Coffee chains compete with seasonal drinks and snacks
The 2025 Starbucks holiday menu displays more classic holiday flavors that still include their famous drinks and foods.
Their menu includes some of their original holiday specials, like the Peppermint Mocha and the Chestnut Praline Latte, but also some items that are only returning for their second year, like the Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai. One of the newest flavors is the Caramel Brulee Latte.
Along with their various drink options, their breakfast and lunch specials shine as well. Their cranberry bliss bar is a very popular item for the season and they keep their famous cakepops alive throughout the holidays with the Polar Bear Cakepop.
While they not only have a lot of variety, the endless drink combinations make their menu shine. Their holiday menu includes many different cold foam flavors and a variety of toppings, allowing customers to combine different flavors like a sugar cookie cold foam on an iced chai instead of a coffee drink.
This is why the Starbucks holiday menu is the most popular cafe holiday launch of the year – because of their many flavors and superior formulas.
Another big tradition for Starbucks around the holidays is the Red Cup Day. It happens in mid-November, soon after the holiday menu launches. With the purchase of any drink, customers also received a festive red travel cup as a free gift. It resulted in Starbucks’ busiest day and spiked their traffic by 44% this year, the highest sales they have ever had.
In all, Starbucks success around the holiday season is deserved because of the great specials and holiday traditions they display and consistency they have within their menu each year.
The Dunkin’ 2025 holiday menu features many old and new drinks, including the Cookie Butter Cloud Latte — a drink based off of the Cookie Butter Cold Brew, which was a major hit from last holiday season.
The Cookie Butter Cloud Latte is perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth, while the Cookie Butter Cold Brew retains the sweet cookie butter taste but features a bolder coffee flavor. The Cookie Butter Coffee is another option, as well.
Some fan-favorite drinks have returned, such as the Peppermint Mocha and Toasted White Chocolate lattes. During the cold winter months, getting these lattes hot is the perfect way to keep warm while enjoying a sweet drink. For non-coffee lovers, the Berry Sangria Refresher is another popular new release.
Outside of the holiday-themed menu, the winter season at Dunkin’ opened with a partnership with the Wicked For Good movie. The Wicked Pink Refresher and Wicked Green Matcha, as well as the specialty Wicked Munchkins in a tin, offered fun Wicked-themed treats.
As for food, the Raspberry Striped Croissant and Bacon Jam food options are new and exciting options. Additionally, the holiday sprinkles, which come on donuts and munchkins, are a delicious holiday-twist on the typical sprinkles options. There are also the Salted Dark Chocolate munchkins — a new chocolatey menu item.
Overall, the Dunkin’ holiday menu surpasses the Starbucks holiday menu in every way. The variety of food and drink options ensure that there is something for everyone on the menu. Whether fans want a sweet donut treat or a hot latte, they can find what they are looking for on the Dunkin’ menu.
Dunkin’ is the place to go during the holiday season.

