Review: Starbucks Has Leveled Up Its 2024 Holiday Menu With Delightful Cold Drinks And Seasonal Flavors

The winter holidays are officially upon us, and you know what that means: a new festive holiday menu from the oh-so-caffeinated minds at Starbucks. In the spirit of giving, Starbucks is giving everyone the gift of seasonal iced beverages in iconic holiday cups and sweet and salty snacks starting November 7, 2024 — ensuring that no matter how busy and overwhelming this time of year may be, there's always something holiday-themed to sip and savor.

Starbucks' trio of Cran-Merry Orange Refreshers, which lean heavily into familiar winter flavors like cranberry, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg, is the first time the brand has introduced Refresher beverages to its winter holiday menu. Starbucks is also debuting two new holiday cold foams, Gingerbread Cream and Salted Pecan Cream, for a festive twist to dollop on any Starbucks beverage. Returning beverages include the Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, and the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai. In addition to the Refreshers, Starbucks is adding four new holiday pastries to its food menu. The Turkey Sage Danish, Dark Toffee Bundt, Penguin Cookie, and Snowman Cake Pop are new additions, while the Sugar Plum Cheese Danish and the Cranberry Bliss Bar will be returning once again.

I tried the new holiday menu lineup before it was made available to the public and have all the cranberry-infused details about the new items. Read on to find out if you will fall-la-la-la-la in love with Starbucks' 2024 holiday menu.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

This holiday season, Starbucks is tapping into flavor over function for its new holiday beverages with three new Cran-Merry Orange (incredible play on words here, Starbucks, honestly) Refresher beverages. The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher is made with orange, cranberry, and spices combined with green coffee extract and cold water shaken with ice. The Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher swaps out the cold water for lemonade, and the Cran-Merry Drink features the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher with coconut milk poured over ice. 

Each Refresher is also garnished with freeze-dried cranberries that kind of look like red Christmas tree ornaments floating throughout. It's truly delightful that Starbucks is introducing iced holiday Refreshers this year, rather than reaching for some other winter-centric flavors to heat up and dollop with whipped cream. In the food category, the winter offerings are equally as of the moment. 

For fans of savory snacks, the new Turkey Sage Danish is made with ground turkey sausage and a creamy béchamel sauce in a flaky pastry. Sweet offerings include a Dark Toffee Bundt cake with colorful sprinkles, a Snowman Cake Pop made with vanilla cake and buttercream with a white chocolate coating and snowman icing decorations, and a buttery shortbread Penguin Cookie with a penguin design. (However, as of publishing, I was not able to try the Penguin Cookie.)

Throughout the holiday season, the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher beverages and the three new food items will be available at all Starbucks cafe locations around the U.S. while supplies last. Prices for the Cran-Merry Orange Refreshers (in the grande size) range from $5.25 to $6.45 depending on the type and location. Something to note for these new refreshing beverages — they are noticeably high in sugar. The calorie count for each grande-sized beverage ranges from a reasonable 100 to 140, but the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher has a total of 37 grams of sugar, and the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher has 59 grams of sugar. The Cran-Merry Drink comes in at the middle point with a total of 44 grams of sugar.

Regarding the new food items, the Turkey Sage Danish clocks in at 270 calories, 29 grams of carbs, and 13 grams of fat, and will set you back between $4.65 and $5.45. The Dark Toffee Bundt is 330 calories, 46 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of fat, and will cost between $3.95 and $4.95. Finally, the Snowman Cake Pop has 170 calories, 22 grams of carbs, and 9 grams of fat, and will cost you between $3.25 and $4.25. The prices for each item vary based on location.

There's no reason cold drinks can't be enjoyed year-round, and to see Starbucks lean into this is, well, refreshing. Similarly to the summer Refreshers which came out in June, there are three options, each of which have a little something different to offer in terms of flavor and refreshment.

The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher on its own is wonderfully tart with just a little hint of sweetness for balance. The use of real (freeze-dried) cranberries as the floating garnish throughout is a nice touch, adding some extra hits of tart flavor as well as some good texture. The Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher is a similar offering but with lemonade added to it. That said, it's almost too similar. I drank each one side by side, and after a while, it was hard to tell the difference. I wish the lemonade-flavored option had a little something extra to make this a more memorable drink on its own.

The Cran-Merry Drink is a more luxurious offering, in my view, adding a splash of coconut milk for a creamy element. The sweet coconut with the tart cranberry is a wonderful combination, reminiscent of a tropical cocktail that somehow has all the right flavors of winter. A bit sweeter than the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher but still light, this is worthy of a grande order, especially in the new holiday iced cups.

As a savory snacker, I was so excited to try this new Turkey Sage Danish. Made with turkey sausage, sage, and a creamy béchamel sauce, it exudes all the aromas I'm used to inhaling around the holidays. The baked goods display at Starbucks tends to lean more into sweet than savory (excluding breakfast), so to have something creative and seasonal like this is definitely a point in the win column for us salty snack fans. For anyone who's had the chance to indulge in a Thanksgiving-stuffed croissant, this is like a simpler version of that, and far less of a flaky mess.

Overall, this is a great savory baked offering. The turkey sausage is really well-seasoned with a good amount of pepper, and that earthy, rich sage in the pastry comes through beautifully. The béchamel provides a nice creamy balance to the hearty meat and flaky pastry, ensuring no dry bites. That said, I wish there was more of it. 

The turkey, primarily, was in short supply here. This isn't a king size pastry by any means, but to call this a Turkey Sage Danish and only give a few measly crumbles of turkey sausage is disappointing. With a more adult-size portion of turkey filling in here, this would be a home run of a snack.

I don't celebrate Christmas, but I know all the flavors and aromas of the holiday itself, and man oh man does this Dark Toffee Bundt cover them all. The cake is a bit dense, but it has a moist, tender crumb, so it doesn't feel quite so heavy. The spice is balanced throughout, with plenty of deep, warm toffee and molasses flavor, as well as dark brown sugar and ginger. The sprinkles add to the festive flare of it all, giving a nice little pop of color and crunch for each bite.

Even the shape of the cake itself harkens to the holiday season, since the iconic bundt design seems to make its way onto every holiday dessert table year after year. Starbucks could have easily made this a muffin and called it a day, but it didn't — and for that, I'm both surprised and delighted.

Once again, Starbucks has created a festive cake pop that hits all the right notes for what is arguably the best handheld sweet snack it offers. The Snowman Cake Pop is tender and moist and not too sweet, and it's complemented nicely by the white chocolate coating on the outside. I always expect the Starbucks cake pops to be like biting into pure sugar, but they never are — and for a snack made entirely of cake and icing, that's an impressive feat. White chocolate rarely gets the love it deserves, but using it as the base for the outer coating of the cake makes this just a little more special, and a little more balanced, than usual.

I also have to give a tip of the cap to whoever chose the icing design. The orange carrot nose is usually a given, but earmuffs, too? It seems insignificant, but it's these little nuances that really make this a masterclass in attention to detail. Plus, who doesn't love Frosty the Snowman in cake pop form?

There are three things that are certain in this life: death, taxes, and new holiday menu items from Starbucks. This holiday season, as decorations, holiday gift guides, and pine-scented everything descends upon us, Starbucks has leveled up on its new menu items, reminding coffee and tea drinkers around the country that not only is it okay to drink cold beverages year-round, it's encouraged. As far as meeting the moment in the most delightful of ways, these new holiday menu items fall comfortably into the "worth it" column.

While I do wish the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher was a little more memorable in terms of flavor, and the Turkey Sage Danish absolutely needs more of that turkey sausage filling, overall, I think Starbucks has once again nailed it with its newest holiday offerings. Nothing is perfect, nor should we expect it to be, but I have to give the metaphorical high five to the green mermaid for really tapping into seasonal flavor and renewing the spark in festive holiday food offerings. 

I plan to indulge in a Cran-Merry Drink and Snowman Cake Pop at least a few times this holiday season. And if you want to feel the holiday spirit in your heart and your belly, I recommend you do the same.