Dunkin’ isn’t exactly the first place you go to when you want a sweet, dessert-style beverage. The east coast institution was traditionally about no-nonsense, fast service for busy people who just wanted, well, coffee. A medium regular? Yes, please! However, the chain has really upped its game in recent years, bringing in a host of new, inventive menu items like affordable iced macchiatos, sourdough avocado toast, and seasonal flavor swirls. A few different flavor swirls have been cycled through the menu, but our favorite so far has been the lava cake.
If you’re new to the flavor swirl game, they’re essentially Dunkin’s version of sweetened syrups. Most of them have dairy, and they’re creamier and more indulgent than the chain’s flavor shots, which are low-calorie and sugar-free. Some examples of flavor shots include classics like hazelnut, vanilla, and toasted almond, while swirls lean towards the heavier side — think butter pecan and peppermint mocha. The lava cake flavor swirl is rich and chocolatey, with notes of vanilla and marshmallow. It’s creamy and decadent, without being too much, and it doesn’t overpower the taste of Dunkin’s coffee like other sweet syrups might. This is why the lava cake came out on top in our taste test of seven Dunkin’ flavor swirls, ranked from worst to best.
Unfortunately, it seems the flavor isn’t currently available, though some stores might still have bottles in stock. We tried it in April 2024, and a Lava Cake Signature Iced Latte was part of Dunkin’s winter 2025 menu. If you can’t get your hands on it, the mocha swirl is a great backup. You still get that chocolate hit, but without the limited availability.
How to order the lava cake and mocha flavor swirls
Both the lava cake flavor swirl and mocha swirl work well in a variety of Dunkin’ coffees, but our tester particularly enjoyed them with cold brew. A top recommendation would be to top either with Dunkin’s marshmallow cold foam or s’mores creamer, if they are available, but you can also enjoy them black to avoid adding extra sugar. Other Dunkin’ customers add the flavors to oat milk lattes, iced lattes, or mix them with a raspberry flavor shot. People seem to particularly enjoy the chocolatey flavor of these swirls, with some comparing the mocha to chocolate milk.
Other combinations people have created include a white chocolate, toasted marshmallow lava cake latte, a Girl Scout cookie-inspired lava cake coconut coffee, a blueberry mocha, and a hazelnut mocha. We personally think either is a far better option than boring brown sugar or French vanilla, whether you want a whipped cream-topped dessert or not. You can always add a swirl to that plain, old medium regular too — we won’t tell the locals.
