What to order · Updated September 2026
What to Order at Starbucks: Food and Drinks, Judged
Starbucks charges café prices for food that arrives frozen and leaves a convection oven about a minute later. Some of it survives that trip well. The egg bites and the Bacon, Gouda & Egg sandwich were designed for the reheat. Most of the pastry case was not, and a $3.75 croissant that went in flaky comes out soft.
Drinks are where the money actually goes. A Grande latte runs around $5.45 as a national average, fall specials push past $6, and one new banana drink hits $7.25. Prices below are national averages from 2026 menu trackers; Starbucks sets prices store by store, so big cities and airports run 15–25% higher. Calories are Starbucks' published figures for the standard Grande build.
Every item, judgedThe verdicts
Bacon & Gruyère Egg Bites
Order itSous-vide eggs with Gruyère and Monterey Jack, so the texture is closer to custard than scramble. They reheat without drying out, which almost nothing else in the case can claim. Two bites, 19 grams of protein, no bread. Small, yes. Also the item I'd order first every time.
Bacon, Gouda & Egg Sandwich
Order itArtisan roll, frittata-style egg, smoked gouda, a couple of bacon strips. At 360 calories it lands between the egg bites and the Sausage, Cheddar & Egg, and it tastes like more effort went into it than either. Ask for it double-toasted if the roll comes out pale.
Sausage, Cheddar & Egg Sandwich
DecentSalty, heavy, and a fast-food sausage McMuffin in all but name, with a café markup. It does give you the most calories per dollar in the breakfast case. If you want this sandwich, McDonald's makes it cheaper and hotter.
Spinach, Feta & Egg White Wrap
Skip itDietitians love it. Baristas mostly don't, and neither do I. Spinach buries the feta and the sun-dried tomato, and the wheat wrap goes gummy in the oven. For 170 calories and a better texture, get the Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites instead.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
Order itFall only, and it earns the hype. Spiced pumpkin muffin, a sweet cream cheese center, pepitas on top for crunch. Ask for it warmed. At $3.95 it's a better seasonal buy than any pumpkin drink on the board.
Iced Lemon Loaf
DecentDense lemon pound cake under a thick sugar icing. It tastes good. It also packs 470 calories, more than the Bacon, Gouda & Egg sandwich, for a slice you'll finish in six bites. Split it.
Butter Croissant
Skip itPar-baked, then reheated to order, the layers gone limp by the time you reach the car — almost four dollars for a supermarket croissant with good lighting.
Pike Place Roast (Grande)
Order itAbout 310 mg of caffeine for under four dollars, roughly double a Grande latte's 150 mg at two-thirds of the price. It won't win a blind tasting against a local roaster. Rewards members get free refills in the same visit, which makes it the value play here by a wide margin.
Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (Grande)
Order itBlonde espresso shaken with brown sugar and cinnamon, topped with oat milk. It became Starbucks' top-selling iced drink for good reason: 120 calories, strong coffee flavor, sweet without tasting like syrup. Oat milk is built in, so there's no $0.80 non-dairy upcharge.
Pumpkin Spice Latte (Grande)
DecentYou know what it tastes like. Sweet, cinnamon-forward, pumpkin in name more than flavor, and 390 calories with 2% milk and whip. Worth one order a season. After that, the Pumpkin Spice Chai does the job better.
Pumpkin Spice Chai (Grande)
Order itNew this fall, and it tastes more like pumpkin pie than the PSL does, because chai already carries those warm spices. Twenty cents cheaper and 130 calories lighter. It runs sweet, so order a Tall if you're sugar-shy.
Iced Banana Bread Latte (Grande)
Skip it$7.25. For that you get blonde espresso fighting a banana syrup and neither one winning, plus 420 calories. If the banana thing tempts you, the Iced Banana Bread Chai ($6.45) pairs better with the spice and costs less.
Frequently askedFAQ
What is the healthiest food to order at Starbucks?
The Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites, at 170 calories and 13 grams of protein. The Bacon & Gruyère Egg Bites (300 calories, 19 grams of protein) are the better pick if you want to stay full past 10 a.m. Both are gluten-free by recipe, though the kitchen is shared.
Is the Pumpkin Spice Latte worth it in 2026?
Once a season, yes. A Grande runs about $6.45 as a national average with 390 calories. The new Pumpkin Spice Chai ($6.25, 260 calories) carries more actual pumpkin flavor, and the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin ($3.95) is the better fall buy overall.
How do I save money at Starbucks?
Order brewed coffee and use Rewards. A Grande Pike Place costs $3.65–$3.75 versus about $5.45 for a latte, and members get free refills in the same visit. A Caffè Misto (coffee plus steamed milk) runs roughly $1 less than a latte of the same size, and lactose-free dairy carries no upcharge.