Gooey, delicious caramel is one of the most sought-after flavors out there. It tastes amazing on so many foods, from fruits to desserts. So, it’s inevitable that sooner or later it would end up in coffee. Of course, it’s no shock that caramel is among the most popular flavors used in coffee today.
Thankfully, Dunkin’ Donuts® hopped on the caramel coffee trend immediately. But they didn’t just hop on it; they took it over. Now, there are too many caramel coffee options on the menu to choose from.
Dunkin’ Donuts® has options for hot, iced, and frozen caramel coffee drinks. Caramel coffees at Dunkin’ Donuts® are made with 100% Arabica coffee beans and are flavored with the rich sweetness of Torani Caramel Syrup. Each caramel coffee can be customized to satisfy your personal preferences.
Key Takeaways:
- Discover six of the most amazing caramel coffee options on the Dunkin’ Donuts® menu.
- Learn about each of these options and their nutritional information.
- Find out about health-conscious ordering and healthy, but delicious alternatives to Dunkin’ Donuts® caramel coffee.
Dunkin’ Donuts® has its share of caramel coffee drinks. Discover everything you need to know here!
Dunkin’ Donuts® Embraces the Caramel Trend
When something is rising in popularity (and is so incredibly tasty, I might add), it’s difficult for large companies not to jump on the trend. In August 2013, Dunkin’ Donuts® released a full line of caramel coffee drinks. It turns out, this line of drinks soared in popularity! But what makes Dunkin’ Donuts® caramel coffee so special?
Intense Flavor in Every Cup
Dunkin’ Donuts® really knows their stuff when it comes to coffee. Each cup of caramel coffee features Dunkin’ Donuts® signature caramel syrup and is generally topped with whipped cream. The intense flavor of Arabica coffee beans mixed with incredibly sweet Torani Caramel Syrup is only made better by the other Dunkin’ Donuts® flavors mixed in.
Caramel Balances the Bitterness
Many wonder how caramel can taste so amazing in coffee. Others wonder how even people who don’t like coffee can enjoy a caramel coffee. Especially people who don’t like the bitterness of coffee. It’s quite incredible how it works.
The extreme sweetness of caramel balances out the bold, strong bitterness of coffee. While there are still hints of coffee in these drinks, it’s not as overwhelming as a regular brew. This gives people with different taste preferences the opportunity to enjoy the kick of the caffeine from the coffee and a deliciously sweet treat year round.
What Caramel Coffee Drinks Does Dunkin’ Donuts® Have?
The best thing about Dunkin’ Donuts® having caramel coffee on the menu is that the options are never-ending. There are loads of options for toppings and flavor additions to choose from. You can add caramel to any drink you would like. But there are, of course, some caramel coffee drinks that top the list. Let’s check them out!
Caramel Mocha Latte (Hot or Iced)
Most coffee shops struggle with caramel mocha coffees. The problem usually stems from a failure to appropriately balance the caramel and coffee flavors. More often than not, you’ll end up with a bitter mocha overpowering the sweetness of the caramel. However, Dunkin’ Donuts® seems to have gotten this one just about perfect.
Year Round Satisfaction
Dunkin’ Donuts® has created the perfect mixture of caramel, chocolate, and espresso. Enjoy an iced caramel mocha latte during the scorching summer months. Alternatively, you can use a hot mocha latte during the blistering winter months to warm up.
Customize to Perfection
Caramel Mocha Lattes from Dunkin’ Donuts® are already almost perfect. But if you find that it’s not quite what you’re looking for, they offer so many customization options to choose from. Choose from a number of sweetener, dairy, and flavor options to create your personal heaven.
Dunkin’ Donuts Caramel Mocha Latte Nutritional Value (Medium w/ skim milk, caramel swirl, no sugar)
Nutritional Value | Amount |
Calories | 260 |
Total Fat | 0g |
Saturated Fat | 0g |
Cholesterol | 10mg |
Sodium | 170mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 53g |
Dietary Fiber | 0g |
Sugars | 35g |
Protein | 11g |
Caffeine | 166mg |
Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew
If you’ve never had cold brew coffee, you’re in for a treat. The normal brewing process takes a matter of minutes. However, the cold brew method takes upwards of 12 hours. Of course, you don’t have to wait that long to get this spectacularly unique treat.
A Unique Process
This unique process takes small batches of specially prepared coffee and steeps it in cold water for around 12 hours. As the brew steeps, it slowly extracts the bold flavor of the Arabica beans making a stronger, more extravagant coffee. Rich chocolate, caramel swirls, and salted caramel foam bring this spectacular beverage together.
Salted Caramel Brings it Together
It’s no secret that salty and sweet make a perfect combination. But who would have thought salted caramel would be so desirable? Some chefs have a theory for that.
According to this article, there are five primary tastes that our taste buds are able to register. These are sour, salty, sweet, bitter, and umami. So when you combine two of those together, you have something called “flavor layering.”
Salt is also somewhat of a flavor enhancer. So, anything salt gets paired with becomes much stronger in flavor. That’s why salted caramel is an extremely popular choice for desserts, ice cream, coffee, etc.
Dunkin’ Donuts® Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew Nutritional Value (Medium)
Nutritional Value | Amount |
Calories | 240 |
Total Fat | 3g |
Saturated Fat | 1.5g |
Cholesterol | 10mg |
Sodium | 85mg |
Total Carbohydrates | 51g |
Dietary Fiber | 0g |
Sugars | 49g |
Protein | 3g |
Caffeine | N/A |
Caramel Craze Iced Signature Latte
Dunkin’ Donuts® lattes have been a huge part of their epic lineup for some time now. They are a near necessity when it comes to making it through the record summer heat. But it seemed as though the signature lattes were missing a little extra “umph.”
Of course, Dunkin’ Donuts® was keen to spice up their lattes a bit and introduced their Signature Latte line. Signature lattes are more about adding a flare to already existing lattes or introducing a seasonal latte, like a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Dunkin’ Donuts® describes these upgrades, “our Signature Lattes add a delicious twist with whipped cream, drizzle and toppings.”
Caramel Craze Appeal
Like with most things, an upgrade is already appealing. But when the Caramel Craze Iced Signature Latte was introduced, customers really did go crazy. Aside from it being exciting and new, the Caramel Craze is by far one of the better caramel coffee drinks on the menu.
The Caramel Craze Iced Signature Latte contains the handcrafted, indulgent coffee flavors. Added to it are caramel flavored drizzle, whipped cream, and cinnamon sugar topping. Together, these flavors send it out of this world.
Dunkin’ Donuts® Caramel Craze Iced Signature Latte Nutritional Value (Medium w/ skim milk)
Nutritional Value | Amount |
Calories | 340 |
Total Fat | 5g |
Saturated Fat | 3g |
Cholesterol | 25mg |
Sodium | 190mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 61g |
Dietary Fiber | 0g |
Sugars | 57g |
Protein | 12g |
Caffeine | N/A |
Coconut Caramel Iced Coffee
If you love coconut and caramel, you’re sure to love Dunkin’ Donuts® Coconut Caramel Iced Coffee inspired by the Girl Scout Coconut Caramel Cookie. This drink puts a “tropical twist” on your favorite flavor combination.
A Tasty Combination
It’s insane what flavors taste amazing together; and the combination of coconut and caramel is sure to blow your mind. Coconut has such an earthy, melted buttery taste which is perfectly paired with the intense sweetness of caramel. Together, they create a tropical, sweet explosion in your mouth.
Customize Your Preferences
Dunkin’ Donuts® allows you to customize just about anything, and the Coconut Caramel Iced Coffee is no different. There are so many tasty options to choose from, from whipped cream to adding mocha swirl and chocolate syrup. Making your own, perfect combination has never been so easy.
Dunkin’ Donuts® Coconut Caramel Iced Coffee Nutritional Value
Nutritional Value | Amount |
Calories | 350 |
Total Fat | 12g |
Saturated Fat | 6g |
Cholesterol | 35mg |
Sodium | 180mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 55g |
Dietary Fiber | 0g |
Sugars | 50g |
Protein | 5g |
Caffeine | N/A |
Vanilla Caramel Macchiato (Hot or Iced)
Vanilla is among the most popular flavorings in both food and drink. So it’s no surprise that Dunkin’ Donuts® offers vanilla options on its menu. But the delicious fusion of vanilla and caramel can’t be beat. It’s truly amazing how much vanilla and caramel complement each other. Enjoy this masterpiece in the dead of winter or use it to beat the heat.
Vanilla and Caramel Fuse Together
Dunkin’ Donuts® Vanilla Caramel Macchiato brings customers layers upon layers of delicious flavors. When vanilla and caramel are combined, you get one of the sweetest treats. Vanilla enhances every sweet aspect of the flavor of caramel, and the caramel adds to the unique taste of the vanilla. Balancing the two flavors seems to be a specialty of Dunkin’ Donuts®.
Dunkin’ Donuts® Vanilla Caramel Coffee Macchiato Nutritional Value (Medium w/ skim milk, no sweetener)
Nutritional Value | Amount |
Calories | 240 |
Total Fat | 0g |
Saturated Fat | 0g |
Cholesterol | 5mg |
Sodium | 150mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 49g |
Dietary Fiber | 0g |
Sugars | 47g |
Protein | 8g |
Caffeine | 248mg |
Caramel Swirl Iced Coffee
This classic, sweet treat is one for the books. Dunkin’ Donuts® Caramel Swirl Iced Coffee is a must-have refreshment. But imagine the extra-sweet flavor of drizzled caramel combined with the robust iced coffee. It’s perfect to quench your thirst and provides a much needed energy boost.
Simple, Yet Delicious
The combination of the classic, bitter espresso flavors and the sweet caramel swirl make the Caramel Swirl Iced Coffee one of the most desired menu items. The iced coffee is brewed to perfection and then layered with the caramel.
Customize Your Iced Coffee
The visible layers make one of the most aesthetically pleasing beverages on the menu. The ability to order your perfect amount of caramel swirl makes this a top ranked option. Incredible additional toppings and syrups are available to help you make the best drink you’ve ever had.
Dunkin’ Donuts® Caramel Swirl Iced Coffee Nutritional Value (Medium w/ no milk or sweetener)
Nutritional Value | Amount |
Calories | 170 |
Total Fat | 0g |
Saturated Fat | 0g |
Cholesterol | 5mg |
Sodium | 65mg |
Total Carbohydrate | 39g |
Dietary Fiber | 0g |
Sugars | 35g |
Protein | 3g |
Caffeine | 267mg |
Health-Conscious Options
With so many tasty options, our health and diets may be at the forefront of our minds. Especially with sugary drinks like caramel coffee. Knowing that these delicious drinks may contain extra calories, sugars, and carbohydrates may deter you from trying one. But there are a couple things you can do to make yourself feel a little less guilty for indulging.
Leave Out the Dairy
Avoiding dairy is an excellent way to cut back on unnecessary fats. Dunkin’ Donuts® has a few cream options, like almond milk, oat milk, and skim milk. Substitute the whole milk for one of these guilt-free choices.
Go Sugar-Free
Caramel is bound to have so much sugar in it, thus weighing heavily on your mind—and your waistline. Instead, you always have the option of choosing the sugar-free caramel syrup. In fact, Dunkin’ Donuts® offers sugar-free alternatives to most syrup flavors. However, only the syrup flavors have sugar-free alternatives. This is not the case for drinks flavored with caramel swirl.
Balance
Balancing indulgence and health is an important part of life that everyone should try to master. Not overdoing the extra toppings or additional flavoring is going to be more beneficial in the long run. However, if you only indulge occasionally, it’s going to be less damaging to your health over all. Moderation is always the key.
Summary
Dunkin’ Donuts® is always expanding its menu to meet the desires of customers. Caramel lovers have not been excluded. With decadent options like the Coconut Caramel Iced Coffee or the Caramel Craze Iced Signature Latte and more classic options like the Vanilla Caramel Macchiato, you really can’t go wrong.
You have the ability to make your caramel coffee irresistible. The ability to fully customize with more health-conscious choices makes Dunkin’ Donuts® caramel coffee drinks a necessity on your morning commute.
FAQ
Can I order these drinks with non-dairy milk?
Almost always. Most locations have the option to customize your drink, right down to the type of milk in it.
What kind of caramel syrup does Dunkin’ Donuts® use?
Torani Caramel Syrup
Are Dunkin’ Donuts® caramel coffee drinks unhealthy?
Not necessarily. While these drinks are not exactly healthy, occasionally indulging in a caramel coffee is not going to grossly impact your weight or general health.
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