Starbucks Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte Review: A New Flavor Worth Falling For

Starbucks is nuts about fall. Weeks after kicking off the season with the return of its Pumpkin Spice Latte and other festive goodies on the new fall menu, the chain is introducing another completely new, limited-edition fall beverage: Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte. On the heels of the drink's official debut on Thursday, September 19, we visited the Starbucks Reserve location in the Empire State Building to taste it. The bottom line: it's delicious.

This was our first time ever trying a pecan latte, but hopefully not our last. In a short season where Pumpkin Spice gets played on repeat, it seemed like a risk for Starbucks to bring yet another festive beverage into its rotation. As it turns out, Starbucks' Pecan Crunch is just the right amount of unexpected. 

The timing of the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte's release is much like the flavor of pecan itself: not outwardly autumnal, but not exclusive to the holiday season either. Starbucks is giving us a drink especially for that fleeting period in between — and we're going with it. These are our takeaways from the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte taste test.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

To bring the vision of the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte to life, Starbucks developed an all-new pecan syrup and a complimentary pecan crunch topping. Translating the rich, buttery-sweet taste of a real pecan pie into a café syrup is not a small task. A good pecan pie has a layered plethora of sugar, spice, and nutty flavors that rely on both taste and texture to be at their best. All in all, Starbucks got pretty close.

The pecan syrup has levels of flavor — there are the buttery notes, a toasty pecan taste, and a sweet finish that harmonize well with one another. The pecan crunch topping answers for that textural element, and works better than if the latte were topped with a powdered spice blend. That little crunch at the end gives the latte a playful finish — at least for the first few sips — it's just a topping after all.

In regard to the balance and authenticity of flavor, the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte stands out in an area where the Pumpkin Spice Latte comes up short. We picked up on genuine notes of pecan pie in this drink, without the fake, chemically taste that befalls many flavored syrups ... Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice included. Does this mean Starbucks PSL diehards are going to convert to the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte this season? Maybe not, but we prefer more subtle decadence the pecan crunch brings.

In typical latte fashion, Starbucks Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte is available hot or iced. As the name implies, the main component of this latte is oat milk, making it the latest addition to Starbucks' growing number of beverages that champion plant-based milk over the traditional stuff. If you order the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk latte as it comes it will be dairy-free, but this is Starbucks we're talking about, so you're welcome to customize away. Dairy milk can be swapped out for oat milk if that's what you prefer, and you can add whipped cream, too.

If you stick to the original recipe, a hot Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte gets a spoonful of oat milk foam and pecan crunch at the top, while the iced version gets topped with Starbucks nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam. However, in addition to launching the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, Starbucks is also rolling out a never-before-seen Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam, which features the new pecan syrup. Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam can be made with dairy or plant-based milk.

We're not sure why Starbucks chose not to incorporate Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam into the iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, but it is an option if you want to customize your beverage. We tried the Salted Pecan Cold Foam on a Starbucks cold brew. The flavor didn't scream salted pecan, but it added a pleasant sweetness to the cold brew coffee.

Pumpkin is for fall and gingerbread is for Christmas, but pecan is for ... either? Surely, no one ever gave grandma the side eye as she plunked her homemade pecan pie on the Thanksgiving dessert table. This festive, from-the-heart offering is exactly the vibe Starbucks is going for. If you ask us, the concept of a Thanksgiving latte hasn't gotten the play it deserves.

In fact, Starbucks' lead beverage developer Patrick Penney drew inspiration for the latte's flavor profile from his grandmother's pecan pie. While pecan pie is often reserved for special occasions — like Thanksgiving — the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte isn't officially a holiday beverage, it's considered seasonal. The earthy flavors of pecan and oat milk combined with the deeper notes of brown butter and aromatic baking spices are meant to evoke the fleeting beauty of being outside on a crisp fall day, when holding a clutching a Starbucks latte and breaking out your plaid scarf seem like the obvious things to do.

We were lucky enough to try the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte ahead of the September 19th launch, but we aren't the only ones invited to an early access taste test. To celebrate the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte's arrival, Starbucks is teaming up with Delta Air Lines for a sneak preview of the beverage on Wednesday, September 18. It's a tantalizing approach, and an exclusive one.

Travelers who are flying with Delta Air Lines that day can get a taste of the Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte — if they happen to be at one of the two airports that's running the promotion. The pre-launch is only available at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington (Seattle is Starbucks' home city) and at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Taking advantage of this deal is all about being in the right place at the right time.

Since the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte is hitting Starbucks locations in the U.S. a little later than the café's other fall menu items, it should probably stick around well into the holiday season. Limited-edition launches at Starbucks are typically advertised as a "while supplies last" situation, and Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte's time on the menu is exactly that. That said, if you're eager to get your hands on one, it's best not to wait too long.

Hold on a second — it doesn't feel quite like fall yet. Starbucks was very intentional in using the flavor notes of butter-rich pie crust and gooey sweet pecan filling in the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte to signal the onset of autumn weather. Does that mean this latte tasted totally off when we tasted it on a 75-degree day? Of course not! In the grand tradition of Starbucks seasonal offerings, the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte is a sweet, treat-yourself kind of drink. The fall-ness of it all is perhaps more about a feeling than anything else. Truth be told, we found ourselves getting into a more festive mindset after trying it.