When you think of winter treats, a few things immediately come to mind: mulled wine, pies, cakes, and hot chocolate. The queen of winter drinks out of a packet is one thing, but Starbucks hot chocolate drinks are a beautiful combination of steamed milk and mocha that puts everything else to shame.
The beauty of Starbucks hot cocoa is that it can be morphed into anything your heart desires thanks to the secret menu. Add your favorite syrup, a different drizzle, swap out the milk, or adjust the sauce level, and you’ve got a brand new drink.
Ahead, see a dozen different Starbucks hot chocolate drinks that will keep you busy on your winter beverage runs. Who said Starbucks was basic?
12 Starbucks Hot Chocolate Drinks
1. Classic Hot Chocolate
Starbucks’ classic hot chocolate might be traditional and classic, but it’s a far cry from the powdered cocoa and water you’re making at home.
Instead, it’s steamed milk with mocha sauce and vanilla syrup, topped with whipped cream and mocha drizzle. The mystery of why it tastes so much better than your Swiss Miss packet, solved.
2. Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Seasonally, you can indulge in the very festive Peppermint Hot Chocolate or a Peppermint White Hot Chocolate.
Both of these are made with peppermint syrup, but the White Hot Chocolate is made with white chocolate mocha rather than dark chocolate mocha.
It’s the perfect drink for a cold winter morning when you don’t exactly need the caffeine, but still want something hot. Not needing the caffeine must be nice.
3. Snickerdoodle Hot Chocolate
We’re equal opportunity snickerdoodle eaters, so we’ll happily sip on this cinnamon secret menu drink all year, but it’s definitely a winter-appropriate treat.
The white chocolate and cinnamon flavors make it taste exactly like the cookies grandma makes.
Order a White Hot Chocolate, add white mocha sauce and cinnamon dolce syrup. Top it all off with whipped cream and cinnamon dolce sprinkles.
4. Praline Cookie Hot Chocolate
Another festive option that goes off book during the holidays is the Praline Cookie Hot Chocolate.
This one takes a few of the holiday flavors Starbies trots out during Christmas and throws them together in a cup. And somehow, they all work gloriously together to create a nutty explosion. In a good way.
Order a hot chocolate and add chestnut praline syrup and sugar cookie syrup. Top with whipped cream and chestnut praline topping.
5. Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
If it seems like most of Starbucks’ hot chocolates are tailored for the Christmas season, it’s because they are.
The secret menu Gingerbread Hot Chocolate is another holiday option you can create by adding gingerbread syrup to the classic hot chocolate. It’s really that simple.
6. White Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate’s more elegant little sister is the White Hot Chocolate, made with white mocha.
It’s on the regular menu, so you don’t have to worry about figuring out how to order it, but be warned — this one is very sweet. White chocolate is way more sweet than the regular mocha in the classic hot chocolate.
7. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
There’s something that feels so fancy about salted caramel. Maybe it’s the salty and sweet of it all or maybe it’s just because salted caramel desserts are always in the most bougie restaurants and cafes.
Nevertheless, you can create a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from the secret menu.
Order a classic hot chocolate and add toffee nut syrup. Top with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. Add some pizzazz with a sprinkling of salt on top.
8. Hazelnut Hot Chocolate
Here’s the thing with the hot chocolate at Starbucks. It’s idiot-proof when it comes to customizing. Literally add any syrups to it that you want — like hazelnut.
If you order a hot chocolate and add hazelnut syrup to it, dare we say you might have something resembling liquid Nutella?
9. Caramel Brulée Hot Chocolate
For festive flair, add caramel brulée sauce and topping to your classic hot chocolate.
We suggest cutting back on the amount of mocha in the mix, or you may be through the roof with sugar. Just don’t plan to have a craving for this in, like, July or anything, because it’s only around during the holidays.
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10. Hot Chocolate Frappuccino
Go against the grain and get your hot chocolate served cold.
We love when creative people come up with a way to create something like this Hot Chocolate Frappuccino. It builds off a Mocha Frappuccino and gives you a way to enjoy the flavors of a hot chocolate in the warmer months.
Order a Grande Mocha Frappuccino, and add white mocha syrup and cinnamon dolce syrup. Have whipped cream blended in and added on top.
11. Pumpkin Hot Chocolate
Get a Pumpkin Hot Chocolate instead of its more basic counterpart, the PSL. Order your hot chocolate and have pumpkin sauce added to it.
You can also play with the flavor combos by cutting back on the mocha and adding some vanilla to get the right balance until you end up with something resembling a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.
It might take you the whole Fall season, but then you’ll know what to do next year.
12. S’mores Hot Chocolate
Marshmallows and chocolate together just make sense. Starbucks has had s’mores drinks on the menu in the past, but they’ve gone by the wayside. However, you can still create a s’mores hot chocolate from the secret menu.
Order a classic hot chocolate, then add vanilla syrup and toffee nut syrup. Top with whipped cream and mocha drizzle.
Starbucks doesn’t have marshmallows, but we highly recommend adding some of your own when you get home. Only because we can’t recommend Starbucks add them to their own menu.
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