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17 Healthy Starbucks Tea Drinks with Low Sugar and Calories

Last updated on October 7, 2023
Healthy Starbucks tea drinks with low sugar and calories - illustration.

Although many Starbucks teas are low-calorie and joined our list of healthy Starbucks drinks, a lot of tea beverages can be a threat to your wellness due to their high sugar content, whether you want to lose weight or stay away from sugar-related health problems.

The average tall tea drink at Starbucks has 11 g of sugar (2 ¾ teaspoons), but some teas have up to 35 g of sugar (almost 9 teaspoons) per consumed tall cup, which is alarmingly high.

To put things in context, men should not consume more than 9 teaspoons of sugar per day while women no more than 6, according to the American Heart Association.[1]

Therefore, to find the healthiest teas at Starbucks, we studied the nutrition facts of all the teas on the coffeehouse’s menu while looking for those that have fewer than 8 g of sugar (2 teaspoons).

Top 5 healthiest Starbucks tea drinks

Top 5 healthiest Starbucks tea drinks.

The healthiest tea drinks you can order at Starbucks are sugar-free, have zero calories, and also provide you with decent levels of caffeine.

Here are the 5 healthiest teas you can get at Starbucks:

  1. Chai Tea
  2. Earl Grey Tea
  3. Royal English Breakfast Tea
  4. Iced Black Tea
  5. Iced Green Tea

Healthy teas on Starbucks menu

The Starbucks menu is diverse and full of tea drinks, so picking healthy teas can be a challenge.

But don’t fret.

Below you can find 17 healthy tea drinks, mostly having zero calories and no sugar, that you can sip on without feeling any guilt, whether you prefer black, green, herbal, iced, or even lemonade tea.

17 healthy Starbucks tea drinks - list.

Black tea

Ever wondered what is the healthiest type of tea you can ask the baristas at Starbucks for?

Because it has zero calories, no sugar, and the most caffeine among the health-friendly Starbucks teas, black tea is the healthiest tea you can order at the famous coffeehouse.

Also, black tea, if consumed as part of a pre-workout meal for muscle gain, is the best drink alternative to coffee to give yourself extra energy during training because it's the type of tea with the most caffeine.

Below you can find the healthiest black tea drinks from Starbucks.

1. Chai Tea

Healthy Starbucks Teas - Chai Tea

Chai Tea is a healthy black tea that has plenty of energizing caffeine while being low-calorie and sugar-free. Described as having a bold and distinctive taste by Starbucks, Chai Tea contains an infusion of ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, star anise, and clove.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 40 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of black tea, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, star anise, cloves, and cardamom essence.[2]

2. Earl Grey Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Earl Grey Tea

Because it’s made using strong black tea, Earl Grey Tea is one of the teas with the highest caffeine levels on the Starbucks menu. Moreover, Earl Gray is a healthy tea that has zero calories and no sugar.

Starbucks describes the Earl Grey flavor as „aromatically awesome,” since it is infused with bergamot essence and lavender flowers.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 40 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of black tea, bergamot essence, lavender flowers.[3]

3. Royal English Breakfast Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Royal English Breakfast Tea.

Royal English Breakfast Tea is a healthy blend of black teas with plenty of caffeine, zero calories, and no sugar.

Starbucks classifies this drink as a morning tea and describes it as being classic and elegant.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 40 mg

Ingredients: water, a blend of black teas.[4]

Green tea

If you’re looking for healthy green teas with zero calories and no sugar content, you have plenty of options to choose from on the Starbucks menu.

However, not all of these green teas have the same energizing effects due to the different amounts of caffeine found in their composition.

Find below the healthiest green teas you can order at Starbucks.

4. Jade Citrus Mint Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Jade Citrus Mint Tea

Promising a bright, refreshing, citrusy experience, Jade Citrus Mint Tea is a green tea infused with spearmint and lemon flavors that has no sugar and zero calories while still containing some caffeine.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 16 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of organic green tea, organic spearmint, organic lemon verbena, organic lemongrass, natural flavor.[5]

5. Sparkling Peach Nectarine Green Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Sparkling Peach Nectarine Green Tea

Sold in bottles, the unsweetened version of Teavana Sparkling Peach Nectarine Green Tea is one of the healthiest teas you can order at Starbucks since it has no sugar or calories while still carrying some caffeine.

The special combination of carbonated water, green teas, apples, rose hips, licorice root, hibiscus, and lemongrass will add “a delicious sparkle of nourishment to your day,” according to Starbucks.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (14.5 fl oz/430 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 16 mg

Ingredients: carbonated water; infusion of green teas, natural flavors, apples, rose hips, licorice root, hibiscus, lemongrass, and citric acid.[6]

6. Emperor's Clouds & Mist

Healthy Starbucks teas - Emperor's Clouds and Mist

Emperor’s Clouds & Mist is a simple but healthy green tea with a softly sweet taste that is empty of sugar and calories.

However, you should opt for other Starbucks tea drinks if you’re looking to get energized. This tea has just 1 mg of caffeine.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 1 mg

Ingredients: water, green tea.[7]

7. Jasmine Pearls Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Jasmine Pearls Tea.

Usually found in UK-located Starbucks coffeehouses, Jasmine Pearls Tea is a type of sugar-free green tea that has zero calories while featuring a flavorsome jasmine touch. The downside of this tea is that it has very low caffeine levels.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 1 mg

Ingredients: water, green tea scented with jasmine blossoms.[8]

Herbal hot tea

Starbucks customers that look for caffeine-free teas will find that healthy herbal teas are the perfect solution for their needs. These have zero grams of sugar and no calories while making for excellent ways to relax or indulge yourself.

Explore below the healthiest herbal teas on the Starbucks menu.

8. Youthberry Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Youthberry Tea.

While being sugar-free and having zero calories, Starbucks’ Youthberry Tea is an herbal white tea infused with apple, pineapple, hibiscus, mango, rose hip peels, and acai.

At every sip, you’ll feel the sweet taste of pineapple and acai fruits along with a subtle floral aroma, according to Starbucks.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 1 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of apple bits, white tea, candied pineapple bits, hibiscus blossoms, candied mango bits, rose hip peels, natural flavoring of mango and pineapple, and acai bits.[9]

9. Chamomile Herbal Blend Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Chamomile Herbal Tea.

Chamomile Herbal Blend Tea is a healthy tea drink made by Starbucks that has no calories or sugar but also no sign of caffeine. So, you can’t count on chamomile tea to give you energy.

Instead, chamomile tea will help you calm down.

After all, Starbucks claims that you get so relaxed after drinking a cup of chamomile tea that you will feel like you spent almost an hour barefoot on a sunny mountain meadow.

This tea is infused with chamomile flowers, blackberry leaves, lemongrass, rose petals, spearmint, lemon, hibiscus, lavender, and marigold.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of chamomile flower, blackberry leaf, lemongrass, rose petal, spearmint, lemon, hibiscus flower, lavender, and marigold extract.[10]

10. Hibiscus Herbal Blend

Healthy Starbucks teas - Hibiscus Herbal Blend.

While featuring zero calories and no sugar or caffeine, the Hibiscus Herbal Blend is a healthy tea with tropical flavor complemented by aromas of hibiscus, lemongrass, cinnamon, apples, and licorice root.

So, if you want to feel like you’re on vacation while you sit in your favorite Starbucks spot, go for a cup of Hibiscus Herbal Blend tea.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of hibiscus, cinnamon, lemongrass, apple bits, licorice root, natural flavoring, papaya, and mango.[11]

11. Mint Majesty Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Mint Majesty Tea.

Looking for a Starbucks tea drink that will cool you off?

Mint Majesty Tea is a healthy herbal tea infused with spearmint, peppermint, and lemon verbena. It has no caffeine, but it can certainly refresh your day, according to Starbucks.

Fun tip: keep your sipping manners in check especially when you drink this type of tea. You don't want to be rude to "her Mint Majesty."

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of spearmint leaves, peppermint leaves, lemon verbena.[12]

12. Peach Tranquility Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Peach Tranquility Tea.

Peach Tranquility Tea is a caffeine-free herbal tea with a sweet taste owed to the fruity infusion of apples, pineapple, peaches, rose hip peels, chamomile, and a tint of lemon verbena. It contains no sugar or calories.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: water; infusion of apple pieces, candied pineapple pieces, rose hip peels, peach pieces, chamomile flowers, lemon verbena, and artificial flavoring.[13]

Iced tea

Whether you’re looking for a caffeine boost or you just want to take a moment and refresh yourself, you have plenty of healthy iced teas to satisfy your needs on the Starbucks menu.

Moreover, they’re all sugar-free and contain no calories.

Find below the healthiest iced teas on the Starbucks menu.

13. Iced Black Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Iced Black Tea.

Iced Black Tea is a healthy tea with no sugar or calories that’s useful when you want a drink that’s both refreshing and energizing, since it has caffeine.

This flavorful tea drink is made by shaking premium black tea with ice.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 20 mg

Ingredients: water, a blend of black teas, ice.[14]

14. Iced Green Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Iced Green Tea.

While being sugar-free and empty of calories, the Iced Green Tea from Starbucks is the drink to go for when you want a little more caffeine from your cup of green tea.

This tea drink is infused with spearmint, lemon verbena, and lemongrass for a lightly flavored taste that is “oh-so-refreshing”, according to Starbucks.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 20 mg

Ingredients: water; ice; infusion of green teas, spearmint, lemon verbena, lemongrass, and natural flavor.[15]

15. Iced Passion Tango Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Iced Passion Tango Tea.

If you’re looking for a caffeine-free iced Starbucks tea, you will be pleasantly surprised by the vibrant colors and taste of the Iced Passion Tango Tea.

The combination of hibiscus, cinnamon, apple, licorice root, and lemongrass along with the fruit juice extract will make your taste buds dance the tango while savoring this tea.

On top, this tea drink has no sugar or calories, so you can sip on it without feeling guilty about indulging yourself in an unhealthy beverage.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: water, ice; infusion of hibiscus flowers, citric acid, natural flavors, cinnamon, apple, licorice root, lemongrass, and fruit juice extract.[16]

16. Iced Hibiscus Tea

Healthy Starbucks teas - Iced Hibiscus Tea.

Described by Starbucks as delicious, the Iced Hibiscus Tea is a calorie-free herbal tea that has no sugar or caffeine, so it won’t energize you.

However, if you want to get revigorated especially on a torrid summer day, you can’t go wrong with the Iced Hibiscus Tea.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 0
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 0 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: water, ice; infusion of hibiscus, cinnamon, lemongrass, apple bits, licorice root, and natural flavoring.[17]

Tea lemonade

When you want a little more personality from your Starbucks tea, go for a healthy tea lemonade.

Moreover, know that tea lemonades are made with sugar, so they will have slightly more calories than other types of teas.

17. Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade

Healthy Starbucks teas - Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade.

The Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade is the only tea lemonade that classifies as healthy on the Starbucks menu. It has the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of sugar and is a low-calorie tea drink since it has only 35 calories.

In terms of taste, you will find it lemonier than the normal Iced Passion Tango Tea.

Nutrition facts

  • Size: tall (12 fl oz/350 ml)
  • Calories: 35
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbs: 9 g
  • Sugar: 8 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Caffeine: 0 mg

Ingredients: ice, lemonade (water, lemon juice, sugar, lemon oil); infusion of hibiscus flowers, citric acid, natural flavors, cinnamon, apple, licorice root, lemongrass, and fruit juice extract.[18]

How to order healthy teas

If you want to keep your Starbucks teas healthy, there are a couple of rules of thumb you should follow when you order from the famous coffeehouse.

Skip the milk

Even if you’re used to adding milk over your tea, consider letting go of this habit, especially in the case you want to keep the calories low, which usually happens when you're trying to lose weight. Tea lattes generally have more sugar, fat, and calories.

If you can't resist adding milk to your tea, you can still make your tea latte healthier by ordering the skinny version of them.

As a result, the next time you order a skinny chai tea latte, you will instantly convey to the barista to use sugar-free syrup and nonfat milk when preparing your tea.

The downside is that sugar-free syrup usually contains sucralose, an artificial sweetener that can have unhealthy effects on your body.

Specifically, sucralose has been linked to having negative effects on gut bacteria in an animal study conducted by Duke University.[19]

Moreover, sucralose may produce substances that increase your risk of cancer when baked at high temperatures, claims research from McGill University.[20]

No sugar added

To make sure the barista at Starbucks doesn’t put additional sugar in your tea, tell them you don’t want them to do it when ordering. It’s enough to say “no sugar, please.”

Starbucks tea drinks to avoid

Not all the teas at Starbucks are healthy. Believing the contrary might make you not know why you gain weight.

Therefore, when ordering at Starbucks, you should stay away from drinks that have more than 8 g of sugar. Remember that some tea drinks can have as much as 35 g of sugar per tall cup consumed.

Here are a few of the unhealthiest tea drinks you should avoid at Starbucks:

  • Matcha Tea Latte
  • Chai Latte
  • London Fog Tea Latte
  • Teavana Mango Black Tea
  • Iced Matcha Lemonade

Frequently asked questions about healthy Starbucks teas

What is the healthiest iced tea at Starbucks?

If you want to order the healthiest iced tea at Starbucks, pick either the Iced Black Tea or the Iced Green Tea because they contain the most caffeine among the healthy iced teas while having no sugar or calories.

Healthy Starbucks teas: conclusion

If you didn’t know what teas from Starbucks are healthy, now you can pick from the healthiest tea drinks on the menu that have low sugar and calories, whether you prefer black, green, herbal, iced, or lemonade-combined teas.

At the same time, you can now avoid high-sugar teas, like the Matcha Tea Latte, and apply some ordering rules of thumb that will ensure the baristas don’t add unwanted calories to your tea.

From this day on, you can enjoy Starbucks’ teas without feeling guilty about drinking something unhealthy. Happy sipping!

Sources

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.

Written by
Claudiu Pop is a nutritionist, medical writer, journalist, and the founder of Unfold Today. He specialized in fitness and nutrition, especially in weight gain, by helping people increase their body mass since 2019 with over 20 articles published in the field.
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