I’m obsessed with secret menu items. Recently I learned about Starbucks’ secret menu drinks which include creations like Twix Frappuccino, Thin Mint, Chocolate Pumpkin, etc. Starbucks had their happy hour frappuccino specials running for the last two weeks, and I took advantage by trying a bunch of secret menu drinks I had read about.
The Starbucks secret menu isn’t a secret menu in the traditional sense. At In-N-Out, you say “animal style fries” and every In-N-Out server will know what you are talking about even though it’s not on the menu. If you go up to a Starbucks counter and say “I would like a Venti Twix Frappuccino,” your barista may or may not know what drink you are ordering. From my experience, I was mostly left with blank stares.
Basically the Starbucks secret menu consists of drinks not on the menu that have been created by baristas or customers. While your local Starbucks may not know what a Thin Mint or Dalmatian drink is, they are more than happy to customize your drink and make it. You just need to know what goes in each drink.
Here’s what we’ve had:
Chocolate Dalmatian (white mocha frap with blended java chips and chocolate chips)
This was our first foray into blending in java chips and chocolate chips into a Starbucks drink. Now we are addicted. Mr. K orders it with every drink. He even once ordered it with a hot espresso beverage, forgetting that it isn’t blended. The barista considered his request anyway and thoughtfully suggested they could melt the chips into the drink for him.
Thin Mint (green tea frap, blended chocolate chips, cookie crumble on top)
I love this one even though it actually tastes nothing like a thin mint since there is no mint in it. I guess you can add mint syrup if you really want.
Twix Frappuccino (caramel frap, shot of chocolate syrup, topped with whipped cream, crunchy caramel sugar, drizzle of caramel and drizzle of chocolate syrup)
They forgot the extra chocolate drizzle but this was already super sweet as is. Not sure if it really tastes like Twix but it does taste very sweet like candy and the crunchy sugar adds a crunch like the Twix cookie crunch.
Cookies and Cream Frappuccino (white mocha frap, blended java and chocolate chips and shot of chocolate syrup, topped with whipped cream and cookie crumble)
Snickers Frappuccino (java chip frap, toffee nut syrup, topped with caramel drizzle)
This one got a little melted before I could take a proper photo.
Horchata (chai tea frappuccino, shot of cinnamon syrup, topped with cinnamon)
This one really tasted just like horchata.
Nutella (chocolate mocha with hazelnut syrup) (I seem to have lost the photo)
These are all the ones we’ve gotten around to trying so far. We also tried the two new frappuccinos that Starbucks debuted:
Mocha Cookie Crumble
Love this one. It’s basically a chocolate mocha with cookie crumble.
Caramel Ribbon Crunch (sorry I forgot to photo this one)
I wasn’t a fan of this. It’s really sweet as it combines four different caramels including a dark caramel syrup and it’s topped with crunchy sugar too.
There are a lot of other secret menu drinks out there and of course anything else you can think of on your own. It’s not limited to frappuccinos, but those are definitely the most versatile for adding in other flavors and toppings and it’s also the easiest one for you to visually capture. Let me know if there is some combination not on this list that I should try!
Try the Nutella or Snickers with a banana blended in. So delicious!
thanks for the suggestions!
Hi,
So I just discovered your blog.. after searching on the secret menu for a while I just found that menu last week, I think I’m going to get fat. HAHA!
I tried the Cotton Candy, Nutella Frappe, & Red Velet:
Cotton Candy: Is great no complaints, def give this one a try
Nutella Frappe: Tasted awesome, I’m not a fan of caramel mochiatto but after mixing it around I liked the taste.
Red Velvet: The color was def not red, but it tasted really sweet like I was legit eating a Red Velvet Cupcake.
🙂
Hope you enjoy these new secret menu drinks..just google up the directions and also find some IG accounts.
thanks for the recs!
do i just say, ” can i have a cusomed frap pls”?
You just tell them what you want in your drink. Starbucks does customized drinks pretty regularly, so they shouldn’t be giving you an attitude. I haven’t had any issues.
i tried it and the people their were extremely rude to make it. like they had an atttitude to make a customoned one. how do u ask when u want one of these drinks?
There is also the “Captain Crunch” frap which is the strawberries and creme frap with toffee nut or hazelnut (some stores carry only one or the other I have found). This drink blew my mind at how much it really tastes like Cap’n Crunch. From what I remember, I believe toffee nut is better, but it’s been a while.
Thanks for the tip!
I work at Starbucks. One of my coworkers and I will sometimes get bored and come up with drinks to make and try. We’re currently working on one that tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough, although we haven’t gotten very far. But he came up with one that tastes EXACTLY like chocolate cake batter. Just order a tall mocha frappuchino (creme based, no coffee.) with two scoops of protein, three pumps of vanilla, and only one pump of mocha. It’s perfect.
Also, another one of my coworkers has made a banana pudding tasting frappuchino a couple of times. It’s a grande vanilla bean frappuchino with a banana blended in. For added affect, buy some shortbread cookies and sprinkle them on top 😉 or add java chips. So good!
Thank you! I will have to go and try soon!
Thank you JessicaBee!!! These aren’t real drinks so please stop coming in and asking for kangaroo and snickers! These are in no way associated with Starbucks and we’re all getting tired of trying to concoct some odd drink that doesn’t exist. If you know the ingredients we can make it but baristas have no knowledge of this ‘secret menu’
There is no secret menu. These frappucinos are just extremely customized. If you walk into a Starbucks and ask for a “cotton candy frappucino” the baristas will not know what you or talking about. If you give us the recipe, we can make it but stop coming in and asking for these drinks with made up names.
If you reread the first few paragraphs of my post that is what I said. But a lot of these have become common enough that they have developed into secret menu drinks and some baristas will know. However, some won’t, which is why I list what is in each one.
Just letting you guys know so you can order these when they are “out of season”. Starbucks doesn’t acknowledge a secret menu but if you know how to say it you’ll be golden!(:
I wasn’t aware they have some of the out of season flavors when they aren’t in season. thanks for the tip
Also the mocha cookie crumble is a mocha frapp with vanilla syrup.
And the caramel ribbon crunch doesn’t combine four different caramels its a caramel frapp with dark caramel added in after the drink is made in top then whip cream and topping which you don’t taste until the drink is basically all gone and melted….
Hmm, i got the description for the caramel on the starbucks website which described it as four diff caramels, including that dark caramel.
The thin mint is actually made with peppermint… That’s where the mint comes in but ask for half the pumps.
It makes sense that it would have peppermint but I found it listed on 4 diff sites without peppermint. I figured people just called it thin mint because it”s green and black.
Hence why I love places that allows me to customize my order! I just tried the faux “horchata” and it floored me how close this actually tastes like a horchata. Thanks for posting all of these 🙂
I love how the customer service is too. All the employees I’ve encountered are always super patient with all the different customizations. And yes, the horchata one totally tastes like horchata! Some of the others more “look” like the name rather than taste like it, but the horchata one is almost dead on.
Get out! I never knew, they’re so secretive;)
haha, yeah I love finding these things out.
My only ‘secret’ is the Vanilla BEAN frapp with Valencia (orange) syrup. Creamsicle! Otherwise, I order coffee here. Coffee used to be part of the sign…
Oh, creamsicle!
diabetes week?
It was only one a drink a day.
Wow, I didn’t know Starbucks customised their drinks.
I wonder if this is only in the States or a worldwide thing.
I might totally go for that Caramel Ribbon Crunch. I love caramel.
I’m not sure if it is worldwide, though definitely in the US
The grasshopper frapp (I think its mocha with a pump of peppermint and java chips) tastes JUST like thin mints if you want to give that one a try (: That horchata one sounds amazing. I had no idea they made chai tea frapps!
Yeah I didnt know they made chai tea fraps either! Oh grasshopper sounds good.
I never knew about the secret menu items! The Dalmation looks and sounds good!
I really like the dalmation one.
i worked at starbucks in 2002 and 2006…and yes I HATE coffee. i do miss it. everything is good. but i got fat.i wish they still had the sun dried tomato breakfast sandwiches.
we had drinks called tuxedos and thin mint frap. of you HAVE to put mint flavor in the green tea frap or it isnt a thin mint frap. ( we got in trouble for calling drinks frap as starbucks trademarked frappucino).
i will try this twix frapp, with the blended creme base of course.
kirbie: are you aware of this list :
https://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/frappuccino-blended-beverages
yes, i’m aware of the list. I always consult it for new drinks! Though none of the “secret menu item” ones are on there. For the Thin mint frap, I saw it on many websites and none of them called for mint, so I think maybe it just got the name because of the look. I like how it looks and tastes without the mint. Mint and green tea seems like a weird combination.
Wow the Thin Mint frap sure looks pretty! I want to try that one in the near future!
I love how it looks too! Plus I love green tea.
Those look absolutely AMAZING! I can’t wait to try them sometime!
Haha, it was fun! there’s a few more I found I want to try.
Say whaaaaat?! Who knew? I love the idea of a horchata frappacino.
I worked at Starbucks for 3 months many years ago, and I used to make some specialty drinks. The first was an almond mocha and the second was a raspberry white chocolate mocha. Unfortunately, almond and raspberry are no longer syrup options!
Aw that’s too bad. Those both sound good. Yeah, it’s crazy how many different ones there are out there.