17 Starbucks Pastries, Ranked Worst To Best
Walk into any Starbucks location, and you're sure to find coffee and pastries. Even though the siren call for coffee drew you in, the pasties under the glass are also worth your time. There, you'll find muffins, scones, croissants, and even cake pops. What's more, if you are traveling, you may even discover local specialties unique to that location. For example, at the Trolley Car Cafe at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World, you'll find all the typical Starbucks fare and a carrot cake cookie. This fan favorite is a delicious, and rather messy, take on classic carrot cake. It's a fabulously unique item to snack on with your morning coffee.
Back home, you'll find your regular Starbucks pastry case stocked with new, seasonal items. So whether you are grabbing your favorite morning coffee to go, hoping to stop and sip awhile, or even ordering a hot chocolate nightcap, Starbucks offers many outstanding pastries to choose from.
17. Pumpkin Scone
The pumpkin scone is a seasonal pastry available during the fall beverage season. It is intended to complement these specialty drinks, especially the ones featuring pumpkin. The scone itself is relatively hard, and the frosting on top is a hard shell as well.
We found this one to be especially dry, and, except for the frosting, rather bland. The hardened frosting, on the other hand, was quite sweet. That said, this scone would benefit heavily from being warmed before serving. Since most Starbucks pastries allow for this adjustment, it's an easy one to request.
Along with your warmed scone, a pumpkin spice latte would help bring the frosting and the scone together. We recommend opting for the warm drink, which would go quite nicely with the pastry. You could also give a warm chai a try, and if you're looking for something with a little more oomph, try adding a shot of espresso to the chai for a dirty chai variety.
16. Blueberry Scone
When done well, scones are a tasty pastry with a crumbly bite that should feel a little firm but still enjoyably moist at the same time. They pair nicely with warm teas and often have fruit mixed in, like in the case of the ever-popular blueberry scone.
Starbucks' blueberry scone is buttermilk based with some lemon zest and even crème fraîche. It was generously sized, especially for the price of $3.45, and is quite plumply full of blueberries. This pastry is best served warmed, so be sure to ask for that when you order. While scones should not be dry, we found the blueberry scone dry like the pumpkin scone. However, instead of having the frosting to bail it out, the blueberry scone is just dry all on its own. Although it was dry, the flavor is good, and we enjoyed the slight sweetness mixed with the blueberry goodness.
When warmed, we think this scone would pair well with hot tea. We recommend giving one of Starbucks' tea lattes a try. Consider the London fog tea latte if you're not in the mood for typical hot tea from a tea bag. This lesser-known but delicious latte has frothed milk, earl gray tea, and vanilla syrup. It would taste delicious with the blueberry scone, even if it is a little on the dry side, and the latter should help combat that dryness in your mouth.
15. Unicorn Cake Pop
Cake pops are a stand-out favorite among the youngest of Starbucks fans. They make an ideal sweet snack for kids to enjoy and are pretty easy to eat. Typically, there are several types of cake pop available at any time, and there are even newer varieties available, like the Unicorn Cake Pop.
Though kids love these, we're betting their parents are less of a fan. Upon the first bite, you'll notice how easy they are to eat because the cake inside feels less like a cake and more like a classic fudge texture. So much so, the texture of the interior feels nearly too moist and certainly not sweet enough. In fact, this cake pop also had a plain taste to it. We imagine the chocolate coating is supposed to compensate for the lack of sweetness, but it simply doesn't do a good enough job.
That said, we highly recommend this for a quick snack for your favorite toddler buddy. Since they come on a stick, cake pops are easy to serve and eat. You may even find that the stick helps their fingers get less messy (hopefully).
14. Cheese Danish
Cheese danishes are a pastry that you will find in most pastry and bakery shops. For a cheese danish, you'll get a slightly sweet pastry dough with a little bit of a tart cream cheese filling. The best danishes house a nice balance of cream cheese filling to the dough, and you won't be left without the cream cheese for long.
Starbucks' cheese danish seems to use the same dough as the cheese danish that it uses in croissants. However, unlike the croissants, the cheese danish dough is rather compacted and lacks that flaky, airy feel you get with the croissant. This means that the flavor is there, but we found this danish to be significantly lacking in the fluffy department. We also wished there was cheese meeting the pastry a little closer to the edge. Otherwise, you run the risk of just biting into just the sort of chewy pastry. That said, once you get to the cheese, this danish is quite good. The cheese has a great texture to it and is quite enjoyable.
13. Chocolate Chip Cookie
There's just nothing like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Not only are they comforting and delicious, but, for so many, they bring to mind those sweet childhood memories of cookies fresh from home. Starbucks brings that experience to your everyday snacking experience with its chocolate chip cookie.
Since chocolate chip cookies become their truest magic selves when warm and fresh, we encourage you to ask for this cookie warmed. Your barista will gladly oblige, and it only takes a few extra minutes. This cookie is a decent-sized snack with big chunks of chocolate throughout. We found the cookie to be rather mediocre when cool, but warmed makes a world of difference. It's a soft, somewhat sweet version of that classic chocolate chip cookie with a nice crumb. Though it tasted pretty good, we were surprised it wasn't sweeter and felt it even had more of a mass-produced taste than the classic fresh-made taste you might hope for.
12. Butter Croissant
Imagine the first croissant. You may presume a baker creating perfect croissant in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in a bakery on the corner with delightful treats adorning the window. However, croissants did not originate in France. Instead, they originally come from Vienna, according to Alto Hartley.
Nevertheless, these buttery pastries have spread and found their way worldwide, even into your local Starbucks pastry case. Though not the most exciting of items, Starbucks' butter croissant is deliciously buttery and flaky with a crumb exactly as you may hope for. We loved this one warmed or at room temperature, but if that fall or winter chill is starting to creep in, we suspect a warmed croissant would be nothing short of ideal.
Pair your croissant with any lovely coffee drink, but we encourage you to choose something not too complex or overly sweet. The buttery taste is delightful on its own, and a super sweet coffee may just flood your palette. To this end, consider a simple vanilla latte or cappuccino.
11. Glazed Donut
In the world of donuts, there's perhaps no greater battle than that of yeast versus cake donuts. The Huffington Post explains that a cake donut is made from a sweet dough with a cakey crumb. These donuts are cooked in oil. Yeast donuts, on the other hand, rise and become pillowy, thanks to their yeast component. In fact, those ever-sticky glazed donuts from Krispy Kreme are yeast donuts. On the other hand, the glazed donut from Starbucks is an old-fashioned cake donut.
Like most cake donuts, this doughnut has a fluffy, cakey interior and a somewhat crispy exterior. The glaze on top is relatively thin but perfectly sweet. We think this is an excellent option if you want a delightful donut for your morning coffee. Like Starbucks' other patisseries, you may ask for it warmed, but upon doing that, you would probably find that the glaze melts a bit too much, leaving quite a sticky and difficult-to-eat pastry. Therefore, refrain from this warmed donut and enjoy it at room temperature instead. After all, it is a perfect texture without warming it.
10. Petite Vanilla Bean Scone
It's a rule in baking that anything normal-sized can be made small, and in the case of the petite vanilla bean scone, that is precisely what has happened. Like other scones, you should expect the scone to be slightly moist with a satisfying crumb.
While this scone does have the texture you're looking for, we found the flavor of the scone to be a little missing. However, the frosting helped make up for the case of the missing flavor. Even still, the size of this scone is, exactly as the name suggests, quite small. And to be fair, the price is roughly half the price of a typical scone.
Overall, we enjoyed this one and thought it would be an ideal pairing to an especially flavorful drink. This way, the drink could shine through and not become lost in the flavors of your snack. We recommend pairing this one with either a vanilla bean Frappuccino or a cinnamon dolce latte. If you don't want any coffee and are hoping for more of a milkshake experience, the vanilla bean Frappuccino should be your choice. On the other hand, if you're looking for a bit of caffeine to go with your scone, give the cinnamon dolce latte a whirl.
9. Chocolate Croissant
While buttery croissants originated in Vienna, The Guardian reports that their cousin, the chocolate croissant, originates from delightful Viennese croissants that included chocolate. These croissants were called "schokoladencroissants."
Hailing from your local Starbucks pastry case, this chocolate croissant has the same buttery dough as the original croissant, but it is wrapped around two large pieces of chocolate. We recommend ordering this one warmed so that the chocolates get the opportunity to melt. Otherwise, you'll have a delicious buttery croissant with hardened chocolate in the middle. This would still be delicious but lose the intended effect.
When warmed, we love how the buttery dough and chocolate mix together for a smooth mixture and taste. Paired with a warmed mocha, this pastry would compliment the chocolate creaminess. If you long for an evening drink that is free of caffeine, consider a hot chocolate instead. In fact, rather than a morning pastry, we think the chocolate croissant is much better suited as a dessert or a compliment to your evening nightcap.
8. Iced Lemon Loaf
This item is a long-time favorite of ours. Starbucks' iced lemon loaf comes sliced in large bread-like pieces. However, this pastry is much closer to a cake than bread. The base of an iced lemon loaf is a lemon cake, and it comes with hardened sweet icing on top.
The loaf is delightfully moist and crumbly with a slight tartness to it, and the icing on top perfectly compliments the cake below. Our favorite part of this lemon loaf is eating the top iced part with some cake attached to it. Though the rest of the loaf is delicious too, the icing is the absolute best part of this lemon loaf. Be aware that this one grows noticeably dryer over time if it isn't especially fresh.
We enjoy pairing this lemon loaf with a bright drink like a Peach Green Tea Lemonade or even a Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. With either of these, the lemon of the cake will only be enhanced with the lemon from the drink. Both offer an ultra-refreshing experience, and that is part of the reason we feel that this pastry is more of a spring and summer one rather than a fall and winter one.
7. Banana Walnut & Pecan Loaf
King Arthur Baking Company reports that the Great Depression is one of the primary reasons banana bread became such a widespread baked good in America. Since ingredients were so highly sought after, households didn't want to throw away their old bananas, even as they became ugly and mushy. This habit, along with the increased production of baking powder, created an onslaught of many new banana quick bread recipes that did not require yeast. Of course, you can always find delicious banana bread at your local Starbucks. Simply order the Banana Walnut & Pecan Loaf as part of your coffee order.
We like this bread quite a lot and find it to be moist and with a perfect banana taste. In fact, we found the bananas to be more pronounced in this bread than even the ones we made in our home kitchen. To enjoy warmed bread, remember to order it warmed, but this bread also tastes perfectly delicious as is. If you simply can't get enough bananas or just need more potassium, you can also order a banana.
6. Pumpkin & Pepita Loaf
As the air begins to chill and costumes hit shelves, Starbucks unrolls its fall seasonal offerings. Of course, these include pastries and drinks, and a standby favorite for many Starbucks loyalists is the Pumpkin & Pepita Loaf.
Even if pumpkin-flavored things are generally not your favorite, you may still enjoy this one because it is very gently pumpkin flavored. Instead, you'll enjoy bread spiced with all the seasonings of fall with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. On top, you'll notice it's wearing little pepitas, a type of pumpkin seed from an oilseed pumpkin. This gives the bread a little extra crunch and texture that compliments the moist crumb nicely. Warmed or not, this loaf is perfect either way. Of the different loaves we sampled, this one was our favorite because of the light seasoning but the perfect fall flavor. It does a great job of striking that hard-to-reach balance.
For pairing, consider any fall specialty beverage or even drip coffee. You'll love the versatility of the flavor and will probably look forward to this one's arrival the next time it comes around.
5. Cinnamon Coffee Cake
The Palmier says that coffee cake comes from Northern or Eastern Europe and that the earliest versions of this morning pastry actually included coffee as an ingredient. Today, coffee is no longer an ingredient in most recipes, and coffee cake has become a popular pairing pastry to enjoy alongside your morning coffee.
It makes sense, then, that one of the most popular coffee companies would offer this delicious cake as an available pastry. Best enjoyed warm, and while sipping your favorite coffee beverage, coffee cake begs for you to take your time and enjoy the moment. And Starbucks' cinnamon coffee cake makes that super easy.
With a crumbly texture, this coffee cake tastes and feels great. By the looks of it, you may think it is a little dry, but it isn't. The cinnamon crumbles on top taste like the best strudel topping you would expect to find on a delicious pie, and the cinnamon layer is a nice compliment to the other two layers of yellow cake.
4. Blueberry Muffin
Some may argue that a muffin is just a naked cupcake. But as Masterclass explains, there's much more to it. The difference between muffins and cupcakes comes down to six primary factors: frosting, ingredients, production, flavor, texture, and decorations. In short, a cupcake is much sweeter than a muffin and doesn't bask in the decoration excitement like a cupcake might. And while that may be true, someone should probably tell Starbucks' blueberry muffin that it isn't a cupcake.
This blueberry muffin is so sweet it may just convince you to make it your birthday cake next year. Between that and the baked-in, plump blueberries, this muffin definitely leaves an impression. Of all the breakfast-style pastries we tried, this was our favorite of the ones around year-round. Be warned, however, these are so popular that they sell out quickly in the morning.
For pairing, we recommend a coffee with subtle flavor or perhaps even a tea. In fact, this one is so good, just go ahead and enjoy it with a cup of water. You'll have plenty of sweetness to enjoy in the muffin alone.
3. Double Chocolate Brownie
Brownies are a lot like steak: Everyone has their preference for how they should be cooked. Some people prefer brownies so gooey inside that you wonder if the pan even saw an oven, while others want them to crumble upon bite. Most people, however, are somewhere in the middle, looking for a fudgy chocolate factor that still maintains its shape.
We imagine most people will be pleased with Starbucks' methods because the Double Chocolate Brownie is one of the standout rockstars in the Starbucks pastry case. This brownie is wonderfully chocolatey without the darkness of mocha. Instead, you'll find it somewhere in the middle of the milk chocolate flavors from your childhood and your heart-loving dark chocolate of today. The center is that perfectly fudgy texture of a brownie that has been cooked for just enough time.
We highly recommend pairing this with a milky drink, so something complementary like an iced caramel macchiato would be perfect. You'll get a little caramel complement to the chocolate and plenty of milk to wash it down.
2. Lime-Frosted Coconut Bar
This Lime-Frosted Coconut Bar is a newer pastry in the Starbucks pastry case. With a combination of lime and coconut, this bar was made for a mini vacation. Unfortunately, at $3.55, it is more expensive than other pastries in the case.
At the bottom of this bar, you'll get an oatmeal coconut cookie-like base, and it's covered in a tart lime frosting. To help keep the bar moist and preserve freshness, this treat comes wrapped in sealed cellophane that you'll want to wait to open until you feel ready to enjoy.
We absolutely loved this coconut bar. It is easily one of our favorites, and it is a welcome addition to Starbucks' sweet offerings. With the tartness from the lime balanced out by the oatmeal and coconut, each bite gives you plenty of flavor without overwhelming you with lime. The Lime-Frosted Coconut bar pairs nicely with any refreshing tea drink, but it would be exceptional with a Passion Tea Lemonade. And a great bonus for this pairing is that the Passion Tea Lemonade is an herbal tea, so it doesn't have caffeine. If you're looking for a great, child-friendly drink to enjoy with your little one, look no further. And if your kiddo has a somewhat adventurous palate and enjoys lemonade, we think they would enjoy this treat, too.
1. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
Finding a go-to pastry is hard work, but someone has to do it. With the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin, we think we may have found it. This muffin hits everything we need it to, except for one important fact: It isn't around all year. Unfortunately, the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin is a seasonal fall favorite. So, it sticks around for a while but leaves, too. Perhaps it's true what they say about your heart growing fonder in absence.
This pumpkin muffin has a more moist crumble than the bread offers, and it is sweeter, too. On top, in the middle of the muffin, you also get a little cream cheese. Where the cheese danish had quite a bit of the cream cheese, this muffin has much less, but it also does not need very much because the muffin is quite moist. To that end, you may find that your muffin crumbles a little easier than you'd like. If that is the case, grab a spoon or fork, because you won't see any judgment over here.