I Tried Starbucks’ and Dunkin’s Banana Coffee—There Was a Clear Winner

I’m willing to admit I have a banana coffee obsession. This is not news to the people who love me, but it can sometimes be a bit of a shock to friends and acquaintances. (One time, I took a publisher meeting at a café. She got a black coffee; I got a chocolate banana latte with an avalanche of whipped cream. Nothing says “take me seriously” like a coffee order that could double as a sundae.)

People badmouth banana-flavored things, but I can’t help it: It’s the best coffee flavor, hands down. I order an iced banana latte every time I find one on a menu. If we’re being vulnerable, I also import my favorite banana-flavored beans from a small-batch chocolatier in Wisconsin once a year, which I’m aware is high maintenance for someone who uses a Keurig.

I’m tired of the banana hate and having to hunt around the city for my next fix. That’s why I was so excited to see that both Dunkin’ AND Starbucks are advertising new banana cold foam drinks. Here’s how the Dunkin’ and Starbucks banana coffees compare and which one is worth your time, according to someone who is kind of a banana coffee freak.

The official Starbucks menu includes banana bread matcha but not banana iced coffee. Luckily, it’s easy to customize your own off-menu by adding the banana cold foam to your drink of choice. I ordered an iced latte with brown sugar syrup, banana cold foam, and caramel crunch—it’s essentially the same recipe as the banana bread matcha, just with coffee instead of matcha.

This drink was really good! Like many Starbucks drinks, it is definitely sweet, but you could ask for one less pump of syrup. It had the fresh, almost nutty note that I can’t get enough of in banana coffees. The cold foam was thick and textured, luxurious without feeling too heavy. I can definitely taste that it’s made with real banana; it has a fresh, creamy, delicate flavor that you might expect from homemade banana milk. The foam itself is not too sweet, so it would still be a great addition if you don’t like sugary drinks.

A long, hard day at the office taste testing lattes.

I love the caramel crunch on top for a little pop of salt, and the crunchy texture plays nicely with the thicker, less uniform texture of the cold foam. The brown sugar syrup, paired with real banana flavor, creates a rich banana bread taste, making this drink a treat.

Overall, this feels like a well-balanced, unique coffee. It’s not a gimmick flavor; it’s genuinely tasty. I find many banana coffees use banana syrup or infuse banana into the drink, so the banana cold foam wins points for creativity from me. I think this drink will convert banana skeptics, and I will miss it when it leaves the menu!

At Dunkin’, I tried the banana puddin’ latte. It’s a medium iced latte with banana syrup and banana cold foam. Also on the menu are variations of this drink with butter pecan syrup or with Dunkalatte coffee milk, but I wanted the most banana-y of the bunch.

I’m going to keep it real: I enjoy a Dunkin’ iced coffee, but the banana syrup was so artificial. It was like drinking banana Laffy Taffy. This drink didn’t have any of the creamy, fresh banana flavor that makes me so crazy about banana coffee, and I expect it will be a polarizing flavor.

The cold foam was noticeably more processed; it was smooth and had a thinner texture, without the textural variation of the Starbucks foam. It had the same really artificial flavor as the syrup, with a yellow tint. Maybe I would like the Dunkin’ banana cold foam better if it were put in a different drink to help combat the artificial flavor. But the fake banana-on-banana action was too much for me, personally.

Fans of the Dunkin’ banana latte online say that they like that it tastes like banana pudding and that it’s a unique flavor. I see this as a limited-time flavor that you might like to try if you love banana candy or enjoy trying novelty coffees.

Between the two coffees, Starbucks was my favorite! I’ve recommended it to friends (and around the office), and I’m excited that it’s introducing more people to my favorite coffee flavor.

There are many ways to use banana cold foam, from the original banana bread matcha to a long list of customizations to make your perfect drink. I’m excited to keep trying different combos (banana caramel macchiato, anyone?), and I hope it sticks around for a long time. Maybe it will inspire other coffee shops to add more banana drinks, so I don’t have to hunt so hard around the city for my latte fix.