McDonald’s customers across North Carolina can soon get their hands on a classic dessert missing from menus for more than 30 years.
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The original fried apple pie arrives Tuesday, June 23, at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide, making a sweet return just in time for America’s 250th birthday, the fast-food giant announced this week.
The classic dessert, featuring a “signature filling made with 100% American-grown apples,” will only be available for a limited time, although McDonald’s didn’t say how long. Pricing information wasn’t immediately available.
“Bringing the Fried Apple Pie back for fans this summer to celebrate America’s 250th just feels right,” Eric Cochran, a longtime McDonald’s owner/operator, said in a news release.
The apple pie was McDonald’s very first dessert, joining menus in 1968, Eater.com reported. The pastry-wrapped treat was the brainchild of Cochran’s grandfather, Tennessee franchisee Litton Cochran, who drew inspiration from a family recipe.
“When (then-McDonald’s president) Ray Kroc was trying to come up with a dessert for McDonald’s, my Grandad … suggested a fried apple pie as a classic that people would love,” Eric Cochran said. “My Grandmom, Jo Cochran, spent months perfecting the recipe.”
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The hand-pie has seen dozens of iterations since its debut, including the switch from deep-fried to baked in 1992.
The latter was touted as a healthier, grease-free option — despite having more calories, sugar and total fat than its deep-fried predecessor.
Before news that McDonald’s would re-introduce its original fried pie, the treat was only available in two U.S. locales: Hawaii and a single restaurant in Downey, California, according to Reader’s Digest.
Nothing beats classic apple, but McDonald’s has offered a revolving door of seasonal pie flavors over the years, McClatchy News previously reported.
Popular flavors include:
Find your nearest McDonald’s restaurant here.
This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 12:53 PM with the headline “McDonald’s brings back a fan-favorite not seen in 30+ years. When to get it in NC.”
Read more NC state employees’ health plan faces big changes. Here’s what’s coming in July