There are more Starbucks stores than McDonald’s locations in the United States. In fact, the only fast-food franchise with more U.S. stores than Starbucks is Subway. (Here’s a list of the fast-food brands with the most locations in the U.S.) Chances are, you live near one (or two, or three, or four) Starbucks locations. The Seattle-based coffee chain has become part of the daily routine for millions of Americans. However, that morning latte or sweet Frappuccino treat might be harming your health more than you realize. While Starbucks does offer lots of menu items that can be part of a healthy lifestyle, many of its most popular offerings are packed with sugar and calories.
The American Heart Association recommends no more than 36 grams of sugar for men and 25 grams for children, teens, and women each day. And, according to the National Library of Medicine, an adult woman should consume 2,000 calories per day to maintain her weight. An adult man should consume 2,500 daily calories to maintain his weight.
We found 60…that’s right…60 menu items at Starbucks that contain more sugar than is recommended for the entire day for an adult man. Many of these items are also loaded with calories.
Compiling the List
Sugar content was the main metric we used to evaluate these Starbucks menu items.
24/7 Wall St. used the nutritional information provided on the Starbucks website to compile this list. Only standard menu items available in February 2024 were evaluated, meaning seasonal drinks such as the wildly popular Pumpkin Spice Latte (or PSL, as it is commonly known) were not included. (If you’re already anticipating the return of the PSL this fall, you should know that a grande PSL contains 50 grams of sugar and 390 calories.)
Secret menu items were also not included. If your standard order is a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Drink, Ferrero Rocher Frappuccino, Purple Drink, or Baby Yoda Frappuccino, you’ll have to figure out the nutritional information on your own.
Each menu item’s nutritional information was evaluated based on the standard order that appears on the Starbucks online menu. No changes or adjustments were made. Beverage sugar and calorie content are calculated for a Grande size. Frappuccinos are made with whole milk. Many hot lattes are calculated with 2% milk unless otherwise noted. If whipped cream and other toppings are part of a beverage’s standard order, they are included in the sugar and calorie totals.
While many of these menu choices can’t ever be deemed as truly healthy, consumers can significantly reduce the total sugar and calories by choosing a smaller size, selecting a milk alternative, and eliminating whipped cream and syrup toppings.
While these 60 menu items from Starbucks contain more than the daily recommended sugar intake for adult men, it must be noted that several other Starbucks offerings come very close. For example, an Iced Caramel Macchiato contains 34 grams of sugar. A Caffè Mocha is filled with 35 grams of sugar. Both drinks contain quite an unhealthy amount of sugar, but they fell just under the 36-gram cutoff in our survey.
The following menu items are ordered by sugar content. When the sugar content of multiple items was tied, they were then ordered by calorie content.
60. Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate with whipped cream
- Sugar: 37 grams
- Calories: 370
One hot chocolate from Starbucks contains 37 grams of sugar, which is more than the daily 36 grams recommended for men and 25 grams recommended for women.
59. Double Chocolate Brownie
A Starbucks chocolate brownie
- Sugar: 37 grams
- Calories: 480
58. Chestnut Praline Latte
A Starbucks hanging exterior sign
- Sugar: 38 grams
- Calories: 330
57. Pumpkin & Pepita Loaf
A Starbucks cup and bakery bag
- Sugar: 38 grams
- Calories: 390
56. Iced Lemon Loaf
A Starbucks counter inside a retail store.
- Sugar: 39 grams
- Calories: 450
55. Iced Pistachio Latte
A Starbucks store with a blurred background
- Sugar: 40 grams
- Calories: 260
54. Cinnamon Dolce Latte
A traditional Starbucks cup
- Sugar: 40 grams
- Calories: 340
53. Chestnut Praline Crème
The storefront of a Starbucks
- Sugar: 41 grams
- Calories: 350
52. Espresso Frappucino
A Starbucks Frappuccino with whipped cream
- Sugar: 42 grams
- Calories: 210
51. Chai Tea Latte (hot or iced)
A chai tea latte with a scone in the background
- Sugar: 42 grams
- Calories: 240
50. Iced White Chocolate Mocha
A Starbucks coffee cup with a sleeve
- Sugar: 42 grams
- Calories: 390
49. Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Crème Frappuccino
A Starbucks employee and a customer at a drive-thru
- Sugar: 43 grams
- Calories: 310
48. Chestnut Praline Crème Frappuccino
Starbucks exterior signage
- Sugar: 43 grams
- Calories: 340
46. (tie) Vanilla Crème
A white cup with the Starbucks siren
- Sugar: 43 grams
- Calories: 350
46. (tie) White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino
Two Frappuccinos on a table
- Sugar: 43 grams
- Calories: 350
45. Gingerbread Loaf
A Starbucks cup and a bakery bag
- Sugar: 43 grams
- Calories: 380
44. Iced Caramel Brulée Latte
A Starbucks coffee shop in a blurred background
- Sugar: 44 grams
- Calories: 400
43. Blended Strawberry Lemonade
The Starbucks logo
- Sugar: 45 grams
- Calories: 190
42. Coffee Frappucino
A Starbucks Coffee Frappuccino
- Sugar: 45 grams
- Calories: 230
41. Pistachio Latte
A barista making latte in a coffeeshop
- Sugar: 45 grams
- Calories: 320
40. Chai Crème Frappuccino
Starbucks store exterior with patio seating
- Sugar: 45 grams
- Calories: 340
38. (tie) Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai
The Starbucks siren logo in the sunlight
- Sugar: 45 grams
- Calories: 360
38. (tie) Pistachio Crème Frappuccino
A Starbucks Frappuccino on a table
- Sugar: 45 grams
- Calories: 360
37. White Chocolate Mocha
A sleeved Starbucks cup with a lid and stopper
- Sugar: 46 grams
- Calories: 390
36. Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino
A Starbucks barista writing on Frappuccino cup
- Sugar: 46 grams
- Calories: 420
35. Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino
A long line stretching outside a Starbucks store
- Sugar: 46 grams
- Calories: 460
34. Pistachio Crème
A man drinking from a Starbucks cup
- Sugar: 47 grams
- Calories: 330
33. Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino
A hanging sign with the Starbucks logo
- Sugar: 47 grams
- Calories: 410
32. White Hot Chocolate
A young girl at Starbucks drinking hot chocolate
- Sugar: 48 grams
- Calories: 400
31. Caramel Brulée Latte
A Caramel Brulée Latte in a Starbucks holiday red cup
- Sugar: 48 grams
- Calories: 410
30. Caramel Brulée Crème Frappuccino
A Starbucks Frappuccino and straw
- Sugar: 49 grams
- Calories: 380
29. Iced Peppermint Mocha
Starbucks signage illuminated at night
- Sugar: 49 grams
- Calories: 420
28. Peppermint Mocha Crème Frappuccino
A Starbucks Clock Tower
- Sugar: 50 grams
- Calories: 390
27. Caramel Brulée Crème
The Starbucks holiday red cup with a sleeve
- Sugar: 50 grams
- Calories: 420
24. (tie) Mocha Frappuccino
A mocha Frappuccino
- Sugar: 51 grams
- Calories: 370
24. (tie) Strawberry Crème Frappuccino
Exterior signage at a Starbucks location
- Sugar: 51 grams
- Calories: 370
24. (tie) White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
A Starbucks storefront
- Sugar: 51 grams
- Calories: 370
23. Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino
A Starbucks Frappuccino wth whipped cream
- Sugar: 52 grams
- Calories: 380
22. Iced Chai Tea Latte with Oleato Golden Foam
A sign introducing Starbucks’ Oleato menu items
- Sugar: 53 grams
- Calories: 510
21. Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai
Outdoor seating at a Starbucks
- Sugar: 54 grams
- Calories: 310
20. Caramel Frappuccino
A caramel Frappuccino
- Sugar: 54 grams
- Calories: 380
19. Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Crème Frappuccino
A chocolate-covered strawberry crème Frappuccino
- Sugar: 54 grams
- Calories: 410
18. Peppermint Mocha
Starbucks baristas preparing Peppermint Mocha samples
- Sugar: 54 grams
- Calories: 440
17. Pistachio Frappuccino
The Starbucks illuminated logo
- Sugar: 55 grams
- Calories: 380
16. Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
A mocha Frappuccino
- Sugar: 55 grams
- Calories: 480
15. Chestnut Praline Frappuccino
A Starbucks storefront
- Sugar: 56 grams
- Calories: 380
14. Peppermint Hot Chocolate
A Starbucks cup with a sleeve on a blurred background
- Sugar: 56 grams
- Calories: 440
13. Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Frappuccino
A Starbucks store in New York City
- Sugar: 58 grams
- Calories: 370
12. Caramel Brulée Frappuccino
A typical Starbucks interior
- Sugar: 58 grams
- Calories: 400
11. Peppermint White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino
Syrup flavor pump bottles at a Starbucks
- Sugar: 58 grams
- Calories: 420
10. Java Chip Frappucino
A Starbucks location in a strip mall
- Sugar: 59 grams
- Calories: 440
9. Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino
A caramel Frappuccino on a white background
- Sugar: 60 grams
- Calories: 470
8. Matcha Crème Frappuccino
A Frappuccino on a table
- Sugar: 61 grams
- Calories: 420
7. Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino
A Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino
- Sugar: 63 grams
- Calories: 410
6. Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino
A busy Starbucks in Manhattan
- Sugar: 63 grams
- Calories: 430
5. Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
Starbucks at night
- Sugar: 68 grams
- Calories: 490
4. Caramel Apple Spice
A caramel apple beverage with whipped cream
- Sugar: 70 grams
- Calories: 380
3. Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
A peppermint white chocolate mocha in a Starbucks mug
- Sugar: 72 grams
- Calories: 510
2. Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino
A Starbucks inside a mall
- Sugar: 73 grams
- Calories: 470
1. Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
A Starbucks exterior with a drive-thru
- Sugar: 74 grams
- Calories: 520
One Grande peppermint white hot chocolate from Starbucks contains more than twice the recommended daily sugar intake for an adult man. For children, teens, and women, the drink falls just one gram short of tripling the recommended daily amount of sugar.
For some additional perspective, consider this: a regular-sized Snickers bar contains 28 grams of sugar. One peppermint white hot chocolate from Starbucks contains more sugar and 2 ½ Snickers bars! It also contains more calories than two of these candy bars.
If you are looking for the single most unhealthy item on the Starbucks menu, this is it.
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