Every drink you have at any cafe or store may consist of calories between 0 to even more than 300 calories. But have you even checked or wondered to customize your Starbucks order to reduce calories.
If you are looking for the drinks customization, you’re probably on the right page. A report suggests that with a few smart customizations, you can certainly reduce the calorie content of favorite drink without sacrificing flavor.
Let’s jump into the subject or you can check out the list below:
- Choose Smaller Sizes
- Opt for Sugar-Free/Few 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
1. Choose Smaller Sizes
The first and most easiest way to lower down calories of your drink is by simply opting for a smaller size. As usual, Every drinks at Starbucks comes with multiple sizes such as,
- Short (8 fl oz)
- Tall (12 fl oz)
- Grande (16 fl oz)
- Venti (20 fl oz hot/24 fl oz)
- Trenta (30 fl oz cold only)
Choosing a Short instead of a Tall, or a Tall instead of a Grande, can significantly cut down on calories, especially in drinks that contain syrups, milk, and whipped cream.
2. Opt for Sugar-Free Syrups or Use Fewer Pumps of it
There is a good amount of calorie difference between a Sugar and Sugar-Free Syrup. While sugar syrup can be tempting, but choosing a sugar-free syrup or fewer pumps of it can eventually lower down the calories from your drink.
For instance, a pump of regular vanilla syrup may contain nearly 20 calories, while the sugar-free version of it contains none.
3. Choose Lower-Calorie Milk Options
At Starbucks store, you can find a wide range of milk options. However, you should be aware of its calories. Let’s understand it further:
- Whole Milk: 150 calories (per 8 oz)
- 2% Milk: 120 calories (per 8 oz)
- Nonfat Milk: 80 calories (per 8 oz)
- Almond Milk: 60 calories (per 8 oz)
- Oat Milk: 130 calories (per 8 oz)
- Coconut Milk: 70 calories (per 8 oz)
By switching to nonfat milk, almond milk, or even a coconut milk, you can save a significant amount of calories. For example, swapping whole milk for almond milk in a Grande Caffè Latte can save you about 90 calories.
4. Say “No” to Whipped Cream
If you seriously wants to cut down the calories from the Starbucks drink, you should strictly avoid it.
In general, a pump of whipped cream adds a rich and creamy texture to its drinks, adding nearly 80 calories extra for a standard dollop on a Grande drink.
5. Go for Black Coffee or Tea
There are wide range of hot and cold coffee offered at Starbucks that only carries less than 100 calories(you can find the list here). However, a report suggests that the simplest way to keep your Starbucks order low-calorie is to stick with black coffee or plain tea.
Both options contains 0 Cal and can be customized with your own preferences.
6. Pay Attention to Blended Drinks
Frappuccinos are delicious but often loaded with sugar and calories. If you’re going for Blended Drinks and want to cut down on calories, the best option will be a Coffee Frappuccino®.
On top of it, you can ask for it to be made with almond milk without any whipped cream. Additionally, you should also request fewer pumps of syrup or a sugar-free syrup to further reduce the calorie count.
7. Add Spices Instead of Sweeteners
As a healthy food enthusiast, you should always prefer spices over sweeteners for enhancing the flavor.
There are range of free spices available such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa powder. These options not just add depth and flavor to your drink but only adds few calories.
8. Consider Cold Brew or Nitro Cold Brew
Starbucks Reserve® Cold Brew, Starbucks® Cold Brew Coffee, and Nitro Cold Brew are few options that are naturally smooth and slightly sweet, which means you might not need to add any sugar syrup, milk, and sugar.
A Grande Cold Brew has only 5 calories and Nitro Cold Brew also offers the same calorie.
Final Takeaway
Customizing your Starbucks order to reduce calories is way easier than you might think. All you have to do is to making a few simple adjustments – like opting for a smaller size, choosing sugar free syrup or switching to a lower-calorie milk.
There are plenty of option available and discussed in the post, make sure you check out the option and enjoy your favorite drink. At present, we have developed the calculator that can provide an in-depth analysis of the nutritional content of your drink.