Starbucks Caramel Macchiato Pods: Layers, Order and Ice

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato for Dolce Gusto: Building the Layers

A caramel macchiato is put together in stages rather than blended, and that is why this box holds twice as many pods as it makes drinks.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato for Dolce Gusto: Building the Layers, in summary: Twelve Dolce Gusto pods, six drinks: each caramel macchiato is a milk pod followed by a coffee pod. Expect a sweet, caramel-led cup with the coffee well in the background, best in the afternoon or brewed short over ice.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

A caramel macchiato is put together in stages rather than blended, and that is why this box holds twice as many pods as it makes drinks. Milk goes down first, the coffee runs through it, and the caramel sits underneath the whole thing instead of being stirred in at the end.

Built in layers, not stirred together

The layering is what separates a macchiato from a latte with caramel syrup added at the counter. In a latte the coffee and milk are one mixture; here the milk forms a base, the coffee travels down through it, and the caramel note stays underneath from start to finish. To reproduce that at home the capsule version has to work in two stages, so every finished drink uses one milk pod and one coffee pod.

Order matters. Brew the milk pod first, then run the coffee pod straight over it, and you get the layers the name promises. Put them in the other way round and the same two pods give you a uniform beige cup. Either way it is sweet, firmly a dessert-style milk coffee, and the roast plays a low supporting part while the caramel takes the lead.

Counting drinks, not pods

The box states twelve pods and six servings, and the gap is simply the two-pod build. When comparing boxes, work out how many finished drinks you get rather than how many pods sit inside. Among the Starbucks Dolce Gusto lines we stock, the Madagascar Vanilla Macchiato and the White Mocha are six-serving boxes too, while the Americano House Blend makes twelve black coffees from twelve pods.

Read the machine name on the box rather than trusting the logo. Starbucks puts its recipes into more than one capsule system, so some Starbucks boxes are built for machines this one will not fit. These pods are for Nescafé Dolce Gusto only; Nespresso, Tassimo and Lavazza A Modo Mio brewers cannot use them, and the reverse holds too.

Hot in the afternoon, or over ice

This is an afternoon drink more than a seven o'clock one, the cup for when you want a treat more than a working coffee. The caramel lasts to the bottom of the cup rather than disappearing early, and the milk keeps a soft texture without going heavy, so it rewards being drunk slowly.

Unusually for a sweet pod, it also holds up well over ice. Fill a glass with ice, brew the milk pod over it, then run the coffee pod short so the drink is not diluted. With something this sweet, we would steer away from more caramel and reach for chocolate instead: a chunky chocolate chip cookie, a double chocolate cookie or a chocolate cream sandwich.

The packs we stock

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (6 Servings), 12 Pods (barcode 7613036926997)

What to eat with it

Lu Le Petit Cookie with Chunky Rich Chocolate Chips, 184g: Chunks of rich chocolate give a sweet caramel cup a darker, firmer partner.
Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: Double chocolate adds the cocoa depth the drink keeps in the background.
Maryland Cookies S'wich Choc Creme Biscuits, 150g: A chocolate cream sandwich keeps the treat mood of an afternoon macchiato without adding more caramel.

Elsewhere in the Starbucks range

The full range is on the Starbucks brand page.

FAQ

Why does a box of twelve pods make only six caramel macchiatos? Each drink uses a milk pod and a coffee pod, so twelve pods give six finished macchiatos, as the box states.

What order do the pods go in? Milk pod first, then the coffee pod run straight through it. That order is what creates the layers.

How is a caramel macchiato different from a caramel latte? A latte is mixed; a macchiato is layered, with the coffee poured through the milk and the caramel running underneath rather than stirred in afterwards.

Does Starbucks Caramel Macchiato fit a Nespresso machine? No. These are Nescafé Dolce Gusto pods and fit Dolce Gusto machines only.

Can you make a caramel macchiato pod iced? Yes. Brew over a glass full of ice and run the coffee pod short so the drink stays full-flavoured.

Curator's note: On a warm afternoon I would take this one over ice every time; the caramel holds its ground and the sweetness sits better cold. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Starbucks Caramel Macchiato for Dolce Gusto: Building the Layers

Field	Detail
Brand	Starbucks
Packs we stock	Coffee (6 Servings), 12 Pods
Category	Coffee Pods & Capsules
Caffeine	caffeinated
Pods per drink	Two: milk first, then coffee
Best time	Mid-afternoon
Iced	Yes, coffee pod run short