If you are anything like me, you might be the tiniest bit obsessed with coffee. That might be an understatement. We love coffee! We need coffee.
Naturally, Starbucks has always had a special place in our hearts. It has all the coffee you need. In fact, it pretty much has something for everyone.
Since starting to make coffee at home and trying to recreate that Starbucks experience, we noticed something was off. Our drinks weren’t sweet enough. This got us thinking.
Starbucks doesn’t just have coffee. It has a whole variety of drinks, for those who don’t love the bitterness of coffee. This got us wondering.
How do they get rid of that smooth underlying bitterness? How are there drinks so sweet? Then for a moment, the dread crept in. Did we really want to know?
The answer to that question is clearly yes! Regardless of how much we might love a coffee from Starbucks, we had to know the truth.
So we used our great investigative skills and found 15 of the sweetest drinks at Starbuck. Since we found out, we thought we would share our wisdom with you. We ranked them by sugar content.
It’s time you found out just how much sugar is in your favorite Starbucks order!
Caramel Apple Spice
We are starting this list strong. This fall favorite is not exactly a coffee drink. There is no coffee in it. However, it does have a lot of sugar in it.
The Caramel Apple Spice drink is made from steamed apple juice and is paired with cinnamon syrup, whipped cream, and drizzled with caramel sauce.
The exact quantities that make a grande version of this drink are four pumps of the Cinnamon Dolce syrup. You can taste the sweetness of this warm drink. Caramel Apple Spice has a great nostalgic feeling to it.
Many people who drink it are reminded of the famous hot apple cider. It is the perfect drink to have in the fall, especially for those wanting to stay away from coffee.
When ordering this drink in person you are also able to customize it. A lot of people opt for adding some pumpkin syrup to this warm beverage.
Although before you order this drink it is wise to consider how much sugar is in it. The Caramel Apple Spice in the size grande has a whopping 70 grams of sugar in it.
That is around 16 teaspoons of sugar. In one drink. It is your choice what you do with this information.
S’mores Frappuccino Blended Beverage
The Caramel Apple Spice drink was the worst one on this list.
Though it doesn’t get much better with this option. The S’mores Frappucino does in fact contain coffee. This might be a bit of a shock to those who have tried this drink.
In the S’mores Frappuccino, the coffee taste is very muted. This is a great option for those who want to drink coffee without having to taste it.
The S’mores Frappuccino has a marshmallow flavored whipped cream, with milk chocolate sauce, and a blend of vanilla, coffee, milk, with ice.
The drink is topped with more marshmallow whipped cream and graham crackers crumbled on top. This one is definitely for those who enjoy chocolate as that is the flavor that comes through the most.
This drink has three pumps of the Frappuccino Roast syrup and 2 pumps of Vanilla syrup. So with all this syrup, it is no surprise this drink comes second on this list.
So what is the damage with this drink? The S’mores Frappuccino has a total of 65 grams of sugar in a grande-sized cup. That is just over 15 teaspoons of sugar.
Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Blended Beverage
Pumpkin spiced flavored drinks are a fan favorite at Starbucks. You know it is fall once that flavor has been released.
With so many different versions of the pumpkin spice drink at Starbucks, it was almost inevitable that one of them would end up on this list. After all, what did you think was making the drink so tasty?
The Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino is not the traditional pumpkin spiced drink you might see someone drink. Especially, since it is an iced drink during a colder time of the year.
This drink has pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors in it. This is all blended with coffee, milk, and ice. To finish this drink off, it is topped with whipped cream and a pumpkin pie spice.
If you get the blended version of this drink it has 3 pumps of Frappuccino Roast syrup and 2 pumps of a Pumpkin sauce.
This sweet, spicy drink is ideal for those who want a fall flavor without the warmth. This is another drink where the taste of coffee is muted due to the spices in this drink.
I’m sensing a pattern with the sweet Starbucks drinks. So, how much sugar does one grande cup of the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino contain? It has exactly 65 grams of sugar.
This one is on par with the lovely S’mores Frappuccino. These festive drinks are packed with sugar.
Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Blended Beverage
Let’s move away from the festive fall drinks for a moment. Instead, let’s have a look at a drink that is perfect in the summer. Caramel flavored drinks are really popular at Starbucks.
So, when you add a caramel drink with a crunch to it, people are going to go wild. And as with all the caramel-flavored drinks at Starbucks, this one is sweet.
If we are being honest, this might be a little too sweet. So it’s definitely, surprising to see it’s not at the top of the list. Though if you are a fan of the caramel range at Starbucks, this might be right up your alley.
The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino (wow that is a mouthful) has a buttery caramel syrup, blended with coffee, milk, and ice.
It is topped with dark caramel sauce, whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and then some caramel crunchy sugar bits. So it is going to be sweet.
The Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino has 3 pumps of Frappuccino Roast and 5 pumps (we repeat 5 pumps) of the Dark Caramel sauce.
With all that sauce and syrup, we expected this to have around 80 grams of sugar in a grande cup. Instead, it has 60 grams of sugar. This is still very high.
Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage
Adding the Java Chip Frappuccino to the list is very painful. It is a personal favorite on those days where chocolate was the craving.
But we all need to know, how much sugar is in our beloved Starbucks drinks. Still, we can be angry that it made it in the top 5 sweet drinks at Starbucks.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Java Chip Frappuccino, it is a blend of mocha sauce, frappucino chips, coffee, milk, and ice.
It is topped with whipped cream and a mocha drizzle. This drink is a great blend of chocolate and coffee as both flavors push through.
This is definitely one for the chocolate lovers out there who still enjoy the punch of espresso.
Who were we kidding, thinking this drink wouldn’t make the list? It has 3 lots of Frappuccino chips, 3 pumps of Frappuccino Roast, as well as three pumps of mocha sauce.
That is a lot of pumps. To add to the sugary goodness of this drink there is also the mocha drizzle. Although it pains us to say it, this drink has 60 grams of sugar in a grande-sized cup.
That is just over 15 teaspoons of sugar. We might cut down on how often we drink this one.
Salted Caramel Mocha
It really isn’t a surprise that another caramel drink is on this list. It might be more shocking to you, that this list isn’t just caramel drinks.
If you are not familiar with the Salted Caramel Mocha at Starbucks, it is a blend of a few of the favorite flavors at Starbucks.
The Salted Caramel Mocha is made from a mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup. These are combined with steamed milk and coffee.
To finish this drink, it is topped with sweetened whipped cream, some caramel drizzle, and a blend of turbinado sugar and sea salt.
Regardless of this drink having the word salt in its name, it is still quite sweet. This drink is another seasonal one that comes out during the fall.
Some people might compare this drink to a dessert drink due to its sweetness. It’s no surprise that people find this drink sweet as it has 4 pumps of toffee nut syrup and 4 pumps of mocha sauce. That is a lot of sweetness.
So how much sugar is in this drink? It has 59 grams of sugar in a grande cup. This is probably not helped by the extra sugar sprinkled on top. There are around 14 teaspoons of sugar in this drink.
Toasted White Hot Chocolate
Starbucks ’ festive drinks haven’t done too well in terms of their sugar content. Unfortunately, it’s getting worst for the festive range. We all love a sweet treat during the festive season.
We basically deserve it for all the hard work we’ve done in the year. And it seems like Starbucks completely agrees.
The Toasted White Hot Chocolate from Starbuck is definitely a sweet treat. Even the name sounds sweet. This drink is described as taking hot chocolate to a new level.
This drink is made from caramelized white chocolate that is mixed with steamed milk. The drink is topped with whipped cream as all great hot chocolates are.
To add to this drink’s sugariness, it has sugar sparkles and white pearls on top of the whipped cream.
The Toasted White Hot Chocolate drink from Starbucks only has 4 pumps of the toasted white hot chocolate mocha sauce.
Clearly, I’m becoming desensitized to the amount of sugar in these drinks because I said ‘only’. Four pumps are still a lot. With this in mind, this drink has a total of 57 grams of sugar in a grande cup.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Keeping with the hot chocolate theme, the next drink to expose is another festive favorite, the Peppermint Hot Chocolate. This lovely hot chocolate drink is a holiday classic.
Peppermint is a flavor that is cherished throughout the holiday season. Of course, this hot chocolate would be many people’s favorite. So since so many people love it, they also need to know how much sugar is in this drink.
If you are not familiar with peppermint hot chocolate – have you been living under a rock? This hot chocolate is made from a mocha sauce, peppermint-flavored syrup, and steamed milk.
It is topped with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.
The Peppermint Hot Chocolate has a total of eight pumps of syrup in it. It has four pumps of peppermint syrup and four pumps of mocha sauce.
All this syrup and sauce make this hot chocolate have a total of 56 grams of sugar in it. It’s not the highest amount of sugar in a grande cup, but it definitely is not the lowest.
Strawberry Frappuccino Blended Beverage
Since there have been so many sugary drinks aimed at chocolate lovers, we had to include a strawberry-flavored drink. Actually, we didn’t really have a choice, the sugar content in this drink made the decision for us.
We’ve noticed that frappuccinos, unfortunately, have a high sugar content. So, when you consider how far up the list the other frappuccinos were, I guess this makes the Strawberry Creme Frappuccino the tiniest bit better.
This is a staple drink in the summer for many people. The Strawberry Frappuccino is made from a mix of ice, milk, and strawberry puree. There is a dash of unmixed strawberry puree as well.
The drink is finished with whipped cream on top. There is no syrup in this drink! However, the drink does still have a total of 51 grams of sugar in it.
White Chocolate Mocha
White chocolate drinks are always rich and sweet. That is why there is more than one of them on this list. They are just so sweet, creamy, and comforting.
This lovely drink is made from espresso and a white chocolate sauce. It is that simple! The drink is topped with sweetened whipped cream because clearly, the drink alone wouldn’t be sweet enough without it.
The drink has a total of four pumps of white chocolate sauce in it. Overall, the total amount of sugar in this drink is 53 grams.
Whilst this is still not ideal, it is definitely a lot less from those at the start of this list. At this point, the concept we had about what is an acceptable amount of sugar in a drink feels a little blurry.
What we do know is that this is still a lot of sugar. In terms of the sugar content acceptable according to Starbucks, it is on the lower side.
Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino
It feels nice to know there is at least one chocolate drink that is towards the end of this list. The Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino at Starbucks is definitely the drink for those who love chocolate.
Just look at how dark and rich it is!
The Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino at Starbucks is made by blending the mocha sauce, Frappuccino chips, milk, and ice together.
This is poured on top of a layer of whipped cream and chocolate cookie crumble. The drink is completed by adding whipped cream on top, mocha drizzle and more cookie crumble pieces.
When we saw this drink, we were surprised to see the sugar content would make it be towards the end of this list. This drink has 3 lots of frappuccino chips and 3 pumps of mocha sauce. The drink has a total of 46 grams of sugar in it.
Smoked Butterscotch Crème Frappucino
Next up in this list is the Smoked Butterscotch Crème Frappuccino. This drink even looks like it has a lot of sugar in it. This is a drink that usually appears during the cooler months, at the beginning of fall.
This makes a lot of sense since butterscotch and smoked are usually flavors synonymous with fall.
The Smoked Butterscotch Crème Frappuccino is sweet and rich, everything you would want during the colder months of the year. Of course, this one is a frappuccino so it is a cold drink.
This drink is simple as it is made by blending milk, ice, and smoked butterscotch. In terms of the sugar content in this drink, it is the same as the Chocolate Cookie Crumble Creme Frappuccino.
There is a total of 46 grams of sugar in this drink.
Chai Tea Latte
It’s time to look at the Lattes. We’ve spent a lot of time looking at all the fancy concoctions that Starbucks offers, like the various frappuccinos.
Although, this wasn’t really a choice as it is based on sugar content. However, Chai Tea Latte also has a higher sugar content than other drinks that are in Starbucks.
Starbucks’ Chai Tea Latte is a staple drink in many people’s lives. In fact, some probably drink this almost every day. That is why compared to the festive drinks, this one being on this list might be a shock to some of you readers.
The drink is black tea infused with clove, cinnamon, and other warm spices. This blend is mixed with steamed milk for the perfect warm cup. So how much sugar does this drink have?
This drink has a sugar content of 42 grams of sugar in a grande cup.
Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte
We are moving away from the holiday specials and taking a deep look into the everyday drinks some of us consume. The next drink is the Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte.
It is a latte with that added cinnamon taste to make it a bit more special.
This drink is made by mixing freshly steamed milk with cinnamon dolce-flavored syrup and adding it to a good old espresso. The drink has sweetened whipped cream on top and so cinnamon dolce powder.
The drink has 4 pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup and 2 shots of espresso. The total amount of sugar in this drink is 35 grams of sugar.
This drink is definitely an improvement from others on this list but does a drink ever need this much sugar. Especially in a medium-sized cup.
Iced Caramel Macchiato
We have finally reached the end of this list. No more shocks about our favorite Starbucks drinks after this! Of course, we are ending this list with another caramel entry.
Just face it, caramel is pure sugar! Unfortunately, this drink is a very popular choice for most people and is even a daily go-to for Starbucks lovers. At least it is at the bottom of the list!
This drink is made by mixing espresso, vanilla syrup, milk, ice, and then topping it off with a caramel drizzle. This drink has 3 pumps of vanilla syrup in it.
This is low compared to others. So let’s get straight to the sugar content. This drink has a total of 34 grams of sugar in a grande size cup. I’ll let you dwell on that information for a while.
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I Able To Have Less Sugar In My Starbucks Order?
Depending on how you order there are ways to make the sugar content lower in your Starbucks order. If you are using the Starbucks app, you can adjust the number of pumps of syrup that they put in your drink.
This will obviously have an effect on the taste of your drink.
There are other ways to lower the sugar content in your drinks. Where possible, you can ask the barista to use a sugar-free syrup. It is important to note they do not have a sugar-free option for all of the syrups.
Making small changes like this will help reduce the amount of sugar you consume overall.
If the drink you ordered doesn’t have syrup, you could ask for them to leave out whatever form of sugar the drink has. Also switching to sweeteners can help.
The last option there seems to be, is to downsize. Of course, this isn’t the most ideal solution. However, for those particularly sweet drinks, going from a grande to a tall might actually suit your more.
Personally, we struggle to finish really sweet drinks before we find them sickly.
How Much Sugar Is In A Pump Of Syrup?
There is no definitive answer to this question. In terms of the sugar content in a pump of syrup, it depends on the type or flavor of syrup it is. When you think about what syrup is, it’s just dissolved sugar and water.
For those of you who make simple syrup at home, you know the basic recipe is one cup of sugar to one cup of water. Coffee syrups work the same way but they add a flavoring to them.
As a general rule, we like to say that one pump of syrup is usually equal to one teaspoon of sugar.
What Drinks Are Sugar-Free At Starbucks?
Since we have discussed so many sugary drinks at Starbucks, you might be surprised to find out there are sugar-free or low sugar options.
Here are some of the low sugar content drinks you can order at Starbucks:
- Iced Green Tea
- Iced Black Tea
- Earl Grey Tea
- Caffe Americano
- Cold Brew
- Iced Passion Tango Tea
Of course, any of these drinks can be sweetened by adding some sugar-free syrup to them.
Does Skinny Mean Sugar-Free At Starbucks?
Yes, when someone is ordering a ‘skinny’ drink at Starbucks, they are partly referring to the drink being sugar-free. When a person orders a ‘skinny’ drink at Starbucks, it usually means they want the drink to have sugar-free syrup in it.
However, the term ‘skinny’ is not only about the sugar content of the drink. In fact, those who order a ‘skinny’ drink are asking for the drink to be made from non-fat milk, have a sugar-free syrup.
So if you only want to change the sugar and not the milk it is best to specify that and ask for a sugar-free drink rather than using the term skinny.
Conclusion
We are finally at the end of this daunting list. We hope that we haven’t scared you away from your favorite Starbucks drink. We only wanted you to know the truth.
For those of you that didn’t have your favorite drink feature on this list, you are very lucky!
All that’s left for us to say is, we hope you enjoy your next Starbucks drink.