I recently tried a keto drink at Starbucks that I saw trending on social media. Maybe I am naive, but I was really excited about it and couldn’t wait to try it. But, let me tell you, I couldn’t take more than 2 drinks of the thing. It was an atrocity to coffee.
So, that sent me down the rabbithole of finding healthy drinks at Starbucks – you know, drinks that are low calorie, or low sugar, but actually taste good. Sure, this is more difficult now that Starbucks has discontinued all of their sugar-free syrups, except for vanilla (RIP sugar-free cinnamon dolce latte), but there are still drinks on the menu that won’t make your taste buds cry out in pain.
Today, I’m sharing the best options for healthier options at Starbucks, as well as some tips for customizing drinks you already love to make them lower in calories.
I would love to be the kind of person that could drink my coffee black – because we all know that is practically zero calories, carbs and sugar, but that’s just not my style. I am, however, willing to allocate up to 200 calories of my daily intake for a delicious coffee that will set the tone for the day (or as an afternoon pick-me-up on those days when you really, really need it.)
Healthy Starbucks Under 200 calories:
I’m going to start with the highest in calories and take you all the way down to almost no calories at all. I hope this list helps you find a drink that you’ll enjoy, for the calories you are comfortable with. If you want low carb, low sugar – keto Starbucks drinks – find 15 of those in this post.
Let’s take a look at each one!
12. Iced Vanilla Latte:
A true classic and one of Starbucks most popular drink ever. It is the highest in calories on this list, though, with 190 calories in a Grande.
11. Salted Caramel Cold Brew:
I tried this one and appreciated the salty caramel taste, but felt the salted cold foam was a bit too much for me. If you are a big fan of the salted thing, you will LOVE it. It is higher in calories than other drinks, though, so you’ll need to get a tall to stay under 200 calories. A tall has 160 calories.
10. Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso:
Recently tried this one and liked it. A grande is just 140 calories, which is pretty cool! It has a bit of a warmer taste than the usual vanilla, almost like how a marshmallow tastes different after you roast it. It’s good!
You’ll also be happy to know that this drink is also very low in sugar compared to other drinks with just 8g of sugar! If you’re interested in more drinks that are low in sugar, check out this post with the best tasting low sugar Starbucks drinks.
9. Iced Honey Almondmilk Flat White:
The flat white is a classic coffee drink that has been gaining popularity lately. You can get one infused with their honey syrup (so good) and a splash of almondmilk for well under 200 calories. A grande is just 140 calories.
8. Skinny (Sugar-Free) Vanilla Latte:
If you are looking to reduce sugars as well as calories, this is your pick with just 130 calories in a grande, but much less sugars.
Personally, I find the aftertaste of the sugar-free vanilla at Starbucks very noticeable, but if you need to reduce sugar, you do what you gotta do. Plus, some people don’t mind the sugar-free taste–or even prefer it. I’ve heard that once you adapt your taste buds to it, the regular stuff starts to taste way too sweet.
7. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso:
One of my FAVORITE drinks at Starbucks right now – and thank goodness it’s low in calories, too, with a grande just 120 calories. The shaken espresso gives it a delicious froth and the brown sugar syrup is warmer and darker than a regular sugar syrup. We love it so much, we made our own brown sugar syrup at home and created a copycat drink that is muy delicioso!
Check out those recipes here:
6. Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew:
This is one of the best drinks at Starbucks. And, it’ll blow your mind that the grande is just 110 calories and a venti is 200 calories. Yup. We love this drink so much, we wrote an entire post on it – check it out here.
This is also an easy one to make at home and you can customize exactly how much of all the ingredients that you use. To make your own Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew, head to this post.
5. Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso:
An innovative drink that gives chocolate lovers a lower calorie option that still tastes great. If you’re struggling with giving up your mocha frapp or your iced white mocha (which is around 400 calories), you’ll enjoy this grande drink with 110 calories and plenty of chocolately flavor.
4. Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew:
A nitro cold brew version of our favorite drink, with even less calories and more caffeine. Guess what we’ll be getting next time? Yup! A grande is just 70 calories!
3. Cold Brew with Cold Foam (unsweetened):
Okay, now to get really low calorie, we are starting to show you unsweetened drinks. This Starbucks cold brew with unsweetened cold foam in a grande is just 35 calories and almost no sugar or carbs. Amazing.
2. Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee with Milk:
My favorite drink used to be a sweetened iced coffee with milk. Always. Every day. But, with those things added, it wasn’t low calorie. An unsweetened cold brew with a splash of cream or milk in a grande is just 35 calories!
1. Iced Americano:
One of the lowest calorie drinks on the Starbucks menu is going to be your iced Americano in a grande for just 15 calories. Strong, bold, straight coffee flavor.
Tips for Reducing Calories in Starbucks Drinks:
There are ways that you can reduce your calories, but still enjoy the drinks you love. For some of us, the straight cold brew is just never going to cut it.
Here are some guides and tips to help you figure out how you can make your Starbucks drink healthier and lower in calories.
1. Reduce your syrups and sauces:
If you like sweeteners and flavors, but want to reduce calories, count how many pumps are going in. Each pump is 10-20 calories. A grande typically has 4 pumps. If you reduced your sweetener by half, you could cut those calories in half, too. Maybe reduce pumps one at a time and see how it goes. Over time, your taste buds will adapt. I wouldn’t try it all at one time, though.
2. Say “no whip”:
I know, this hurts me, too, because they have the BEST whip cream ever. But, the whip has about 80-110 calories depending on amount. So, say no to the whip and cut your calories.
3. Consider Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam:
The Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam has 90 calories in a tall and 110 in a grande. If you put that on unsweetened cold brew, you would have a drink for 140 calories or so, but the cold foam will give it plenty of sweetness. This would be a better route than lots of classic or syrups added and you would have the creaminess and texture from the cold foam to make the drink more velvety.
4. Get a smaller size:
I figured out that a small in my favorite Dutch Bros drink significantly reduced my calories, carbs and sugars. Now, I can get a tall occasionally, drink it all without guilt, and move on with my life, rather than drink a medium or large and feel like I totally blew my health goals. Try the same thing. If you absolutely need your favorite drink, get it, but in the smallest size available.
5. Get it blended:
Some days you just want that frappuccino, but unless you’re getting a plain coffee frappe with no whip, you’re getting pretty high in calorie. Why not get one of these drinks, but blended, like a vanilla sweet cream cold brew blended, for your own frappuccino with much less calories!
STARBUCKS SECRET MENU ITEMS:
Love finding new Starbucks drinks to try? Here are some more secret menu items, but for humans only!
- The TikTok Viral Starbucks Iced White Mocha Drink
- The Starbucks Pup Cup: A Puppuccino for your Pet!
- Starbucks Secret Menu: The Thin Mint Frappuccino (AKA Grasshopper and Shamrock)
- Starbucks Secret Menu: TikTok Iced Chai Latte
MORE STARBUCKS MENU ITEMS:
Looking for more Starbucks drinks to try? We’ve got you! Check out these posts:
- 14 Best Starbucks Iced Coffee Drinks
- All your questions about Starbucks nitro cold brew answered!
- The definitive guide to the Starbucks Chai Tea Latte
- 3 strawberry drinks at Starbucks that are berry good!
- Why you need a Starbucks Iced London Fog stat.
MAKE STARBUCKS AT HOME:
Why not learn to make your favorite drinks at home? These are our own kitchen-tested and approved Starbucks copycat recipes:
- Iced Vanilla Latte with Vanilla Cold Foam
- Sweet Cinnamon Iced Coffee at home– A Cinnamon Dolce Latte copycat!
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Hope you found your new favorite Starbucks drink!
Get roasted,
A
