Almond Milk at Starbucks
Starbucks almond milk nutrition facts are something customers trying to order a healthier version of their favorite Starbucks drink often want to know.
If you’re counting calories or carbs, it can be confusing to figure out which Starbucks milk option best matches your nutritional needs.
There are at least ten milk options at Starbucks, six dairy and four plant-based.
So which is the healthiest?
It turns out, almond milk is the healthiest milk to get at Starbucks. It has 60 calories per cup and 5 grams of total sugars. It is the Starbucks milk with the least calories and lowest total sugar content.
So let’s take a closer look at this popular nut milk at Starbucks and see if it’s the right pick for you.
What brand almond milk does Starbucks use?
Starbucks almond milk is packaged specifically for Starbucks Coffee Company.
They do not use a name brand almond milk. (If you see other information saying they use Califia or another brand, it is not true!)
In fact, according to the Starbucks R&D manager, they created their own recipe of unflavored almondmilk.
We created our own almondmilk recipe to complement our hot, iced and Frappuccino® blended beverages. It was designed so that when steamed, it creates a rich foam for hot beverages and is delicious and creamy when served in cold beverages.
starbucks.com
Almondmilk joined the line-up of non-dairy milks in 2016.
It followed coconut milk, which Starbucks began offering in 2015.
For the record, soy was the lone non-dairy option at Starbucks for 18 years, beginning in 1997.
And oat milk is the newest Starbucks plant-based milk. It became available nationwide in 2021.
Starbucks Almond Milk Nutrition Label
If you’re trying to figure out if almond milk at Starbucks is the healthiest milk for you, take a look at this nutrition label.
My eyes always go straight to calories and sugars, but protein might be important to you.
If it is, the amount of protein in a serving of Starbucks almond milk is far less than most dairy milks.
On the other hand, the daily value of vitamin D is the same as dairy.
Starbucks Almond Milk Nutrition Facts per 1 cup (240mL)
- Calories: 60
- Total Fat: 4g [Saturated Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g]
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 100mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 6g [Dietary Fiber, 1g, Total Sugars 5g (includes 4g added sugars)]
- Protein: 2g
- Vitamin D: 25% Daily Value
- Calcium: 25% Daily Value
- Iron: 0mg
- Potassium: 2% Daily Value
Ingredients List
The ingredients in Starbucks almond milk are listed as follows: ALMONDMILK (FILTERED WATER, ALMONDS), SUGAR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, SEA SALT, XANTHAN GUM, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2 (ERGOCALCIFEROL)
Sweetened or Unsweetened?
Let’s cut to the chase. Is Starbucks almond milk sweetened or unsweetened?
Starbucks almond milk is sweetened. In fact, sugar is the number two ingredient listed on the milk carton.
Specifically, a 1 cup (240 mL) serving of almond milk at Starbucks has 5 grams of total sugars with 4 grams coming from added sugar.
You may be wondering how it stacks up to the other plant milks.
The Starbucks brand of almond milk has 29% less total sugars than oat and coconut and an astonishing 62% less than soy.
And when we compare a serving of almond milk to the standard milk used in most Starbucks drinks, 2% dairy, almond clocks in at 42% less total sugars.
Amount of Sugar in Every Non-Dairy Starbucks Milk (per 1 cup serving)
- Almondmilk: Total Sugars 5g (includes 4g added sugar)
- Coconutmilk: Total Sugars 7g (includes 7g added sugar)
- Oatmilk: Total Sugars 7g (includes 7g added sugar)
- Soymilk: Total Sugars 13g (includes 12g added sugar)
Calories in Starbucks Almond Milk
On a calorie basis, the number one healthiest milk at Starbucks is almond milk. It has 60 calories per 1 cup (240 mL).
If you’re counting calories, there’s a huge difference between the four plant milks at Starbucks!
Coconut milk clocks in at 80 calories per cup.
But watch out for oat and soy milk. They each contain more than twice as many calories as almond milk!
Per one cup, Starbucks oat milk (Oatly) contains 140 calories and soy has 130.
Almond Milk Calories Compared to Dairy Milk
Are you curious how many calories you’ll shave off your Starbucks drink if you swap the standard dairy milk for almond?
It’s a lot.
Starbucks almond milk has about 54% less calories than reduced fat dairy milk and nearly 62% less than whole milk.
That means there’s a huge calorie reduction if you substitute the reduced fat milk in a latte or the whole milk in a frappuccino with almond milk.
RELATED: 12 Delicious Dairy-Free Starbucks Drinks
How many calories does almond milk cut from Starbucks drinks?
The total number of calories in a Starbucks drink depends on a number of factors, including drink size, type of milk, amount of ice, and whether it contains syrup, sauce, whipped cream or other toppings.
This means it’s nearly impossible to give the exact calorie count for a drink that’s customized with almond milk.
So let’s take a look at a simple drink, the Caffè Latte.
It’s the only one of Starbucks latte drinks without syrup or toppings.
Calories in an Almondmilk Caffe Latte vs Regular Caffè Latte
The Starbucks recipe for a regular Caffè Latte is simply brewed espresso and 2% milk.
According to Starbucks nutrition data, a 16-ounce grande Caffè Latte has 190 calories: 10 calories from the two shots of espresso and 180 calories from the 2% dairy milk.
By using almond milk instead of dairy, the calories in the milk portion of the drink are reduced by 54%, which is about 97 calories.
Bottom line: a grande Starbucks Caffè Latte made with almond milk is nearly 100 calories less than a standard Caffè Latte.
Starbucks Drinks that have Almond Milk
The only drinks at Starbucks that already have almond milk in them are espresso drinks. The nutty notes are a delicious complement to the roasty coffee.
That being said, almond milk can be substituted into any type of drink you want.
Here’s a list of Starbucks drinks that already come with almond milk.
- Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso
- Honey Almondmilk Flat White
- Iced Honey Almondmilk Flat White
- Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte (seasonal)
- Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte (seasonal)
- Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Frappuccino (seasonal)
- Sugar Cookie Almonmilk Creme Frappuccino (seasonal)
RELATED: A Guide to Iced Shaken Espresso Drinks at Starbucks
Questions You May Have
If you switch the type of milk in your Starbucks drink, the price might go up. All Starbucks non-dairy milks, like almond, oat, coconut and soy have an upcharge of about .70 cents. Several dairy options like heavy cream also cost more.
Almond milk is fair game for any Starbucks drink. Just keep in mind it has a nutty flavor so may taste better with some drinks over others. If you get an almondmilk frappuccino, it will be thinner than one made with whole milk.