6 Starbucks Drink Toppings, Ranked

Starbucks lovers, assemble! Super fans who frequent the chain on a daily basis no doubt have their go-to order. It may oscillate between hot and iced depending on the season, and you might pull out all the stops with an expensive drink you only get on special occasions. Starbucks offers endless ways to customize your favorite order with its plethora of syrups, milk options, and other inclusions, but there's one available drink accessory you may not know about: toppings.

That's right — Starbucks actually offers a few different toppings you can add to any drink. I headed to a few stores in my area to get my hands on as many as I could, and I ended up with six options: cinnamon dolce, caramel crunch, cinnamon, mocha cookie crumble, cherry crunch, and salted brown butter. As their names would indicate, a few of these toppings have coarse textures, adding another fun element to your drinking experience. Even the finer ones add a kick of flavor that could be just what your coffee order is asking for. I tried each, first on whipped cream and then on a vanilla latte, and ranked them in order of how much character each has to offer to your drinking experience. 

Taking the last place on this list is cinnamon. Now, you'll never hear me bash on the classic spice — in fact, I add cinnamon to everything, from my morning oatmeal to warm winter cocktails and my Starbucks hot chocolate. The spicy, savory, versatile seasoning can add a lot of oomph to many dishes, even in small doses. I've also been a long-time fan of cinnamon in my coffee. Pro tip: Add cinnamon to your brewing basket (or, in my case, your pour-over filter) rather than adding it to brewed coffee, as cinnamon doesn't dissolve.

All that said, I wasn't surprised to find cinnamon on the list of Starbucks toppings. I really enjoyed the chain's cinnamon in particular — research shows a strong likelihood that it was Korintje ground cinnamon (or Indonesian ground cinnamon), a relatively inexpensive varietal of the cassia cinnamon family. Its flavor was strong and earthy, bright, and had a gentle spiciness to it. It's not at all hard to recognize in a drink but it's also not overwhelming in the least. If you're looking to dip your toes into the coffee-topping pool, cinnamon makes for a very strong starting point. 

Though this topping only got the number five spot on my list, I still liked it, and it only got a lower ranking than others because it was pretty nondescript. Starbucks' caramel crunch topping appears to be exclusive to the brand, so it's not one you can just buy at a store and use at home. Its novelty gives it some brownie points. It's also the coarsest topping on this list, which could endear it to some and cause others to opt for a different topping.

Despite having a larger size than other toppings, this one is pretty gentle and doesn't overshadow the drink. It adds a subtle sweetness to a hot latte but is only really discernible when you crunch into a piece. Personally, I'd add it to the top of a drink that has whipped cream; otherwise, it dissolves into the drink pretty quickly and is less noticeable. But it's delightful when you get some crunchy pieces with a bit of whipped cream. If you want to go all-in with the caramel flavor profile, add this topping to your Starbucks caramel macchiato. 

Another "crunch" topping whose components are slightly smaller than the caramel crunch is Starbucks' cherry crunch topping. I'd say this is the most visually appealing of all the chain's toppings — its red-pink pieces give it some springtime ambiance, which is honestly the biggest reason I'm ranking this above caramel crunch. If you simply have to get your drink with an Instagram-worthy topping, cherry crunch is a solid choice. 

In terms of its flavor, I have some similar remarks about this one as I did with the previous topping; namely, it's fairly gentle. Again, I don't think this is a bad thing, and it may even be a plus for the coffee drinker who doesn't want to assault their usual cup with excessive flavors. It does taste sweet and reminiscent of cherries, and it adds a certain brightness to your coffee, while the slightly larger pieces taste like cookie crumbles. It will be a fun topping reminiscent of springtime, but if you want a bolder option to seriously remix your coffee, keep reading.

It might sound too simple to have earned the number three spot on this list, but honestly, Starbucks' cinnamon dolce is an elite topping. There's a reason this is a mainstay on the chain's menu — it can elevate nearly any drink and bring a warm, sweet appeal that acts as the icing on the cake (or, in this case, the sugar on the latte). If you've never had the cinnamon dolce topping before, just try it the next time you go in. I highly doubt you'll leave disappointed. 

At first glance, this topping looks like a simple cinnamon sugar mixture that you could DIY at home. Masked by its unassuming appearance is a world of flavor that prompted me to check the topping's ingredients — I was sure it couldn't just be cinnamon and sugar. Turns out, I was right; Starbucks says the topping is made from sugar, cinnamon, salt, and extractives of butter. That explains all the (very welcome) flavor in this topping! Add it to your secret menu cinnamon roll Frappuccino order for an extra sweet twist. 

I'll start out by saying that I don't love packaged cookies — I far prefer making my own, and you'll never find me reaching for pre-made ones in the confections section of the grocery store. Unless, that is, I have a particular craving for a package of Oreos. I'm a huge fan of the chocolate cream-filled cookie in any form — solo, in a milkshake, as an ice cream topping, you name it. So it goes without saying that I loved Starbucks' mocha cookie crumble topping, which is very reminiscent of the widely popular packaged cookie.

Now, I don't think Starbucks used Oreos in the creation of this cookie topping (in fact, I'd be surprised if it did). Nevertheless, its similarity to the cookie endeared me to it immediately. Beyond its recognizably yummy flavor, this topping also added the most oomph to my drink. If you want to top your drink with something noticeable that's sure to pack a punch, mocha cookie crumble is sure to get the job done. It would make for a particularly good topping on the peppermint mocha holiday staple drink. 

Lastly, my personal favorite topping (and the one that I believe can add the most flavor to any beverage) is Starbucks' salted brown butter topping. This earns the top spot for a couple of reasons. First, it's hugely flavorful, and it goes without question that this will add a ton of umami appeal to any drink. Second, despite having a strong flavor, it's a very neutral topping — what I mean by that is that you could add this to anything on Starbucks' menu without worrying about clashing flavor profiles. 

The topping adds adds a hint of brown sugar to your drink, and its subtle saltiness gives it that savory umami flavor. I also liked the texture of this topping, and it's one to opt for if you don't want your topping to taste too obvious — because it's sugar, it readily dissolves in the drink and on your tongue, so it stays nondescript while still adding a lot of character to any coffee. This topping is a particularly great addition to Starbucks' pistachio latte. 

To do this ranking, I had to visit a couple of Starbucks locations to gather all of the toppings the chain offers. My first attempt at getting lattes topped with the different toppings proved difficult — nearly all of them sunk to the bottom of the drinks, so I went back and asked to try each on a dollop of whipped cream, which proved a more successful tasting method. After the whipped cream tasting, I added some whipped cream to the top of a vanilla latte to see how each paired with coffee.

I took into account both flavor and texture for this ranking. I can see texture being a divisive opinion and can certainly understand others not wanting crumbles in their lattes. However, for me, the texture offered an additional enjoyable element and a fun twist on the drink, which is part of why mocha cookie crumble ranked particularly high. I also took uniqueness into account, so while I love cinnamon on my coffee drinks, the plain topping had to get last place.