Review: Starbucks' 2026 Holiday Menu Features Sugar, Spice, And One Drink That's Not-So-Nice

Spooky season has come to a close, which means our favorite chains are moving on to their next seasonal menus, and Starbucks is joining in on the action. The coffee giant has officially swapped out pumpkin for gingerbread, rolling out its highly anticipated holiday menu with a whopping six new drinks. That's a far cry from last year's holiday launch, which featured just one addition to the chain's nationwide drink lineup: the Eggnog Latte, returning after a four-year hiatus.

This year's new additions are both introducing new flavor profiles and reimagining classic ones. The lineup includes the Tiramisu Velvet Latte, Tiramisu Cold Brew, Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher, Snowy Apple Drink, Iced Sugar Cookie Matcha, and Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai. Along with the drink launch, Starbucks is also expanding its food offerings with the new Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese and Bearista Cake Pop.

With eight items joining the lineup this year, deciding which ones are worth a try to ring in the holiday season can be a challenge. Luckily, we've done the taste testing for you. From festive drinks to savory bites, we're breaking down which of Starbucks' newest holiday offerings deserve a spot on your nice list and which ones may belong on the naughty list instead. Here's everything you need to know about Starbucks' new holiday menu items.

To conduct my taste test, I ordered each new menu item with no customizations. I made sure to try each drink at my local Starbucks location to avoid any watering down, melting, or cooling off. As for the food items, especially the Grilled Cheese, I tried to sample them as quickly as possible to enjoy them at their highest quality.

As Food Republic's resident Starbucks taste tester, I've tried everything from the chain's limited-time Peanuts Drinks from fall 2026 to last year's Target-exclusive Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate. In doing so, I've gained a good understanding of what can make or break a Starbucks drink, allowing me to come into my taste test prepared to conduct a thorough, honest review of the new launch.

The most important factors I considered during my taste test were flavor, presentation, and innovation. A drink was most successful when it possessed a bold yet balanced flavor that matched its description, looked as good as it tasted, and felt like it added something new to Starbucks' current menu offerings.

Inspired by a classic Italian dessert, Starbucks' new Tiramisu Velvet Latte combines the chain's signature espresso with milk and vanilla syrup, topped with Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam and a cocoa cookie dusting. And I'm happy to report that it didn't disappoint.

Now, I've certainly never whipped up a perfect tiramisu and usually prefer to keep my coffee and my dessert separate. But based on the few times I have enjoyed the classic dessert, I felt this was a pretty good representation of it. The drink had a rich, creamy texture, with a sweetness that was present but not overwhelming. The vanilla and espresso flavors complemented one another beautifully, while the mascarpone cold foam added an extra layer of creaminess that brought it all together.

Is tiramisu to be a holiday dessert? That's up for debate, but its rich notes and flavors fit right in with Starbucks' other seasonal offerings. In fact, this drink was so tasty it just so happened to be my favorite of the bunch, something I certainly wasn't expecting. Considering the latte is available both hot and iced, I'd be curious to see how the iced version compares to its warmer counterpart.

Next up we have the Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew. Much like the latte, this drink takes inspiration from the classic Italian dessert, combining Starbucks' classic cold brew with the same vanilla syrup and a topping of Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam and a rich cocoa cookie dusting. While I wasn't quite as blown away by this drink as I was by its latte counterpart, I still thought it was a fairly successful new menu addition.

Now, I typically don't usually go for cold brew at Starbucks. As a certified sweet coffee lover, they typically turn out to be a bit too on the bitter side for me. But this drink was actually super flavorful for a cold brew. The notes of chocolate and vanilla syrup gave the drink a bit of a sweetness to mask that usual slight cold brew bitterness. As the mascarpone cold foam gradually melted into the drink, I found myself liking it even more as it added a sweetness and creaminess to it. And as far as presentation goes, it's certainly a looker — and not only because of the super cute new holiday cup design.

If you're already a fan of Starbucks' cold brew, consider this a fun, sweet swap when you're in the mood for a treat. And if you don't typically tend to enjoy the drink, this might be the perfect opportunity to give it another shot.

It's safe to say many Starbucks fans were not happy when the Apple Crisp drink lineup did not make a comeback for fall 2026. But it seems that Starbucks is trying to bring back the apple flavor this winter in the form of a Refresher instead of a shaken espresso or macchiato.

I never got to try Starbucks' Apple Crisp drinks, so I'm note sure this new colorful Refresher lineup will scratch the same itch for Apple Crisp fans. But with that said, I thought this drink was really successful. Refreshers can be finicky; I've had many that just didn't meet the mark and felt like an attempt in some kind of secret Starbucks mission to make a Refresher in every color of the rainbow. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here.

The Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher was actually quite tasty. The lemonade and apple flavors merge together to almost create this sour apple, green jolly rancher kind of effect. It's bright and refreshing, which certainly isn't the classic holiday flavor profile, but I think it's a useful addition to Starbucks' menu (sometimes you just don't want a rich, warm-spiced beverage).

Plus, it had one of the best — if not the best — presentations of the day. The green and red colors came together to form a beautifully festive drink. If I had to give one critique, the pomegranate pearls were surprisingly difficult to pop this time around. Otherwise, I didn't have many complaints about this new beverage. It's fun, and while it may not taste like Christmas in a cup, it sure looks the part.

Next in my taste test was the Snowy Apple Pomegranate Refresher. If you're unfamiliar with Starbucks' Refresher lineup, the drinks are typically available with one of three bases: water, lemonade, or coconut milk. The coconut milk versions typically have fun name variations and this one certainly didn't disappoint in that department.

Overall, the drink was enjoyable but not really a standout for me. While I've typically preferred coconut milk Refreshers over their lemonade counterparts I felt as though the opposite was true for this particular flavor.

Usually, coconut milk seems to make for a more complementary base because it allows the Refresher flavors to shine without getting overpowered by the tartness of lemonade. But apple and coconut milk aren't necessarily a natural flavor match. While they didn't clash in this drink, they also didn't complement each other as well as the apple and lemonade flavors did. Still, the drink was sweet, with a subtle apple flavor, and a festive, Christmas-inspired appearance. If coconut milk is your Refresher base of choice, I certainly think you'd enjoy this new addition.

This next drink was so good that it ended up being my second favorite of the bunch (though a very close second to the Tiramisu Velvet Latte). The Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai (which also comes in a hot version if that's your chai of choice) consists of Starbucks' classic chai with a caramel brulée sauce, topped with Caramel Brulée Cold Foam and caramel brulée bits. If that description tells you anything, it's that Starbucks really isn't short-changing customers when it comes to the caramel brulée in this drink. And it works.

Now that I think about it, it's wild to me that this combo didn't exist earlier. Caramel brulée and chai seem to be a match made in flavor heaven. Chai already brings such a warm, cozy flavor profile to any drink, and the addition of caramel brulée gave it a toasty, buttery, yet sweet finish. As a chai lover, I can say with confidence that the Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai is a beverage I'll likely reorder this holiday season.

Wrapping up the drinks portion of the review, the Iced Sugar Cookie Cream matcha is an exception to the phrase "last but not least" — it was the absolute worst of the day. My usual taste test system involves blind tasting each drink, so I can figure out what I notice naturally and then determine whether my initial thoughts match that of the official description provided by Starbucks. Upon trying this drink, I was confused as to where the sugar cookie flavor was coming in. But, in retrospect, I suppose the name kind of gave it away. It's called "Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha" (emphasis on the cream) because the only place you'll find sugar cookie flavor is in the cold foam.

To me, it's an odd choice on Starbucks' part. Out of all of the holiday flavors to pair with matcha, why choose one that's so subtle? This drink pretty much just tasted like a regular matcha with sprinkles on it. And when a classic matcha is almost a dollar less at $5.45 (for a Grande, at least), cold foam and sprinkles just don't seem like enough to justify the upcharge. If you're a die-hard matcha fan and are looking to ever-so-subtly get into the holiday spirit, I suppose this could be a worthy choice. But in any other scenario, I'd pretty strongly advise against this one.

This might shock you, but I've never had a grilled cheese sandwich before today. Seriously. I'm not anti-cheese or anything, but it's just not a dish I ever felt that inclined to try. And boy, can I tell you, this was certainly quite the grilled for a first experience.

First, the sandwich is incredibly rich. With three types of cheese (cheddar, parmesan, and mozzarella), Dijon mustard, caramelized onion jam, and, of course, braised short rib, it's certainly decadent — and a tasty bite at that

The cheese is thick and rich (though not as melted as I had hoped, likely due to the time spent photographing each item before trying them — so definitely enjoy this one while it's hot), and the caramelized onion jam adds an unexpected touch of sweetness. The braised short rib is salty, adds a nice textural element, and makes the sandwich a bit more filling than it otherwise would be.

Given how rich this sandwich is, it's probably not the kind of thing you may want to start your day with if you prefer a lighter breakfast. (I certainly won't be ordering it at 8:30 a.m. again.) But that aside, it was a solid addition to Starbucks' new offerings, serving as a more elevated version of the chain's classic grilled cheese. A true grilled cheese fan may have a better frame of reference for whether this sandwich has a bit too much going on. But for my part, it was a pretty solid sandwich.

Finally, we've got the Bearista Cake Pop to wrap things up. Starbucks describes it as a cake pop inspired by its mega-viral Starbucks Bearista Glass Cold Cup, which sent the Internet into a frenzy last winter. Overall, the cake pop was good — I mean, it would be pretty hard to mess up a cake pop.

Still, there were some notable differences in flavor and texture compared to the chain's other cake pops. First and foremost, this cake pop is a great pick if you're a milk chocolate fan. I've found that some of Starbucks' other chocolate-coated cake pops, like the Hedgehog, have a darker chocolate coating to them. This one leans more milk chocolate though, which I personally appreciated.

Though I did miss the added textural element of the white morsel sprinkles found on the Birthday Cake Pop, the cute bear design made up for it. After all, a lot of the fun of Starbucks' cake pops usually comes from gobbling up the adorable new designs. And this one certainly wins in the cuteness factor (and thankfully, unlike its namesake, won't have you standing in a long line outside of Starbucks at 5 a.m. to snag it).

Overall, Starbucks' new holiday launch feels like a pretty festive one. Out of all of eight new menu items, only one felt like an absolute no-go: that is, the Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha (aka matcha with sprinkles). When customers pay a premium price for a seasonal item, it's natural to expect a premium product. Instead, that drink feels like a half-hearted attempt to get customers excited enough about the holiday season to spend an extra dollar on a matcha that's barely been elevated. In an otherwise strong lineup, this one would've been better left on the drawing board.

Still, the disappointment of the chain's new matcha offering doesn't take away from what I believe to be the success of pretty much every other item. Three drinks in particular really stood out to me: the Tiramisu Velvet Latte, Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai, and Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher. All three beverages did an excellent job of pairing flavors that naturally complement each other; they all felt aligned with the holiday season in one way or another (whether through flavors or appearance) and offered something genuinely exciting to Starbucks' current menu that I could see myself ordering again.

After last year's relatively limited holiday launch, it's refreshing to see Starbucks take a few more chances with its seasonal offerings in 2026. And while not every item was a blue-ribbon winner, the chain delivered a well-rounded lineup of new drinks that feel worth getting excited about. Whether they have the staying power to become new holiday staples remains to be seen, but for now, I'd say Starbucks has given us plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Starbucks' new holiday menu items launched on November 5 and will be available for a limited time. Prices for the Grande size of the new drinks range from $5.45 to $6.75 (though prices may vary by location).

The Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew is the least expensive of the bunch at $5.45, followed by the Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha and Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai which are both priced at $6.25. The Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher and Snowy Apple Drink both come in at $6.45, while the Tiramisu Velvet Latte was the most expensive of the bunch, ringing up at $6.75. Again, prices may vary based on your location, and, of course, purchasing each drink in a smaller or a larger size will result in some price changes.

As for the new food items, the Bearista Cake Pop is priced at $3.45, while the Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese is priced at $7.95, making it the most expensive of the new holiday menu items and a bit pricier than the chain's regular Crispy Grilled Cheese sandwich, which costs $7.25.

While any of Starbucks' new menu items can be a part of a healthy diet in moderation, if you're looking for the specifics on the nutritional information of the new additions, we've got you covered. The Apple Pomegranate Refresher beverages are the lightest of Starbucks' new holiday menu items. The Snowy Apple Drink contains 130 calories, with 26 grams of carbs, 0 grams of protein, and 2.5 grams of fat for a Grande size. Meanwhile, the Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher contains 140 calories, with 33 grams of carbs, 0 grams of protein, and 0 grams of fat.

Both the Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha and Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew contain 330 calories. While the Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha possesses 39 grams of carbs, 9 grams of protein, and 16 grams of fat, the Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew has 46 grams of carbs, 3 grams of protein, and 16 grams of fat.

The Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai is among the more decadent of the new offerings as it contains 400 calories, with 61 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, and 14 grams of fat. Meanwhile, the most decadent new drink is the Tiramisu Velvet Latte. The beverage contains 460 calories, with 65 grams of carbs, 11 grams of protein, and 19 grams of fat.

In terms of the food items, the Bearista Cake Pop is a relatively light sweet treat, containing 160 calories with 20 grams of carbs, 2 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fat. The Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese is the most decadent of the new holiday menu items as it contains 640 calories, with 56 grams of carbs, 26 grams of protein, and 35 grams of fat.