Starbucks holiday menu: What's the healthiest drink? How much sugar, caffeine is in the seasonal beverages and other nutritional facts
’Tis the season for the Starbucks seasonal menu, and on Starbucks Red Cup Day, which takes place on Nov. 14, the coffee chain is giving out a reusable limited-edition holiday cup for free with the purchase of any Starbucks holiday beverage.
This year, Starbucks is ringing in the holidays with lots of drinks and two food items, a turkey sage danish and snowman cake pop, which are available in stores starting November. While tried-and-true faves like the Peppermint Mocha are back on the menu (this time, in a pink, green and red cup) there are also new additions with festive ingredients like cranberry and gingerbread.
There’s no doubt that Starbucks holiday drinks can be a fun part of the festive time of year — but with such unique beverages on menus nationwide, you may be wondering if some are healthier than others. As dietitian Chris Mohr tells Yahoo Life, it’s important to examine the nutritional profile of these drinks, as these seasonal specials “can be high in sugars, fat and calories,” which may lead to weight gain and even negatively impact your metabolic health — aka your ability to maintain optimal levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol — if they are consumed on a regular basis.
We examined the ingredients and nutrition facts in the new offerings to determine what you may want to know about these drinks and whether there’s one that’s the healthiest overall.
Cran-Merry Orange Refresher
Who says a holiday drink needs to be warm and cozy? The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher — which is made with a blend of white grape, orange, cranberry and juice concentrates, along with green coffee extract for flavor — bucks that trend and is instead served over ice. It’s also topped with freeze-dried cranberries.
It’s also the lowest calorie option of the bunch, at 100 calories for a 16-ounce Grande. Those calories, however, mostly come from sugar — there’s 20 grams per serving. (By comparison, the same amount of Coke has 52 grams of sugar.)
There’s also a version of this drink on the menu that includes lemonade called the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher. This includes all the same ingredients as above, but is blended with lemonade, spiking the sugar content to 31 grams and the calories to 140 for the same size beverage.
Lindsay Malone, a dietitian and instructor at Case Western Reserve University, tells Yahoo Life we should be cautious of regularly drinking such beverages, as “sugar has no nutritional value and is a well-documented driver of many common chronic diseases like obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.”
Then there’s the Cran-Merry Drink, which is the original refresher recipe, shaken with coconut milk — a take on Starbucks’ iconic Pink Drink. Though the sugar content is only slightly higher than the original refresher (23 grams this time) the addition of the coconut milk makes the drink 140 calories, the same as the lemonade version.
Importantly, these refreshers also don’t have many beneficial nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Though cranberries do have some nutritional perks (like vitamins C and E) they’re more of a garnish in the drink, meaning you won’t get much of these benefits. Plus, these drinks are completely devoid of protein, which helps keep you full.
It should also be noted that these drinks contain caffeine — which may surprise people who don’t necessarily associate these refreshing beverages with the stimulant. A Grande contains 55 mg of caffeine, which is significantly less than Starbucks Caffe Americano espresso beverage, which has roughly 225 mg. If you’re sensitive to caffeine, you may want to monitor your intake.
Peppermint Mocha
This classic beverage — a staple of the holiday season — contains espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce and peppermint-flavored syrup. It’s also topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
The standard Peppermint Mocha in a Grande size contains 440 calories, 54 grams of sugar and 16 grams of fat — the equivalent of a “small meal,” says Malone.
“Plain black coffee has less than 15 calories and zero sugar, while the peppermint mocha is more closely related to a peppermint milkshake,” Malone says. “Most people wouldn't choose a peppermint milkshake for breakfast while a coffee drink, even dressed up with sugar, cream and chocolate, seems to be a more appropriate choice.”
Caramel Brulèe Latte
This dessert-reminiscent drink, which contains milk, caramel brulèe sauce, espresso, whipped cream and caramel brulèe topping, has 410 calories, 14 grams of fat and 48 grams of sugar, making it only a slightly lighter option than the Peppermint Mocha.
Chestnut Praline Latte
The Chestnut Praline Latte is made with steamed milk, espresso and chestnut praline syrup, and then topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with a spiced sugar topping. It has roughly 110 fewer calories than the Peppermint Mocha, clocking in at 330, and less sugar as well, at 38 grams. It has about the same amount of fat at 14 grams.
Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
At just 150 calories, the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte is a much lighter choice than the above hot coffee options — and that’s due, in part, to using an almond beverage in place of whole dairy milk. The drink is also made with espresso and sugar cookie-flavored syrup and has roughly 25 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fat.
It’s worth noting, however, that this latte may not fill you up as well as the other coffee drinks on this list. The drink has only 2 grams of protein, whereas the Peppermint Mocha, for example, contains 13 grams. Protein is the most satisfying macronutrient.
“Some people may opt for almond milk rather than dairy milk to save calories but I'd recommend sticking with nonfat milk if you tolerate dairy — you get about 8 grams of protein per cup as well as calcium, vitamin D and potassium,” Malone says.
Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai
This iced drink combines oat milk, chai tea concentrate, gingerbread syrup and a spiced topping made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Since it contains oat milk, as opposed to Starbucks’ almond beverage, it’s a bit higher in calories than the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte: It clocks in at 310. It also contains 25 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fat.
Importantly, though, this drink also contains minimal protein — just 2 grams — meaning it may not leave you particularly satiated.
Holiday Cold Foams
Cold foam drinks at Starbucks contain ice, brewed coffee and a sweet cream topping that is flavored with different syrups and additives. The new flavors are:
Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam
Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
Sugar Cookie Cream Cold Foam
Chestnut Praline Cream Cold Foam
Caramel Brulée Cream Cold Foam
At the moment, the specific nutrition facts for these beverages are not available. However, the Chocolate Cream Cold Brew contains roughly 250 calories, 14 grams of fat and 28 grams of sugar. Since there’s no milk added (only cream), these beverages are low in protein, at just 2 grams.
The bottom line
There’s no one “healthiest” Starbucks holiday beverage — and how you choose to incorporate these into your diet can make the difference in your overall nutrition, says Malone.
“Like most foods, there is a spectrum here where some holiday drinks like flavored brewed coffee are pretty harmless, and on the other end of the spectrum, you are essentially consuming a dessert for breakfast,” she says.
Malone says making a daily Starbucks run for one of these holiday beverages is OK — but if you’re looking to be nutritionally smart, you may want to customize your beverage. “Choosing fewer pumps of syrup or opting for the sugar-free syrups are a great way to lighten up Starbucks drinks,” Malone says. “You can also forego added drizzled sauces and choose lower fat milk products like fat-free and reduced-fat.”
The easiest way to do this, Malone notes, is to order your drink “skinny” — that way, she says, your barista will use “non-fat milk, sugar-free syrup and skip the toppings like whipped cream and chocolate shavings.”
Want a fun beverage you can enjoy every day? Malone recommends “flavored brewed coffee or a non-fat latte with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on top.” You can then “save the fully loaded drinks for a treat enjoyed a few times a month.”
