Dunkin' Vs Starbucks: Which Coffee Chain Offers A Better Deal On Specialty Drinks?

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Where do you go for your specialty drink fix? If you're like most Americans, you probably have a Dunkin' or Starbucks conveniently located near your home or work. Starbucks and Dunkin' are the top two best-selling coffee shops, with thousands of locations across the country. You can find a Starbucks in every state, and a Dunkin' in nearly every state. Starbucks does have Dunkin' outnumbered in terms of sales and locations, but still, Dunkin' sells a lot of coffee. Most people have a clear favorite between the two, though Dunkin' tends to have a reputation for being a better place to grab a bite to eat, while Starbucks is known for having higher quality coffee. Dunkin' is also often the lower priced option between the two.

We wanted to get to the bottom of which of these popular coffee chains offers the best deal on specialty drinks. However, when we talk about deals, we are not only referring to the cost, but also the overall quality of the product. After all, is it more important to pay less and get more for your money when you don't like the product as much? Or are you better off paying more for something you truly enjoy? When we compared Dunkin' versus Starbucks specialty drinks, we considered not merely the price but also the overall taste, value, and experience of drinking the beverage. Read to the end for the final verdict.

Cold brew coffee is not the same as iced coffee. Traditional iced coffee is brewed the usual way and poured over ice to chill the drink. Cold brew gets its name because it is brewed without heat. Coffee grounds are steeped in water for an extended period, strained, and poured over ice. The resulting taste is not the same. Cold brew is a smoother, less acidic drink, but it should still be bold tasting and have a bold flavor. Starbucks began offering cold brew on its menu in 2015, and Dunkin' followed close behind in 2016. 

Starbucks offers its cold brew in tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), venti (24 ounces), or trenta (30 ounces). Dunkin's cold brew comes in small (16 ounces), medium (24 ounces), and large (32 ounces).  I ordered a grande cold brew from Starbucks for $4.75 and a small cold brew from Dunkin' at $4.39. I ordered them black, without adding cream or sugar, to get the full taste experience from both. 

When it came to flavor, I preferred Dunkin's cold brew to Starbucks'. Both offered a nice, smooth texture, but my first sip of Dunkin' had no bitterness. Just rich coffee with a hint of nuttiness. When I sipped the Starbucks cold brew, I detected bitterness immediately. In the end, I couldn't finish Starbucks without adding cream and sugar. The verdict: Dunkin' for the win with a bold flavor, no bitterness, and a lower price.

When comparing specialty coffee drinks, you can't leave out a latte, which you can actually make at home without a fancy machine. But we're talking Starbucks vs Dunkin' here. This milk-based drink is one of the most popular coffee drinks ordered in America. I decided to compare each coffee chain's caramel lattes by ordering a regular latte from each store and adding a few pumps of caramel syrup. Starbucks Caffè Lattes come in four sizes: short (8 ounces), tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), and venti (20 ounces). Dunkin' offers three sizes — small (10 ounces), medium (14 ounces), and large (20 ounces). 

From Starbucks, I ordered a tall Caffè Latte with the standard 2% milk and three pumps of caramel syrup for $4.45 plus $0.80 for the syrup for a total of $5.25. At Dunkin', I ordered a small latte with the standard whole milk. I also had its default of two pumps of caramel syrup added for no extra cost. The Dunkin' small came to $4.39. 

While Dunkin' wins for not charging extra for the syrup, the Starbucks drink had a bolder, more flavorful taste. The Starbucks latte also had more foam on top, while Dunkin's foam had either dissipated or was never there to begin with. Both drinks were tasty, and it all comes down to personal preference. Starbucks had a stronger coffee flavor, while Dunkin' had a milder and sweeter taste. The verdict: Starbucks wins this round. Although it costs more, the Starbucks caramel latte offered a more robust flavor profile and was more enjoyable to drink than the Dunkin' latte.

One of my all-time favorite drinks from Starbucks is the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. I wanted to see whether Dunkin' could recreate the drink and whether it lived up to my love of the Starbucks variation. Starbucks offers the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso in three sizes: tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), and venti (24 ounces). The tall comes standard with one pump of brown sugar syrup, oat milk, two shots of blond espresso, and cinnamon powder to top it off. I ordered a tall for $5.45.

Dunkin' doesn't have the same specialty drink on its regular menu, but it's easy to recreate. Dunkin's sizes come in small (16 ounces), medium (24 ounces), and large (32 ounces). I ordered the small iced shaken espresso with oat milk, two shots of espresso, and two pumps of the brown sugar syrup for $4.99. Note that for a limited time, you can order the Dunkin' Sabrina's Brown Sugar Shakin' Espresso, which is the same drink.

Dunkin's small is 4 ounces larger than a tall Starbucks and costs $0.46 less. I was excited to see whether Dunkin's variation could rival Starbucks. Unfortunately, it did not. Dunkin's drink was very sweet and mild without the complex flavor that comes from the Starbucks version. The Starbucks beverage offered more depth, while the hint of cinnamon was the perfect addition. The verdict: Starbucks has the advantage with a much better-tasting drink, even though it costs more.

Both Starbucks and Dunkin' offer lemonade refreshers with different flavor options. For comparison, I taste-tested Starbucks' strawberry açaí lemonade refresher against Dunkin's lemonade refresher with strawberry dragonfruit. Starbucks refreshers come in four sizes: tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), venti (24 ounces), and trenta (30 ounces). Dunkin' refreshers are offered in three sizes: small (16 ounces), medium (24 ounces), and large (32 ounces). I ordered a tall Starbucks strawberry açaí lemonade refresher for $4.95 and a small Dunkin' lemonade refresher with strawberry dragonfruit for $4.79. As usual, the Dunkin' drink cost slightly less and offered slightly more.

When it comes to taste, both drinks were refreshing, tasty, and sweet. Both would be welcome on a hot summer day for an afternoon treat. In the end, it comes down to personal preference and perhaps what the mood strikes for that day. The Dunkin' refresher was sweeter, while Starbucks offered a more tart, grown-up flavor. Starbucks wins out with customizations, and the strawberry açaí lemonade refresher came standard with a scoop of strawberry fruit inclusions, which are freeze-dried fruit. The verdict: Although Dunkin's drink was light and fruity, it was a bit too sweet and artificially flavored for my tastes. Starbucks wins with its more complex and tart flavor profile and many customization options, including a spicy chili powder blend that gives refreshers a signature kick. However, when you're craving a cold, sweet drink on a hot day, the Dunkin' refresher would fit the bill.

Chai lattes originate from South Asia and are made with steamed milk and black tea that is infused with spices. Although you can get them iced, I chose to compare Starbucks versus Dunkin' hot chai lattes. The Starbucks chai latte comes in four sizes: short (8 ounces), tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), and venti (20 ounces). Dunkin's chai lattes come in small (10 ounces), medium (14 ounces), and large (20 ounces). I chose Starbucks tall chai latte for $4.95, and Dunkin's medium chai latte for $4.79.

Before I even tasted either beverage, I noticed that the Starbucks chai latte had a lovely, spicy fragrance. It tasted just as good as it smelled. The small size comes standard with 2% milk and three pumps of chai syrup. Starbucks uses the Tazo chai latte concentrate, which you can buy yourself and make at home. If you like the Tazo version, you will like the drink at Starbucks. 

On first taste, Dunkin's chai latte did not have the same flavor profile and level of warm spices that I tasted in the Starbucks drink. While the Dunkin' drink tasted good, it lacked the spiciness and instead had a more prominent milk flavor. It was sweet and mild and didn't deliver the delicious mix of spices that Starbucks has in its chai latte. In both drinks, the foam on top had mainly dissipated. The verdict: Starbucks is the clear winner here with its fragrant, spicy, comforting chai latte.

Next on our list of specialty drinks is the frozen mocha. A frozen mocha is coffee blended with chocolate syrup and ice. Dunkin' offers a triple mocha frozen coffee. The coffee-based drink is made with mocha syrup and topped with whipped cream and a mocha drizzle. At Starbucks, the most similar beverage is the mocha Frappuccino blended beverage made with mocha sauce and Frappuccino roast and topped with whipped cream. Starbucks offers this in a tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), or venti (24 ounces). You can get the frozen Dunkin' drink in small (16 ounces), medium (24 ounces), and large (32 ounces). 

I ordered a tall mocha Frappuccino blended beverage from Starbucks at $5.25 and a small triple mocha frozen coffee from Dunkin' at $4.99. The Dunkin' drink had the upper hand aesthetically with its mocha syrup drizzled on the whipped cream topping. It was also slightly larger. On taste, Starbucks offered a strong coffee flavor that perfectly balanced the sweet mocha taste. The Starbucks drink was addictive and easy to keep sipping. Dunkin's drink, while not bad, didn't taste much like a mocha. It had hardly any coffee flavor. It was more like a sweet, mild, frozen Icee chocolate drink. The verdict: If you like your mochas to have coffee flavor, Starbucks is the clear choice here. Although Dunkin' offers a bit more beverage at a slightly lower price, the Starbucks version has a more robust, mocha flavor, while Dunkin's version tastes more like chocolate blended with ice. 

Traditionally, a macchiato is an espresso with a dollop of steamed milk or foam on the top. Starbucks has changed this tradition with its version of a caramel macchiato. You can get the traditional macchiato at Starbucks, which is just a few ounces of strong espresso topped with milk foam. But Starbuck's caramel macchiato is more similar to a latte. It comes in tall (12 ounces), grande (16 ounces), or venti (24 ounces). The caramel macchiato is made with espresso, steamed milk, and vanilla syrup with caramel drizzled on top. Similarly, Dunkin' offers a macchiato in three sizes: small (10 ounces), medium (14 ounces), and large (20 ounces). Dunkin's macchiato can be customized to add flavored syrups.

To compare the two coffee shops, I ordered a tall Starbucks caramel macchiato for $4.95 and a small Dunkin' macchiato with two pumps of caramel swirl syrup for $4.69. Again, the Dunkin' drink offered a few more ounces at a slightly lower price. At first glance, I could see the Starbucks drink had a much foamier topping of steamed milk, while the foam on the Dunkin' version was barely there. Unfortunately, my Starbucks drink didn't have the artfully drizzled caramel syrup you see in the image when you order on the Starbucks app. In fact, I didn't see or taste caramel at all in my Starbucks drink. The verdict: Starbucks wins for richer flavor, more foam, and a stronger taste of espresso. The Dunkin' version was good, but it was milder and sweeter. Overall, neither drink had a strong caramel flavor.

Starbucks won the taste test in six of the seven categories of specialty drinks. But before we declare Starbucks the official winner between the two coffee chains, let's take a look at the overall value each store offers. Both offer rewards programs. At Dunkin' every dollar equals 10 points, which can be exchanged for free items. At Starbucks, you get one or two stars per dollar (based on whether or not you preload your Starbucks card), which can also be redeemed for free items. Starbucks also offers a free birthday drink, but Dunkin' just gives its rewards members extra points. In overall price, Dunkin' was cheaper, but not remarkably so. My total order for Starbucks came to $35.55 (before tax). Dunkin' was only two dollars less at $33.03. However, most Dunkin' drinks offered a few more ounces, which is something to take into account. 

With the price for each drink coming in only a few cents or so more at Starbucks, it's hard to justify going to Dunkin' to save money. Both will run you about the same. In the end, it comes down to who has the better quality, better taste, and better flavors. For my comparison above, hands down, Starbucks won every round. Each Starbucks drink, when compared with the Dunkin' beverages, tasted finely crafted, more complex, and less sweet. Dunkin' drinks, on the other hand, tended to be milder tasting and sweeter and sometimes had an artificial aftertaste.