Dunkin’ Donuts is an American multinational quick-service restaurant renowned for offering freshly baked donuts and brewed coffee.
However, over the years, Dunkin’s caramel menu items have gained traction among the fast-food chain’s customers to become fan favorites. So, what caramel does Dunkin’ use? I embarked on a fact-finding mission about this, and this is what I discovered!
What Caramel Does Dunkin’ Use In [currentyear]?
Dunkin’ Donuts uses a proprietary caramel exclusively made for the Dunkin’ brand in [currentyear]. This proprietary caramel is made from salt or white sugar, corn syrup, and other ingredients. The salt or white sugar is slowly heated to 170 degrees Celsius (340° F) to break down its molecules and form a brown compound.
To learn more about what kind of caramel Dunkin’ uses, what Dunkin’s caramel is made from, and whether Dunkin’ offers its Caramel Swirl, Caramel Iced Coffee, and Caramel Craze Signature Latte, and more, keep scrolling!
What Ingredients Make Dunkin’ Donuts’ Caramel?
Generally speaking, Dunkin’ Donuts’ caramel is made from sugar, corn syrup, milk, and other blended ingredients such as starch and fat.
That said, this rich-flavored caramel’s primary constituents, salt or sugar, are slowly heated and continuously stirred to 340° F (170 ° C) until they liquefy.
This caramelization process, in turn, breaks down the sugar or salt compounds to form a new golden brown compound that has a deep flavor.
Then, corn syrup is added to the compound during cooking to control graining, while the milk is added to the Dunkin’ caramel to give it a chewy, creamy, and collapsible texture.
Consequently, the other blended ingredients, such as starch and fat, are added to the mixture and continuously stirred to add more texture and flavor.
After the caramel has been cooked to 340° F, it is poured over cooling slabs or vessels awaiting cutting, wrapping, and being used to make other Dunkin’ beverages and baked goods.
Also, the good thing about Dunkin’ caramel is that it can be colored, flavored, coated, and dipped with coffee, nuts, and cream to give it different flavors and textures.
In addition, the golden-brown caramel can be used to flavor a wide range of Dunkin’ beverages such as coffee, lattes, swirls, and desserts such as donuts.
Does Dunkin’ Have A Caramel Swirl?
Yes, Dunkin’ Donuts has the Caramel Swirl in its different outlets.
With that, the multinational coffee and donuts company offers a wide range of classic flavor swirls, including Caramel, Hazelnut, Mocha, and French Vanilla.
Further, Dunkin’s Caramel Swirl is primarily made from 100% brewed Arabica coffee beans, caramel-flavored swirl syrup, and light cream.
The caramel-flavored swirl syrup, on its part, is made with condensed milk syrup, white sugar, caramel color, caramelized corn, natural flavors, and preservatives.
Also, the Dunkin’ Caramel Swirl has high sugar levels since it contains four different sugar types. For instance, a medium-sized drink cup with whole milk contains 54 grams of sugar.
Besides the classic flavored swirls, Dunkin’ Donuts offers various traditional flavored shots such as Hazelnut, Vanilla, Toasted Almond, Coconut, Raspberry, and Blueberry.
But, the main difference between Dunkin’ Donuts’ swirls and shots is that Dunkin’ swirls are sweetened while the shots aren’t.
Does Dunkin’ Have Caramel Iced Coffee?
Yes, Dunkin’ offers the Caramel Iced Coffee in all its stores worldwide.
That said, a small-size Caramel Iced Coffee at Dunkin’ goes for $1.99, a medium drink size goes for $2.49, and a large drink size costs $2.79.
Further, Dunkin’ Donuts’ Caramel Iced Coffee is made with whipped cream, caramelized flavor-driven syrup, and ice cubes.
Unfortunately, the iced drink has a short shelf life. Thus, it would be ideal to store your Dunkin’ Caramel Iced Coffee bottle in the fridge since it gets worse with time after being opened.
Additionally, a small cup of Dunkin’s Caramel Iced Coffee contains two caramel pumps, a medium contains three pumps, and a large Caramel Iced Coffee has four pumps.
But, if you have a sweet tooth and like your iced coffee sweet, you can ask the barista to add extra caramel pumps to make your coffee sweeter.
Nonetheless, it’s important to note that Dunkin’ Donuts charges an extra cost for every additional pump you ask to be added to your Caramel Iced Coffee.
Besides Caramel Iced Coffee, Dunkin’ also offers other iced coffee flavors such as Butter Pecan, French Vanilla, and Caramel Swirl Frozen Coffees.
Does Dunkin’ Offer The Caramel Craze Signature Latte?
Dunkin’ Donuts started offering its Caramel Craze Signature Latte in 2019.
That said, the decadent drink features a rich and creamy caramel flavor and is topped with caramel flavored drizzle, cinnamon sugar topping, and whipped cream.
Also, the Caramel Craze Signature Latte is available in both hot and iced form in most Dunkin’ Donuts outlets worldwide.
Besides the Dunkin’ Caramel Craze Signature Latte, the restaurant franchise also offers Blueberry Crisp Signature Latte.
With that, the Blueberry Crisp Signature Latte features caramel flavors and blueberry and is topped with caramel flavored drizzle, cinnamon sugar topping, and whipped cream.
Like the Caramel Craze Signature Latte, this drink is also available in most Dunkin’ Donuts outlets in hot and iced forms.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on matcha latte Dunkin’, what cream does Dunkin’ use, and Dunkin’ Points.
Conclusion
Dunkin’ Donuts uses proprietary caramel tailored explicitly for the brand while making its beverages and baked menu items.
Thus, if you like the smooth, creamy, and velvety texture of Dunkin’s caramel, the only option you have is to walk into your local Dunkin’ store and place your order.
