With the increase in health problems like obesity, weight gain, tooth decay, heart disease, and others, people want to switch to healthier food and drinks, but most people do not know how to do so and what drinks they can still take while taking care of their health concerns.
Starbucks drinks are known for having high sugar and calories though they are favorites of many people, most people are concerned about their sugar and calorie intake, and they look for alternative drinks; and ways to cut off some sugar for health concerns, or they prefer less sugar in their drinks.
Starbucks is a favorite spot of many people, and most people are reluctant to cut on their favorite drinks.
The good news for people concerned about their health is that there are many drink options with the least sugar, or some are even sugar-free and are perfect for those preferring less or no sugar.
Some of the drinks with the least sugar are as follows:
- Black Coffee
- Black Cold Brew
- Caffe Misto
- Caffe Americano
- Caramel Frappuccino Light Blended Beverage
- Cappuccino
- Chai Tea Latte
- Expresso Shot
- Iced Americano
- Iced Coffee
- Iced Caffe Latte
- Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
- Nitro Cold Brew
- Skinny Vanilla Latte
- Teavana Shaken Iced Tea
- Unsweetened Iced Passion Tango Tea
Starbucks offers various drinks with different sugar levels, and people can choose the ones according to their taste.
Knowing about your drink and what you are taking is the best thing you can do for your health.
These Starbucks drinks will not only fulfill your craving for a drink but also help you to cut down on your sugar intake and have a healthy diet.
Starbucks Drinks With the Least Sugar
Some of the drinks having less or no sugar are as follow. Other Starbucks drinks offer less sugar and are better for your health.
1. Black Coffee
Black coffee is the best option for those who want less-sugar or sugar-free drinks while fulfilling their craving for caffeine.
There is no milk or cream in black coffee, and one can demand to take it without sugar. A grande cup of coffee that is 16 Oz contains five calories.
Decaf Pike Place Roast is the best option for people looking for less sugar or no sugar drink.
It is a perfect drink that is not too mild or too strong, and one can have this black coffee as iced or hot, depending on the mood and weather. This a healthy drink that does not contain sugar and has low calories.
2. Black Cold Brew
Black Cold Brew at Starbucks does not have sugar, or we can say that it contains zero grams of sugar.
It is still naturally sweet, and one can add a sugar-free syrup to add some flavor to it, but it is necessary to keep count of the pumps of the syrup in the drink, as more syrup pumps mean more sugar and more calories.
A grande cup of Black Cold Brew contains 15 calories.
3. Caffe Americano
Caffe Americano is the best option for people who love Starbucks coffee and are worried about their sugar intake. Americano is just an espresso shot and hot water that contains zero sugar and calories.
If it is too bitter for some people, they can add one or two pumps of non-sugar syrup.
4. Caffe Misto
Caffe Misto is a sweet coffee that is a good option for people who cannot drink bitter coffee.
It uses brewed coffee and steamed milk, and milk has a natural sweetness in it, and it contains five to fifteen grams of sugar and 50 to 130 calories.
5. Caramel Frappuccino Light Blended Beverage
Caramel Frappuccino Light Blended Beverage is a creamy, icy, and sweet drink having low calories and sugar if you order the low-calorie one.
To get a low-calorie and low-sugar drink, one can switch to non-fat and sugar-free syrup.
The original version of this drink contains high calories and sugar, but you can make it a low-sugar drink by replacing Frappuccino syrup with non-sugar syrup.
6. Chai Tea Latte
If your favorite Starbucks drink is Chai Tea Latte, but you are worried about your sugar intake or prefer no sugar, the best option is to ask the barista to make the Chai Tea Latte with tea packets.
Also, you can ask them to use non-sugar syrup.
Chai Tea Latte contains zero to five grams of sugar if one uses a shot of non-sugar syrup.
Hazelnut and Vanilla flavors go well with cinnamon and cloves, the chai’s base.
7. Cappuccino
Cappuccino is the best option for those who want milk in their coffee. It is espresso and thick milk form. A grande cup contains twelve grams of sugar and 140 calories.
8. Iced Americano
Ice Americano is a low-sugar option for people who prefer less sugar in their drinks.
Iced Americano is an Expresso shot topped with water and contains zero sugar. People can add non-sugar syrup to add flavor to it.
9. Iced Coffee
The iced Caffe Latte is a perfect refresher drink containing 11 grams of sugar, which is low compared to the classic drink at Starbucks.
10. Nitro Cold Brew
Nitro Cold Brew is another option for those trying to cut down on their sugar and still able to enjoy the drinks from Starbucks.
Moreover, this drink contains five calories and zero grams of sugar.
11. Skinny Vanilla Latte
Skinny Vanilla Latte is for those looking for drinks with low fats and sugar. It uses fat-free milk and non-sugar syrup instead of whole milk and sugar.
But one has to remember that the caffeine amount is higher, so it is necessary to get the drinks according to your taste.
12. Teavana Shaken Iced Tea
Teavana Shaken Iced Tea is another drink with low sugar from tea leaves and water, and people can add non-sugar syrup to add flavor.
13. Espresso Shot
An Espresso Shot at Starbucks is one or two shots, and it is a good option for those who like their coffee stronger and can handle such a strong drink.
An Espresso Shot contains 75mg of caffeine, and two shots contain 150mg of caffeine. If the drink is too strong for some people, they can add non-fat milk.
14. Espresso Con Panna
Espresso Con Panna is two shots of espresso with creamy whipped cream, which contains 35 calories and zero grams of sugar.
15. Unsweetened Iced Passion Tango Tea
Iced Passion Tango Tea is a mixture of apple, hibiscus, and lemongrass. This drink has no calories and zero sugar.
Some Alternatives to Sugar
Some of the alternatives to sugar that one can use in their Starbucks drink to cut down on sugar and calories are:
1. Sugar-Free Syrup
One of the best alternatives to sugar is sugar-free syrup. It contains low sugar and low calories and is available in different flavors.
2. Honey
Honey is one of the products that replace sugar for many food items. Though it contains some calories, it is still better than sugar.
3. Splenda
Another good alternative to sugar is Splenda, which is also called sucralose. It is a good option for people with Diabetes, type 2. It is a laxative, so one needs to be careful when taking it.
4. Equal
Equal is another option that one can use in place of sugar. It uses aspartame and is available in cafes and grocery stores. Like Splenda, it is also a laxative.
5. Stevia
Stevia is one of the most popular sugar alternatives nowadays, with low calories and sugar.
Stevia is from a plant in South America, and though its refined version is safe, its raw version is still under testing.
The best way to cut down on sugar at Starbucks is to:
- Choose light or non-fat milk.
- Get sugar-free syrups and reduce the number of syrup pumps.
- Cutting whipped cream
- Cutting the topping
- Asking the barista for a skinny drink
Skinny drink at Starbucks means non-fat milk, sugar-free syrup, and no whipped cream.
Conclusion
With the increase in health issues such as obesity, weight gain, heart diseases, and kidney issues, people are moving from high-sugar food and drinks to low-sugar ones.
Some people generally do not like sweet drinks. The best option for such people is the drinks at Starbucks, with low in sugar and calories.
Various drinks at Starbucks are healthy, and people can fulfill their caffeine needs. Also another option is to ask the barista to cut on the products containing high sugar that are not beneficial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Starbucks Drinks Contain More Sugar?
Yes. Classic Starbucks drinks contain a lot of sugar, but with people moving to a healthy lifestyle, Starbucks is also refining its drinks and adding more less or no sugar drinks to its menu.
What Is the Difference Between Natural Sugar and Added Sugar?
Natural sugars are in milk products, fruits, and vegetables, such as lactose, fructose, and sucrose. Added sugars are raw sugars, brown sugars, syrups, honey, and others.