Starbucks Calorie Hacks Straight From the Baristas

Updated on 4/30/2016 at 10:35 AM

POPSUGAR Photography | Mark Popovich

Tempted by the allure of delicious-sounding drinks like Caramelized Honey Latte, it's easy to forget what actually goes into those Starbucks concoctions. If you're not careful, your coffee habit may be costing you over 400 calories and 50 grams of sugar — a day. Before you go and delete your new Starbucks rewards app, there are some easy tips and tricks you can use to dramatically cut back on calories and sugar content, which were shared with us by the most reliable experts we know: the Starbucks baristas.

Make it light: The next time you order a specialty drink, ask your barista to make it "light" or "skinny." These drinks are made with sugar-free syrup, with nonfat milk, and without whipped cream. This trick even works for Frappuccinos.
Less syrup: For drinks that use syrup as an ingredient (think mochas, vanilla lattes, and cinnamon dolce lattes), ask your barista to use fewer pumps. A grande drink with syrup contains four pumps, which amounts to an additional 80 calories and 20 grams of sugar. Reducing even one pump of sugar will cut 20 calories and five grams of sugar from your drink.
Say no to whipped cream: Sure, whipped cream is delicious, but think of it as an occasional splurge instead of an everyday habit. Depending on the drink, skipping the whip can save you anywhere from 80 to 110 calories.
Pick the right drink: If calories and sugar content are big concerns, you'll definitely want to order wisely — doing so can save you close to 300 calories. Take a 16-ounce Vanilla Coffee Frappuccino, for instance. A traditional order of the drink results in 410 calories, but if you order the light version, the calorie count drops down to 140. Bring calorie counts down even further by sticking to cold-brew coffee, Teavana, or an iced skinny mocha; each of these drinks contains less than 100 calories.