The Best Fall Candles to Make Your Home Smell Like Autumn
There are a few things that officially tell me fall has arrived: cooler mornings, leaves starting to change, something warm baking in the kitchen…and lighting that first fall candle of the season.
There’s just something about it.
Give me a cozy blanket, a hot cup of coffee, rain tapping against the windows, and a candle that smells like apple, pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, or a crackling fire, and I am perfectly content.
And while I love decorating for fall, candles might be one of the easiest—and most affordable—ways to make the whole house feel like autumn without changing a single piece of décor.
So whether you want your home to smell like an apple orchard, pumpkin patch, cozy bakery, crisp autumn morning, or cabin tucked away in the woods, I’ve rounded up some of the best fall candles to burn this season.
1. Yankee Candle Autumn Wreath
$34.60 · Walmart
If you want a candle that screams classic fall, this is where I’d start.
Yankee Candle’s Autumn Wreath combines apple and fall spice with warmer woody notes. It’s the kind of fragrance I’d want burning while cleaning the house on a chilly Saturday morning before heading out for pumpkins and cider.
It’s especially good if you love traditional autumn scents but don’t necessarily want your entire house smelling like dessert.
Best for: Classic fall lovers
Scent vibe: Apples + spice + warm woods
Where I’d burn it: Living room or entryway
Shop Yankee Candle Autumn Wreath → HERE
2. Homesick Pumpkin Picking Candle
$29.95 · Homesick
Could there possibly be a more fall-sounding candle than Pumpkin Picking?
This one combines pumpkin and nutmeg with ginger, cinnamon, clove, vanilla and tonka bean. Basically, imagine a crisp afternoon at the pumpkin patch followed by hot cider and something pumpkin-spiced. That’s the idea.
I also think this would make such a cute fall hostess gift.
Best for: Pumpkin-patch season
Scent vibe: Pumpkin + baking spices + vanilla
Where I’d burn it: Kitchen or living room
3. Bath & Body Works Leaves
$13.95 · bathandbodyworks
If you’ve been buying fall candles for years, you probably already know about Leaves.
There’s a reason this one keeps coming back. The fragrance combines crisp red apple, golden nectar and warm clove spice. The current three-wick version is made with a soy-wax blend and is listed for up to 45 hours of burn time.
This is the candle I’d light when I’m ready to declare:
Summer is over. Bring on fall.
Best for: That quintessential fall-house smell
Scent vibe: Apple + clove + warm spice
Where I’d burn it: Everywhere
4. Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte
$28.00 · Voluspa
For the pumpkin-spice crowd, this one sounds so cozy.
Voluspa’s Spiced Pumpkin Latte blends kabocha pumpkin, coconut crema and cinnamon-spiced brûlée.
It’s a little more luxurious than some of the budget candles on this list, making it a fun treat-yourself fall candle or gift.
And yes, I absolutely want my kitchen smelling like cinnamon-spiced brûlée.
Best for: Pumpkin spice lovers
Scent vibe: Creamy pumpkin + cinnamon + dessert
Where I’d burn it: Kitchen
Shop Spiced Pumpkin Latte → HERE
5. Goose Creek Apple Pumpkin
$10.99 · Goose Creek Candle
Can’t decide between apple and pumpkin?
Don’t.
Apple Pumpkin gives you both.
This is exactly the kind of fragrance I love for September when I’m starting to crave fall but haven’t completely moved into heavy cinnamon-and-pumpkin-everything territory yet.
Best for: Early fall
Scent vibe: Apple orchard + pumpkin patch
Where I’d burn it: Kitchen or family room
Shop Apple Pumpkin → HERE
6. Bath & Body Works Fireside & Leaves
$13.95 · bathandbodyworks
Now we’re getting into rainy October evening territory.
Fireside & Leaves has notes of crackling embers, smoked cedar and leaves.
If sweet candles aren’t really your thing, try something woodsy like this instead. I love these kinds of fragrances once the weather really starts cooling down because they give the house that cozy-cabin feeling.
Best for: Woodsy fragrance lovers
Scent vibe: Fireplace + cedar + fall leaves
Where I’d burn it: Living room
7. Better Homes & Gardens Farm Apple Pumpkin
$9.78 · Walmart
We need some budget-friendly fall candles on this list, too!
Farm Apple Pumpkin combines apple, pumpkin, cinnamon, orange and maple-butter notes.
This would be a great one to pick up with your groceries when you want the house to smell like fall without spending $30+ on a candle.
Because sometimes the best candle is the one you casually toss into your cart while buying milk.
Best for: Budget-friendly fall fragrance
Scent vibe: Apple + pumpkin + cinnamon + maple
Where I’d burn it: Kitchen
Shop Farm Apple Pumpkin → HERE
8. Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin
$19.97 · Walmart
Some scents don’t need reinventing.
Pumpkin + cinnamon + nutmeg + clove = FALL.
If you’re looking for that traditional pumpkin-spice smell rather than something unusual or overly complicated, Yankee Candle’s Spiced Pumpkin is an easy choice.
Light it while baking pumpkin bread and your house might smell so good nobody will ever want to leave.
Which could be good or bad depending on who’s visiting.
Best for: Traditional pumpkin lovers
Scent vibe: Pumpkin + cinnamon + nutmeg + clove
Where I’d burn it: Kitchen or living room
Shop Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin → HERE
9. WoodWick Autumn Harvest Trilogy
$25.99 · Wayfair
WoodWick candles have another fall advantage: that signature crackling-wick atmosphere.
The Autumn Harvest Trilogy layers Apple Basket, Spiced Blackberry and Pumpkin Butter fragrances.
I love the idea of the scent subtly changing as you burn through the candle.
Add the sound of the wick crackling on a rainy evening and you’ve pretty much created peak cozy season.
Best for: Maximum cozy atmosphere
Scent vibe: Apple + blackberry + pumpkin
Where I’d burn it: Living room or bedroom
Shop WoodWick Autumn Harvest → HERE
10. Bath & Body Works Warm Apple Pie
$13.99 · Bath & Body Works
And finally, let’s talk about the ultimate trick.
Make everyone think you’ve been baking all afternoon.
Warm Apple Pie has orchard apple, pear and citrus notes layered into a bakery-style fragrance.
Light this before company comes over and just casually leave a pie plate sitting on the counter.
I’m kidding.
Mostly.
Best for: Bakery-scent lovers
Scent vibe: Warm apple pie
Where I’d burn it: Kitchen or dining room
Shop Fall Candles by Scent
Not sure which one you’d like? I usually think about what I want the house to feel like rather than simply choosing the prettiest jar.
If you love sweet and cozy, look for pumpkin, vanilla, caramel, maple and bakery fragrances.
If you prefer fresh fall, try apple, leaves, cranberry, sage and orchard scents.
For a cozy cabin feeling, look for cedar, amber, smoke, sandalwood and fireside fragrances.
And if you’re firmly on Team Pumpkin Spice, embrace it. Pumpkin, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg season doesn’t last forever!
Current fall collections also include fragrances such as White Pumpkin, Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Sweater Weather, The Perfect Autumn, Fresh Fall Morning and Autumn, so there’s definitely no shortage of choices.
A Few Fall Candle Tips
I have learned that the best fall candle is also one that actually burns well.
Trim your wick to about ¼ inch before lighting, keep debris out of the wax, use a heat-resistant surface, and don’t leave a burning candle unattended. Bath & Body Works also recommends limiting burns of its three-wick candles to no more than four hours at a time.
And if you have children or pets around, be extra mindful about where you place candles. Sometimes that perfect little coffee-table vignette isn’t worth a curious tail knocking everything over.
There’s Just Something About a Fall Candle
Fall candles aren’t exactly a necessity.
But they’re one of those little things that can completely change the mood of the house.
You can have laundry piled on the couch, muddy shoes by the door, dishes waiting in the sink and absolutely no idea what’s for dinner…
Then you light an apple-cinnamon candle and suddenly it feels like you’re embracing cozy fall living instead of barely keeping the house together.
I’ll take it.
Whether you’re Team Pumpkin Spice, Team Apple Orchard, Team Cozy Fireplace or Team Give-Me-All-of-Them, there are so many good fragrances to choose from this year.
Light the candle.
Grab the blanket.
Make something warm to drink.
And enjoy every bit of this short, beautiful season.
