With over 22 billion dollars in revenue worldwide and almost a 40% market share of the coffee chain industry, Starbucks is a force to be reckoned with. Starbucks boasts a slew of Instagram-worthy offerings, from the limited-edition Unicorn Drink to the classic Caramel Macchiato, and this flood of mermaid logos across social media only serves to further promote the brand.
But these cravings can sometimes get us into trouble, as the higher calorie and sugar content of these deliciously sweet drinks isn’t always the best for our health. Starbucks clearly states the calorie counts for most drinks on their menu, but they don’t advertise that these counts are relatively easy to change. With quick alterations like subbing sugar-free syrup or nixing whipped cream, we’ve found ways to be a bit more health-conscious when we’re indulging. Still, there’s something to be said for Starbucks’ less exciting drinks that require few changes, if any, to be considered healthy.
We’ve come up with some tips to order healthier Starbucks drinks, whether you’re feeling #basic or #extra, so you’ll never have to abandon your caffeine addiction.
1. Withhold the Whip
Unless you are like the dog in this photo with little regard for mess-proof frappuccino lids, it might be time to wave goodbye to whipped cream. On average, a light whipped cream topping (a little less than an ounce) has around 82 calories and 8 grams of fat. That’s the standard whip for a tall (12 oz) Starbucks drink, but if you go grande (16 oz) you’re looking at around 110 calories. Frappuccinos are a calorie-dense option as it is, running anywhere from 300 for a tall to almost 600 for a venti-sized cup. If you’re swirling your straw anyway, the whip isn’t adding much flavor, so opt to take a photo of someone else’s frap for your insta and order yours whip-free.
2. Say Sayonara to Sugary Syrup
Starbucks offers eight year-round syrups, including classic, which sweetens without adding flavor, and cinnamon dolce, the main flavoring in the chain’s popular Cinnamon Dolce Latte. While one pump of syrup contains only 20 calories and 5 grams of sugar (a little over a teaspoon of sugar), you rarely ever get just one pump in your drink. The standard pump count for a grande is 4, which means your standard drink ends up swirled with more sugar than 5 Oreos or half a McDonald’s McFlurry. But if you can’t live without peppermint syrup in your peppermint mocha this winter (is this even possible?), then try some of these creative ways to modify the syrup content in your drink.
The two simplest ways to order a healthier Starbucks drink is to ask for a custom number of pumps and to request the sugar-free version of your chosen syrup. Play around with how many pumps will taste sweet enough for you (#SpoonTip: they do half pumps!). I’ve found that 2 pumps in my grande caramel macchiato (which actually uses vanilla syrup for flavoring because Starbucks doesn’t have a caramel flavor) still gives me the same syrupy taste as 4 pumps, with half the sugar and calorie content. If you go for the sugar-free option, you’re looking at 0 calories and 0 sugar. For me, the two versions of syrup don’t taste all that different, so I’d definitely recommend trying these sugar-free flavors for the health benefits alone.
3. Ditch the Drizzle
Is a Starbucks Frappuccino really complete without a trademark mocha or caramel drizzle atop whipped cream? I think yes, and considering the mocha drizz adds 5 calories and 1 gram of sugar and its caramel counterpart swirls in at 15 calories and 2 grams of sugar, these relatively tasteless decorations just don’t seem worth it. If you’ve been blessed with seriously good lighting, go ahead and keep the whip and drizzle and when you’re done snapping pics, swipe them off with a knife or spoon (and resist the urge to lick the utensils!).
4. Downsize Your Drink
So let’s be real, Starbucks just changed their menu boards to only show us the nutrition facts for a grande-sized drink. Some would call this a genius move on the mermaid’s part, because it kind of makes you feel like you can’t order a tall anymore. But that is so not the case. Opting for a smaller drink is one of the easiest first steps to making a healthier order. And if you’re nervous about minimizing your caffeine intake, try ordering a tall with an extra shot of espresso. Not only will this change satisfy your caffeine craving, the extra room taken up by the coffee will leave you consuming less milk, the main calorie contributor to your standard latte or cappuccino.
5. Mix Up Your Milk
Unless you’re one of those dark souls that takes your coffee black (stay #bold), you probably opt for some type of milk in your favorite drink order. Recently, non-dairy milks like coconut and almond milk have flooded the dairy market, infiltrating everything from yogurts to creamers. But you don’t have to be lactose-intolerant to enjoy the low-calorie, low-sugar health benefits of these nut-based milks. Compared to a serving of 2% milk with 260 calories and 25 grams of sugar, almond milk has only 130 calories and 7 grams of sugar. With nutrition facts like these, it’s definitely worth trying out almond milk in place of the more calorie-dense 2% and whole milk options. Starbucks even makes it easy to experiment by offering a new batch of drinks made especially with non-dairy milk, like the Iced Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato or the Hazelnut Mocha Coconut Milk Macchiato (#SpoonTip: Starbucks recently began advertising their Macchiato Mondays campaign, which highlights a different macchiato every Monday so you’ll never be out of delicious options to try).
Whether your local Starbucks barista knows your name or the green mermaid is just an occasional guilty pleasure, it’s helpful to know that there are many ways to order healthier Starbucks drinks without sacrificing the signature flavors you know and love. Don’t worry too much about holding up the line with a “complicated” drink order – the next person might even follow your lead.