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Sugar-free drinks are popular for a variety of reasons, such as sticking to a keto or low-carb diet, being diabetic, or simply not wanting to consume a lot of added sugar. Some Starbucks drinks are incredibly high in sugar, so you might like to either ask for a sugar-free version or order something else. Others are either completely sugar-free or very low in sugar. You can always make sugar-free drinks at home, but it’s worth knowing what’s available if you find yourself at Starbucks. Read on for my tips for ordering sugar-free Starbucks drinks as a Type 1 diabetic, plus advice from a Registered Dietician.
While some Starbucks drinks are naturally sugar free, others have a significant amount, especially those with liquid cane sugar. But there are ways to reduce or eliminate the sugar content if you want to.
As a Type 1 diabetic who loves Starbucks, I am sharing my guide to Starbucks’s best low-sugar and sugar-free drinks!
7 Things to Know Before You Order
These are my best tips for ordering low-sugar and sugar-free drinks at Starbucks. With Type 1 diabetes, I try to reduce my sugar intake, and I am glad there are several options at Starbucks. However, often, you may not get correct information from the baristas or not know where to start. It is possible to satisfy your coffee cravings without added sugar. Whether you are on keto or curbing your sugar intake, your morning coffee is a great place to start.
- Unless you order a mock frappuccino, this drink is jam-packed with sugar.
- Starbucks offers Splenda and Stevia, which you can order or help yourself to.
- Although this coffee chain used to keep many sugar-free syrup options, you’ll find many now only carry sugar-free vanilla syrup. Most regular syrups have about 5g to 10g of sugar per pump, so going with just one pump of syrup may be an option if you are going for low sugar.
- Mocha-based drinks and caramel drinks are very high in sugar.
- Remember, there are hidden sugars in some types of milk. The almond milk has the lowest sugar, but even that has 7 grams of sugar in one serving. Any sugar-free drink will have sugar if you add the milk, so keep that in mind.
- Although you can substitute sugar-free syrup for regular syrup, you can’t do that with some other ingredients, like cold foam, as they are premade.
- Order ice on the side, and you will get a full cup of your preferred drink as well as ice cubes to add, rather than one cup of drink, which is more than 50% ice cubes!
As products may change at Starbucks, you can check their website for updated nutritional information.
Sugar-Free Starbucks Drinks Options
Even if you don’t want any sugar at all, there are still plenty of sugar-free Starbucks drinks to choose from, so let’s take a look at some of your options if you want to restrict your sugar intake or avoid it altogether. Alex Caspero, a Registered Dietician, and Karen Kelly, a health coach, provide some advice below.
Most Starbucks stock sugar-free vanilla syrup, though some locations also offer sugar-free caramel, mocha, and cinnamon dolce. These are great to swap into any flavored drink, like a latte or frappuccino and will save about 40 calories and 10g of sugar per pump (1 tablespoon). The kinds of milk used at Starbucks are free from added sugars, though the carbohydrate content varies, with almond milk being the lowest in carbs. My go-to order is naturally sugar-free, a cappuccino made with non-fat milk. I love that this option is 80 calories with 8g of protein and 25% of my calcium needs for the day. It’s also no-sugar-added and delicious.
Alex Caspero, Registered Dietitian at Delish Knowledge.
I love Starbucks but hate the drinks loaded with sugar. If I am going to get a drink with syrups, I always ask for one pump only and hold the whipped cream. I like the cafe latte, and if I really need something sweet, I’ll ask for stevia packets to sweeten it.
Karen Kelly, health coach at Seasonal Cravings
Best Sugar-Free Starbucks Coffee Drinks
Coffee: There are various blends to choose from at Starbucks, from light blonds to dark roasts.
Iced Americano: This classic drink is made with espresso, ice and water.
Flat White: This drink is made with ristretto shots and steamed milk. Ristretto is the first pull on an espresso so you get a less bitter drink with a bold flavor. My favorite is a flat white with blonde shots.
Cold Brew Coffee: A cold brew over ice is always tasty and refreshing and you can enjoy it black or with a splash of heavy cream. Another idea is adding some sugar-free vanilla and cinnamon and then topping it off with milk foam.
Cappuccino: Brewed espresso and a thick milk layer on top. Choose almond milk to reduce the naturally occurring sugars.
Espresso: Four espresso shots over ice is a solid choice for coffee lovers. Add a single shot of sugar-free vanilla syrup to change it up.
Cinnamon Iced Coffee: Order iced coffee with heavy cream, ground cinnamon and sugar-free vanilla syrup.
Iced Latte: A favorite is an iced tall blonde quad (4 shot) latte with 2 pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup and oat milk or almond milk. There is some naturally occurring sugar in the milk.
Caffè Latte: An espresso mixed with steamed milk with a milk foam topping. There is some naturally occurring sugar in the milk foam.
Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew Coffee: The traditional version is made with vanilla-sweetened cream but you can have sugar-free sweet cream made with heavy cream and sugar-free vanilla.
Sugar-Free Vanilla Latte: Just like the regular one but made with any milk you like and with sugar-free vanilla instead of the regular kind.
Espresso Con Panna: This is a brewed espresso with vanilla syrup whipped cream but so little cream it registers at 0 grams of sugar! You can still opt for sugar-free vanilla and heavy cream instead if you prefer.
Breve Bomb: This one is an espresso made with Half & Half instead of milk. Syrup and espresso are poured over Half & Half carefully so you can see the two layers. Sugar-free vanilla works well in a breve bomb or other sugar-free syrups if they have them.
Pumpkin Spice Latte: To enjoy a sugar-free version of this typically sugar-rich drink, order a caffè americano with sugar-free syrup, a dash of milk, and some extra pumpkin spice powder.
Caffe Misto: A drink made with half-brewed coffee and half-steamed milk.
Espresso Macchiato: This one is brewed espresso with milk foam (you can choose which milk).
Best Sugar-Free Starbucks Tea Drinks
Sugar-Free London Fog: A tea latte with Earl Grey tea. Try a London Fog tea latte with almond milk and sugar-free vanilla instead of vanilla.
Iced Peach Citrus White Tea: This fruity tea is typically made with liquid cane sugar but you can order it with sugar-free vanilla and a splash of heavy cream instead of the liquid sugar. Make sure you specify no regular syrup, as Starbucks usually adds syrups to the teas automatically!
Emperor’s Cloud and Mist: This is a herbal drink made with green tea that has smoky, sweet notes, making it different from other kinds of green tea. It’s tasty hot or served over ice.
Earl Grey Tea: You can have Earl Grey hot or over ice, for a refreshing bergamot-infused tea drink.
Sugar-Free Pink Drink: The traditional pink drink is a strawberry acai refresher with sweet coconut milk, but a good sugar-free alternative would be passion tango iced tea with heavy cream, freeze-dried strawberries, and sugar-free vanilla syrup.
Iced Passion Tango Tea: This naturally sweet tea has apple, hibiscus, licorice, cinnamon, and lemongrass, and is naturally caffeine-free. Try Passion Tango Tea with water and sugar-free vanilla, which is a favorite of mine. Make sure you specify no regular syrup, as Starbucks usually adds syrups to the teas automatically!
Iced Green Tea: This refreshing drink is naturally sugar-free.
Mint Majesty: This is a mint and lemon verbena tea which you can order either hot or iced. If you want yours sweet, a couple of pumps of sugar-free vanilla syrup works perfectly.
Sugar-Free Chai Latte: Order a chai latte made steamer style with chai tea bags with sugar-free vanilla and whatever type of milk you prefer.
Oat Milk Matcha: This tasty drink is a blend of iced oat milk matcha with a pump of sugar-free vanilla and no sugar or sweetener – one of the most delicious low-sugar drinks!
Bear in mind a lot of the Starbucks tea options are sweetened with high sugar syrups so it’s important to request no syrup when ordering one, even if it isn’t mentioned on the menu, just to be sure you get a sugar free or very low sugar drink!
Sugar-Free Frappuccino at Starbucks (Bonus Secret Menu Hack)
Although all the frappuccino options from Starbucks are high in sugar, it is possible to order a sugar-free version.
Starbucks Frappuccino Secret Menu Hack: Order an iced coffee with extra ice, sugar-free vanilla, and heavy cream, and then ask for it to be blended like a frappuccino.
Low-Sugar Starbucks Tips From Fellow Coffee Lovers
I order many of my drinks with non-fat milk and no whipped cream to cut down on sugar. Sugar-free syrups are gross to me. I have ordered a regular coffee with pumpkin syrup, non-fat milk, and then added stevia or Splenda on my own and had an enjoyable pumpkin spice latte that was cheaper and had less sugar!
Sarah, On The Road With Sarah
I love a blonde roast with heavy cream and a pump of sugar-free vanilla syrup. Simple and hard to mess up!
Kristin, Cents and Purpose
Just order black coffee? Haha that’s what I do (with some cream) .
Alec, Explore With Alec
I order drip coffee or a latte made with half and half. Sometimes I add stevia and sugar free vanilla syrup. Tip-avoid the whipped cream and cold foam.
Natasha, Natasha’s Southern Flavor
I just order their drip coffee with half and half, or if it’s really hot outside, their cold brew with just half and half.
Riley, WealthUp
I do a regular latte or an iced latte. No sugar, but they taste sweet to me. If you like sweet drinks, you might have to wean yourself off, but sweetened drinks will become so unappealing. Bonus: the baristas will love you.
Jen, Expatsi
Hopefully, you will find some of the above sugar-free drink ideas appealing and know how to order the perfect Starbucks sugar-free drinks for you. Don’t forget to snap a photo for the ‘gram and use one of my favorite coffee caption ideas.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This was such great information! I am trying to clean things up and this was so helpful because I LOVE Starbucks!
Thank you so much… from the bottom of my love filled coffee heart.. 😆
I need my Starbucks and none of the sugary things. I’m diabetic. Thanks again for such great info. 🥳☕️🫖🧋🥤