'False Advertising' — Starbucks Fans Are Not Happy With A Change To The Beloved Eggnog Latte

Starbucks is in hot water (yet again) after customers have noticed a major change in the taste and quality of the cafe's classic Eggnog Latte. In addition to the November 2025 Red Cup Day strike led by unionized Starbucks workers, the company is facing backlash due to a key change to its original Eggnog Latte recipe. This beloved seasonal drink, which was Starbucks' first-ever holiday beverage, hasn't been on the holiday menu since 2020. Fans were elated to find out it would be back this year, but quickly changed their minds after tasting the new iteration of the beverage. 

The seasonal latte has undergone an ingredient shakeup that, according to long-time customers and Starbucks baristas, has significantly affected its flavor and has fans claiming false advertising. The original Starbucks Eggnog Latte, which has been around for longer than you might have expected, was made with real eggnog, steamed and combined with espresso, and topped with ground nutmeg. However, the current nutrition information for the drink, available on the Starbucks website, indicates that calling the espresso beverage an eggnog latte might actually be a stretch. 

Rather than real eggnog, the drink is now made with an "eggnog sweet powder component" containing sugar, dried egg yolks, and flavoring. Unfortunately, this change, which was likely made to save money, is leaving customers cold. While eggnog powder might be a shelf-stable and cost-effective alternative to real eggnog, it doesn't quite hit the same for customers who were expecting to receive a nostalgic, creamy holiday beverage. And neither the customers nor baristas are keeping quiet about how disgusting they think the new Eggnog Latte is.

When Starbucks announced the return of the Eggnog Latte, the company insisted that it was because it wanted to give the fans what they wanted. A blog post on Starbucks' website confirmed that the new Eggnog Latte recipe is the result of trying a multitude of different ingredient combinations in an effort to re-imagine the classic holiday beverage. Erik Gomez, a member of Starbucks' beverage development team, said in a statement, "For true eggnog lovers, it's about those comforting notes — the warmth of nutmeg, the gentl[e] spice of ground cinnamon, layered over a luscious, custard-like base."

While the blog post goes on to say that the drink includes "rich steamed eggnog and Starbucks signature espresso, topped with creamy foam and a dusting of ground nutmeg for the perfect finish," the nutrition information on the official Starbucks website tells a different story. Rather than listing eggnog as an ingredient, it includes half-and-half, water, brewed espresso, ground nutmeg, and the aforementioned eggnog sweet powder component. Even Tasting Table staff noted a difference in taste in our review of the Starbucks Eggnog Cream Cold Foam and Eggnog Latte. While acknowledging that it captured the essence of the original Eggnog Latte, our reviewer pointed out that it didn't have a rich vanilla flavor or the thick consistency one would expect from real eggnog.

While Starbucks customers wait all year for the return of holiday drinks, the 2025 holiday menu doesn't feature a single new drink. Yet it did hail the return of the Eggnog Latte, spurring intense reactions from fans who hadn't gotten their noggy fix since 2020. Unfortunately, nostalgia took a hit when fans actually tasted the new beverage. Both customers and baristas took to Reddit and other social media platforms to warn others away from trying the drink.

In a post to r/starbucks, a barista claimed the drink was "absolutely disgusting. Smells awful and tastes awful as well." They went on to confirm changes made to the original Eggnog Latte recipe, saying, "It is NOT like previous years where we have had real eggnog shipped to us. This year it's a powder that we use and it's horrible." A Starbucks supervisor chimed in on another Reddit post, saying, "Eggnog is possibly the worst tasting drink we've ever had." A barista responded, "we made it [S]aturday to taste at work and it has to be the worst thing [I've] ever tried there, no one liked it, not to mention the way it was made really put me off as well."

Customers also aren't being shy about warning others away from the drink. In another Reddit post a customer said, "Weird aftertaste ... nothing like the [OG]." Another made a post on Reddit claiming the drink "had a really weird taste, almost like chemicals ... I went online and it seems like they changed their recipe to using powdered mix instead of actual eggnog." That same post solicited homemade eggnog recipes so customers could make eggnog lattes at home.