Starbucks knows how to do the holidays right. Each year, the coffee giant rolls out new drinks, treats and festive cups, which almost always go viral (this year's Bearista cup is already a massive hit). Fans line up at their local Starbucks to get a taste of the holiday and kickstart the season.Starbucks’ 2025 holiday menu, which dropped on Thursday, Nov. 6, is packed with fun and festive items. In the mix are seasonal favorites—like the Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte and Iced Gingerbread Chai—along with holiday-themed cold foams with 15 grams of protein each to help you ring in the season while also meeting your macros. Want to sink your teeth into something sweet? There’s a new Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread and Polar Bear Cake Pop to enjoy, along with holiday favorites, including the fan-favorite Cranberry Bliss Bar and Snowman Cookie. I’ve been a Starbucks fan for what feels like forever. And while my tastes have veered away from the coffee chain’s sweeter drinks over the past few years, I’m always happy to enjoy the holiday beverages and treats.If you're a regular customer, like me, it's easy to fall into a rut when it comes to ordering Starbucks’ holiday drinks and treats. (My go-to for years has been the Peppermint Mocha.) Starbucks has so many options to tempt you to branch out from your usual.And that's just what I did a few days ago. As a massive coffee (and Starbucks) stan, I tasted my way through the entire Starbucks' 2025 holiday drinks and treats lineup. I was surprised to learn how much I was missing out on, as well as to see where my (former) favorite holiday drink ranked in the overall mix.Read on for a detailed description and tasting notes on the menu items, plus my ranking from worst to best. My experience might help you find a new favorite Starbucks holiday menu item, too.Related: Starbucks’ Sold Out $30 Bearista Cup Is Already Selling for $300+ Online?? SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Parade Eats newsletter. ??
What's on the Starbucks’ 2025 Holiday Menu?
Starbucks’ holiday drinks and treats are an annual favorite. They’re usually released sometime in November, and there’s a lot of hype building up to the big day. Starbucks has a few holiday favorites that have been on the menu for more than a decade, like the Peppermint Mocha, but the chain has also added many new options over the years. This year, the 2025 holiday menu offered at Starbucks across the country includes a mix of new and returning items. The items listed below are being served at standard Starbucks coffee shops, like my location in eastern Delaware. Starbucks Reserve locations in Chicago and New York City are offering other menu items, including special tasting flights, new croissants, cookies and holiday-themed espresso martinis.If you walk into a standard Starbucks coffeehouse this holiday season, you can expect to find:
• Peppermint Mocha• Caramel Brulée Latte• Iced Sugar Cookie Latte• Iced Sugar Cookie Breve• Iced Gingerbread Chai• Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam • Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam• Sugar Cookie Cream Cold Foam• Caramel Brulée Cream Cold Foam• Snowman Cookie• Cranberry Bliss Bar• Sugar Plum Cheese Danish• NEW: Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread• NEW: Polar Bear Cake Pop
Related: The Starbucks Hot Chocolate Ordering Hack We Wish We'd Known About Sooner
How I Tasted the Starbucks’ 2025 Holiday Menu Items
To test Starbucks’ holiday drinks and treats, I placed a huge order at my local location so I could sample one of everything. It ended up being 14 items total (nine drinks and five treats). I tried all of them in one round, and then took time to savor each one at a time to be able to see how they fared over more sips and bites. I took sips of water between drinks and bites to cleanse my palate.Because Starbucks appeals to a wide base, and because everyone has different tastes, I had a few friends and family members try everything out too. I factored everyone’s thoughts into my final ranking. Related: We Had Coffee Experts Rank 13 Instant Coffee Brands and You Can Buy the Winner at Target
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Starbucks’ 2025 Holiday Menu Items, Ranked Worst To Best
Starbucks has a wide range of holiday offerings, and some are sweeter than others. If you’re not into sweet drinks, some of these just won’t do it for you. (I recommend going straight to the cold foams if that’s the case.) Because you can get something to eat or drink—or both—when you hit up Starbucks, I also included holiday treats in the mix. While treats and drinks are a different experience, some are clearly better than others and deserve their own spot on the ranking, too.
As a whole, I was impressed with what Starbucks has rolled out this holiday season. There’s truly something for everyone. Even my husband, who drinks his coffee black, found a drink he liked. I also love that Starbucks tries to create a vibe with each and every drink. In fact, my barista put sweet messages on most of the drinks like “yum!” and “enjoy”—those made me smile. At the end of the tasting, here's how the menu stacked up.
Related: Starbucks Customers ‘Love’ This Viral Drink Menu Hack
14. Sugar Plum Cheese Danish
With its mix of spiced sugar-plum spread and cream cheese filling, this Danish has a pretty and festive vibe. It’s fruity and flavorful, with a holiday taste that’s clearly there. But despite being fun to look at and try, there were a few reasons why this landed at the bottom of the list.While the inside of the Danish was light and flaky, the crust was pretty hard. The cream and sugar plum filling also wasn’t evenly distributed, so I needed to take different bites to try to combine the flavors. The sugar plum flavor is fun in theory, but it’s a unique taste that’s not for everyone. I ultimately felt like it tasted too much like potpourri.
13. Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
This is a new offering for Starbucks this year. It features croissant pieces that are nestled together and topped with streusel and cinnamon-sugar. The “pull-apart” name comes from how you’re supposed to eat it—by pulling off different pieces as you go. Starbucks recently announced that this will be on the menu all year. I love the idea of this treat. The pull-apart style makes it easy to share with friends and family, but the pieces didn’t come apart as easily as advertised. Mine also arrived slightly smushed. The outside of the bread had a slightly hard texture, although the interior was flakier and buttery. (It softened when I warmed it up, though.) The cinnamon-sugar flavor was on point, but this treat ultimately wasn’t as impressive as some of the other items on the list. Related: We Tried 10 Aldi Coffees and the Winner Tastes Way More Expensive Than It Is
12. Iced Sugar Cookie Latte
If you don’t like sweet drinks, keep on scrolling. This was the sweetest drink I sipped and wow—it’s a lot. The Iced Sugar Cookie Latte is a combo of Starbucks’ Blonde Espresso, ice, 2% milk and a sugar cookie-flavored syrup. You can have it hot, iced or as a Frappuccino.But if you’re into sugary drinks, this is a solid choice. Starbucks does a great job capturing the taste of a sweet sugar cookie and the drink definitely has a nostalgic flavor. While this is a latte, I found that my drink was still a little too heavy on the milk. It also didn’t really taste like coffee at all. Given just how sweet this is, it’s hard to drink a lot of it at once.
11. Iced Sugar Cookie Breve
The Iced Sugar Cookie Breve is a richer version of the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte. It uses half-and-half instead of milk for a creamier taste. According to Starbucks, so many people ordered their Iced Sugar Cookie Latte in breve form that they decided to put it on the menu as a stand-alone item. I would call this drink a people pleaser. Meaning, it’ll work for just about anyone. It doesn’t have a strong flavor beyond the sugar cookie taste, and there’s not a lot of coffee that comes through. When you sip this and the Ice Sugar Cookie Latte side-by-side, it’s easy to see the difference in texture and taste. This is thicker on the tongue and slightly less sweet. But, like the latte version, it’s hard to drink a lot in one sitting. Related: I Tried 11 Popular Cold Brew Concentrates To Find the One You Should Stock in Your Fridge
10. Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha is an institution at this point, and the Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam feels like an iced twist on the holiday favorite. This foam channels peppermint-flavored syrup and chocolate malt powder that’s blended with Starbucks’ vanilla sweet cream. I had the protein version, which delivers 15 grams of protein per serving. Technically, you can put this cold foam on top of just about any drink, but it’ll probably go best with things like cold espresso drinks and the cold brew (my choice). I have mixed thoughts on this one. I appreciate that Starbucks is offering what amounts to a cold version of a drink so many people love. Starbucks also put little chocolate pieces on top, which were fun. But the flavors fell a little short for me. The peppermint was more subtle than I’d prefer and the chocolate didn’t really come through as well as I thought it would.
9. Caramel Brulée Latte
I’m not a huge caramel drink person, but this latte was delicious. It uses a mix of espresso, steamed milk and caramel brulée sauce, topped off with whipped cream and caramel brulée topping. You can get it hot, like I did, or have it iced or in Frappuccino form.This is another sweet drink, but it’s not overpowering. The caramel flavors help to enhance the taste of the espresso while still giving you a solid creme brulée flavor. The drink is supposed to be topped with plenty of whipped cream, but mine had melted by the time I got to it. Just a word of warning to drink up fast if the whipped cream aspect is important to you. Related: Aldi’s Adorable New Advent Calendar Is Perfect for Coffee Lovers
8. Snowman Cookie
I was prepared to be judgy about the Snowman Cookie. The treat came in a plastic bag that made it look like an afterthought. But the buttery shortbread cookie inside changed my mind. This cookie is impressive for a chain. It’s thoughtfully decorated, from the perfectly iced half-grin to the smattering of sugary “snow” at the base. The cookie is beautiful to look at and delivers a classic sugar cookie taste. It’s buttery and a little flaky. In a blind taste test, this could easily be confused with a cookie from a high-end bakery. This treat went fast in my house.
7. Peppermint Mocha
This drink has been on the Starbucks holiday menu since 2002, making it a classic for the chain. The Peppermint Mocha features Starbucks’ Signature Espresso, paired with steamed milk, mocha sauce and peppermint-flavored syrup. The drink is topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.Like my Caramel Brulée Latte, the whipped topping melted before I could get to it, but the mocha curls settled on the bottom to create a nice chocolatey finale. I’ve had plenty of Peppermint Mochas over the past few years, and I’ve found it can be tough to get the proportions right. The peppermint syrup in this one was a little heavy, and so was the chocolate. As a result, it felt like I was sipping on a thick, minty hot cocoa. It wasn’t bad—it was just a lot of flavor to navigate at once. The overall effect was still fun and seasonal. Related: The Rhode Island Way to Make Coffee 10x Better
6. Iced Gingerbread Chai
I didn’t see this delicious drink coming, and I’m so glad I tried it. The Iced Gingerbread Chai is a mix of chai spices, 2% milk and ice, with gingerbread-flavored cold foam and a spice topping. This drink has a strong chai flavor, so if you’re not a fan of the spiced drink, this will not be for you. Having this iced really enhances all of those flavors and creates a crisp, refreshing taste you won’t get with all of the other drinks. This drink was heavy on the foam, but it just worked. Related: Copycat Starbucks Dirty Chai Tea Latte
5. Caramel Brulée Cream Cold Foam
After trying the Caramel Brulée Latte, I assumed the Caramel Brulée Cream Cold Foam would be sweet, but it’s surprisingly subtle. This topping mixes caramel brulée sauce with Starbucks’ vanilla sweet cream, and can be used on top of most of the chain’s cold espresso or coffee drinks. (I had it over cold brew.)My foam came with special caramel crunchies that were a fun surprise. The caramel flavor isn’t overwhelming and does a good job of highlighting the flavor of the coffee—not overpowering it. It also doesn’t taste overly sweet. As a result, you get a drink you can sip from start to finish without feeling like you just had a sugar bomb.
4. Cranberry Bliss Bar
The Cranberry Bliss Bar has been on Starbucks’ holiday menu for years, but I’d never tried it before. Clearly, I was missing out. The bar uses a blondie base with dried cranberries and a layer of cream cheese icing on top. The texture is chewy, and the flavors are perfect. There’s a nice hit of orange zest in the mix, which pairs well with the flavor of the cranberries. The cream cheese icing adds a little something more to the flavor profile without competing with the cranberries or the blondie base. It’s delicious and easy to slice up and share. Related: How To Make the Best-Ever Blondies, According to Food Network Star Duff Goldman (Exclusive)
3. Polar Bear Cake Pop
I’ve never had a Starbucks cake pop I didn’t like, and the Polar Bear Cake Pop is no exception. This treat features a vanilla cake center with buttercream that’s dipped in white chocolate icing. The polar bear design in a holiday hat is adorable and hard to resist.
This cake pop is surprisingly moist, but still manages to stay on the stick as you nosh away. It tastes just like a slice of fresh vanilla cake, and the sweet design is just the cherry on top. This cake pop initially made my four young kids smile, but ultimately sparked a war among them when they learned they’d have to share. My advice: Get one for everyone. Otherwise, you could end up dealing with tears.
2. Sugar Cookie Cream Cold Foam
If the Sugar Cookie Latte or breve sounds too sweet for you, this is an excellent alternative. In fact, my black coffee-loving husband ended up taking the rest of it for himself. The foam blends sugar cookie-flavored syrup with Starbucks’ vanilla sweet cream for a lightly sweet flavor that’s not overpowering.
This cold foam is designed to be used over Starbucks’ cold coffee or espresso drinks, and it does a great job showcasing the taste of the coffee itself. When you sip this, it’s clear you’re having a coffee drink—just better. The cold foam came topped with festive red and green sprinkles, too, which was a nice touch.
1. Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam
Gingerbread can be a polarizing flavor, which is why I debated putting it at the top of the list, but this cold foam has a really subtle flavor that tastes like the holidays without beating you over the head. The foam blends sweet and slightly spicy gingerbread flavors with Starbucks’ vanilla sweet cream. Like the other cold foams, it’s designed to go over cold coffee or espresso drinks.
Even if you don’t like gingerbread, I still recommend giving this a try. I could take or leave gingerbread in real life, and this drink wowed me. It’s subtle, it’s sweet-ish and it still allows for plenty of coffee flavor. It also came with a smattering of sugar-and-spice sprinkles on top to really bump up the holiday vibes. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.
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