Every Starbucks drink you grab at a cafe or store holds a range of calories. This can be anywhere from zero to well over three hundred. Have you ever wondered how to customize your Starbucks order? You can easily reduce those calories.
If you are looking for smart drink customizations, you are absolutely on the right page. A lot of reports suggest this. With a few smart customizations, you can certainly reduce the calorie content. Best of all, you don’t have to sacrifice any flavor!
Let’s jump right into the subject. You can also quickly check out the list of tips below.
- Choose Smaller Sizes
- Opt for Sugar-Free/Fewer pumps of Syrups
- Choose Lower-Calorie Milk Options
- Say “No” to Whipped Cream
- Go for Black Coffee or Tea
- Pay Attention to Blended Drinks
- Add Spices Instead of Sweeteners
- Consider Cold Brew or Nitro Cold Brew
Contents
- 1 1. Choose Smaller Sizes
- 2 2. Opt for Sugar-Free Syrups or Use Fewer Pumps of It
- 3 3. Choose Lower-Calorie Milk Options
- 4 4. Say “No” to Whipped Cream
- 5 5. Go for Black Coffee or Tea
- 6 6. Pay Attention to Blended Drinks
- 7 7. Add Spices Instead of Sweeteners
- 8 8. Consider Cold Brew or Nitro Cold Brew
- 9 Final Takeaway
1. Choose Smaller Sizes
This is the first and easiest way to lower down your drink’s calories. Just opt for a smaller size. Every drink at Starbucks comes in multiple sizes, as you know.
Starbucks Sizes:
- Short (eight fluid ounces)
- Tall (twelve fluid ounces)
- Grande (sixteen fluid ounces)
- Venti (twenty fluid ounces hot or twenty-four fluid ounces cold)
- Trenta (thirty fluid ounces cold only)
Choosing a Short instead of a Tall is helpful. Or choose a Tall instead of a Grande. This can significantly cut down on calories. This is especially true in drinks with syrup, milk, and whipped cream.
2. Opt for Sugar-Free Syrups or Use Fewer Pumps of It
There is a big calorie difference between a sugar and a sugar-free syrup. Sugar syrup can be tempting, of course. But choosing a sugar-free syrup or fewer pumps of it helps. This will eventually lower the calories from your drink.
For instance, one pump of regular vanilla syrup may contain nearly twenty calories. However, the sugar-free version contains none.
3. Choose Lower-Calorie Milk Options
You can find a wide range of milk options at any Starbucks store. However, you should be fully aware of their calories. Let’s understand this further.
Milk Calories (per eight ounces):
- Whole Milk: one hundred fifty calories
- Two percent Milk: one hundred twenty calories
- Nonfat Milk: eighty calories
- Almond Milk: sixty calories
- Oat Milk: one hundred thirty calories
- Coconut Milk: seventy calories
By switching to nonfat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk, you save a significant amount of calories. For example, swapping whole milk for almond milk in a Grande Caffè Latte can save you about ninety calories.
4. Say “No” to Whipped Cream
If you seriously want to cut calories from your Starbucks drink, you should strictly avoid this.
Generally, whipped cream adds a rich and creamy texture. But it also adds nearly eighty extra calories. That’s for a standard dollop on a Grande drink.
5. Go for Black Coffee or Tea
Starbucks offers a wide range of hot and cold coffee. Many carry less than one hundred calories. However, the simplest way to keep your order low-calorie is to stick with black coffee or plain tea.
Both options contain zero calories. You can also customize them with your own preferences.
6. Pay Attention to Blended Drinks
Frappuccinos are certainly delicious drinks. But they are often loaded with sugar and calories. If you’re going for Blended Drinks, you can still reduce calories. The best option will be a Coffee Frappuccino®.
On top of that, you can ask for it to be made with almond milk. Make sure to ask for no whipped cream. Additionally, you should also request fewer pumps of syrup. Or you can ask for a sugar-free syrup. This will further reduce the calorie count.
7. Add Spices Instead of Sweeteners
As a healthy food enthusiast, you should always prefer spices over sweeteners. Use them for enhancing the flavor.
Starbucks provides a range of free spices. These include cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa powder. These options add depth and flavor to your drink. They only add very few calories.
8. Consider Cold Brew or Nitro Cold Brew
Starbucks Reserve® Cold Brew, Starbucks® Cold Brew Coffee, and Nitro Cold Brew are great options. They are naturally smooth and slightly sweet. This means you might not need to add any sugar syrup, milk, or sugar.
A Grande Cold Brew has only five calories. The Nitro Cold Brew also offers the same calorie count.
Final Takeaway
Customizing your Starbucks order to reduce calories is way easier than you might think. All you have to do is make a few simple adjustments. This could be opting for a smaller size. Maybe choose sugar-free syrup. Or just switch to a lower-calorie milk.
There are plenty of options available. We have discussed them all in this post. Make sure you check out the options and enjoy your favorite drink guilt-free. I have also developed a calculator. It can provide an in-depth analysis of your drink’s nutritional content.
Would you like me to find the calorie count for a specific Starbucks drink using these low-calorie customization tips?
