The Best Starbucks Fall Drinks to Order in 2024, According to a Former Barista (Including 3 New Beverages)
It's a caramel apple autumn
Year after year, coffee lovers around the world await the return of Starbucks fall drinks, especially the famed pumpkin spice latte. Since 2020—when Starbucks announced its lineup with a limited-time hotline that you could call to hear soothing sounds like a crackling fire or a hayride (those were dire times)—the chain has been bringing its seasonal menu back earlier and earlier, because who doesn’t love a taste of autumn in the summer?
After eagerly awaiting sweater season’s return, I finally have the scoop on 2024’s roster, which hit stores on August 22. There are a few returning favorites, plus three new, apple-kissed bevs you’ll be eager to try. Read on for my thoughts on 13 of the best Starbucks fall drinks of all time.
New This Year
1. Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai
- Nutrition Info (grande): 370 calories, 12g fat, 64g carbs, 4g protein, 46g sugar, 2g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
Warm-spiced chai, rich oat milk and apple brown sugar syrup meet a thick layer of lush nondairy cold foam to create Starbuck's new signature bev of the season. "It reminds me of a crisp, light apple juice with a creamy, brown sugar-y finish," says PureWow VP of editorial Candace Davison.
2. Iced Caramel Apple Cream Latte
- Nutrition Info (grande): 390 calories, 18g fat, 48g carbs, 10g protein, 45g sugar, 0g fiber
- Available This Year: yes (app only)
On the off chance that you haven't yet downloaded the Starbucks app, do it: You'll need to if you want to sip this autumnal delicacy. Think roasty espresso with milk, apple brown sugar syrup, ice and a crown of salted caramel cream cold foam.
3. Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White
- Nutrition Info (grande): 240 calories, 9g fat, 38g carbs, 4g protein, 32g sugar, 1g fiber
- Available This Year: yes (app only)
Are you a fan of Starbucks's blonde espresso? It's the key ingredient in this flat white, which is served over ice and finished with nondairy cold foam infused with apple brown sugar syrup. The blonde espresso is higher in caffeine than the standard espresso roast, so it's a killer pick-me-up.
Returning This Year
4. Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte
- Nutrition Info (grande): 460 calories, 17g fat, 68g carbs, 10g protein, 66g sugar, 0g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
Starbucks is arguably most famous for customizing drinks by request, and that's exactly how this decadent number was dreamed up. It pairs spiced chai concentrate with your choice of milk, pumpkin cream cold foam and a flurry of pumpkin spice for good measure. I'm not sure fall gets cozier than that, folks.
5. Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
- Nutrition Info (grande): 180 calories, 4.5g fat, 34g carbs, 2g protein, 21g sugar, 1g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
If you're not into mostly-milk coffee drinks, the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato might not appeal to you. But this alternative will, as it's more coffee-forward and robust. Think blonde espresso and brown sugar apple syrup, bursting with notes of cinnamon, shaken together and finished with oatmilk. Of course, you can sub regular milk or another nondairy alternative, but the oatmilk's luxurious texture suits the bev just right.
6. Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
- Nutrition Info (grande hot): 320 calories, 10g fat, 56g carbs, 3g protein, 29g sugar, 3g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
This beauty is back for a fourth year. Now made with blonde espresso and creamy oatmilk, it's available hot and iced. The apple crisp oatmilk macchiato starts with brown sugar apple syrup (it tastes like apple pie filling). The syrup is topped with oatmilk and espresso shots, then the drink is finished with caramelized spiced apple drizzle, made from apple juice, apple puree, cinnamon and nutmeg. It gives the bev a comforting aroma that screams autumn.
7. Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Nutrition Info (grande hot): 390 calories, 14g fat, 52g carbs, 14g protein, 50g sugar, 0g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
The PSL is that b**** for a reason—and she turns 21 this fall. The warm-spiced pumpkin syrup made with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves is the secret to its fame. Over the years, it’s become Starbucks’s most popular seasonal sipper of all time. The syrup is combined with steamed milk and fresh espresso for a hot latte, though you can also order an iced pumpkin spice latte as well. Either way, I'd be remiss not to suggest springing for whipped cream and a dusting of pumpkin pie spice on top.
8. Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
- Nutrition Info (grande iced): 250 calories, 12g fat, 31g carbs, 3g protein, 31g sugar, 0g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
If lattes have too much milk to make the cut for your morning joe, opt for this cold brew instead, which is officially back for another season. The coffee is sweetened with vanilla syrup (although you could ask the barista to use pumpkin spice syrup instead) and topped with a pumpkin-infused cream cold foam before being sprinkled with pumpkin spice topping.
9. Caramel Apple Spice
- Nutrition Info (grande hot): 380 calories, 8g fat, 77g carbs, 1g protein, 70g sugar, 0g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
I like to think of this fall bev as a hidden gem, as many Starbucks loyalists don’t even know it exists. Despite the drink being on the menu year-round, it’s pretty darn autumnal if you ask me. (Think of it as an extra sweet cheater’s mulled cider.) Soothe your soul one sip at a time with cinnamon dolce syrup-spiked apple juice, steamed to perfection. As if that isn’t drool-worthy enough, the drink also gets a generous drizzle of caramel sauce and a crown of whipped cream.
10. Chai Tea Latte
- Nutrition Info (grande hot): 240 calories, 4.5g fat, 45g carbs, 8g protein, 42g sugar, 0g fiber
- Available This Year: yes
Another permanent menu item that shines just a bit brighter in the fall. Served hot, iced or even blended (yup, the Chai Crème Frappuccino is a thing), the chai tea latte starts with black tea infused with cinnamon, clove and a slew of warm spices. Its intensity is curbed by the addition of steamed milk. Make it a bit sweeter with a few pumps of vanilla syrup, or ask the barista to substitute apple juice for standard water to up the fall ante—its sweetness will pair beautifully with chai’s bounty of spices.
The Fall Drinks I Wish Would Return
11. Salted Caramel Mocha Latte
- Nutrition Info: not available
- Available This Year: no
This iconic fall drink was axed in 2021, but I can't imagine why: The salted caramel mocha is basically liquid dessert, since it calls for both mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup. While espresso offered some bitterness and steamed milk thinned out the sugary base, I'd always reserve this seasonal pick for mornings when I was really craving a treat instead of coffee. I also loved the salted caramel hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, which was just like the mocha minus the espresso. I'll cross my fingers (and start campaigning) for its 2025 return.
12. Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino
- Nutrition Info: not available
- Available This Year: no
Yup—this beauty's gone, too. How is it that I crave the Frappuccino's icy embrace even on chilly fall days? One thing’s for sure: I dreamt about this blended rendition of my favorite fall mocha all year round, only to have to say goodbye. It had all the same ingredients as the latte, save for the Frappuccino blend coffee in place of espresso and the addition of Frappuccino base, which gives the blended drink its silky consistency. With whipped cream, caramel sauce and a flourish of turbinado sugar and sea salt on top, it was ready to demolish. In its absence, ask for a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccino or a coffee-free Pumpkin Spice Crème Frappuccino or Apple Crisp Oatmilk Crème Frappuccino.
13. Maple Pecan Latte
- Nutrition Info: not available
- Available This Year: not in the U.S.
Now nixed from the lineup, this drink hit Starbucks’s menu in 2017 alongside the Maple Macchiato. It was loaded with notes of maple syrup, nutty brown butter and pecans. The best part was the crunchy sugar topping sprinkled over the foam. Its U.S. relaunch is up in the air (it’s still super popular in Canada), but you can safely assume that my fingers and toes are already crossed for its return.
Food Editor
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- Studied English and writing at Ithaca College