The 11 Absolute Best Dunkin' Secret Menu Drinks Ranked
There's a good reason that America runs on Dunkin'. At the franchise's over 8,500 U.S. locations, Dunkin' Donuts has been wooing its fans with quality coffee and delectable donuts since 1950. Just like its competing coffee chains, Dunkin's menu features a regular lineup of classics, as well as a frequent rotation of new, limited-edition, and seasonal offerings to things interesting.
But, what happens when the beverage you crave is nowhere to be found on your local menu? You turn to the secret menu, of course. As other coffee giants do, Dunkin' has an off-menu treasure trove of discontinued item reinventions, leaked barista concoctions, and imaginative customer creations.
From new-and-improved coffees to tricked-out Coolattas, we tracked down and taste-tested hidden menu items for this ranking from great to even better. If you're curious about some of the Dunkin' crowd's hottest hidden recipes, here is what we thought of 11 of the best secret drinks Dunkin' has to offer.
11. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Frozen Coffee
In childhood, Saturday mornings were for cartoons and slurping up the sweet milk left behind by your favorite cereal. Anytime there's a replication of one of these kidhood favorites, we leap at the opportunity to try it. Dunkin's secret Cinnamon Toast Crunch Frozen Coffee is made by adding caramel and coffee syrup, vanilla flavor, and real cinnamon sugar to a frozen coffee, topped with a mountain of whipped cream and dusting of cinnamon sugar.
Be prepared for a rich, sweet, dessert-like drink. We thought there was far too much caramel to be considered Cinnamon Toast Crunch (the recipe calls for two pumps of caramel syrup in a small), and the cinnamon taste was difficult to detect altogether. We'd like the coffee flavor to be stronger as well, so the next time we give this cereal-inspired Dunkin' secret a try, the caramel will be halved, and the cinnamon and coffee amped up.
10. Captain Crunch Coolatta
There's a million things going on in this secret menu Dunkin' drink, and not a single one of them reminded us of Captain Crunch. We've never wondered what it's like to drink liquid Sour Patch Kids before, but now, we know. The blueberry and raspberry flavoring is incredibly tart, and the Strawberry Coolatta addition is incredibly sweet. The flavor was way too punchy and strong to be reminiscent of the fruity, childhood cereal.
Want to give this drink that'll make your mouth pucker a whirl? Ask for a Strawberry Coolatta with cream, a blueberry flavor shot, and a raspberry flavor shot added. If you're a sucker for fruity, sour treats like Sour Patch Kids or Nerds, this'll be right up your alley. We recommend asking for half the raspberry and blueberry flavor, doubling the cream, and asking for whipped cream on top to closer resemble a nostalgic bowl of cereal.
9. Strawberry Shortcake Coolatta
Creamy and decadent, the secret Dunkin' Donuts Strawberry Shortcake Coolatta is the drink of summer. To order it, ask your barista for a Coolatta made with half strawberry and half vanilla bean flavor, topped with a generous spray of whipped cream. We stirred our whipped cream into the drink beforehand — delicious.
We were expecting a sugary landslide in this Coolatta, but it was surprisingly mild and easy to drink compared to similar frozen drinks that can cause a bellyache. The vanilla could have been stronger and was stomped out by the strawberry to a degree. Next time, we would try adding a shot of vanilla flavor as well to amplify its potency, but the additional sugar from the vanilla syrup might put the sweet-meter over the top on this one. We do wish there could be some kind of cake or graham component to replicate the taste and texture of the shortcake half of the strawberry shortcake equation. Without the crunch, this is more of Dunkin's version of a strawberry milkshake.
8. Coco Berry Latte
The Coco Berry Latte is a popular option on secret Dunkin' menus. It's a simple combination of blueberry flavor and a hot or iced mocha, whatever your choice. We asked for one shot of blueberry flavor in a small iced mocha. The drink has potential, but one blueberry flavor shot just wasn't enough.
Dunkin's mocha flavor is very rich and bold; the blueberry shot was shy and easily overpowered, so much so, that we suspected the flavor shot had been forgotten in our drinks. Only after the first five sips did we detect the slightest berry aftertaste. It wasn't nearly enough to compel us to want to order the drink again, but it may be an entirely different flavor if the blueberry is given a fair chance next to the mocha. If you go for the Dunkin' Coco Berry Latte, ask for a second shot of blueberry flavor — otherwise you'll be drinking a plain mocha with a strange berry-ish aftertaste.
7. Birthday Cake Coolatta
It's not our birthday, but it felt like a celebration with the secret Dunkin' Birthday Cake Coolatta. Silky and supple, this hidden gem is made with a vanilla bean Coolatta and hazelnut swirl. It takes a lot of imagination to taste the idea of birthday cake in this — to us it seemed more like sucking down melted vanilla ice cream — but the drink is plenty sweet and delicious.
Hazelnut seems a bizarre choice to replicate a slice of birthday cake, but the two tastes are still compatible. The vanilla bean is the more dominant flavor in the Birthday Cake Coolatta by leaps and bounds, but is well complimented by its nutty companion. Our chief complaint is that this secret drink is just a bit too sweet for us to enjoy even an entire small. That said, this Coolatta is a solid option when you want to treat yourself — birthday or no birthday. Add a heap of whipped cream to liven up the party.
6. Chocolate-covered raspberry hot chocolate
You should absolutely keep this chocolate-covered raspberry hot chocolate recipe in your back pocket for those winter days when a hot beverage is called for to get you through the day. Berries and chocolate are a heaven-sent flavor combination that uplifts all of the best dessert and drink recipes, as proven by the Dunkin' chocolate-covered Strawberry Coolata. Asking for this secret Dunkin' drink is easy: all the hot chocolate needs is a pump of raspberry flavor (note, we got one shot in a small).
While the drink is creamy and smooth, it lacks the overbearing sweetness that similar drinks have on this ranking. The chocolate softens the tartness of the raspberry, and the berry eases the sugary flavor of chocolate. The duo is perfectly balanced. It tastes like biting into a delectable candy from a heart-shaped box. While the raspberry hot chocolate felt far from romantic on a 90-degree day in July, we'll be sure to revisit this beverage when we're looking for a Valentine pick-me-up in the blustery days of February.
5. Iced Nutella Latte
Nutella is a well-loved partner in crime to graham crackers, bananas, and pancakes. It makes sense to combine the rich, sweet, hazelnut-and-cocoa spread with bold coffee. The Dunkin' secret menu Iced Nutella Latte is the best take we've found at replicating the flavor of Nutella in a coffee drink: an iced mocha swirl, made with two creams, and one hazelnut flavor shot.
This drink is very dense and heavy in texture, but sweet and chocolatey in flavor. We think it would definitely benefit from another hazelnut shot. As in the Coco Berry Latte, the mocha hogs the flavor spotlight. We'd hoped for a stronger coffee element and will ask for an extra espresso shot next time so that next time the roast isn't overpowered by the hazelnut and chocolate. Lactose intolerant coffee drinkers may want to pass on this one, or ask for it made with a milk alternative that might mimic the highly rich creams.
4. Eggnog latte
Who said that eggnog has to only be a delicacy for the holiday season? You might not find this dense, creamy drink on your grocery store shelves this time of year, but Christmas can come in July thanks to the Dunkin' Eggnog Latte on its secret menu. A vanilla chai — hot, iced, blended, or however you take it — with a caramel swirl flavor is how Dunkin' fans replicated a classic eggnog.
We chose to try ours blended thanks to the dogged summer heat (our take on an eggnog milkshake recipe). But, this Dunkin' drink might best enjoyed hot, as an eggnog latte likely would be during the holidays. All of the spices you expect in eggnog are there thanks to the chai: An autumnal blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The drink could probably do without the vanilla, however; with both the vanilla and the caramel, it feels a bit too much like taking a bite out of a Christmastime candle.
Missing from this vanilla chai creation, of course, is the eggy custard-like flavor, but we don't have any suggestions on how to replicate this. The vanilla or caramel could also be halved for a less sugary, more spiced taste.
3. Toasted French Vanilla Iced Latte
Does a nutty and vibrant, yet not too sweet, and strongly coffee flavored drink check all of your boxes? Then so does the secret Dunkin' Toasted French Vanilla Iced Latte, made by adding a shot each of toasted almond flavor and French vanilla flavor to an iced almond milk latte.
Right off the bat, this drink will hit you with its nuttiness, between the almond milk, almond flavoring, and the hazelnut in the French vanilla. The dairy-free milk allows the espresso to be the centerpiece flavor in this coffee drink, but the toastiness we were eager for was lost in all of the other competing tastes. The concept of this Dunkin' iced coffee drink sounds divine, however, so we're confident there's a way to tweak this latte into perfection.
We have a couple suggestions to update this one: opt for regular vanilla instead of French vanilla, double the toasted almond flavor, use a regular dairy milk or water, or try any combination of the above. The different nut-flavored components will harmonize better and let the intended toasty vanilla flavor take the spotlight.
2. Almond Joy Iced Latte
How can you make a candy bar better? Turn it into liquid form and add it to coffee, of course. Dunkin's secret Almond Joy Iced Latte — made by just adding a flavor shot each of toasted almond and coconut flavor — tastes like the beloved candy bar in a cup. The mocha and espresso were well-balanced, and overall the drink was smooth, but we had one grievance: the coconut was doing too much. It dominated the toasted almond flavor and didn't give its companion any room to perform. A second try at this coffee would definitely include half the coconut and double the almond flavor.
Also, don't let its confectionary inspiration play tricks on you; this is not a candy-sweet drink. Toasted almond and coconut aren't among the sweeter of Dunkin's flavors (both are available in Dunkin' sugar-free drink flavors), making the iced Almond Joy perfect for the coffee lovers who prefer strong espresso.
1. Caramel Coconut Creme Pie Iced Coffee
An easy top contender, the secret Dunkin' Caramel Coconut Creme Pie Iced Coffee is one of the most delightful coffees we've had in a long time. Caramel and coconut, an uncommon pair in coffee, come together for a latte that is equal parts indulgent and balanced. After being concerned that this recipe would yield a stomach-ache-level sweetness thanks to clashing flavors, our concerns quickly evaporated after we took our first drink.
The coconut and caramel flavors equally hold up this iced coffee: the Dunkin' secret recipe calls for an iced coffee with two creams, caramel flavor, and coconut cream flavor. There are several ways to find a new level in this drink, such as a nutty component like hazelnut or using salted caramel instead when it's available.
However, the Caramel Coconut Creme Pie Iced Coffee is unique and complex enough to be enjoyed as the recipe intended. It is a dessert-like treat for coffee drinkers and sweet-tooth-havers that don't have strong cravings for chocolate.