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After a long week, I usually want something sweet enough to feel like a treat, not just another coffee.
At Starbucks, sweet can mean anything from a blended dessert drink to an iced coffee loaded with syrup.
I spent enough time working through the menu to narrow it down to the drinks I actually come back to.
Here are the sweet drinks I keep coming back to.
15 Best sweet Starbucks drinks to try out
Starbucks has plenty of sweet options, but they do not all scratch the same itch.
I’ve split my favourites between hot and cold drinks so you can find one that fits the season and the mood.
Cold sweet Starbucks drinks
1. Starbucks Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage
The Java Chip Frappuccino is the first drink on my list, and for good reason, it tastes like dessert with a coffee edge.
It’s made with an espresso shot, milk, ice, mocha sauce, and Frappuccino chips blended together.
From that first delicious sip, my tastebuds were forever changed – this is basically a chocolate shake with an extra kick of caffeine!
This sweet Starbucks drink is all about chocolate, still has a proper coffee kick, which is exactly why it was one of my first EVER Starbucks drinks, but it still has a whopping 105mg of caffeine .
It has a whopping 80g of sugar and holds 560 calories, so the sweetness lands hard and the drink feels more like dessert than a regular coffee.
2. Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino
Caramel Ribbon Crunch comes a close second for sweetness.
It’s made with coffee, milk, ice, six pumps of dark caramel sauce, and then topped with whipped cream, extra crunchy caramel sugar topping, and caramel drizzle.
It’s incredibly rich and sweet, so I tend to only order it in a Tall, but I can’t stop coming back for more!
It has 78g of sugar and 570 calories in one serving, so I treat it as a proper dessert drink rather than an everyday order.
There’s 140mg of caffeine in it, which gives it enough of a kick that I usually think of it as an afternoon drink rather than pure dessert.
If caramel syrup is your thing, this one leans hard into that flavour.
3. Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino (Caffeine-Free)
When I want to hand someone a dessert-style drink that feels a bit gentler than the coffee version, I go for this. It keeps the same caramel-heavy base, just with a creamier finish.
The lack of espresso gives it a slightly different flavor profile and makes it lighter colored, but it still has a lot of sweetness.
It’s made with 5 extra pumps of dark caramel syrup and more crunchy caramel sugar topping, so it still lands very sweet, with over 500 calories per serving and 60g of sugar per serving.
I like how buttery the texture feels, and the creaminess keeps the caramel from turning cloying too quickly.
It feels like the version to pick when you want the caramel without quite so much coffee edge.
4. Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
White chocolate is the sweeter side of chocolate for me, so I naturally gravitate toward this White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino.
It’s made with white chocolate roast coffee, milk, ice, mocha syrup, and whipped cream, so the flavour stays smooth rather than dark and bitter.
The white chocolate roast coffee gives it a softer aroma, which makes it feel like a lighter twist on a standard mocha.
I never thought of white chocolate and coffee as a hit combo – now I’ve really changed my tune!
It’s got 67g of sugar and has 505 calories per serving.
5. Starbucks Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino
Cookies and cream with a chocolate Frappuccino base is basically dessert in a cup.
It’s made by blending chocolate chips with milk, ice, and mocha sauce, and then topped with vanilla whipped cream, chocolate cookie crumble, and even more mocha drizzle.
I love ordering the Chocolate Cookie Crumble Creme Frappuccino when I’m really craving a chocolatey dessert.
As a chocolate shake fiend, I always enjoy the thicker cookie-and-chocolate finish, especially once the crumble starts blending into the drink.
A single serving has 61g of sugar and 560 calories, making it one of the heavier sweet drink options on the menu.
6. Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato
I order an Iced Caramel Macchiato when it’s hot out and I still want something familiar and sweet.
The iced coffee version of the popular caramel macchiato drink is made with espresso, ice, vanilla syrup, and caramel drizzle.
It’s slightly larger than a regular macchiato, and the addition of ice takes some of the edge off of the espresso, making it smoother to drink.
I like mine with oat milk because it softens the espresso and makes the whole drink feel a little rounder.
It’s got 250 calories and 53g of sugar per serving of this iced coffee, which is still plenty, just less than most of the drinks above it.
The Iced Caramel Macchiato is an easy summer drink for coffee lovers for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Tips From A Barista
- Want to cut the sugar content even more? Try switching to sugar-free vanilla syrup
7. Starbucks Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte
The spice and sweetness make this one of the few cold coffee drinks I still want in autumn or winter.
It’s made with espresso, ice, steamed milk, and cinnamon dolce syrup, and then topped with Starbucks sweetened cream and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.
This gives it a warm, slightly spiced taste in every mouthful that immediately makes me think of long walks under falling leaves.
It has 52g of sugar and 300 calories in each serving, so the sweetness is noticeable without pushing it into full dessert-drink territory.
The cinnamon keeps the sweetness from feeling flat, which is why I come back to it when the weather cools down.
Tips From A Barista
- Want to cut the sugar but still enjoy a spiced treat? Try switching to sugar-free cinnamon dolce syrup
8. Starbucks Strawberry Frappuccino
This drink tastes like the milkshake I would have ordered after school, just with a brighter strawberry note.
It’s one of the fruitier and sweetest Starbucks drinks and is made from strawberry puree, milk, and ice.
It’s then topped with some whipped cream with vanilla flavored syrup mixed in, and extra strawberry puree, which pushes it further into dessert territory.
Sweet, creamy, heavy on the strawberry – who can argue with a fresh strawberries and cream drink?
Even without Starbucks classic syrup, this iced drink still has 52g of sugar and is 320 calories per serving.
Tips From A Barista
- Want to up the strawberry ante? Try asking for extra strawberry puree
- Want a funky fruity combo? Ask your barista what other fruits and purees are available
Hot sweet Starbucks drinks
9. Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha
Sometimes I want a regular mocha, just softer and sweeter, and that’s where the White Chocolate Mocha comes in.
It has an espresso base mixed with white chocolate sauce and steamed milk, and it’s topped with sweetened whipped cream.
As someone who started their coffee-loving journey with mochas, drinking this white chocolate version feels like a warm, energy-filled hug.
It’s the drink I reach for when I want something cosy, creamy, and firmly on the sweet side.
White chocolate mocha coffees are usually available year-round at Starbucks.
It has 67g of sugar per serving and provides 410 calories in each cup. The 150mg from the espresso gives it enough coffee edge that it does not read like pure candy.
10. Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch Crème
On an early evening fall night, the drink I want to hold on to is the Smoked Butterscotch Creme.
Butterscotch is already a brown sugar and butter flavour, and this lighter drink gets close to that without feeling too heavy.
The smoky note reminds me of campfire sweets, with a toasted finish that lingers after the first sip.
It’s made with Starbucks smoked butterscotch syrup, steamed milk, and milk foam.
There’s no espresso or coffee in the mix, so it should be fine for kids, but adults generally prefer the slightly smoky flavor.
The smoked butterscotch crème has 54g of sugar in a serving and 360 calories , which is lower than a lot of drinks on this list, but still feels like an occasional treat.
11. Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice
One of my favourite fall orders is the Caramel Apple Spice. The apple juice and cinnamon give it the same cosy feel as cider.
This simple drink has steamed apple juice with cinnamon syrup as a base with whipped cream and caramel sauce on top.
The steamed apple juice is sweet on its own, and once the cinnamon syrup and caramel go on top, it becomes one of the sweeter, more unusual Starbucks drinks on the list, with 71 grams of sugar and 320 calories.
This seasonal drink reminds me of the hot mulled apple juice that my family makes throughout the fall months – I love ordering it when I’m feeling homesick in the fall.
12. Starbucks Blonde Smoked Butterscotch Latte
Sometimes I want my daily latte to have a little more oomph, and that’s where the Blonde Smoked Butterscotch Latte comes in.
A Starbucks blonde smoked butterscotch latte is made with a double shot of blonde espresso roast, steamed milk, frothed milk, and lots of butterscotch syrup and sauce.
The smoky aftertaste brings a certain level of sophistication while also reminding me of late nights by a campfire while the creamy sweetness is like my grandma’s hard candies – perfection!
This drink brings you 225mg of caffeine , so it feels more like a proper coffee order than a dessert drink. It has 46 grams of sugar and 290 calories, which keeps it lighter than some of the others here.
13. Starbucks Chai Latte
A chai latte is a spiced tea drink that comes from Indian culture. Chai means tea, and the Chai Latte is designed to echo those flavour notes.
It’s made using black tea concentrate, cinnamon, cardamom, and clove. It’s then topped with steamed milk and sweeteners, which gives you spice up front and sweetness underneath.
I always order a chai latte when I want a warm spiced hug in a mug – I ordered these all the time growing up, so this is a real nostalgia pick to me.
They don’t taste as sugary as some other drinks, but they still have 51 grams of sugar and there are 240 calories per serving.
With only 95mg of caffeine, I usually think of this as the softer, tea-leaning option.
14. Starbucks Caramel Macchiato
When I need something between a sweet drink and an everyday order, I turn to the Caramel Macchiato.
It’s made with an espresso base, topped with steamed milk and vanilla syrup, with caramel sauce drizzled on top.
This sweet yet strong drink is actually the least sweet option on this list, which is great for when I want to avoid going into a sugar coma.
Even with 41 grams of sugar content and 250 calories per serving, the caramel macchiato feels lighter than some of the sweeter drinks here.
15. Starbucks White Hot Chocolate
A Starbucks White Hot Chocolate is caffeine-free and very sweet, which is part of why it feels more like a dessert drink than a coffee.
It’s made with chocolate sauce, steamed milk, white chocolate mocha syrup, and whipped cream and has a massive 540 calories per serving.
The Starbucks white hot chocolate is the sweetest hot chocolate on the menu with 55 grams of sugar per cup.
It’s a bit too sweet and rich for me, so I usually stick to a Tall mocha version instead.
Ordering low calorie sweet drinks at Starbucks
The sweetest Starbucks drinks often sit in the 300 to 600 calorie range per serving.
That usually makes them feel more like an occasional treat, though a smaller size or fewer syrup pumps can bring the numbers down a bit:
If I want something lighter, I usually look at smaller coffee-based drinks, since cold brew and similar options keep calories low without losing the coffee flavour.
If you want the lowest calorie Starbucks sweet drink, you should try a caramel macchiato or a flavored blonde latte.
FAQs
What is the sweetest hot drink at Starbucks?
The Caramel Apple Spice is technically the sweetest hot drink on this list at 71 grams of sugar per serving, though the spice keeps it from reading as sugary as the number suggests. For pure sweetness, the white hot chocolate and white chocolate mocha sit right up there too.
What is the sweetest cold drink at Starbucks?
The Java Chip Frappuccino blended beverage is the sweetest cold drink at Starbucks with 80 grams of sugar in a single serving.
How much sugar is in a pump of syrup at Starbucks?
There are about 10 grams of sugar in each pump of Starbucks syrup, so it adds up quickly in a Grande drink. However, there are sugar-free versions of most Starbucks syrups available, which you can request in your drink.
What sweet cream does Starbucks use?
Starbucks vanilla sweet cream is made by combining heavy cream with vanilla syrup and 2% milk. This gives the sweet cream a lighter and sweeter taste than regular cream. There’s also a vanilla sweet cream cold foam which is good on cold brew drinks.
Conclusion - Satisfy your sweet tooth today!
Starbucks sweet drinks come in all different shapes and sizes, and you can customise them to suit what you’re in the mood for.
My personal favourites are the Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte and the Chai Latte – I love how sweet and comforting they are compared with my morning brew.
Whatever your preferences are, you should now be able to pick a really good sweet Starbucks option.
