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Are you sure you’re getting the most out of your Starbucks?
You probably just stick to your tried and trusted regular order without even realizing you're missing out! I bet you didn't know there are over 35 Starbucks toppings you could add to your morning cup of joe.
Let's check out the best Starbucks toppings, from whipped cream to caramel brulee sauce, with many other seasonal toppings in between.
What Toppings Does Starbucks Have In 2023?
1. Java Chips
Java Chips are a beautiful chocolate chip topping that goes well with everything chocolate. They taste amazing and add that needed crunch to your favorite Frappuccino.
If you want to really get the best out of your Java chips though, pair them with whipped cream atop a hot chocolate or mocha!
2. Caramel Waffle Sauce
This is one of those seasonal Starbucks toppings that only comes around in the winter, but boy, is it worth the wait!
With more of a rich caramel flavor than its regular counterpart, this spicy winter waffle sauce is perfect drizzled over any of the Christmas coffee drinks, such as the caramel waffle latte, toffee nut latte, or gingerbread hot chocolate.
3. Cocoa Powder
You may think this one is basic, but it’s anything but! Chocolate powder is the perfect topping to add a little extra sweetness and natural flavors to plenty of drinks.
For your mochas and hot chocolates, it’s an excellent pair with both whipped cream and mocha drizzle. Starbucks chocolate powder is also the perfect dusting to top off a cappuccino.
4. Caramel Drizzle
Caramel drizzle is easily one of Starbucks' most iconic toppings. Seen on the caramel Frappuccino and caramel macchiato, it'd be easy to think that's all it comes on.
The drizzle is excellent on your favorite iced coffee and is one of the best toppings for lattes.
So don't be afraid to try the caramel drizzle if you want to sweeten up your regular order.
You can even pair it with chocolate curls if you have an especially sweet tooth, and although it does contain dairy, caramel drizzle is gluten-free!
5. Molasses Drizzle
Who doesn't love the gingerbread latte? It's a staple Starbucks drink that comes around every winter to warm us all up. Well, the molasses drizzle is the secret ingredient.
Try switching it up and ask for it on other drinks, such as mochas or other sweet seasonal flavors.
6. Chestnut Praline Crumbs
One of the best Starbucks toppings around, the chestnut praline crumbs are a spiced, sugary crumble that melts into your hot drinks to add an extra pop of flavor.
This one is best enjoyed with Starbucks hot drinks, especially when adding chocolate curls.
7. Dark Chocolate Curls
These will go amazingly on any drink that works with chocolate powder but add just a touch more flavor.
Dark chocolate curls work best on hot chocolates with whipped cream and more adventurous drinks like the salted caramel mocha.
They may be small flakes of chocolate, but they make a big difference to the flavor of your Starbucks drink.
8. Cookie Crumble
The cookie crumble has got to be one of the most underrated toppings at Starbucks.
Of course, it’s most at home on cold drinks like the mocha cookie crumble frappuccino, but it works as a topping on just about any cold drink.
It pairs brilliantly with the chocolate chips, and if you're super adventurous, why not try it on a cappuccino?
9. Crunchy Caramel Sugar
This sweet, crunchy topping is perfect on any caramel Starbucks drink. In essence, it's caramelized sugar, but don't let the simplicity stop you.
It works on almost any Frappuccino and is the perfect topping to make your sweet, cold drinks pop that little bit extra.
10. Vanilla Powder
Vanilla powder serves the same purpose as chocolate powder. Sprinkle on your cappuccino or any other drink to add a slightly sweeter burst of flavor to an otherwise basic coffee.
If you want even more sweetness, try pairing vanilla powder with cane sugar.
11. Mocha Drizzle
Mocha drizzle is a great way to top off any chocolate-flavored Starbucks drink (even the white mocha) and pairs beautifully with whipped cream to add that extra chocolatey taste to your drink.
This is what you'll find all over the sides of your cup when you order a peppermint mocha Frappuccino.
Mocha drizzle adds a little bit of sweetness, but mainly the cocoa notes. It’s even great on top of any coffee made with almond milk.
12. Toffee Nut Sugar
Another one of the brilliant seasonal toppings on offer each winter, the toffee nut sugar is a must-have on days when you want to stay warm.
This toffee sugar is perfect on all Starbucks toffee nut drinks, whether the latte, hot chocolate, or Frappuccino.
13. Red and Green Sprinkles
Red and green sprinkles are a great way to add Christmas color to your drink. It's worth thinking outside the box on this one.
Not only will they be a great addition to many cream-based Frappuccinos, but the red and green sprinkles will be brilliant on many of the blondies and muffins that Starbucks sells.
Whether it's on your coffee or alongside it, these colored sugar sprinkles are a brilliant addition to your order.
14. Sea Salt
We know what you’re thinking. Sea salt? On a coffee? Hold on, because it’s better than you think.
Firstly, sea salt goes well with any caramel drink to give a salted caramel flavor. Secondly, it’s great to pair alongside the caramel sugar on drinks like a salted caramel mocha frappuccino.
And finally, the sea salt is great on sweets and treats (for example, the caramel shortbread) to pair alongside your favorite coffee or Frappuccino.
15. Pumpkin Spice Powder
This is one of Starbucks’ biggest hitters. The topping of the famous pumpkin spice latte.[1]
This pumpkin spice powder adds a brilliant pop of fall flavors to your drink pumpkin spice latte and lets you embrace the changing seasons.
Perfect with any drink using the pumpkin spice sauce, this is for the pumpkin spice latte or Frappuccino.
16. Salted Brown Butter Cookies
Perfect for the warmer drinks on the menu, the salted brown butter cookie topping has a less sweet flavor than many of the options on this list.
Try this brown sugar taste on a cappuccino or a chestnut praline latte to get the best out of this underrated choice.
17. Holiday Sugar Sparkles and Crispy White Pearls
This is the perfect holiday topping to make your drink the envy of your Instagram followers.
This glistening holiday sugar sparkles and crispy white pearls topping make the colors on your drink stand out and give it a light crunch with some extra sugary flavor!
18. Cinnamon
A very classic choice for dusting off a hot drink, cinnamon powder is an amazing, if often overlooked, choice of delicious topping.
Best enjoyed on a cappuccino, latte, or with any cinnamon dolce drink, don’t skip this cinnamon powder when choosing your next new Starbucks toppings.
19. Cinnamon Dolce
Similar in taste to the cinnamon powder topping, cinnamon dolce is a slightly caramel-flavored cinnamon sugar syrup that works great either as a topping or a syrup.
Try it with any caramel-flavored drink, such as the caramel coffee frappuccino, or on its own with a latte.
20. Red Velvet Sugar
More than just caramelized sugar, this red velvet topping gives a unique taste to your Starbucks drink.
As one of the seasonal Starbucks toppings, this might not be available year-round, but it's still a great choice to pair with whipped cream on either your hot chocolate or Frappuccino.
21. Whipped Cream
One of the most versatile and simple Starbucks toppings, whipped cream works well on pretty much any drink. Anything using steamed milk will be made that bit better by this topping.
You can even try various flavors of sweet Starbucks whipped cream (such as caramel whipped cream) to mix it up a bit.
Whether it’s a latte, a frap, or just about any drink using steamed milk, this topping is as classic as it gets.
22. Spiced Apple Drizzle
A drizzle made especially for the spiced apple macchiato, the spiced apple drizzle is a ground nutmeg apple puree with a couple of extra herbs for a fresh spicy taste.
Although it was made with the crisp apple macchiato in mind, this is one of those versatile toppings that goes brilliantly with Starbucks refreshers and iced teas.
23. Honey Drizzle
You might not know this, but Starbucks does actually have honey.
Whether you prefer it as a syrup in your drink or as a topping drizzled across the top of your latte, it's the perfect addition to your coffee. Honey drizzle is also amazing for iced teas and green teas.
24. Funnel Cake Sugar Sprinkles
The standard topping of the strawberry funnel cake frappuccino, this brilliant addition to the menu consists of pieces of toasted funnel cake dusted with powdered sugar.[2]
It's fantastic on most Frappuccinos, but especially any toasted white mocha drinks, so make sure you give it a try!
25. Nutmeg Dust
Nutmeg is an excellent topping for those who want an extra kick to their coffees.
This is a simple topping, much like the chocolate powder, but one that works well with any cinnamon dolce drinks or on its own. It's perfect to top off a chai drink.
26. Cranberry Sugar Crystals
Cranberry is a classic Christmas flavor, and Starbucks absolutely nailed it with this seasonal cranberry sugar topping.
Introduced for the cold cranberry mocha blanco, don't be limited to just one or two Frappuccinos. This topping is perfect for any white mocha-based drink.
27. Pumpkin Spice Sauce
This is what normally goes in Starbucks’ famous pumpkin spice latte, but it’s just as excellent drizzled over the top of your drink (maybe even with some whipped cream if you’re feeling cheeky).
As we’ve seen with the mocha sauce, drizzling sauce on your drink is a brilliant way to take the flavor to another level, so don’t hesitate to give this one a try.
28. Strawberry Drizzle
We've all seen this before: it's the thick syrup that goes into the strawberries and cream Frappuccino. What you might have yet to think of doing, however, is adding it to different drinks.
It's a simple strawberry-flavored sauce, but pairs amazingly with mocha and white mocha drinks, so make sure to add it to your selection.
29. Caramel Brulee Sauce
With a slightly sweeter and smokier taste than regular caramel sauce, this is a perfect holiday topping.
Drizzle some caramel brulee sauce over any festive drinks like the toffee nut or gingerbread latte to add an extra kick of flavor.
30. Cascara Sugar
By mixing cane sugar and brewed cascara, Starbucks has made a unique topping that can be used with any Starbucks drink.
This coffee cherry tea flavored topping is best on Starbucks cold brew drinks, mixed with some cold foam.
31. Chunky Fudge
Such a simple topping but such a great one. Little fudge pieces that go brilliantly with almost any frappuccino drink.
The perfect topping to add a little extra sweetness and flavor to your chocolatey or caramel-based drinks.
32. Toasted Honey
The toasted honey topping is a great way to make your Starbucks drink taste like Honey Nut Cheerios.
It'll add extra sweetness to your coffee but with a more natural flavor than many of the other toppings on offer.
33. Caramel Brulee Bits
This seasonal topping is sure to catch the eye. Flavored to match the caramel brulee sauce, the caramel brulee topping is a sort of crushed caramel candy which works amazingly with any festive drink.
Try the caramel brulee topping with toffee nut or salted praline, and you'll soon see what I mean.
34. Crunchy Spiced Caramel Waffle
Another topping on the festive rostrum, the crunchy spiced caramel waffle pieces add that crunchy texture and sweetness to any drink.
So don't just have it on a caramel waffle latte, try it on any sweet drink, and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
35. Cold Foam
Cold foam is easily one of the best toppings for any iced drink.
Milk that’s frothed to become foamy, with any syrup that you like to sweeten it up can be poured over your iced americano or matcha latte to give you endless combinations of flavors.
Are Toppings Free At Starbucks?
No, toppings aren’t normally free at Starbucks unless they’re standard with the drink. They are a very reasonable price though, about $0.60.
That said, the price of your drink will really add up if you’re stacking them up on each other.
Try to match up just one or two toppings that go well with your drink and each other to make the most of your Starbucks.
Frequently Asked Starbucks Toppings Questions
Can I get more than one topping at Starbucks?
Yes, you can get as many toppings as you want at Starbucks.
Can you get Starbucks toppings on any drink?
Yes, Starbucks' ethos is that customers can customize their drinks however they want so that you can mix and match to your heart's desire.
Are there seasonal toppings at Starbucks?
Yes, many of the toppings at Starbucks are seasonal, so be sure to watch for the latest options.
Are there vegan toppings at Starbucks?
Plenty of Starbucks toppings, such as the chocolate and vanilla powders, are vegan. Ask your barista for more information if you’re unsure.[3]
Are there dairy-free toppings at Starbucks?
Yes! Plenty of the toppings are dairy free, and they even offer a soy whipped cream alternative for those who don't want to drink dairy.
Are there caffeinated toppings at Starbucks?
No. Starbucks toppings are not caffeinated, which means you can enjoy any of them with your favorite decaf coffees or cream-based Frappuccinos.
Which Starbucks Topping Will You Try Next?
So there you have it. The next time you’re hesitating over what to order at Starbucks, just use this handy guide to decide what toppings you want on your favorite drink.
If you've got a sweet tooth, I'd recommend the caramel drizzle with the chunky fudge, but if not, you can't go wrong with a bit of nutmeg dust and cinnamon.
References:
1. https://www.starbucks.co.uk/menu/product/3D-4309
2. https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/new-starbucks-strawberry-funnel-cake-frappuccino-is-your-ticket-to-summer/
3. https://www.starbucks.co.uk/nutrition
