Not everyone enjoys a piping hot drink.
Sometimes all we need is something cool but delicious, and Starbucks offers a huge range of iced and cold brewed beverages on their extensive menu. But which one is the best?
Here, we have ranked our top 15 iced and cold Starbucks drinks so you can find the one that best suits your tastes when it comes to stepping up to the barista and placing your order.
What We Are Looking For
Because everyone’s opinions vary, it can be difficult to narrow down what is needed to make a great beverage great.
When looking for what should factor into making our top 15 iced and cold drinks from Starbucks, we narrowed down what we look for in an amazing drink.
The first thing we look for is caffeine. Because we are a site dedicated to coffee, we want to focus on caffeinated drinks like coffees, teas and espressos.
However, the reason why a lot of us drink coffee is to gain a lot more energy and to feel more awake. So, we will take in consideration drinks with low caffeine content that still give a great boost of energy.
Not everyone can handle caffeine, but there are some great alternatives on our list that are just as refreshing and energizing even though they do not have much caffeine.
We are also going to focus on flavors. For the perfect iced or cold beverage, we want to have a balanced palette of taste here. Nothing too rich or too sickly. We want to be able to taste all the flavors on offer.
With all this in mind, let’s dive right on into our ranking.
15. Star Drink
Our first drink can be found on Starbucks’ Refresher menu, and is basically the Starbucks Kiwi Star Fruit Refresher mixed in with coconut milk and some kiwi pieces.
The Star Drink is a great summer drink that is really sweet and creamy, especially when compared to the Kiwi Star Fruit Refresher.
The coconut milk blends well with the tropical tastes of kiwi and star fruit, and is what makes this drink sweeter and creamier than the Kiwi Star Fruit Refresher.
The star fruit juice also brings a touch of tartness to balance out the sweetness of the coconut milk, so it is not overpowering.
Our only complaint is the lack of caffeine. It’s not really enough to class this drink as a coffee, but you could drink it as a little pick-me-up if you can feel your morning coffee starting to wear off.
Pros
- Brings a nice tropical taste to the summer.
- Creamier and sweeter than the Kiwi Star Fruit Refresher
Cons
- Does not contain a lot of caffeine, meaning that if you want something chill with the same coffee effect, you are better off looking for a different drink.
14. Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher
The Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher is another tropical-inspired cold drink on our list, but beats out the Star Drink due to its strong flavors.
This drink is a refreshing combination of mango and dragon fruit, served with pieces of diced dragon fruit. It’s bound to catch your eye due to the deep, bright pink color and will definitely treat your taste buds.
It’s sweet but not overpowering, and is a perfect drink for the warmer seasons thanks to its tropical theme.
However, the Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher suffers from the same drawback as the Star Fruit Drink – there’s just not a lot of caffeine in here.
While this works for some, if you are looking for a drink that will really boost your energy, then you’ll probably end up ordering a real coffee to go with it.
Pros
- Tropical theme for this cool drink makes it ideal for hot summer days.
- Combination of mango and dragon fruit leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.
Cons
- Lacks the amount of caffeine for this drink to give you a real boost of energy.
13. Irish Cream Cold Brew
It’s a shame that this drink is only available for a limited time, so if you haven’t tried it yet – we definitely recommend it.
The Irish Cream Cold Brew is a holiday drink that proves that you can drink cold coffee all year round. It’s rich and tasty, made with Irish cream syrup and topped with vanilla sweet cold foam.
There is also a dash of cocoa to bring in that holiday spirit.
Not only is this cold brew delicious and sweet, it also contains a decent amount of caffeine so it will definitely help you power through your morning with no problem.
This makes it the perfect holiday-themes cold brew for those who just cold coffee.
Pro
- Captures the holiday spirit with its rich Irish cream and touches of cocoa.
- Contains enough caffeine for those seeking a real boost of energy.
Cons
- It’s a limited edition drink, so it is only available during the holiday season.
12. Iced Blonde Caffe Americano
If it’s caffeine you are after, then it is caffeine you get with the Iced Blonde Caffe Americano.
This cold coffee packs a punch when it comes to caffeine, containing a whopping 255 mg for a Grande size. It is basically one shot of Starbucks’ Blonde espresso after the next, topped up with water and ice.
That’s it – there’s no more ingredients.
We kind of wish it had something more to it because the Blonde espresso is really subtle so there is not much taste to this drink (other than straight up coffee).
The Blonde espresso does have a faint sweetness to it but it is barely there in our opinion. However, the Iced Blonde Caffe Americano is still an amazing boost of energy and goes down smoothly.
Pros
- Perfect for Monday mornings as this drink contains a lot of caffeine.
- Smooth texture that goes down a treat.
Cons
- You will have to add any extra flavors yourself through creams and syrups.
11. Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew
For an indulgent cold drink, we recommend you to try the Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks.
It’s a very rich drink with a lot of sweet and savory flavors due to the generous toppings of caramel and salted cold foam.
The cold brew coffee brings a fair amount of caffeine to the table, and it goes well with the sweet cream and caramel. This helps give the Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew a very thick and creamy texture.
After a while, this drink can feel a little too sweet and sickly especially if you are not fond of sweet drinks.
It’s also not the healthiest drink on Starbucks’ menu as it contains quite a lot of calories, but if you are looking for a really special drink as a one-off treat, then this is the one to try.
Pros
- The incredibly unique flavor of sweet and savory salted caramel makes this drink a real treat.
- Has a thick and creamy texture that is not watered down by the ice.
Cons
- Can be a bit much for some people’s tastes, and can feel a little sickly due to all the rich flavor.
10. Cold Brew Coffee
Some of you may be surprised to see this classic Starbucks drink so low down on our list, but it just goes to show how good some of the future entries are.
If you are not familiar with cold brew coffee, then you are missing out on an experience. Cold brew coffee is not just coffee that has been left to go cold – it undergoes an entirely different brewing process.
Starbucks leaves its coffee grounds in cool water to steep for up to 20 hours! This means that cold brew coffee actually tastes completely different from iced coffee, with less acidity and feels much smoother.
Although the price for a cold brew is more on the expensive side, it is understandable considering the long brewing process and the amount of caffeine that is packed into this one drink.
Pros
- Has a unique taste that makes it a stand out against other versions of cold drinks.
- Packed with caffeine to lift you up and energize you.
Cons
- The long brewing process makes it one of Starbucks’ pricier drinks.
9. Iced White Chocolate Mocha
The Iced White Chocolate Mocha is a variant of Starbucks’ signature espresso but this time merged with white chocolate sauce, millk, and sweetened whipped cream.
It’s a chocolatey delight that is made even richer by using white chocolate instead of regular chocolate.
This drink is another indulgence rather like the Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew, except it is not as overly sweet.
It is still a great pick for coffee lovers with a sweet tooth, but the espresso is a little drowned out by the white chocolate taste.
That does not mean that you can’t taste the coffee – it’s just that the amount of caffeine in this drink is what we would call just ‘fine’. It’s not a pitiful amount, but it’s not enough to wake you up in the morning.
This makes this drink a nice one-in-a-while delicious delight.
Pros
- Rich and indulgent taste thanks to the generous amount of white chocolate sauce in the recipe.
- Not overly as sweet as some previous entries but still sweet enough to satisfy a lot of customers.
Cons
- The espresso is a little overpowered by the chocolate, but still detectable.
8. Iced Green Tea Lemonade
Yes, we are just as surprised as you! We honestly did not expect to rank this drink so high on our list due to the very small amount of caffeine, but the Iced Green Tea Lemonade is one of Starbucks’ most refreshing cold drinks.
It is basically a perfect melody between green tea and lemonade with added light flavors like mint and lemongrass for that extra freshness.
The cooling taste of this cold drink is more than enough to make up for the lack of caffeine.
This makes it a good alternative to those who cannot handle highly caffeinated drinks but are still searching for something to help them wake up in the morning.
If you are trying to avoid a lot of caffeine for whatever reason, then we recommend you try this cold tea instead.
It features a lot of flavor that will stimulate your morning and is also low in calories, making it one of the healthiest drinks on our list
Pros
- Packed with a lot of cool flavors like mint, lemon grass, and green tea.
- Refreshing and stimulating, this drink is a great pick-me-up at any time of day.
- Healthy and low in calories.
Cons
- Very low in caffeine, but is still pretty refreshing.
7. The Pink Drink
Everyone loves strawberries – and so do we!
The Pink Drink is one of Starbucks’ most popular drinks from its Refreshers menu, combining delicious and refreshing flavors of strawberry, passion fruit and coconut.
This fruity concoction is a favorite all year around due to its sweetness and stimulating taste.
The use of coconut milk instead of water further enhances the flavors of this tea, while making the texture creamier and smooth. It’s vibrant in color and tastes as good as it looks.
While we personally think it’s more of an afternoon drink than something you can grab in the morning, it is still one of the most delicious and stimulating drinks from Starbucks despite its lack of caffeine.
But this iced drink is a favorite for a good reason – it is so tasty!
Pros
- Delicious sweet and fruity tastes including strawberry and coconut.
- Uses coconut milk instead of water for a creamier texture.
- Vibrant color makes it look even more appetizing.
Cons
- Works better as an afternoon drink instead of a morning boost.
6. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
This cold brew is perfect for those who like a little sweetness with their morning coffee.
The Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew from Starbucks has all the positives of a cold brew but with the added bonus of vanilla accents and sweet cream to bring some softer flavors to your taste buds.
The flavors work great together, and help neutralize the bitterness of pure coffee so you can really have the best of both worlds.
This drink also has a fair amount of caffeine to help kickstart your day and will help carry you out until lunch. It is a fairly basic drink but sometimes, less is more – and it certainly works here with the Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew.
Pros
- Features sweet flavors like vanilla and cream but is not overpowering.
- Has a fair amount of caffeine to give you a good energy boost.
- The coffee taste is completely unique thanks to Starbucks’ own cold brew formula.
Cons
- It’s a pretty basic concept of a coffee, but sometimes that’s all you need.
5. Iced Matcha Latte
Now we are getting into the really, really good stuff.
The Iced Matcha Latte is the perfect option for those who want a healthy morning tea. Matcha Tea is a known green tea that is filled with antioxidants, making it a favorite for those watching their intake.
It contains no syrup but tastes just as sweet, and the chill of the ice adds to the refreshing nature of this tea.
There is only a little amount of caffeine in this cold tea, but the cold sweetness of the Matcha tea can help energize your morning as well as a classic cup of coffee.
However, this iced tea latte still contains around 200 calories – quite a bit for a tea that is supposed to be healthy.
However, this could be due to the added milk, which you can always take out but you will miss out on the delicious creamy texture.
Pros
- Sweet despite no added syrups.
- A healthy alternative to most teas and coffees.
- Refreshing taste is perfect for the morning rush.
Cons
- Despite being a healthy tea, it contains an unusually high amount of calories.
4. Iced Chai Tea Latte
Our favorite iced tea from Starbucks’ extensive menu has to be the Iced Chai Tea Latte.
This iced tea is completely different from all the others on this list. It is a black tea that uses cloves and cinnamon to bring a ton of spice. It’s amazing how a tea can still remain spicy and warm while added with ice.
This chai tea is a perfect balance between spicy and sweet, thanks to the added ingredients of honey and vanilla.
As for texture, the Iced Chai Tea Latte is creamy thanks to the additive milk, making this iced tea a real treat.
As for a drawback, this drink has quite a few calories (more than what you would expect for a tea) but most people should be willing to turn a blind eye to this because the taste is worth it.
It also doesn’t have a lot of caffeine, but a few extra shots of espresso will quickly turn this tea into a Dirty Iced Chai Tea Latte.
Pros
- A delicious spicy tea thanks to its use of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Brings a strong balance between the sweet notes and the spiciness.
- Still energizing and delicious despite its adequate caffeine content.
Cons
- Has a lot of calories just for one tea.
3. Mocha Frappuccino
A Starbucks classic, there was no way we could make a list of the best iced and cold drinks without including the Mocha Frappuccino.
It has all the basic elements you need for a delicious cold coffee – delicious roasted coffee beans, rich mocha sauce, creamy milk and ice all fused together to make one amazing beverage.
Each flavor compliments the other and none are overpowered or drowned out by another. It is rich and creamy without ever coming near tasting too sickly.
We wish it contained a bit more caffeine so we could recommend it as the perfect morning coffee drink, but unfortunately, you’ll have to add a few extra espresso shots for the caffeine to really kick in.
Despite this, the Mocha Frappuccino is still a delicious, well-balanced drink that deserves your consideration.
Pros
- A classic Starbucks favorite due to its delicious taste.
- Balances all its ingredients well so you get a taste of everything.
- Rich and creamy texture thanks to the milk and whipped cream.
Cons
- You’ll have to add another shot of espresso or two for a good boost of caffeine.
2. S’mores Frappuccino
So what is better than a Mocha Frappuccino?
How about a chocolate and vanilla blended coffee with marshmallow infused whipped cream and graham cracker crumble sprinkled on top?
If your mouth is watering as well, then you need to try the S’mores Frappuccino. It tastes just like the iconic campfire treat but iced and cooled.
It is sweet and delicious, and probably the most indulgent drink on this list. It comes as no surprise that the calorie count on this frappuccino comes in at a whopping 480 calories!
But for that thick, rich marshmallow cream? It’s totally worth it. This frappuccino manages to balance all of its ingredients, allowing each flavor to shine through and work well with the others.
The addition of the graham cracker crumble is also a very nice touch as it brings a little variety to the texture of the drink.
All in all, this drink was so delicious that it was a real contender for the top spot – but which iced drink nabbed first place?
Pros
- A very rich and indulgent drink that gives you nostalgic campfire feelings.
- Added graham cracker crumble brings a little variety to the texture.
- Perfectly blends a bunch of flavors to complement the other.
Cons
- Due to its richness, this frappuccino contains a lot of calories.
1. Iced Caffe Latte
Sometimes, less really is more.
This is our favorite iced and cold drink from Starbucks’ menu: the Iced Caffe Latte. It is everything you could want in a delicious cup of cold coffee.
The Iced Caffe Latte is dark and rich in espresso, combined with a smooth milk that glides over the ice when it’s poured in.
It’s low in calories and has a good amount of caffeine that will give you a much-needed boost of energy, especially first thing in the morning.
While you could always add more toppings and ingredients, sometimes you only need the bare essentials to make an amazing cup of cool coffee: milk, espresso, and ice.
You can’t possibly go wrong with an Iced Caffe Latte.
Pros
- A classic favorite from Starbucks that tastes amazing.
- Simplistic recipe means that this latte is low in calories.
- Contains a good amount of caffeine so it functions as a great way to perk yourself up.
Cons
- Some people may want more in a Starbucks drink, as this latte doesn’t have all the fancy toppings like cream and syrup.
Conclusion
That is our top 15 best iced and cold drinks from Starbucks. Was your favorite up there?
Starbucks offers so many options when it comes to cold and iced drinks that it was difficult to narrow them all down. Now, it is your turn to go forth and try out these amazing cold Starbucks beverages for yourself!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Starbucks Drinks Vegan?
A lot of Starbucks drinks contain cow’s milk or cream, but you can always ask the barista to swap this out with a vegan alternative like soy milk instead.
However, a lot of the syrups and sauces can contain non-vegan ingredients like milk and honey, so it depends on which drink you are ordering.
You should always ask the barista first if there are any animal products used to make your chosen drink. More information can be found on Starbucks’ website or on their menus in store.
Are Starbucks Drinks Expensive?
Starbucks provides high quality coffees and beverages that are used making the finest ingredients by skilled baristas.
Although more affordable alternatives can be found at other coffee shops, they won’t have the same taste or quality.