; reduce quality and increases costs.
As American as apple pie!
Good news for a change. Fried apple pie is the best – the baked one always tasted like crap.
Thank God egg rolls are still fried. I can’t even imagine how hideous those would be if they were baked.
What about the fried cherry pie?
I;m still waiting for the fried apple pie to be available at my local McD. Anyone able to get it yet?
For a while in the South, McD’s had a fried PEACH pie. It was actually pretty good.
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