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Although their coffees and teas are tasty, even mouth-watering, most of the Starbucks drinks are far from being low-calorie or sugar-free, a fact that places them miles away from the healthy zone and on the blacklist of people trying to lose weight.
However, you’ll be happy to hear that, after we researched 128 Starbucks drinks, we found out plenty of delicious low-calorie beverages, from coffees and teas to iced refreshers, that are sugar-free or contain a maximum of 8 g (2 sugar cubes), and are also low in fat.
So, in this article, you'll find 31 healthy Starbucks drinks that are both tasty and low in calories and have zero to almost no sugar while helping you lose weight easier.
The Starbucks menu has hundreds of drinks to choose from, so picking the healthiest ones can be tricky, especially when you're looking for a drink that also suits your taste.
By consuming healthy Starbucks drinks, it will be far easier for you to respect the medical guidelines regarding the generally recommended daily sugar dose and fat intake.[1],[2]
What’s more, you’ll benefit from the energizing effects of caffeine, which is one of the quickest ways to improve your mood. Because of the caffeine in it, coffee is a great drink to add to pre-workout meals tailored for muscle gain.
Here are the healthiest types of Starbucks drinks:
Since you will find literally hundreds of drinks on the Starbucks menu, you can find it tricky to pick drinks that are both healthy and suitable for your taste.
But don’t worry.
Below you can find 31 healthy drinks that are low in calories and sugar, whether you prefer coffee, tea, lattes, or their iced versions.
If you can't start your mornings without a cup of coffee from Starbucks, why won't you make it a healthy one?
Below are the healthiest types of coffee on the Starbucks menu.
Formerly known as Blonde Roast, Veranda Blend earned its name because it’s prepared using lightly roasted beans, just as the Latin American families of farmers do it.
This is one of the healthiest drinks you can find at Starbucks because it’s a low-calorie choice and one of the most energizing as well.
However, you don’t want to drink more than a cup and a half of Veranda Blend per day because, otherwise, you will exceed the FDA’s daily caffeine intake recommendation of 400 mg.[3]
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If you prefer the beans roasted at a higher temperature, the Dark Roast Coffee is a perfect choice, given its balanced and lingering flavor. This Starbucks drink is healthy because it contains only five calories and has the potential to keep you energized for hours across the day.
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This coffee is made with Latin American coffee and has “subtly rich flavors of chocolate and toasted nuts.”
On top of this, the Pike Place Roast is one of the healthy Starbucks drinks you can order because it’s low-calorie and makes for a great energy source that you can take with you the whole day long.
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If you don’t need too much caffeine to function at your best throughout the day, then going for this decaf version of the Pike Place Roast is an excellent idea.
Besides, this beverage counts among the healthiest Starbucks drinks, given that it has one of the lowest numbers of calories and a reduced caffeine level.
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Starbucks’ signature Espresso shot is a great way to boost your energy due to its high caffeine concentration. Besides, Espresso Roast is a healthy Starbucks drink that is low-calorie and sugar-free, unless you prefer it sweetened.
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The Cold Brew Coffee is made with beans that are “slow-steeped in cool water for 20 hours, without touching heat,” to offer clients a “super-smooth flavor.”
Besides, this healthy iced Starbucks drink is low in calories and has plenty of caffeine to keep you productive during the day.
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If you wish for a more spectacular iced coffee than the cold brew, then the nitrogen-added version of it is a good alternative.
Starbucks claims that “perfection is served” when you order this healthy Nitro Cold Brew drink because it’s sugar-free, low-calorie, and has a sweet flavor that accompanies a “velvety crema.”
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If you prefer your espresso iced, then this yet another healthy low-calorie Starbucks drink will increase your energy as well as a usual espresso shot does.
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Ask for hot water over one, two, or more espresso shots to obtain Starbucks' Caffe Americano.
This coffee is one of the healthiest Starbucks drinks you can order because it is a low-calorie option, sugar-free, and can lend you energy for a large portion of the day. This depends on the number of espresso shots you want in its composition.
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In case you prefer iced Starbucks coffees or drinks, this version of Caffe Americano will suit your taste well while featuring the same low-calorie characteristics as the Americano. Starbucks describes this drink as “a wonderfully rich cup with depth and nuance.”
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If you prefer your espresso with milk, then order an Espresso Macchiato next time you get to Starbucks. This drink is healthy because it’s sugar-free, has very few calories, and makes for a good energy source. Starbucks categorizes Espresso Macchiato as a “European-style classic.”
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If you’re looking for healthy iced Starbucks drinks, this milk-added version of the cold brew is still a great choice because it has a pretty low number of calories and sugar while featuring a couple of grams of protein as well.
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This Starbucks drink is obtained after adding almond milk and honey to lightly sweeten the usual cold brew.
Besides being a delicious beverage with 5 g of sugar, the Honey Almond Milk Cold Brew is still one of the healthy drinks on the Starbucks menu because it’s relatively low-calorie and provides you with a fair amount of caffeine.
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Being one of the healthiest drinks you can find at Starbucks, this nitrogen-added version of the Honey Almond Milk Cold Brew has more caffeine, thus loading you with additional energy and alertness throughout the day.
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If you want to make your usual Nitro Cold Brew sweeter, then opting for a tasty layer of vanilla sweet cream added on top is the way to go.
Although it’s a little higher in calories, especially fat, than the rest of the drinks on this list, this type of coffee is still weight-loss friendly, has a low sugar level, and will keep you productive for many hours.
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Starbucks’ Caffe Misto is made of brewed coffee and steamed hot milk in equal proportions. Thus, this healthy Starbucks drink has plenty of proteins, has under 100 calories, a fair amount of caffeine, and doesn’t contain too much sugar either.
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The Iced Flat White coffee is made by combining ristretto (concentrated) espresso shots with whole milk and ice. And because of the whole milk in it, this coffee has a little more calories and fat.
Yet, the Iced Flat White is still a healthy Starbucks drink because it has a high level of proteins compared with the other beverages.
Besides, this type of coffee stays within the safety recommendation regarding the daily sugar and fat intake while providing you with decent amounts of caffeine.
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It's a mistake to think that all Starbucks teas are healthy, especially since many tea drinks on the coffeehouse's menu are seriously high in sugar.
If you want to pick teas that are low in calories and sugar, check out our complete list of healthy Starbucks tea drinks.
Below you can find some of the healthiest teas on the Starbucks menu.
Chai tea is a type of black tea with a distinctive flavor due to the infusion of clove, cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger.
Besides, Chai tea is one of the healthiest drinks you can order at Starbucks because it contains zero calories, has a decent caffeine level, and is sugar-free.
As a matter of fact, there’s no surprise that tea (and coffee too) stand among our list of 95 low-calorie foods and drinks.
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The ingredients used to make Earl Grey Tea give this drink a unique flavor, distinguished by the combination of bergamot orange essence and some subtle lavender notes.
Earl Grey Tea is a healthy sugar-free option because it has no calories and satisfying caffeine content, given that it’s made with black tea.
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The Royal English Breakfast tea is a lean blend of black teas. Moreover, this beverage is sugar-free, contains zero calories, and has the same caffeine level as the last two healthy Starbucks drinks on this list, so this “elegant” tea is going to give you a boost of energy as well.
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Starbucks claims that Emperor’s Clouds and Mist tea, being “a softly sweet green tea,” is cultivated at 3500 feet (1066 meters) altitude.
However, even though this beverage is one of the healthiest Starbucks drinks because it is empty of calories, Emperor’s Clouds and Mist is not very good at elevating your energy because it has only one gram of caffeine in its composition.
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This type of green tea is a refreshing drink that has the flavor of lemon and spearmint. The Jade Citrus Mint tea is healthy because it has no calories. Also, it’s low in caffeine.
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Being a herbal tea, Mint Majesty is a healthy drink that has no calories and is caffeine-free. Besides, it will trigger a supercool effect at every sip.
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If you’re looking for healthy Starbucks drinks without caffeine, Peach Tranquility tea is one of the best choices. This herbal tea has zero calories and implies a “sweet fusion” of peach, pineapple, lemon, chamomile, and rose hips.
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If a cup of black tea is too strong for you, this iced Starbucks version should be the sweet spot.
Besides, the Iced Black Tea is one of the healthiest Starbucks drinks you can order because it has only 20 mg of caffeine, half of how many mg other ice-free black teas have, and it’s calorie-free.
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Starbucks’ iced green tea is a blend of lemongrass, lemon, and mint that’s shaken with ice. This combination makes for a healthy refreshing drink because it has no calories and gives you a little bit of energy.
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This Starbucks tea is another suitable drink for people who don’t want caffeine in their cups. The Iced Passion Tango Tea has hibiscus, lemongrass, and of course, ice in its composition. The result is a healthy Starbucks drink with zero calories that features a vibrant color.
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This type of green tea has a festive flavor due to the peach and nectarine combo. The blend also features the tang of apples, rose hips, licorice root, hibiscus, and lemongrass.
This sparkling Teavana Peach Nectarine Green Tea counts among Starbucks’ healthiest drinks because it has zero calories and will give you a slight energy boost as well.
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If you want to make your usual iced black tea more refreshing, order it with lemonade added. This healthy iced Starbucks drink is relatively low-calorie, doesn’t have too much sugar, and gives a slight energy boost with its 20 mg of caffeine.
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Starbucks’ Iced Green Tea Lemonade is made with the same ingredients like the usual iced green tea is but has added lemonade.
This iced beverage counts among the healthy drinks on Starbucks’ menu because it’s low-calorie, doesn’t have more than two sugar cubes in it, and makes for a small but useful energy source.
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This refreshing drink is another type of healthy tea lemonade you can order at Starbucks, especially if you’re looking for beverages without caffeine. It is made with the same ingredients as the Iced Passion Tango Tea but has lemonade added.
Overall, this drink makes for a low-calorie and low-sugar iced choice on the Starbucks menu.
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Related: 17 Healthy Starbucks Tea Drinks with Low Sugar and Calories
Some of you may have a favorite Starbucks drink that does not count among the healthy coffees, teas, and juices on our list, but that is not an excuse for consuming unhealthy beverages.
Yet, don’t lose hope because we came up with some hacks for making your drinks skinnier after we got inspired by some Starbucks baristas.[35]
So, here are 8 tips that you can use to order healthier drinks next time you get to Starbucks.
If you want to stay on the healthy side, you should stick to ordering tall or short drinks because this way it’s easier to keep the calories low and the caffeine intake not too high. So, give up on those Grande or Venti cups.
One of the main ingredients that make a drink higher in calories is milk, because of the fat it contains.
So, next time you order a milky drink at Starbucks ask the barista to use non-fat milk. Sure, this may give a slightly different texture to your beverage, but the upside is that you’ll sip fewer calories.
Sugar is the main enemy of most people’s diets, so you want to avoid it as much as possible. But does Starbucks have sugar-free drinks?
Fortunately, you can find plenty of sugar-free drinks on Starbucks’ menu, from teas and iced coffees to espresso shots and more.
Besides, you can discover some sugar-free ideas by checking the list of healthy Starbucks drinks at the top of this article.
Whipped cream adds a lot of fat to any drink you order at Starbucks, so keep your beverage low-calorie by asking the barista to skip it.
Did you know: heavy whipped cream is one of the cheapest high-calorie foods on the market, so it is especially useful if you want to gain weight.
Next time you go to Starbucks and want to order a healthier drink, ask the barista to make that beverage “light” or “skinny”. But can they make all their drinks healthier?
According to a Starbucks statement, “most handcrafted espresso and Frappuccino blended beverages (drinks) can be requested ‘light’ or ‘skinny,’ made with sugar-free syrup, nonfat milk and without whipped cream.”
Iced drinks generally have fewer calories because the ice in them leaves less place for ingredients like milk and whipped cream, which usually have a significant number of calories and fat.
An espresso shot has only 5 calories and about 20 ml, so adding more of these to your drink will shrink the space left for other calorie-filled ingredients.
However, make sure to not add too many espressos because they contain a lot of caffeine. Try to limit yourself to two.
Foam is lower in calories than other ingredients and can take up a lot of space in a cup. So for a healthier drink, ask the barista at Starbucks to add more foam to your coffee.
You can’t get a healthy Starbucks drink if you don’t know how to ask for it. Therefore, if you’re a newbie at ordering coffee, this interesting guide made by a former barista will teach you how to ask for your favorite beverage like a pro.
Besides choosing the healthiest beverages on the Starbucks menu as often as possible, you want to stay away from unhealthy drinks that have over 8 grams of sugar, too much fat, or dangerous levels of caffeine.
Here are a few examples of unhealthy Starbucks drinks you should avoid ordering:
The only advantage of the so-called unhealthy Starbucks drinks above is that they may help you gain weight because they count among the drinks with the highest calories.
To conclude, the next time you go to Starbucks, make sure to use our practical tips and suggestions to order healthy drinks without too much sugar, fat, and caffeine, whether you prefer coffee, tea, or some tasty iced refreshers.
Unfold Today has rigorous sourcing principles adhering to the top journalistic standards, so our writers always look for official, experienced, and first-hand sources. Read more about how we keep our content trustworthy and updated by reading our editorial process.
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