Fast Food Holiday Lattes, Ranked According To Customers

Fast food holiday lattes are the epitome of joy, aren't they? After all, how could coffee, milk, sweetly flavored syrups, and whipped topping ever be wrong? Still, as with anything else, there are some latte options out there that fare well amongst the crowd and others that don't, and we personally believe you should know ahead of time which is which.

While holiday lattes dished out by fast food chains often change, we've done our best to sort through some of the most popular holiday latte offerings available to provide you with a customer's perspective on how each latte ranks. We'll focus mainly on taste and customer appreciation here, though there may be other factors we consider from time to time that may play a role in ranking as well. With tons of warm, iced, and blended options out there, let's get sipping on the details concerning some of our favorite (and least favorite) lattes available at fast food restaurants.

McDonald's Peppermint Mocha is about what we'd expect. According to customers, it isn't super intense on coffee, but instead, mellows out a bit into mostly just chocolate flavor. One customer review claims that the drink tastes a bit like "watered-down junior mints", which isn't quite the way we want to spend our budgeted coffee money for the week. Also, several customers agree that this one's pretty strong on peppermint flavor, and thus, you ought to be prepared for the minty blast if you choose to pick one of these lattes up.

All in all, this pick doesn't seem bad, but it's definitely not the winner of the bunch. One thing we do love about this drink is the price point. Much like we expect from McDonald's, the potentially smaller price tag may make it worth the grab over higher-priced lattes on the list. Also, from what we hear, this McDonald's Peppermint Mocha is available for the holiday season in the U.S. and Canada but still may not be sold everywhere — score this drink only at participating locations for a limited time.

Some latte flavors are delicious in their own right, but the more you know, the better you do. Although Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha is undoubtedly one of Starbucks' more popular holiday grabs, it isn't always well received. While the taste is there, the amount of syrup that goes into it can be somewhat off-putting, causing some customers (and baristas) to stave off this minty drink, despite its tasty appeal.

While we understand that the "peppermint" and "mocha" flavors are needed to properly compose the drink, the fact that there are four pumps of each type (versus four pumps of one singularly flavored syrup) is indeed overkill. At a whopping 54 grams of sugar in a grande size (74 grams if you'd prefer the white chocolate peppermint flavor), it's quite a bit more than, say, a Chestnut Praline, which only registers at around 38 grams. For reference, the American Heart Association, recommends a person consume only 25-36 grams of sugar per day. Baristas concur that pumping that much syrup in a latte can be downright sickening — even if the flavor is dynamite.

Hey, we aren't judging if you don't care about sugar content — no one wants to be reprimanded for enjoying a good old-fashioned holiday drink. Still, if you tend to veer away from drinks with too much sugar, this probably isn't the order for you — choose from one of the other delicious holiday flavors instead!

A "spicy mocha" isn't something you'll commonly find on fast food menus, and we were pleased to see one featured at Caribou Coffee. Truth be told, the Spicy Mocha sold at Caribou Coffee is indeed spicy from what we hear, and that's what we'd expect from a latte bearing such a name. Even so, to us, the spicy mocha name leads us to believe this would taste more like a Mexican hot chocolate with coffee, but reviewers have very choice words to describe the flavor. According to a YouTube review we've found, the drink's a little more akin to a spicy cinnamon toast crunch flavor than anything else. It's still good, of course — you'll need to like cinnamon and spices to love this unique flavor.

In addition, we'd like to note that some fanatics of the Spicy Mocha claim that enjoying this one with dark chocolate is definitely the way to go. Still, remember that Caribou Coffee gives you the choice of white, milk, and dark chocolate to customize your drink, so you should feel comfortable choosing whichever flavor you wish to create your own uniquely spicy sip. Even with its distinct taste, this one deserves a middle-of-the-pack ranking — the spicy cinnamon backdrop might not be everyone's forte, especially when stacked against some of the other universally appealing latte holiday grabs.

Tim Hortons Peppermint Mocha Latte has landed itself a decent position on our list. Though it doesn't seem to be the best latte most have tasted, it gets fairly good reviews, depending on what you're looking for. The biggest thing that seems to stand out concerning this particular rendition of this traditional drink is the fact that it's low on minty flavor. Fans say the mintiness is there but is more muted than most. Instead, there's a creamy hot chocolate vibe about this one that some people seem to quite like.

With that said, we're willing to guess that if you're a peppermint flavor buff, this sip won't quite suit your fancy as much as other picks on the list. And because we assume those ordering peppermint mochas want to actually taste the peppermint, we hesitate to position this one as part of our highest-ranked lattes. Still, for those of you looking for more of a hot chocolate base with just a hint of festive minty flavor, this one might be your pick — it just depends on your preference.

Now that we've reached the top five, expect things to start getting very tasty. Starting with a great pick from Caribou Coffee, the Ho Ho Mint Mocha is a crowd-pleasing latte you may or may not have heard of before. Though it probably doesn't have the popularity that Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha has, those who are Caribou fans are very familiar with the Ho Ho Mint latte, and honestly, we think that's the way it should be!

According to reviews, the Caribou Coffee Ho Ho Mint Mocha is indeed delicious. It's made with white chocolate melded with powerful mint flavors to produce one very festive version of a latte. Just know that the mint flavor is a bit strong, so those of you who don't dig mint (or are simply tired of this traditional holiday flavor) might want to steer clear. In addition, this yummy drink is topped with whipped cream and crushed candy canes, and this seems to be the "cherry" on top for several customers — it's a drink that truly makes merry.

Just so that you're aware, Caribou Coffee allows you to switch up the chocolate in your drink, allowing you the ability to customize the flavor between white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate. You can also choose to have this one prepared warm, iced, or with nitro-brew. With all of these bonuses, we think this is a great grab for the holiday season.

If you love white chocolate as much as we do, you'll likely fall hard for Dunkin's rendition of a white chocolate latte. Marketed as an iced drink, fans of this particular holiday sip relish the fact that the creaminess of the white chocolate paired with the promised "toasty" flavor rings loud and clear — especially when it comes to that toasted flavor. And though "toasted" can sometimes come across as bitter more than anything else, customers claim that isn't the case here. Instead, expect to get a light but noticeable crème brulée-style flavor that's truly enjoyable on the tongue.

Will it be super strong on coffee? It doesn't seem so. We should also note that some reviewers who sampled this drink warm think it tastes oddly of gingerbread, while some liken the iced flavor to s'mores. Weird, we know. Either way, this white chocolate latte seems to be a winner amongst almost everyone who tries it, which we find rather refreshing — it's often nice to have a swig of well-done white chocolate over a cup of traditional cocoa to shake up the holiday a bit.

Landing itself as No.1 on our list, the Chestnut Praline Latte from Starbucks has been around for quite some time, and remarkably, its fan base is still going strong. Like many of the other latte drinks on this list, this sip comes warm or iced. And despite its seemingly less-than-exciting title, it tastes ridiculously good.

According to customers, the Chestnut Praline Latte takes on a bit of a nutty flavor (as expected), but also packs a buttery essence that leaves many taste-testers craving. With as many reviews as we've gone through, we must say it was rather difficult to track down anyone who hated the drink. It comes crowned with whipped cream sprinkled with toffee sugar, and is crafted with a variety of spices, including clove, cinnamon, ginger, and spiced sugar.

Most people love its buttery essence and think the whipped cream and spiced topping work to take it up and over the edge. A few can't help but think the recipe has changed a bit since it was first released, but without confirmation from Starbucks, we can't make this claim ourselves. Nevertheless, even with this supposed change, avid devotees still rave about the flavor. Thus, if nutty or buttery savors are your jam, you'll definitely want to snag this well-loved and distinct latte!