There are many Starbucks drink options that are low carb and sugar free, perfect for when you’re traveling or on the road. In this guide, I list some examples of low carb Starbucks drinks as well as how to customize and order your favorite drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I generally consider a low carb drink to have 5 grams or fewer of net carbs (net carbs<\/em> = total carbs<\/em> – fiber<\/em> – sugar alcohols<\/em>), but this will vary based on your daily net carb allowance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many different low carb drinks that you can get at Starbucks with the right substitutions. Here are some examples to get you started with ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a ton of options and the examples above only scrape the surface of what you can order. Keep reading to learn how to customize your favorite drink to make it lower in carbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first step is to decide which type of drink you want. Here are your usual options at Starbucks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whichever drink you choose, you can also ask for a decaf version at Starbucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coffee by itself has little to no carbs. It’s the added cream and sweeteners that are responsible for the majority of carbohydrates in a coffee drink. So for most drinks, you should be able to customize it to reduce carbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having said that, there are some drinks you should not order<\/strong> at Starbucks due to their high carb content, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whole milk (11.7g net carbs per cup) and skim milk (12.2g net carbs per cup) are not recommended because they have a fair amount of carbs. Instead, use either of these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I recommend almond milk because it has very few carbs, although heavy cream is a good option if you only plan to add 1 or 2 tablespoons to your coffee. People are often surprised to hear that heavy cream has carbs, and you can learn more about it here<\/a>. Those of you with allergies will have fewer options; almond milk is better for anyone who is dairy-free, and heavy whipping cream is better for those with nut allergies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t recommend half-and-half, which has 11.5g net carbs per cup — that’s more than heavy whipping cream. I also don’t recommend coconut milk or soy milk, as almond milk has significantly fewer carbs in comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that the larger the drink size you order, the more milk and thus carbs it will have. I usually order a Tall (12 fl. oz.) or Grande (16 fl. oz.), and avoid the Venti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This usually means substituting with a sugar free or “skinny” syrup, which are made with sucralose and have essentially no nutritional value (no calories or carbs) except for the cocoa powder in the skinny mocha sauce. Here are your options at Starbucks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sugar free vanilla and cinnamon dolce syrups are great for adding sweetness and flavor to espresso drinks, like a skinny latte<\/a> or iced skinny cinnamon dolce latte<\/a>. I’ve also added the sugar free vanilla syrup to an otherwise unsweetened peach citrus white tea<\/a> with a splash of heavy whipping cream. The skinny mocha sauce is useful for ordering a skinny mocha<\/a> or substituting in hot chocolate<\/a> (which is typically made with regular mocha sauce). I recommend asking for 2 to 4 pumps of these syrups, depending on your drink size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve asked for these sugar free syrups at different Starbucks locations across the US and they were always available, but your local availability may differ, especially if it’s in another country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After customizing your drink options, the next step is to calculate its nutrition information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another way to calculate nutrition information (as well as a handy way to remember your favorite drink options) is to use the Starbucks app. Download it and under the “Order” section, you can add customized drinks and see their nutritional makeup. Add drinks to your Favorites section, which is very convenient for remembering what to order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember that you should be looking at net carbs<\/em> not total carbs. To calculate net carbs, take the total carbs and subtract fiber and sugar alcohols. For example, a drink with 5g total carbs and 1g fiber means that it has 4g net carbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nExamples of low carb drinks at starbucks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
How to order a low carb drink at starbucks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
(1) Pick a type of drink<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
(2) Substitute with a low carb milk<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
(3) Substitute with a low carb syrup<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
(4) Calculate the nutrition for your drink<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n