15 Starbucks Desserts to Try

It is normal to crave something sweet from time to time.

Many of us like to add a little sugar to complement coffee and tea. But we also want to know how much sugar we consume.

The popular coffee chain Starbucks offers many different types of sweetened beverages. Fortunately, not all of them are stuffed with sugar.

Here are 15 different Starbucks sweetened beverages you might want to try, as well as some tips on how to reduce sugar in your order.

What you should know about added sugars

It’s perfectly fine to drink a Starbucks sweetened beverage every once in a while, but be mindful of the sugar it contains and try to limit it, rather than every day.

Added sugar is added to food and beverages during the cooking or manufacturing process. Sugar-sweetened beverages, including sweetened coffee drinks, are a major source of added sugar for many people.

Added sugar goes by many names, including some of the sweeteners used in these Starbucks drinks, such as honey, cane sugar, and brown sugar.

Research has linked added sugars to adverse health effects, including an increased risk of cancer and higher levels of harmful visceral fat, among other chronic disease risk factors.

Health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), recommend eating no more than 10 percent of your daily calories from added sugars.

For example, if you eat 2,000 calories per day, you won’t add more than 200 calories or 50 grams of added sugar. For a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet, you should eat no more than 150 calories or 38 grams of added sugar.

Keep these recommendations in mind when reviewing the sugar levels in the Starbucks beverages below.

1-3. hot coffee drink

In general, most Starbucks sweetened hot coffee beverages contain moderate amounts of sugar — higher than many sweetened teas and iced coffees, but still lower than other beverages like frozen frappuccinos.

On average, a Starbucks Grande-sized cup of sweetened hot coffee (16 ounces or 473 milliliters) contains approximately 30-35 grams of sugar.

For reference, this is about 7-9 teaspoons of sugar, or slightly less than the average amount of sugar in a can of soda. A teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams.

Here’s how Grande (16 oz or 473 ml) Starbucks Caramel Macchiato, Dark Chocolate Mocha and Blonde Vanilla Latte compare in terms of sugar, calories and carbohydrates:

	Caramel Macchiato	Dark Chocolate Mocha	Blonde Vanilla Latte
Sugar	33 g	33 g	35 g
calories	250	230	250
Carbohydrates	35 g	38 g	37 g

1. Caramel Macchiato

Caramel macchiato is a typical Starbucks drink.

Steamed milk and espresso are paired with vanilla syrup and a drizzle of caramel, each adding sweetness to the caffeinated drink.

2. Starbucks Reserve Dark Chocolate Mocha

Sweet dark chocolate mocha swaps out the syrup and sweetener for cocoa and crushed chocolate.

If you feel that traditional Starbucks syrup is too sweet for your taste, you can use the subtle sweetness of the dark chocolate powder used in the dark chocolate mocha instead.

3. Blonde Vanilla Latte

This classic latte uses vanilla syrup to bring out the full-bodied flavor of a lightly roasted espresso.

You can easily add other flavors like caramel or raspberry, but keep in mind that these additions may increase the sugar, calorie, and carbohydrate content of the drink.

4-6. Cold coffee drink

Starbucks offers a range of slightly sweetened cold brews, iced lattes and espressos that contain less than half the sugar of many of the brand’s hot coffee beverages.

Here’s a comparison of three Grande (16 oz or 473 ml) Starbucks cold coffee drinks in terms of sugar, calories and carbohydrates:

	Iced Oat Milk Espresso Shake with Brown Sugar	Honey Almond Milk Pure White	Iced Hazelnut Latte
Sugar	13 g	18 g	26 g
calories	120	120	280
Carbohydrates	20 g	22 g	30 g

4. Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milkshake Espresso

If you order without added sweetener, this cinnamon-flavored iced espresso has less sugar than many other Starbucks sweetened coffees.

The brown syrup used to sweeten the espresso also differentiates it from the classic white syrup-flavored drink. Note, however, that brown sugar is nutritionally similar to white sugar.

5. Honey Almond Milk Pure White

This drink changes things up, using a “honey blend” as a sweetener instead of Starbucks’ classic pure syrup.

Almond milk itself also has a hint of sweetness to complement its nutty flavor.

6. Starbucks Reserve Iced Hazelnut Latte

Hazelnut flavors are a common addition to roasted coffee beans and flavored coffees.

Not a typical sweetener, this latte gets its sweetness from hazelnut praline milk poured into espresso and ice cream.

7-9. Other hot drinks

Starbucks’ sweet drink selection isn’t limited to coffee. The brand also offers sweet teas, steamers and more.

Some of these options (such as white hot chocolate or steamed apple juice) are very high in sugar, with more than 50 grams in a single serving (16 ounces or 473 milliliters).

However, some options contain less sugar.

Here’s how Grande’s (16 oz or 473 ml) Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte, Honey Citrus Mint Tea and Starbucks Hot Chocolate compare in terms of sugar, calories and carbohydrates:

	Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte	Honey Citrus Mint Tea	Hot Chocolate
Sugar	21 g	30 g	37 g
calories	150	130	370
Carbohydrates	21 g	32 g	43 g

7. Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte

Many Starbucks drinks are added with the classic simple syrup, which is made from granulated sugar from beets.

The Royal English Breakfast Latte is a black tea latte sweetened with cane syrup and made entirely from sugar cane, although you probably won’t notice much of a difference in taste between the two.

Nutrition-wise, beet sugar and cane sugar are nearly identical, although they may taste slightly different.

8. Honey Citrus Mint Tea

Starbucks Honey Citrus Mint Tea is full of flavor. It is a combination of steamed lemonade and two different tea blends. You may notice flavors like lemongrass, pineapple, chamomile, and more.

Like many teas, this Starbucks drink is infused with honey.

9. Hot Chocolate

Starbucks Hot Chocolate combines mocha sauce, whipped cream, and chocolate drizzle with frothy milk.

This is an ingredient combination that puts it on the higher end of the sugar scale, while still containing nearly 20 grams less sugar than its white hot chocolate counterpart.

10-12. Other cold drinks

Coffee isn’t Starbucks’ only refreshing dessert. The brand also offers a variety of fruit and tea beverages to cool you down.

Here’s a comparison of three other Starbucks Grande (16 oz or 473 ml) cold drinks in terms of sugar, calories and carbohydrates:

	Peach Iced Tea	Kiwi Starfruit Freshener	Iced Matcha Latte
Sugar	12 g	19 g	28 g
calories	60	90	200
Carbohydrates	15 g	22 g	29 g

10. Green peach iced tea

If you have a sweet tooth but want to avoid adding too much sugar, consider Starbucks’ Iced Peach Green Tea.

The tea blend is blended with peach-flavored juice and contains natural sugars but no added sugars.

11. Kiwi Starbucks Refresher

Kiwi Starfruit Refresher also uses juice as the main ingredient and flavor ingredient, but unlike Iced Peach Green Tea, additional sugar is added to the mix.

Fun fact - Starbucks’ “Refreshers” line of beverages are the only beverages in the chain that use green coffee beans, which are unroasted but still high in caffeine.

12. Iced Matcha Latte

The Starbucks Iced Matcha Latte is a very simple, refreshing drink. It contains only three ingredients: milk, matcha (ground green tea) and sugar.

Since the matcha powder is pre-mixed with sugar, there is no real way to reduce the amount of sugar in this drink without reducing the amount of matcha or ordering a smaller size.

13-15. Low-calorie beverages

Since added sugar is loaded with calories, it makes sense that Starbucks’ lowest-calorie beverages also tend to be low-sugar.

Here’s a comparison of three Grande (16 oz or 473 ml) Starbucks low-calorie drinks in terms of sugar, calories and carbohydrates:

	Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew	Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade	Iced Shake Espresso​​
Sugar	4 grams	11 g	14 g
calories	70	50	100
Carbohydrates	4 grams	12 g	17 g

13. Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew

Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew is Starbucks’ sweetened beverage with minimal sugar when ordered as-is.

If you’re someone who likes to add a little sugar to your coffee to reduce bitterness, this is the perfect choice.

14.Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade

Starbucks Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade is a lemonade and juice blend that combines hibiscus, cinnamon, lemongrass and more.

It’s a real flavor and color!

15. Iced Milkshake Espresso

Iced Shaken Espresso is Starbucks’ simple blend of milk, espresso and simple syrup.

This is a sweetened beverage with a very classic coffee flavor. It usually contains 4 pumps of simple syrup, but to cut down on sugar, you can have your barista use only 1 or 2 pumps.

How to choose healthier sweet drinks at Starbucks

There’s nothing wrong with the occasional craving for a sweet drink at Starbucks. But sometimes you may also want to limit your sugar intake while enjoying a drink.

As you choose healthier sweetened beverages, keep these tips in mind:

• Ask to reduce 1-2 pumps of sweetener in beverages.
• Try sugar-free syrup instead of regular syrup.
• Ask for stevia instead of classic syrup to sweeten the drink.
• Put the whipped cream on top.
• Enjoy a smaller size. Try a short (8oz or 237ml) or tall (12oz or 355ml) drink instead of a large (16oz or 473ml) or wantai (20oz or 591ml).

There are also some Starbucks drinks that are especially high in sugar that you may want to avoid.

For example, a Starbucks Grande (16 oz or 473 ml) Frappuccino contains 40 to 60 grams of sugar, depending on taste. That’s almost double the sugar in a 1 can of soda you can buy at Starbucks or many other sweet drinks.

Some other Grande (16 oz or 473 ml) Starbucks drinks that contain a lot of sugar are:

• White Hot Chocolate: 55 grams
• White Chocolate Mocha: 53 grams
• Steamed apple juice: 50 grams
• Vanilla Cream: 43 g
• Chai Tea Latte: 42 grams
• Cinnamon Sweet Latte: 40 grams

Final result

The Starbucks coffee shop offers a variety of sweetened beverages in a variety of flavors.

Some beverages, such as frozen Frappuccinos, are much higher in sugar than others, so drink in moderation.

Others have much less sugar, such as B. Their cold beer and espresso.

If you’ve always wanted to try a drink but are concerned about the sugar content, ask your barista for tips on lowering the sugar content.