When the days get hot, we begin to direct our attention to the iced coffee section of the menu at our go-to coffee shops. Because what better way to enjoy the long days of sunshine than by sipping on a caffeine-packed iced drink!
Actually, I’m here for iced coffee in any weather and any season. Something about caffeine, ice, and a bit of sweetener (or a flavor shot), is the perfect pick-me-up combo in the mid-afternoon lull.
Dunkin Donuts prides itself on its extensive iced coffee selection. They seem to have an answer for all kinds of tastebuds, and their drive-thru makes it easy to grab a cup on the go. You can grab a frozen coffee or cold brew… or choose one of your favorite hot coffee drinks and ask for it on ice.
We took some time to sort through the Dunkin Donuts menu to weigh in with our opinions on their iced coffee menu items. Here are a few of our favorites to help you perk up and cool down on hot days.
These tasty Dunkin Donuts iced coffee drinks are listed from our top faves and on down. As a cherry on top, we also included a chart with some of the drinks’ best features to help you narrow down your choice.
Dunkin Donuts’ Flavor Shots VS Flavor Swirls
Dunkin Donuts has a different system for sweeteners and flavor shots than many other coffee shops. While Dunkin’s flavor shots are completely unsweetened and non-dairy, their flavor swirls are sweet and creamy.
So if you like a bit of flavor in your iced coffee, but are watching your sugar count, you can choose to add a sugar-free and unsweetened flavor shot. This can add that kick to your drink, guilt-free. You can also use flavor shots to order vegan coffee drinks.
Inversely, if you are looking for a sugar rush, a flavor swirl will do the trick.
Also, not all flavor shots come as flavor swirls and vice versa. Some classic flavor shots you can choose from are vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry, and coconut. The Dunkin’s classic flavor swirl options include caramel, hazelnut, french vanilla, and mocha. So that’s a little run down on how to reduce (or add!) sugar when ordering your coffee drink.
Now, let’s see what iced coffee drinks Dunkin Donuts has in store for us…
| Drink Name | Special Features | Flavor Shots/Swirls | Vegan/ Sugar-free |
| Cold Brew w/ Sweet Cold Foam | Cold Brew Drinking Lid | X | No |
| Iced Caramel Mocha Latte | Topping | Caramel Swirl, Mocha Swirl | No |
| Iced Carmel Macchiato | Layered Drink | Caramel Swirl | No |
| Iced Coffee | Double Brewed | X | Yes (with alternative milk choice) |
| Frozen Mocha | Secret Menu Item | Mocha Swirl | No |
| Oreo Iced Coffee | Secret Menu Item | Mocha Swirl, French Vanilla Shot, Vanilla Bean Shot | No |
| Toasted French Vanilla Iced Coffee | Almond Milk, Vegan | Toasted Vanilla Shot, French Vanilla Shot, Toasted Almond Shot | Yes |
| Butter Pecan Iced Coffee | Topping + Rainbow Sprinkles | Butter Pecan Swirl | No |
| Cookie Dough Latte | Topping | Cookie Dough Flavor Swirl | No |
| Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte | Seasonal | Pumpkin Swirl, Vanilla Flavor Shot | No |
| Coco Berry (1) | Secret Menu Item | Mocha Swirl, Blueberry Flavor Shot | No |
| Coco Berry (2) | Secret Menu Item | Coconut Flavor Shot, Blueberry Flavor Shot | Yes |
1. Cold Brew with Sweet Cold Foam
This cold brew coffee drink tops my list of Dunkin favorites. Dunkin Donuts makes their cold brew by steeping 100% Arabica beans for 12 hours in cold water. This process slowly extracts the best flavors while leaving the bitterness behind. The result is a nutty, chocolatey brew with a tinge of natural sweetness to it.
Top this ultra-smooth, cold coffee drink with some sweet cold foam that slowly melts down into your coffee and you have a cold, delicious drink that is worth coming back for. And am I the only one who thinks the cold brew lid should start being used on all the drinks?
2. Caramel Mocha Latte
If you can’t decide if you love caramel or chocolate more, this iced caramel mocha latte lets you not decide and just have them both. The caramel, chocolate, and coffee pull your tastebuds in three different directions, but each of the flavors compliments the other. You end up with a sweet, decadent drink that is reminiscent of a Milky Way melted into a cup of joe.
This drink will give you a sugar rush and a caffeine high, so if you are in need of a pick-me-up, pick up an iced caramel mocha.
3. Caramel Macchiato
The caramel macchiato has been a steady favorite for years. While mochas are nice for a rich coffee drink, the caramel macchiato is a great choice for when you want some flavor in your drink, but nothing heavy. The caramel macchiato also uses whole milk instead of the 2% used in most lattes. The whole milk combines with the caramel flavor to create a smoother and richer drink than you find with its caramel latte counterpart.
I personally love the layered look of the macchiato drink, which is achieved by adding the espresso shot last. This layering also allows the flavors to hit in different ways throughout the drink to add a bit of excitement to the palette. But if you enjoy a more cohesive drink, you can try the upside-down version of this drink.
An upside-down caramel macchiato is made by adding all the ingredients in the recipe from last to first. And the result is a no-layer, well-blended mix of your favorite flavors.
4. Iced Coffee
Dunkin Donuts makes their iced coffee using a double-brewed batch of %100 Arabica coffee which extracts as much flavor (and caffeine!) as possible out of the bean. This leaves a coffee that is rich enough to go over ice and still retain its flavor.
The result is a great-tasting brew with caramel, nutty hints to it. Add some creamer… and maybe a hazelnut flavor shot or a caramel swirl, and you are ready to go with this classic coffee beverage.
Also, if you love the iced coffee, but are looking to change things up, you can try Dunkin’s frozen coffee. This drink is made like a frappuccino with the ice blended into your coffee.
5. Secret Menu Frozen Mocha
Many of the coolatta coffee drinks were reworked into a new and updated blended drink list and renamed frozen coffee” drinks. Frozen coffee was created to appeal to serious coffee drinkers’ tastebuds. It has a stronger coffee flavor and an overall richer taste than its coolatta coffee forerunner. The coolatta name continued to stick to the more fruity drinks when the coffee branched off to go a different route.
For the secret menu frozen mocha, you can order half-frozen coffee mixed with half-frozen chocolate. This rich and decadent drink is one you are not sure if you should drink or eat with a spoon. It is sure to give you a sugar and caffeine rush to the head! To give it a Nutella flair, you can ask the barista to add a hazelnut swirl.
6. Secret Menu Oreo Iced Coffee
If you are a fan of Oreos and iced coffee, this is where the two favorites collide. To ask for this drink at Dunkin Donuts, you can break down the order by asking for an iced coffee with three creams, two sugars, one pump of vanilla bean, one pump of french vanilla, and one pump of mocha swirl.
This sweet treat is pretty extra, but some days you just crave something a little over the top.
7. Toasted French Vanilla Iced Coffee
This drink goes beyond “just plain vanilla,” in fact, the vanilla in this drink is toasted and French. While this drink may not be a menu item, the toasted French Vanilla Iced Coffee is an “official menu hack” that Dunkins encourages customers to try.
The recipe for this drink is Dunkin Donuts iced coffee, a french Vanilla Shot, a toasted almond shot, and it is made with almond milk instead of regular milk. The almond milk compliments this drink very nicely and emphasizes that nutty, roasted flavor. I like the fact that this drink is not too sweet since the flavors are based on flavor shots instead of swirls… this drink is also vegan!
8. Butter Pecan Iced Coffee
This smooth-tasting iced coffee was inspired by the Baskin Robbins ice cream of the same name. While the Butter Pecan Iced Coffee is a seasonal coffee drink in many areas, it is one to catch if you can!
The butter pecan swirl pairs so well with the espresso that you are not quite sure if you are drinking coffee or melted ice cream. While the espresso definitely takes a back seat in this drink, it is still so good when you are looking to give your sweet tooth free reign.
It also doesn’t hurt that this drink is also topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and rainbow sprinkles. Who can resist? It looks like a party is about to start in your mouth.
9. Cookie Dough Latte
I think there is probably no one on the planet that would admit to not liking cookie dough. Some may choose to avoid it for health reasons, but the taste buds would never refuse it. Cookie dough is one area where I follow my heart and not my head. Still, it is a different ball of wax (or dough) when it comes to a flavor in a cup of coffee.
My first rush of excitement at seeing this on the menu was dimmed a bit by the first order… because, you just can’t fully recreate a true cookie dough taste in a flavor swirl. I’m no quitter, though, and after a few tries, you will begin to make friends with this drink for who it is instead of focusing on who it is not.
The cookie dough has a buttery flavor that seems to be more toned down in sweetness than other swirls. I like that it doesn’t taste too sweet and has a bit of nutty hint to it. If you like the butter pecan swirl, it’s a pretty sure bet that you would also like an iced cookie dough latte.
10. Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte
Pumpkin spice is a drink you either love, hate, or love to hate. Fall is my favorite season so there is always a bit of a dopamine rush when coffee shops start setting out their pumpkin spice signs… because it means cozy weather is ahead. While I can enjoy a pumpkin spice latte from time to time, I can also go the full season happily just ordering my espressos and cold brews.
The Dunkin Donuts pumpkin spice signature latte rolled out this year among other fall menu items in mid-August. You will notice that Dunkin’s pumpkin spice has a different twist to it than the drink that you would find at Starbucks. The Dunkin Donuts recipe is a creamy iced latte made with pumpkin flavor and also includes vanilla in its flavor profile. The addition of vanilla rounds out the spice to make this a smooth, custard-style drink.
It also doesn’t hurt that this iced coffee drink is topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon sugar. I would order this drink just for that! If you are a pumpkin spice fan, you may also be interested in trying Dunkin’s new addition to the fall menu: the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.
11. Secret Menu Coco Berry
I’m personally not a huge fan of putting fruit in my cup of joe, but I’ve heard a lot about this secret menu drink. This iced coffee combines the espresso, milk, and mocha flavor swirl from the mocha latte with a blueberry flavor shot. You get the sensation that you are drinking coffee with a handful of chocolate-covered blueberries. When I think about it this way, I can get behind the idea.
A plus of this combo is that the blueberry syrup helps to neutralize some of the bitter flavors in the coffee. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I am a fruit-flavored coffee convert, but for those who enjoy fruity flavors, I’d recommend the coco berry with no qualms.
Another variation out there of the coco berry drink uses espresso and almond milk as a base and then adds in coconut and blueberry flavor shots. This recipe has a much more Hawaiian feel to it than the first and is also a vegan option.
Although I do love Hawaii, if I had to choose between these two versions, I would probably go with chocolate-covered blueberries.
So, which one is the “right” version of the coco berry coffee drink? I guess it will just remain a secret.
Conclusion
While you could just tough out summer days with a hot coffee in your hand to prove your devotion to the black bean, why would you when a scoop of ice is just as close as the barista? Iced coffee makes a refreshing drink choice when the weather is hot outside, or you are just looking for something cold to perk you up.
We’ve listed a few favorite iced coffee drinks, but this is just scratching the surface of the menu choices that are available at Dunkin’s.
Dunkin Donuts has been tweaking its iced coffee menu for years and continues to come up with new flavors and concoctions to surprise us. They have options for a wide variety of tastes and dietary choices.
My personal go-to for a cold coffee drink is the cold brew with sweet cold foam, but I always enjoy trying new flavor combinations as they are rolled out.
So, if you are looking to break out of your regular coffee order, we’ve narrowed down a few top options to try next.
Here’s to more sunny days and cold coffee drinks!
