Starbucks' Caramel Ribbon Crunch Vs Caramel Frappuccino: Is There A Difference?

Starbucks aficionados know the feeling all too well: that sudden craving for a thick, rich, icy Frappuccino. When you gotta have it, you gotta have it. Fortunately, the Starbucks universe keeps the machines churning all year long, with a company-stated 36,000 different Frappuccino combinations available across the globe. However, something about the original classics can feel cozy and authentic to long-time customers. That includes Frappuccinos featuring caramel, especially when the air turns crisp in early autumn.

The cooler months conjure cravings for caramel apples, salted caramel candies, caramel crunch toppings on warm apple pies, and steaming hot Starbucks caramel drinks, including a caramel macchiato and salted caramel mocha. Just imagine what a company like Starbucks can do with all of that luscious goodness in its wildly popular Frappuccino products. Well, here's exactly what they do now, regardless of the season. Starbucks venues continue offering the classic Caramel Frappuccino drink, one of its earliest versions of the blended beverage introduced just four years after Frappuccinos in 1995.

Then, there's its cool crunchy cousin, the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino. Though similar in core ingredients, the two Frappuccinos are actually different in two significant ways: the type of caramel sauce and a notable crunchy topping that's absent on the traditional version. Both have their advantages — and plenty of faithful fans.

Going back to basics, the Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino blended beverage features two to four pumps of the specially formulated Frappuccino roast coffee, depending on size ordered. For comparison's sake, the 16-ounce grande size automatically gets three pumps, though you can request more or less. Then, there's the fallback whole milk, which comes in 10 other options, including 2%, nonfat, vanilla sweet cream, almond or soy milk, and more. The coffee, milk, and ice get blended with three pumps of standard caramel syrup, then topped with customizable whipped cream and layers of buttery caramel sauce. 

If all that sounds heavenly, you'll likely love the crunchy iteration, introduced in April 2013 to kick off the summer season. The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino starts on the same ingredient pathway as its older caramel relative, including the Frappuccino roast coffee with your choice of milk. Next comes the rich deviation: a dark caramel sauce for extra defining flavor depth. The resulting icy blended beverage gets similarly topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce. Then comes the second difference between this and the standard caramel Frappuccino: a crispy caramel sugar topping tossed strategically over the top. 

You can also order a creme-based caffeine-free version. Nutrition components between the two Frappuccinos are slightly different, including five grams of protein in the Ribbon Crunch versus four grams in the classic Caramel. Full values for caffeine, fat, calories, and more are available on the Starbucks app or website.