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Starbucks Survival Guide: Dietary Restrictions

Photo by 𝙆 on Unsplash

Since its founding in 1971 as “Pike Place Market” in Seattle, Washington, Starbucks has become a worldwide coffee sensation. After the company went public in 1992 it took off and is now the largest coffeehouse chain in the world. So naturally, it has to have a lot of options. From a certified Starbucks barista to you, here’s how to get exactly what you want.

The Milk Situation

Starbucks offers an astounding 9 kinds of milk— 4 of which are nondairy— to their customers.

The nondairy milks are: almond, soy, coconut, and oatmilk.

The dairy milks are: nonfat, 2%, whole, half and half, and heavy cream.

The combinations with the milks alone are endless, but there are a few more things to keep in mind.

Vegetarian / Vegan

Looking at the Starbucks menu from a customer perspective can be overwhelming— especially when no one seems to know what is and isn’t vegan-friendly. In the one year I’ve worked at Starbucks, I’ve seen so much misinformation get spread around, so here are two important things to keep in mind if you don’t want to consume milk.

1. Caramel drizzle has dairy.

2. Mocha doesn’t.

In fact, all nonseasonal Starbucks syrups are vegan except for White Chocolate Mocha and Dark Caramel Sauce.

If you’re looking to avoid dairy, just ask for any drink (besides a White Mocha or Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino) and swap out the dairy milk for one of the nondairies. Make sure to say no to whip cream because we use heavy cream to make it, caramel drizzle because of the dairy component, and also say no to cinnamon dolce topping because it’s made with butter.

If you don’t want to consume honey, it’s important to know that our Chai concentrate is made with it. So avoid Chai Tea Lattes and instead go for a brewed Chai tea with some nondairy milk.

People Who Don’t Want Caffeine

As a barista, I get this question more than you would think working at a coffee shop: What’s caffeine-free? Starbucks surprisingly has a lot of options, and one of the best ones is decaf.

Open till close Starbucks serves decaf espresso for that yummy coffee flavor without the leg-shaking side effects. We can add it to any drink you want so the options are, once again, endless.

If you don’t want the flavor either, but still want something creamy, you can order whatever syrup you want with steamed milk, hot chocolate, or one of our herbal teas, Mint Majesty and Peach Tranquility.

Need something iced instead? Our Passion Tango tea is caffeine-free. Or if blended is your preference, just ask for the creme version of whatever Frappucino you would like (besides chai, since it’s pre-caffeinated.)

And no, our refreshers are not caffeine-free. So if your eight-year-old orders a Pink Drink expect them to be hyper later on.

Keto-Friendly

Personally, I think if you’re getting a keto drink from Starbucks the best thing to do is order water. But, if you need to know some options, I got you covered.

Keto diets generally mean less than 50 carbs a day. So any type of black coffee, hot or iced espresso, or brewed tea will do just fine as it will bring you to a grand total of zero carbs.

When figuring out what milk to add in, a lot of people seem to think heavy cream is the top contender. However, Starbucks heavy cream contains 16 grams of carbohydrates per cup, which is actually more than quite a few milks.

The lowest carb milks come from the nondairy selection. Almond milk has 5 grams per cup, and coconut has 8. If you’re looking for a dairy selection, half % half has 8 grams per cup, nonfat has 12, and  2% has 14. So it’s better to ditch the heavy cream altogether and go with a lower carb milk to keep it in that low-carb diet.

If you’re looking to add some sweetness to the drink, our two sugar-free syrup pumps (sugar-free Vanilla and sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce) both have 1 gram of carbs per 2 tablespoons, which is about 3 to 4 pumps.

So to recommend the lowest-carb drink, a sugar-free syrup with 4 pumps and almond milk customized to coffee, espresso, hot tea, or iced tea is your best bet.

Iced tea lemonades are also a solid option if you’d like something without milk, as the lemonade ranges from 7 to 15 grams of carbs per drink depending on the size.

Photo by Asael Peña on Unsplash

Whether it’s getting off the caffeine-craze, or going on a diet, Starbucks will find a way to meet your needs. If you’re still unsure, ask a barista because we’re there to help, but this guide is a great way to answer some basics to get you through the endless menu and dietary options. Our mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit, so hopefully, even with the restrictions, we can do that for you one cup at a time.