Who Makes the Best Peppermint Mocha—Starbucks or Dunkin’? Our Food Editor Reviews Both

• Nutritional Information (grande, hot): 440 calories, 16g fat, 63g carbs, 54g sugar, 13g protein

Preparation

Peppermint syrup and mocha sauce are added to the cup. The barista pulls the proper number of espresso shots, then ideally swirls them over the syrups to dissolve and combine. (This is especially crucial for iced peppermint mochas—or sweetened cold coffee drinks of any kind, TBH—so you don’t get a straw full of syrup on your first sip.) Next, they add the milk, which is steamed for a hot peppermint mocha or cold for an iced peppermint mocha. Finally, it’s finished with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.

Cost & Availability

Prices vary by location, but a tall hot or iced peppermint mocha costs about $6 near me in Philadelphia. The Starbucks holiday menu hit stores on November 6. Some Starbucks shops carry peppermint syrup year-round, so you may be able to order it any time you like, depending on the store. But officially, the peppermint mocha is usually available through January.

Flavor

Consider it a cup of liquid peppermint bark. Sure, it was a bit of a sugar bomb because it’s made with two sweeteners instead of one…but then again, so are all peppermint mochas. This sipper was hot chocolate-level rich, and the minty finish was cooling and prominent without being overwhelming or medicinal—in the hot version, anyway.

The iced peppermint mocha was much less balanced and a bit cloying. The sauces weren’t thoroughly combined with the espresso before the milk and ice were added, so the straw picked up large pools of the sweeteners with every sip. The mocha sauce, in that quantity, also had a chalky mouthfeel that I didn’t enjoy.

Iced or Hot?

I’m biased, but I think a peppermint mocha is always better hot, no matter where you get it. It already feels like a caffeinated, dressed-up hot cocoa, plus the hot milk is better at dissolving the duo of syrups at the bottom. (That said, I recommend trying it as a Frappuccino, if you’re feeling indulgent; the blended ice and milk dilute the sweetness of the double-syrup base like a charm.)

• Nutritional Information (medium, hot): 420 calories, 14g fat, 61g carbs, 56g sugar, 10g protein

Preparation

I haven’t worked at Dunkin’, so I took to TikTok to see how employees make their peppermint mochas. One key difference is that the base is a single peppermint mocha syrup, rather than a combination of chocolate and peppermint flavorings. This is significant because it’d be a bit more complicated to tweak the peppermint level to your preference, if you wanted the mint to be milder or more intense. (However, I’m sure you could ask for more plain mocha sauce, although it may make the drink too sweet.)

For a hot peppermint mocha, syrup is added to the cup, espresso shots are pulled on top of it and the milk (they use whole milk as the default, unlike Starbucks’s two-percent) is steamed while the espresso is pouring. The espresso and syrup are stirred together, then the milk is added. Finally, it’s topped with whipped cream, mocha drizzle and cocoa powder. The iced version has the same preparation, except the entire drink is built in the steaming pitcher. Once everything is cooled and mixed, it’s poured over a cup of ice, then topped with finishing touches.

Cost & Availability

A small, hot Dunkin’ peppermint mocha is about $4, while the iced version is $5. The medium (which was quite large compared to the Starbucks grande) felt improperly balanced. Dunkin’s holiday drinks returned on November 5, a day earlier than Starbucks—the drama! The peppermint mocha will likely be available into January.

Flavor

I expected a more intensely sweet chocolate-meets-candy cane flavor, but I was surprised how mild it tasted overall. The peppermint was very, very subtle, and the chocolate even more so. The latter was most detectable in the drink’s borderline chalky finish. The duo of flavors felt off, like drinking a sip of chocolate milk after brushing my teeth. Perhaps if I’d ordered a smaller size, the flavors would’ve been less drowned out by the milk. However, I will say the consistency of the whole milk mocha versus the two-percent milk from Starbucks was pleasantly silky and rich.

Iced or Hot?

Once again, the hot peppermint mocha was much better than the cold. I think it’s partially that this flavor combination screams hot cocoa, so it feels borderline unnatural to have it iced, but I also think the hot milk makes for a more balanced, evenly mixed beverage.

• Preparation: Starbucks simply has better quality espresso, but I also like that their peppermint syrup is separate from the mocha sauce, so guests can better customize the flavor balance they crave. That said, I think it’s great that Dunkin’ makes stirring the sauce, espresso and milk together a mandatory step for both the hot and cold drinks, which Starbucks doesn’t (at least in my day they didn’t).
• Cost & Availablity: Dunkin’ is no doubt cheaper, and you tend to get more bev for your buck there. (For instance, an iced Starbucks grande is 16 ounces while a Dunkin’ medium is 24.) In terms of availability, Starbucks stores that carry peppermint syrup all year can make these anytime, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a Dunkin’ that can serve you a peppermint mocha in the spring or summer.
• Flavor: Starbucks wins by a mile. Its flavor was balanced, festive and genuinely tasty, even for someone who doesn’t really like mochas or peppermint-flavored anything. (It’s me, I’m someone.) Dunkin’s ranged from bland to imbalanced.
• Iced or Hot: Hot across the board, sorry not sorry! I drink cold coffee year-round, but this drink just hits harder when it’s warm. The only downside is that you may get a bit less latte than you paid for versus iced, since the baristas leave room for whipped cream, which rapidly dissolves and leaves a gap at the top of the cup.
• Nutritional Information: Comparing medium hot iterations from both chains, Starbucks’s is slightly higher in calories, fat and carbs, and offers three more grams of protein. Dunkin’ is only higher in sugar by two grams. The TLDR?They’re basically on par (and similarly teeming with refined sugar—ho, ho, ho!).

The Best Peppermint Mocha Overall

If you want to get in on the trend without subjecting your taste buds to a notable dose of peppermint, Dunkin’s milder alternative may taste better to you (and the price certainly will). I also give Dunkin’ points for the dusting of cocoa on top; one could argue that its iced iteration is the prettiest of all four. But otherwise, Starbucks has a better peppermint mocha, the hot one being the tastiest of all four.