When it comes to drinks, our beloved coffee included, calories can add up quickly without providing much (or any) nutritional value.
Luckily, looking into the calories in Starbucks drinks or menu nutrition before placing your beverage order can help you decide what drink best aligns with your lifestyle. Keeping a few simple ordering tips in mind can truly help you pick a sip that fits into a balanced diet.
Keep reading to get “the skinny” on Starbucks, including Starbucks calories and how to find the Starbucks calorie menu.
Calories of Starbucks Frappuccinos
Frappuccino is a Starbucks creation, and a combination of the words “frappe” (a type of frozen coffee served at a slushy consistency) and “cappuccino” (an espresso coffee made with steamed and frothed milk). Although it’s almost 30 years old and typically considered a summer drink, it remains a menu staple and a favorite among Starbucks customers year-round.
Before diving into specific flavors and combinations, it’s helpful to remember that a Frappuccino, often called a “frapp” for short, is essentially a coffee milkshake. Even small sizes contain as many grams of sugar as a candy bar, and some larger sizes contain more sugar than a couple of candy bars! With that in mind, it’s important to order carefully to stick to your health goals.
As a note, the calorie counts listed below are in a Starbucks Grande (16 fl oz), the typical default size for online orders of most drinks.
Coffee Frappuccinos
The Coffee Frappuccino was one of Starbucks original Frappuccino flavors, along with the Mocha Frappuccino. It remains the way it debuted— without whipped cream, which helps to cut down on calories a bit. The classic Coffee Frappuccino clocks in at 230 calories.
Other coffee-centric frappuccinos, but with added shots or flavors, include:
• Espresso Frappuccino (210 calories)
• Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino (410 calories)
• Java Chip Frappuccino (440 calories)
Mocha Frappuccinos
Mocha drinks contain a coffee bean from a specific region, traditionally combining espresso, milk, and chocolate. What’s not to love?
Starbucks has many mocha offerings in the Frappuccino category, such as the following:
• Mocha Frappuccino (370 calories)
• Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino (480 calories)
• White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino (420 calories)
Caramel Frappuccinos
The Caramel Frappuccino was introduced in the late 1990s with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, a domed lid, and a green straw. In other words, it was a trendsetter for the frappe’s signature look!
Coffee and caramel are a match made in heaven, the perfect balance of bitter and sweet. However, since caramel is essentially sugar, it’s important to keep an eye on the calories for this drink. The regular Caramel Frappuccino is 380 calories and the Caramel Ribbon Crunch (which contains a crunchy, sugary topping) is 470 calories.
Seasonal Starbucks Frappuccinos
Starbucks doesn’t disappoint when it comes to seasonal flavors. Most of these flavors hit the menu around September to November, when holiday flavors are at their peak. Due to added flavors, syrups, and special sauces, they tend to be higher in calories.
Here are Starbucks’ recent seasonal favorites:
• Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Frappuccino (370 calories)
• Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccino (420 calories)
• Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino (420 calories)
• Caramel Brulée Frappuccino (400 calories)
• Chestnut Praline Frappuccino (380 calories)
• Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino (430 calories)
• Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino (470 calories)
Creme Frappuccinos
Créme Frappuccinos are a bit different than the average frappe because they use a créme base instead of a coffee base, offering more sweetness and a creamier consistency than the original. Due to the sugars and sweeteners added to the base, it’s considered more of a dessert than a drink.
Most seasonal flavors are usually available in Créme Frappuccino form, which tends to be about 20 to 60 calories less than their coffee frappuccino counterparts. Although créme drinks don’t typically contain coffee (except mocha sauce pumps), tea varieties like matcha or chai may contain caffeine.
The calories in popular créme drinks are as follows:
• Chocolate Cookie Crumble Créme frappuccino (460 calories)
• Double Chocolaty Chip Créme Frappuccino (410 calories)*
• Strawberry Créme frappuccino (370 calories)*
• Chai Créme frappuccino (340 calories)
• Matcha Créme Frappuccino (420 calories)
• Vanilla Bean Créme Frappuccino (380 calories)*
• White Chocolate Créme Frappuccino (380 calories)
*These varieties are often considered “kid-friendly” since they don’t contain coffee, although you’ll want to tailor the size of the drink (and the amount of sugar it contains) to best suit your child’s health goals.
Starbucks Latte Calories
Lattes are another popular coffee drink, and (of course) Starbucks has their method perfected. Made from an espresso shot mixed with steamed milk, lattes contain a light layer of frothed milk foam. It differs from a cappuccino in that the layer of foamed milk on top is thin instead of airy and thick and is said to have a creamier texture and more subtle coffee flavor than other brewed beverages. Similar to other coffee and milk-based drinks, the milk lends a sweetness and creaminess to the latte that balances out the natural bitterness from the coffee bean.
Even outside Starbucks shops, lattes seem to be among the top-ranking orders. This is believed to be because lattes offer a “blank canvas” for baristas to craft Instagram-worthy designs when served without whipped cream.
As a note, the calorie counts listed below are in a Starbucks Grande (16 fl oz), which is the typical default size for online orders of most drinks.
Caffé Latte
The classic Caffé Latte is described as “milk-forward” and is great for coffee drinkers new to lattes. Plus, it’s only 190 calories!
Oleato Caffé Latte with Oatmilk
One of Starbucks’ newest additions is the Oleato Caffé Latte with Oatmilk, which contains an intriguing mix of espresso, olive oil, and oat milk. This crafty combo is said to create a smoother, more dimensional coffee experience and is 330 calories per cup (16 fl oz coffee cup).
The Oleato latte is a great fit for those seeking a more subtle sweetness rather than an overt sugary sip. It’s also considered more keto-friendly than other drinks since it focuses on healthy fats instead of sugars to create its unique flavor and feel.
Cinnamon Dolce Latte
“Dolce” is the Italian word for sweet, so you know by its name alone that the Cinnamon Dolce Latte delivers on sweetness. At 340 calories, it capitalizes on the classic espresso by adding sweetened syrup, whipped cream, and topping.
Starbucks Reserve Lattes
Starbucks has two lattes utilizing their Reserve roasts, curated from rarer, more exquisite coffee beans (often from other parts of the world). They are more straightforward (sans whipped cream) but exhibit the true nature of Starbucks' craft and are often made with small-lot or house-made ingredients.
For reference, the basic Starbucks Reserve Latte contains 230 calories, while the Starbucks Reserve Hazelnut Bianco Latte contains 380 calories.
Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte
What makes the Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte so unique is a lighter roast. If you’re used to ordering the same type of latte, this drink may be worth a try, and is described as “a delightful new twist on a beloved espresso classic” with a subtle touch of vanilla bean.
For a sweeter drink, it’s spot-on in terms of calories, too, coming in at 250.
Seasonal Lattes
As with Frappuccinos, Starbucks seasonal lattes arrive around the beginning of fall. Seasonal offerings include the following:
• Gingerbread Latte (310 calories)
• Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte (180 calories)
• Caramel Brulée Latte (410 calories)
• Chestnut Praline Latte (330 calories)
• Pumpkin Spice Latte (390 calories)
Other Starbucks Drink Calories
Gone are the days when it was just “a plain black coffee, please.” Starbucks has many options, ranging beyond hot coffees, iced coffees, and Frappuccino Blended Beverages to other types of hot and chilled drinks. Understanding where these drinks range in calories can help you make a better beverage choice.
Cold Brews and Beverages
Starbucks cold drinks (like iced coffees and teas) are essentially iced versions of their hot drink counterparts. Except for Frappuccinos, Starbucks cold brew calories tend to be comparable. Sometimes added creams, icy elements like milk, or flavored foams may add around 50 calories more.
The following information can help you choose the cold drink or brew that is right for you:
• Starbucks Reserve Cold Brew and Starbucks Cold Brew (and their Nitro versions): 5 calories
• Cold Brews and Nitro Cold Brews with cream (such as pumpkin, chocolate, or cinnamon caramel): 240-380 calories
• Options with sweet cream or milk (such as Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew or Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee with Milk): generally fall between 35-110 calories
• Iced Teas: 0-60 calories calories
• Iced Tea Lemonades: 50-80 calories
• Iced Tea Lattes: 140-460 calories
• Refreshers, Lemonade Refreshers and Frozen Refreshers: 90-160 calories
Other Hot Coffees
Outside of the options listed above, Starbucks has several other plain, hot coffee options, with calories listed as follows:
• Caffè Americano: 15 calories
• Brewed Coffee Roasts: 5-10 calories, except Caffè Misto (which is 110 calories)
• Cappuccino: 140 calories
• Espressos and Espresso Macchiato: 10-35 calories*
• Macchiatos: 250-320 calories
• Flat Whites: 120-170 calories
• Mochas: 320-510
*Doppio size, which is 1.5-1.6 fl oz
Other Hot Options
Starbucks has options for non-coffee drinkers, too! If you’re more of a tea person, check out these reasonable calorie counts, with options as low as zero calories:
• Chai Tea Lattes (240-310) and Chai Tea (0 calories)
• Black Teas Lattes (150-180 calories) and Black Teas (0 calories)
• Green Teas (0-130 calories), including Matcha Tea Latte (240 calories)
• Herbal Teas (0 calories)
If coffee and tea aren’t your speed, but you still want a drink that warms you up, there are a few beverages available to you. Among the most simple are their steamed juices (220-280 calories) or Steamed Milk (200 calories).
Other flavored Steamers get a bit fancier, with added toppings and mix-ins making calorie counts higher (350-420 calories). Classic hot chocolates and white hot chocolates are also available, and range from 370-520 calories.
Miscellaneous Drinks
As mentioned above, Starbucks has a stellar new line of Oleato coffees, which contain a surprising ingredient— olive oil. With an expanding lineup, keeping calorie counts in mind is helpful, especially since there’s quite a wide variety among Oleato offerings.
Oleato lattes, cold brews, caffè lattes, and iced espressos contain anywhere from 250 to 380 calories. Tea lattes or Refreshers, topped with Oleato Golden Foam, tend to be higher in calories (around 450 to 580).
Add-On Starbucks Calories
As exhibited above, when more ingredients are added to a drink, it’s likely to be higher in calories. In other words, add-ons add on calories rather quickly and easily.
Common culprits contributing to rising calorie counts include:
• Milks, creams, and whipped creams
• Oils (higher in calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates)
• Syrups and sugary toppings (like crumbles, crunches, drizzles, or sprinkles)
Starbucks Classic Syrup calories and other flavored syrups and sauces land around 20-25 calories per pump (except sugar-free syrups). This may not seem like much, but most drinks contain 2-4 pumps, and many contain multiple sauces and syrups. It’s not uncommon for syrups to add 50-100 calories to the drink.
Starbucks whipped cream calories operate similarly. They can add anywhere from 50-110 calories for a hot or cold drink.
How to Slim Down Starbucks Menu Nutrition
Simply searching “Starbucks calorie menu” on Google brings up a calorie range for popular orders, meaning you can pull up the information in seconds even if you're in the drive-through. Check out these additional quick tips for “slimming down” your Starbucks order.
Learn the Lingo
Learning the names of Starbucks drinks sizes can help ensure you order the amount you want. The Short is generally considered the healthier option, but some drinks (like herbal teas) can be low in calories even at larger sizes. For ordering purposes, be sure to get the following lingo down:
• Short: 8 fl oz
• Tall: 12 fl oz
• Grande: 16 fl oz
• Venti: 20 fl oz
Many drinks can also be asked for “skinny” or “light,” a short-hand term used to tell your barista you want sugar-free syrup, nonfat milk, and no whipped cream. Make it a competition with yourself or someone else! See if you can create the best-tasting, lowest-calorie drink possible.
Omit Add-Ons
It’s wise to treat add-ons as a treat, something meant for a special occasion, rather than as an everyday addition to your every day “cup of joe.” When ordering, limit syrups to at least half the pumps typically used or ask for sugar-free syrups to be used (when available).
Size Down Your Drink
As mentioned above, size matters if you’re monitoring calories. With different drinks available in different sizes, it’s challenging to dub one size “healthier” than all the others. Plain coffees or teas can generally be ordered in larger sizes (like a Grande) while keeping calories manageable.
On the other hand, for Frappuccinos and other sugary drinks, consider downsizing to a Short or Tall. Even if an 8 fl oz size isn’t listed for a drink, many baristas are willing to make an exception in order to meet your needs. Aiming for 170 calories or less for your drink order would align with a typical “allowance” in the diet for a snack or dessert.
A mere 8 fl oz may seem small, but it can still be satisfying. For most drinks, ordering a Short helps keep the beverage between between 100 calories and 200 calories.
Ask For Milk Alternatives
One perk of ordering at Starbucks instead of from other coffeehouses is that they regularly stock alternative kinds of milk. You can ask for nonfat milk or the following types of non-dairy milk for health reasons beyond food sensitivities:
• Almond milk
• Coconut milk
• Oat milk
• Soy milk
Starbucks Calories: Final Takeaways
Calculating the calories in drinks can feel tricky, but a few simple tips can increase your knowledge about beverage nutrition. With Starbucks drinks, this knowledge is power and can help you craft a drink that better fits your health goals.
From breaking down complex lingo—like drink sizes and “skinny” orders—to simply ordering a smaller size, lean on these tips as you arrive in-store or glide through the drive-thru line.
