Starbucks Holiday Menu Arrives Nov. 5 with New and Returning Drinks, Cups and Merchandise

Holiday cups and the first limited pup cup design

This year’s to‑go cup designs blend traditional holiday cues with a modern Starbucks perspective. Expect ribbon motifs, bows, and a color palette that pairs the classic Starbucks green and red with retro shades of mint, antique gold, cranberry, and creamy white. Hot cups feature festive trees and bows, while cold cups showcase evergreen accents and red bows. For the first time, select stores will offer a limited‑edition holiday pup cup design for a limited time while supplies last, bringing a canine‑friendly festive touch to the season.

Drinks spotlight: new and returning favorites

Among the new introductions, two Tiramisu Velvet beverages join the lineup — a Velvet Latte and a Velvet Cold Brew — both inspired by the beloved Italian dessert. The Velvet Latte is available hot and iced, combining Starbucks Signature Espresso with milk, vanilla syrup, and Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam topped with cocoa dust. The Velvet Cold Brew elevates the cold‑brew experience with vanilla syrup, Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam, and a cocoa finish. In addition, the season brings bright Apple Pomegranate Refreshers and classic favorites like Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, and Sugar Cookie Latte back for another year of holiday cheer.

Other notable drinks return or debut in the cold‑weather roster. The Caramel Brulée Latte blends espresso with steamed milk and a caramel brulée sauce, finished with whipped cream and caramel brulée topping, and it’s available hot, iced, and as a Frappuccino® blended beverage. A new Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai combines creamy chai with caramel brulée sauce and caramel brulée bits for a festive pairing of warm spice and toasted sweetness. The Iced Sugar Cookie Latte brings together Starbucks Signature Espresso, milk, and sugar cookie flavored syrup over ice, finished with red and green sprinkles and also available hot. The New Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha pairs smooth matcha with sugar cookie cream cold foam and festive sprinkles for a holiday twist.

The Peppermint Mocha remains a longtime holiday staple, featuring espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce, and peppermint syrup, topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls, and it’s offered hot, iced, and as a Frappuccino. The Iced Gingerbread Cream Chai emphasizes the chai with gingerbread flavors and is served over ice with a gingerbread flavored cold foam and a spice topping; it’s also available as a hot chai and as a hot or iced latte. A key correction to previous guidance: Gingerbread Chai is primarily iced by default, with hot chai and latte options, and the gingerbread cold foam on top is dairy‑free.

Beyond these drinks, the lineup includes a family of cold foams and toppings designed to enhance customization, including Velvet Mascarpone Cream Cold Foam, Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam, Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam, Sugar Cookie Cream Cold Foam, and Caramel Brulée Cream Cold Foam (not available non‑dairy). These finishing touches help personalize the holiday cup experience.

Readers who want to explore more seasonal flavors will also find Eggnog Latte and Chestnut Praline Latte referenced in broader coverage of the season, with Eggnog Latte returning on December 2 and Chestnut Praline Latte described as a returning classic. Availability can vary by store, so plan to check local menus as the season progresses.

For practical decision‑making, it helps to know how to enjoy these drinks. Peppermint Mocha is often best enjoyed hot to balance sweetness; the iced version can feel cloying if not balanced with proper mix, while a Frappuccino rendition can provide a refreshing alternative. Sugar Cookie Latte notes a brighter balance when served iced, and the Caramel Brulée drinks highlight toasted caramel notes that shine in both hot and iced formats.

As a reminder, prices vary by location. Typical tall sizes for popular holiday drinks tend to hover around six dollars, with slight fluctuations depending on market and beverage choice. If you’re budgeting across multiple drinks, consider pairing your preference for sweetness, warmth, or spice with the expected price range in your area.

Seasonal whole bean coffees and at‑home options

For home brewing, the season features Starbucks® Thanksgiving Blend, Christmas Blend, and Holiday Blend as whole bean options. These blends pair with holiday gatherings and can be roasted and prepared at home to extend the season’s flavors beyond store visits. The Thanksgiving Blend blends beans from Sumatra, Sidama, and Antigua, delivering a delicately sweet cup with notes of candied pecan, sage, and dried fig. The Christmas Blend brings together Sumatra with dark‑roasted beans from Asia/Pacific, Guatemala, and Colombia, a combination that has become a holiday staple since the 1980s. The Holiday Blend blends bright Latin American beans with rich Sumatran coffee for a full‑bodied cup with hints of maple and herbs. These at‑home options complement the in‑store lineup and provide a practical way to enjoy seasonal flavors year‑round.

Grocery and ready‑to‑drink options

In addition to café beverages, Starbuck’s at‑home holiday coffees and creamers have rolled out to grocery retailers and online channels. Ready‑to‑drink holiday beverages began arriving in October at select grocery, convenience, and specialty retailers, available for a limited time while supplies last. The Peppermint Mocha lineup extends to Nespresso® by Vertuo and K‑Cup® pods and roast & ground coffee. A Peppermint Mocha Dairy Creamer and a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino® Chilled Coffee Drink join the lineup, along with other at‑home options such as non‑dairy creamers inspired by Sugar Cookie Latte and Chestnut Praline Latte. Fans can also find a Chestnut Praline Latte‑inspired dairy creamer and other seasonal flavors in grocery aisles.

Red Cup Day and broader merchandise

Mark your calendar for Red Cup Day on November 17. On that day, customers who purchase any handcrafted holiday beverage at participating stores receive a collectible reusable red cup, while supplies last. Beyond cups, Starbucks is expected to unveil a broader merchandise collection as part of the season’s cheer, with additional holiday sips and surprises unwrapped during November. For details, check the official store availability and local promotions as the holiday window opens.

Choosing what to order: practical guidance

To decide what to order, consider temperature preferences, sweetness levels, and dietary needs. For example, Peppermint Mocha is well‑balanced when hot, while iced versions can skew sweeter if not stirred well. Sugar Cookie Latte tends to be enjoyable iced, but can be satisfying hot if you want a warmer treat. For dairy restrictions, most drinks can be made with non‑dairy milks and dairy‑free toppings, including dairy‑free cold foams where noted. If you’re watching calories, expect grande sizes to hover in the 430–450 calorie range for some hot versions, with dairy substitutions possibly reducing or increasing that figure depending on the milk chosen. These practical considerations help you avoid disappointment and tailor orders to your preferences.

For readers seeking a quick snapshot, a rough pricing guide places tall drinks around six dollars, with regional variation. If you want a quick flavor map, think peppermint for mint lovers (Peppermint Mocha), caramel for caramel fans (Caramel Brulée Latte), and chai lovers for warm spice (Gingerbread Cream Chai and related chai drinks, especially in iced forms).

Originality opportunities and reader value

In crafting this coverage, we’ve emphasized a clear, practical approach: compare the new and returning drinks by taste and temperature, note prices and availability, and highlight how to customize for dietary needs. This framing helps readers decide what to order and plan purchases with confidence. A future update could include a flavor‑profile guide mapping drinks to reader tastes, a pricing table with calories and dietary notes, and an original ranking based on sweetness, complexity, and seasonal feel using either internal or crowdsourced impressions.