Starbucks launched its 2026 holiday menu nationwide on Nov. 5 with a Tiramisu Velvet Latte, a Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew and an Apple Pomegranate Refresher. The food case adds a Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese, and the Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich returns on a new cranberry baguette.
Fan favorites such as the Peppermint Mocha are back too, along with new cups and a Red Cup Day on Nov. 17. Here is the full lineup, what is new and what is returning.
The new tiramisu drinks
The headline drinks are tiramisu-inspired. The Tiramisu Velvet Latte, served hot or iced, and the Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew are both topped with mascarpone cold foam and cocoa, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
The flavor borrows from an Italian dessert. Wikipedia’s tiramisu entry describes coffee-soaked ladyfingers topped with a cream of egg yolks, sugar, mascarpone and cocoa powder, from the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions of northeastern Italy. The name comes from the Italian tirami su, which means “pick me up.”
Starbucks also added variations on returning drinks, including an Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha and an Iced Caramel Brulée Cream Chai. Anyone who wants to recreate a cafe-style drink at home may enjoy 15 creative coffee bar ideas.
The tiramisu pairing carries the dessert idea into a cup, with mascarpone in the cold foam and cocoa on top, echoing the layers of the original.
Apple Pomegranate Refresher and a Snowy Apple drink
For a cold, fruit-based option, the Apple Pomegranate Refresher has apple flavor and pomegranate-flavored pearls. A creamier take, the Snowy Apple drink, is made with coconut milk, according to Attractions Magazine, which also lists what other chains are launching this season.
The same roundup says Dunkin’ began its holiday lineup on Nov. 4 with Cookie Butter and Toasted White Chocolate drinks, and McDonald’s started on Nov. 3 with a Frosted Cranberry Splash and Cookie Butter coffees.
For anyone trimming the weekly coffee budget while still trying a seasonal drink, 10 clever frugal living tips offers a starting point.
A Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese
The biggest food change is the Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese. It combines cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan and caramelized onion jam on sourdough, Nation’s Restaurant News reports.
Grilled cheese has a long history. Wikipedia’s article on the sandwich notes that an 1861 English recipe in Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management describes toasting cheese sandwiches in an oven, and that the open-faced “cheese dream” became popular in the United States during the Great Depression. The article adds that despite the name, the sandwich is rarely made by grilling.
Fillings keep getting more ambitious, and a deeper look at comfort cooking can be found in a list of casseroles that defined American family dinners.
Turkey & Stuffing, bakery and cake pops
The Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich is a refresh rather than a debut. It now sits on a new baguette baked with cranberries in the dough. The bakery case brings back the Cranberry Bliss Bar, the Snowman Cookie and the Sugar Plum Danish, and there is a new Bearista Cake Pop of vanilla cake with buttercream, dipped in chocolate icing and decorated like the Bearista character.
Sweet options extend beyond the bakery case. Starbucks sells Mini Pies at $2.95 each in Apple Crumble, Pecan and Pumpkin flavors, according to Food Republic.
Returning favorites
Shoppers planning gifts around coffeehouse cards can read a list of gift card mistakes to avoid this holiday season, and a Keurig and Ninja brewer comparison covers home brewing for guests.
The Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Sugar Cookie Latte and Gingerbread Chai all come back, according to the listings. Longtime customers who plan their year around these drinks do not need to adjust their orders.
Starbucks releases holiday merchandise each November through January, including paper cups with festive designs, according to Wikipedia’s company article. The company was founded in 1971 in Seattle at Pike Place Market, and its first store opened on March 30 of that year.
Cups, a pup cup and Red Cup Day
The new 2026 hot cups feature holiday trees, garlands and bows on red or white backgrounds. The cold cup has evergreen boughs and red bows. Starbucks says the designs took two years to develop.
A limited-edition pup cup arrives for the first time, available for a very short period and only at company-operated stores. Its 3.5-ounce cup features a dog modeled on a real beagle named Junie.
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, buying any handcrafted holiday beverage earns a free, limited-edition reusable red cup, according to Scripps News. Merchandise follows a schedule as well. A surprise set of Glass Bearista Cold Cup characters launched on Nov. 10, each box holding a mystery character, and the original Bearista Glass Cold Cup returns on Dec. 1 at select coffeehouses.
What it costs and how to plan
The lineup is broad enough that most visitors can find something familiar and something new in a single order: a returning latte with a baked item, or a new refresher with a sandwich for lunch.
None of the reports list prices for the new drinks or sandwiches, and prices vary by location. Anyone who wants the full seasonal experience should check the Starbucks app or a local store for exact numbers before ordering.
With the menu now live and Red Cup Day less than a week away, the next step is simply choosing which drink to try first. The tiramisu pair is the most distinctive of the new drinks, while the short rib sandwich is the most substantial new food item.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: YosemiteYamper – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
