7 Fast-Food Coffees That Are Basically Just Cups of Liquid Sugar
When was the last time you checked the sugar content on your favorite fast-food beverage? Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks under the spotlight right now for the sugar content of their coffee offerings (“we’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,'” Kennedy said), but those brands are far from alone when it comes to excessively sweet drinks. The American Heart Association recommends a daily limit of 6 teaspoons (25g) for women and 9 teaspoons (36g) for men: Here are seven fast-food coffee options loaded with added sugars.
Dunkin’ Butter Pecan Swirl Frozen Coffee
A medium Butter Pecan Swirl Frozen Coffee made with whole milk from Dunkin’ contains a whopping 129g of sugar, including 117g of added sugars. Even the straight Frozen Coffee flavor still contains 84g of sugar, which is a lot. It doesn’t get much better with the Frozen Matcha Latte, which contains 82g of sugar.
McDonald’s Iced Caramel Macchiato
A medium McCafé Caramel Frappé from McDonald’s (caramel flavor with a hint of coffee, blended with ice and is topped with whipped light cream) contains 62g of sugar, including 52g of added sugar. The McCafé® Iced Caramel Macchiato is a better choice with 35g of sugar, including 26g of added sugar.
Starbucks Grande Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino®
A Grande Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino® Blended Beverage at Starbucks contains 60g of sugar. This drink contains caramel syrup blended with coffee, milk and ice, then topped with a layer of dark caramel sauce, whipped cream, caramel drizzle and a crunchy caramel-sugar topping. The Iced Vanilla Protein Latte is a better-for-you choice, with 29g of sugar but also 29g of protein.
Tim Horton’s
The Caramel Iced Capp at Tim Horton’s is a fan-favorite menu item, but it’s anything but healthy: One medium Caramel Iced Capp contains 136.2g of sugar, and should be treated as a dessert rather than a coffee to start the day. The regular Iced Capp is much more reasonable, containing 28.6g of sugar for a medium size.
Dutch Bros. White Chocolate Mocha
The Dutch Bros. medium Iced White Chocolate Mocha contains 62g of sugar per serving. “Our White Mocha Freeze is a delicious mix of blended coffee, our exclusive chocolate milk and white chocolate syrup,” the company says. The Caramelizer (Espresso, Caramel & Chocolate Milk) contains 57g of sugar, and medium Cocomo contains 58g.
Caribou Coffee Campfire Mocha
A medium Campfire Mocha from Caribou Coffee (real chocolate and espresso combined with milk and toasted marshmallow flavor; served over ice) contains 70g of sugar. The iced Cinnamon Sugar Caramel Espresso Shaker (fresh espresso shaken with ice, real caramel and a cinnamon sugar sauce; topped with a splash of oatmilk) also contains 70g of sugar for a medium drink.
Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino contains 55g of sugar per serving. “Frappuccino® Roast coffee, mocha sauce and Frappuccino® chips blended with milk and ice, layered on top of whipped cream and chocolate cookie crumble and topped with vanilla whipped cream, mocha drizzle and even more chocolate cookie crumble,” is how the drink is described, which explains the high sugar content.