Starbucks' 2026 Holiday Menu, Scored Out of 100: Every Drink and Bakery Item Ranked

Here's the whole holiday menu at a glance, drinks and bakery on one scale, numbered from the highest score to the lowest. Scores are rounded to the nearest whole number; where two items share a rounded score, the higher unrounded total ranks first. Drinks are grandes in their default build, and bakery items are one piece. The last column shows the component that cost each item the most points.

Two patterns show up right away. Simpler hot drinks without whipped cream or cold foam crowd the top of the list, and the bakery case sits near the bottom, with only the small Bearista Cake Pop climbing into the middle. The scorecards below show why.

The Daily Vitality Score was built for packaged foods and adapted for restaurant items in our earlier chain rankings. This piece uses those restaurant rules, applied to drinks for the first time, with three drink-specific choices explained below.

Per item, as sold. Each drink is scored as a grande in its default build, with Starbucks' standard milk, syrups and toppings. Hot, iced and Frappuccino versions are scored separately because Starbucks lists them as separate menu items. Bakery items are scored as one piece. All figures were read from each item's page on starbucks.com on November 5, 2026, launch day.

Nutrients (75 points). Four components reward keeping amounts low, and two reward getting more per calorie:

Points scale in a straight line between the end points. The 140 mg sodium mark matches the federal definition of "low sodium", which is why most holiday drinks keep all 20 sodium points. The other end points sit at or near half of the relevant FDA Daily Value.

Ingredients (25 points). Two components read each item's ingredient statement:

• First ingredient (10 points). An item whose first ingredient (ignoring ice) is milk, brewed coffee, espresso or tea earns 10. One that starts with sugar, a sweetened base or refined flour earns 0.
• Ultra-processing markers (15 points). Each marker class costs 3.75 points, with a floor of zero.

The marker classes come from the work of Monteiro and colleagues in Public Health Nutrition: flavorings, colors, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, modified starches, sweeteners, glazing agents, protein isolates, and sugars rarely used at home, such as invert sugar, fructose, maltodextrin, dextrose and corn syrup. Preservatives, acids, salt, leaveners, vitamins and milk powders are not counted.

The three drink rules. Drinks are new territory for this formula, so these choices were set before any item was scored:

• Sugar means total sugar. Starbucks lists total sugars but no added-sugars line, so total sugars are scored. That counts the natural lactose in milk, and it means every milk-based holiday drink, all at 28 g or more, scores zero on sugar.
• The base is the first listed ingredient. For drinks, that is usually milk, which is why most of them collect the 10 first-ingredient points that every bakery item misses.
• Markers are counted by class across the whole item. A drink with three different coloring ingredients loses points for colors once, not three times.

Bands. 85 to 100 is Excellent, 70 to 84 Good, 55 to 69 Fair, 40 to 54 Weak and under 40 Poor.

What's in and what's out. The ranking covers every drink and bakery item Starbucks names in its 2026 holiday launch, plus the hot and iced builds it lists for each. The Energy versions of the Refreshers are left out because they're the same drink with added caffeine, as are the holiday cold foams Starbucks sells as add-ons. The two holiday sandwiches are reported separately near the end, for a reason explained there.

If you read our sub sandwich ranking, the structure here will feel familiar.

Subway vs. Jimmy John's vs. Firehouse Subs: 20 Sub Sandwiches Scored Out of 100

The Only Holiday Item in the Good Band

The hot Gingerbread Chai takes the top spot, and it does it by keeping things simple. Its ingredient list is milk, chai concentrate, gingerbread syrup and a spice topping, with no whipped cream or cold foam, and the Gingerbread Chai nutrition page lists a grande at 200 calories, 3 g of saturated fat and 120 mg of sodium. That makes it the lightest milk-based drink on the holiday menu.

It also carries just one marker class, the natural flavor in its chai concentrate and syrup, so it keeps 11.25 of 15 marker points, more than any other item here. Its points slip away on sugar and fiber. At 29 g of total sugar, some of it from the honey in the chai concentrate and some from the milk itself, it lands past the 25 g zero line, and like most drinks it has no fiber. Caffeine sits at about 60 mg, among the gentlest on the menu.

No Whipped Cream, and It Shows

The Iced Sugar Cookie Latte is one of the season's best sellers, and it finishes a strong second. A grande is espresso, 2% milk, sugar cookie syrup and red and green sprinkles over ice, and the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte page lists 210 calories, 2.5 g of saturated fat, 130 mg of sodium and 31 g of sugar.

That low saturated fat figure is the story. With no whipped cream on top, it keeps more than eight of the 10 saturated fat points, and its calories stay modest. The sprinkles are where the ingredient section gives ground: they bring natural flavor, several coloring ingredients and carnauba wax, a glazing agent, for three marker classes. One more number worth knowing is caffeine. At about 195 mg, this is the most caffeinated item on the holiday menu.

Same Sauce as the Latte, 20 Points Higher

The hot Caramel Brulée Chai is new to the holiday menu this year, pairing chai with the same caramel brulée sauce used in the classic latte. The Caramel Brulée Chai page lists a grande at 280 calories, 2 g of saturated fat, 240 mg of sodium and 51 g of sugar.

That 2 g of saturated fat is the lowest of any milk drink here, because this build skips both whipped cream and the crunchy topping. Sugar is its weak spot. At 51 g, it's one of the sweeter hot drinks on the menu, and the sauce's invert sugar and fructose add a marker class alongside natural flavor. Even so, it lands about 20 points above the Caramel Brulée Latte at number 20. Much of that difference comes from what sits on top of the latte.

The Best Protein Ratio on the Holiday Menu

The hot Sugar Cookie Latte follows its iced twin closely. The Sugar Cookie Latte page lists a grande at 260 calories, 4 g of saturated fat, 180 mg of sodium, 37 g of sugar and 11 g of protein.

With no ice taking up space, the hot version holds more milk, which brings more protein and more sugar at the same time. Its 11 g of protein works out to about 4.2 g per 100 calories, the best ratio of any holiday item, though still short of full marks. The extra milk also adds saturated fat and calories, which is why it lands about three points behind the iced version. The ingredient section reads the same as the iced latte: milk first, then three marker classes from the syrup and sprinkles.

If protein is the number you watch, we've ranked the year-round Starbucks drinks that deliver the most of it.

10 Highest-Protein Starbucks Drinks, Ranked: Every Order With 15g+ Protein

Whipped Cream Costs It Almost Every Saturated Fat Point

The Gingerbread Latte is back on Starbucks' holiday lineup after sitting out the 2025 launch list. The Gingerbread Latte page lists a grande at 310 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 160 mg of sodium, 33 g of sugar and 12 g of protein.

Compare it with the Gingerbread Chai at number one and the effect of whipped cream comes into focus. The two drinks share the same gingerbread syrup and spice topping, but the latte's whipped cream brings 6 g more saturated fat, along with mono and diglycerides and carrageenan, which add two marker classes. Together those changes cost it about 18 points. Its 12 g of protein is among the highest on the menu, which helps keep it in the top five.

What a Cold Foam Adds to the Top-Ranked Drink

The Iced Gingerbread Chai is the same chai as number one, served over ice and finished with a gingerbread cold foam and a pump of classic syrup. The Iced Gingerbread Chai page lists a grande at 310 calories, 7 g of saturated fat, 110 mg of sodium and 41 g of sugar.

Side by side with the hot version, the foam and syrup add 110 calories, 4 g of saturated fat and 12 g of sugar, and the foam's vanilla sweet cream contributes an emulsifier and a thickener. The score drops by about 18 points, from 70 to 51. Because ice takes up room in the cup, there's also slightly less milk, so protein dips from 8 g to 7 g. It's the clearest example on the menu of how much the finishing touch can change a drink's numbers.

The Least Sugar of Any Dairy Drink

The Iced Gingerbread Latte has the lowest sugar of any dairy-based holiday drink, at 28 g per grande on the Iced Gingerbread Latte page. It also lists 300 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 120 mg of sodium and 9 g of protein.

That sugar figure is still past the 25 g zero point, so it earns no sugar credit, but it shows how close some drinks come. Saturated fat is where it struggles: at 10 g, it sits exactly on the zero line, thanks largely to the whipped cream. Ice also trims the milk, which lowers protein to 9 g. The result is a score of 50, about two points behind the hot version.

The Most Protein, and the Most Fiber Among the Classics

The Peppermint Mocha is the holiday drink most people picture, and it lands squarely in the middle of the ranking. The Peppermint Mocha page lists a grande at 440 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 140 mg of sodium, 4 g of fiber, 54 g of sugar and 13 g of protein.

There are some genuine strengths here. Its 13 g of protein is the most of any holiday item, and the cocoa in the mocha sauce and chocolate curls brings 4 g of fiber, something most drinks on this list can't claim. Sodium sits right at the 140 mg full-marks line. The trouble is size: 440 calories and 10 g of saturated fat, much of it from the whipped cream, push two heavy lines down to or near zero. With 54 g of sugar, it's also one of the sweeter hot drinks.

If you've read our pumpkin spice decoder, the sugar numbers here will look familiar.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte, Decoded: Sugar and Calories Across 6 Coffee Chains

Less Milk, Less Protein, a Point Lower

The Iced Peppermint Mocha uses the same mocha sauce, peppermint syrup, whipped cream and chocolate curls as the hot version, served over ice. The Iced Peppermint Mocha page lists a grande at 420 calories, 11 g of saturated fat, 90 mg of sodium, 49 g of sugar and 9 g of protein.

Ice displaces some of the milk, which trims 20 calories, 5 g of sugar and 50 mg of sodium. It also takes 4 g of protein with it, and the protein ratio falls from about 3 g to about 2 g per 100 calories. Saturated fat is a gram higher. The two effects nearly cancel, and the iced version finishes about a point behind the hot one.

The Most Fiber on the Menu, and Tied for the Most Additive Classes

The Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew is the lightest member of the new Tiramisu Velvet trio. It's cold brew sweetened with vanilla syrup, topped with Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam and a cocoa cookie dusting, and the Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew page lists 330 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 80 mg of sodium, 6 g of fiber, 37 g of sugar and 3 g of protein.

Two things stand out. Its 6 g of fiber, from the cocoa dusting and foam, earns the best fiber score on the holiday menu, and because brewed coffee is its first ingredient, it collects the full 10 first-ingredient points. The foam is also where it loses ground. The velvet custard powder in it brings maltodextrin, dextrose, corn syrup solids, modified corn starch, emulsifiers, a thickener, sodium caseinate and beta-carotene for color, seven marker classes in all, which zeroes the marker section. With only 3 g of protein, it also earns little on the protein line. Caffeine is high, at about 190 mg.

The Lowest-Calorie Item Isn't the Top Scorer

At 90 calories for a grande, the new Apple Pomegranate Refresher is the lightest item on the holiday menu. The Apple Pomegranate Refresher page also lists 0 g of saturated fat, 50 mg of sodium and 19 g of sugar, with about 50 mg of caffeine in the default light-caffeine build.

On nutrients alone, it scores 47.5 of 75, close to the top two. It earns full marks for sodium, calories and saturated fat, and its 19 g of sugar is one of only two drink figures under the 25 g line. But with no protein and no fiber, it collects nothing on either per-calorie line. The ingredient section is where it really falls back. Its first ingredient is a sweetened apple base made with liquid sugar and fruit juice concentrates, and the base and the popping pomegranate pearls together carry six marker classes, including stevia, carrageenan and modified corn starch. That leaves it with zero of 25 ingredient points.

The Highest-Scoring Bakery Item, Mostly Because It's Small

The new Bearista Cake Pop is the only bakery item to finish in the top half. The Bearista Cake Pop page lists one 39 g pop at 160 calories, 4 g of saturated fat, 115 mg of sodium, 15 g of sugar and 2 g of protein.

That 15 g of sugar is the lowest of any item on the whole holiday menu, and the calorie line holds up well too. Both come down to size: this is a few bites of cake, not a full pastry. The ingredient section tells a different story. The cake starts with sugar, and the cake and coating together carry six marker classes, from an emulsifier blend and gums to modified food starch and added colors. Like every bakery item here, it scores zero of 25 on ingredients.

A Cold Foam Puts It 16 Points Behind Its Latte Cousin

The new Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha tops a matcha latte with sugar cookie cream cold foam and the same red and green sprinkles. The Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha page lists a grande at 330 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 125 mg of sodium, 1 g of fiber, 38 g of sugar and 9 g of protein, with about 50 mg of caffeine.

Next to the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte at number two, the cream cold foam adds 120 calories and 7.5 g of saturated fat, which takes the saturated fat line all the way to zero. The cream also brings mono and diglycerides and carrageenan, adding two marker classes to the sprinkles' three. That's enough to zero the marker section and drop the drink 16 points below its latte cousin.

The Most Saturated Fat of Any Holiday Drink

The Iced Tiramisu Velvet Latte combines espresso, milk and vanilla syrup with the Velvet Mascarpone Cold Foam, a cocoa cookie dusting and mocha sauce. The Iced Tiramisu Velvet Latte page lists a grande at 470 calories, 13 g of saturated fat, 170 mg of sodium, 6 g of fiber, 56 g of sugar and 11 g of protein.

Those are the most calories and the most saturated fat of any drink on the holiday menu. At 13 g, saturated fat is 65% of the Daily Value in one cup. Fiber is a bright spot at 6 g, and milk as the first ingredient earns 10 points. Like the rest of the Tiramisu trio, though, the foam's seven marker classes zero the marker section.

Lemonade Pushes the Sugar Past the Line

Shaking the Apple Pomegranate Refresher with lemonade adds 50 calories and 11 g of sugar. The Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher page lists a grande at 140 calories, 0 g of saturated fat, 50 mg of sodium and 30 g of sugar.

That extra sugar takes it past the 25 g zero point, so it loses the 2.5 sugar points the plain Refresher kept, plus about a point on calories. Everything else matches the plain version: full marks for sodium and saturated fat, nothing for protein or fiber, and zero ingredient points from the sweetened base and pearls.

One of Two Families Where the Iced Build Edges Ahead

The hot Tiramisu Velvet Latte is the signature drink of this year's launch. The Tiramisu Velvet Latte page lists a grande at 460 calories, 12 g of saturated fat, 180 mg of sodium, 5 g of fiber, 55 g of sugar and 11 g of protein.

It finishes about half a point behind the iced version, one of only two drink families, along with the Sugar Cookie Latte, where the iced build comes out ahead. The iced build carries a gram more fiber and slightly less sodium, and that outweighs its extra saturated fat, which scores zero either way. Both are heavy drinks on paper. Calories land at 460, saturated fat is past the zero point, and the seven-class cold foam leaves the marker section empty.

Coconutmilk Adds Saturated Fat but No Protein

The Snowy Apple Drink shakes the apple Refresher base and pomegranate pearls with coconutmilk. The Snowy Apple Drink page lists a grande at 130 calories, 2.5 g of saturated fat, 100 mg of sodium and 23 g of sugar.

The coconutmilk gives it a creamier look without adding protein, which stays at 0 g, and it brings 2.5 g of saturated fat that the plain Refresher doesn't have. Its gums, including xanthan, gellan and guar, fall into the thickener class already counted for the base, so the marker count doesn't change. It finishes about four points behind the plain Refresher.

The Cold Foam Costs It 18 Points

The new Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai tops iced chai with caramel brulée cold foam and a crunchy caramel topping. The Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai page lists a grande at 400 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 180 mg of sodium, 58 g of sugar and 8 g of protein.

Set it beside the hot Caramel Brulée Chai at number three and the gap is striking. The iced version carries 120 more calories, 7 g more saturated fat and 7 g more sugar, and the foam, classic syrup and topping add emulsifiers, a thickener and colors to the marker count. The score falls from 60 to 42. Its 58 g of sugar ties for the second-highest total on the holiday menu.

The Most Sugar on the Holiday Menu

The Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino blends coffee, milk and ice with Frappuccino syrup, mocha sauce and peppermint syrup, then adds whipped cream and chocolate curls. The Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino page lists a grande at 430 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 240 mg of sodium, 1 g of fiber, 63 g of sugar and 5 g of protein.

That 63 g of sugar is the highest of any item on the holiday menu. Blending swaps much of the milk for ice and syrup, so protein drops to 5 g, about a third of the hot Peppermint Mocha's, and fiber falls from 4 g to 1 g. Its marker count matches the hot drink, since the Frappuccino syrup's xanthan gum falls into the thickener class already counted, so the ingredient section holds at 13.75. It's the nutrient section that drops the Frappuccino about eight points below the hot version.

The Most Sodium of Any Holiday Drink

The Caramel Brulée Latte is a holiday classic, and it is the highest-scoring of its three builds. The Caramel Brulée Latte page lists a grande at 410 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 340 mg of sodium, 48 g of sugar and 12 g of protein.

At 340 mg, sodium is the highest of any holiday drink, though it still keeps 16 of 20 sodium points because the sodium line doesn't reach zero until 1,150 mg. The bigger issue is the ingredient section. The sauce brings invert sugar, fructose and natural flavor; the whipped cream adds an emulsifier and a thickener; and the caramel brulée topping adds corn syrup and fruit and vegetable colors. Five marker classes in all leave it with only the 10 first-ingredient points from milk.

The First Drink in the Poor Band

Served over ice, the Caramel Brulée Latte becomes the first drink to slip below 40. The Iced Caramel Brulée Latte page lists a grande at 400 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 290 mg of sodium, 44 g of sugar and 8 g of protein.

Ice brings sugar and sodium down a little compared with the hot version, but it also cuts protein by a third, and saturated fat rises to the 10 g zero point. The ingredient section is identical to the hot latte, with five marker classes. On balance, it finishes about two points lower.

The Lowest-Scoring Drink on the Menu

The Caramel Brulée Frappuccino is the lowest-scoring holiday drink, at 37. The Caramel Brulée Frappuccino page lists a grande at 400 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 300 mg of sodium, 58 g of sugar and 4 g of protein.

With most of the milk replaced by ice and Frappuccino syrup, it carries just 4 g of protein, about 1 g per 100 calories. Sugar ties for the second-highest on the menu. It shares the latte's five marker classes, so the ingredient section stops at the 10 points milk earns for being listed first.

The Most Protein in the Bakery Case

The Sugar Plum Cheese Danish is the highest-ranked of the full-size bakery items. The Sugar Plum Cheese Danish page lists one pastry at 330 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 390 mg of sodium, 1 g of fiber, 16 g of sugar and 7 g of protein.

Its 16 g of sugar is modest next to most of the holiday menu, and its 7 g of protein, much of it from the cream cheese and whole milk, is the most in the bakery case. Sodium is the highest of any scored item at 390 mg, though that still keeps about 15 of 20 sodium points. The ingredient section is empty. Enriched flour comes first, and the sugar plum filling alone brings corn syrup, modified food starch, pectin, maltodextrin, natural flavors and added color.

A Holiday Tradition That Zeroes Two Lines

The Cranberry Bliss Bar is one of Starbucks' longest-running holiday treats. The Cranberry Bliss Bar page lists one bar at 290 calories, 10 g of saturated fat, 240 mg of sodium, 1 g of fiber, 28 g of sugar and 3 g of protein.

Two lines go to zero: saturated fat lands exactly on the 10 g mark, largely from the white coating, butter and cream cheese icing, and sugar sits just past the 25 g line. Its statement also includes maltitol and maltitol syrup, sweeteners that count as their own marker class, along with soy lecithin, gums, maltodextrin and natural flavor. Calories are moderate for its size, which is what keeps it ahead of the Snowman Cookie.

The Most Saturated Fat on the Holiday Menu

The Snowman Cookie, a viral favorite, closes out the ranking at 30. The Snowman Cookie page lists one 82 g cookie at 400 calories, 14 g of saturated fat, 140 mg of sodium, 1 g of fiber, 27 g of sugar and 3 g of protein.

That 14 g of saturated fat is 70% of the Daily Value and the most of any holiday item, coming from the butter, margarine and white and dark coatings. At 400 calories, it matches the Caramel Brulée Frappuccino. Sodium earns full marks, but sugar and saturated fat both score zero, and the cookie's flour-first statement carries five marker classes, from emulsifiers and colors to fructose and the carnauba wax on its sanding sugar.

For more on how holiday cookies compare once you look at the whole cookie, our cookie ranking runs the numbers.

20 Popular Cookies Ranked by Sugar Per Cookie, Not Per Serving

Starbucks' holiday launch also includes two lunch items, the new Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese and a refreshed Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich. They aren't in the ranking, and the reason is simple. On launch day, the ingredient field on each sandwich's page read "TBD." Without an ingredient statement, the 25-point ingredient section can't be scored, and our past practice, set in the sub sandwich ranking, is to leave out items without published statements rather than score them on partial information.

The nutrition figures are published, though, so here they are for reference. The Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese page lists 640 calories, 18 g of saturated fat, 1,510 mg of sodium, 4 g of fiber, 7 g of sugar and 26 g of protein. The Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich lists 510 calories, 3 g of saturated fat, 1,460 mg of sodium, 3 g of fiber, 23 g of sugar and 25 g of protein.

Both sandwiches sit past the formula's 1,150 mg sodium zero point, which is a pattern our sub ranking found across most lunch sandwiches. We'll revisit them if Starbucks publishes their ingredient statements.

Step back from the scorecards, and three patterns explain most of the ranking.

Toppings decide the close calls. The holiday menu offers a rare chance to compare the same flavor with and without a topping, and the results are consistent. The hot Gingerbread Chai, with no foam, scores 70; the iced version with gingerbread cold foam scores 51. The hot Caramel Brulée Chai scores 60; the iced cream version scores 42. Whipped cream and cold foams add saturated fat and calories, and they bring emulsifiers and thickeners that add marker classes. The top four items have no whipped cream or cold foam at all.

Sugar sets a ceiling for every milk drink. Every dairy-based holiday drink carries 28 g of sugar or more, so none earns a single sugar point. Part of that is the natural lactose in milk, since Starbucks lists total sugar rather than added sugar, which makes these figures hard to compare directly with guidance on added sugars. For context, the American Heart Association suggests most women keep added sugar to about 25 g a day and most men to about 36 g. The sugar range across the holiday menu runs from 15 g in the cake pop to 63 g in the Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino.

The bakery case starts 25 points behind. Every bakery item starts with refined flour or sugar and carries four or more marker classes, so all four score zero on the ingredient section, while most milk drinks collect at least 10 points there for listing milk first. That is the main reason three of the four bakery items fill the bottom three spots, and why the small Bearista Cake Pop, which holds up on calories and sugar, is the only treat to reach the middle of the list.

If you'd like to see how these patterns compare with a fast-food menu, our taco ranking uses the same restaurant rules.

Taco Bell vs. Del Taco vs. Jack in the Box: 20 Fast-Food Tacos Scored Out of 100