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Starbucks Japan brings back the Caramel Waffle, but is it as good as it used to be?

Oona McGee Jul 27, 2026
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The price has gone up, so we find out if the taste has gone down, or if it’s hopefully stayed the same.

Once upon a time, there used to be a familiar sight beside the register at Starbucks: the Caramel Waffle. Perfect for when you were feeling peckish or wanted something sweet to go with your coffee, the waffle was incredibly popular with customers, including our very own reporter K.Masami, who says she lost count of how many times she’d purchased one.

One day, though, it quietly disappeared from stores, replaced by a Chocolate Waffle, leaving Masami to wonder if she would ever see it again. So when she turned up at her local Starbucks the other day to try the newly released Orange & Mango Frappuccino, she found herself doing a double-take at the register when she saw her beloved treat had returned.

▼ Thank you, green mermaid!

Sitting beside the register once again, as if it had been there all along, Masami eagerly purchased one, but in the midst of her excitement she felt a slight murmur of trepidation build inside her. After such a long absence, would the waffle taste as good as it used to? Or would it be a new version that would leave a bad taste in her mouth?

Her fears weren’t entirely unfounded, as she’d been burnt by the return of the chain’s Chocolate Chunk Cookie before. Back in the day, it originally sat inside the pastry case and was warmed individually in the oven before being served. Then, the cookie moved to the register where it became a packaged product, but still managed to retain the wonderfully soft and chewy texture that she so loved. However, in 2025, the cookie suddenly changed, becoming much firmer and crunchier. Masami never warmed to the new version, and she still finds herself missing the original, so she was cautious about the return of the Caramel Waffle.

▼ Please, please be good.

With memories of the original waffle still lingering in her mind, she unwrapped the sweet and was pleased to find that there didn’t seem to be any major changes to the size or thickness. One noticeable change, though, was the price, because it now cost her 220 yen (US$1.49), whereas before it was around 170 yen.

Still, she figured that couldn’t be helped, given that prices have increased across the Starbucks menu in recent years, and if it tasted as good as it used to, the extra cost would be something that she could get used to.

▼ The Caramel Waffle, past and present.

After all, her real concern wasn’t the price but the taste, so she took a small bite out of one side… and was instantly greeted by a familiar texture. Soft, yet lightly crisp at the same time, this was the perfectly balanced mouthfeel she’d long enjoyed.

Her hopes raised, she held back on trying any more of it, because she needed to carry out her waffle ritual. Placing the waffle over the top of her hot coffee like a lid, this is the way Starbucks officially recommends enjoying the sweet, as it softens the waffle even further while allowing it to absorb the aroma of the coffee.

After a few minutes, she picked it up and just by holding it in her hand, she knew immediately that this was the same waffle she’d always loved. It had become so soft it almost seemed ready to fold in on itself under its own weight. Breaking it apart, the caramel stretched beautifully between the two halves, and when she bit into the soft dough, the aroma of the coffee sang out strong while the sweetness of caramel played a delicious background accompaniment.

According to Masami, this was the flavour fanfare she’d long been enamoured with, and had been missing for so long. Breathing a sigh of relief that the waffle hadn’t followed the fate of the Chocolate Chunk Cookie, she made a solemn vow to return again and pick up a waffle with every coffee order from now on.

While it’s inevitable that Starbucks has to keep evolving its products, some things are so good they don’t need changing, and that’s how Masami feels about the Caramel Waffle. If you love waffles as much as she does, she highly recommends picking one up if you’re lucky enough to find it next to the register on your next Starbucks visit.

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