Starbucks UK Calories: All The Low-Calorie Starbucks Drinks to Pick

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on Starbucks Calories in the US and I was pleasantly surprised to find out quite how many low-calorie Starbucks drinks there were to pick from – but, while I was writing it, I realised that the advice didn’t apply to all of you checking in on the blog from the UK – and so, I decide it was time that you needed your own version too!

So, here you have it. If Starbucks is a normal part of your morning routine, this guide to UK Starbucks calories includes a full list of all the low-calorie drinks in UK Starbucks that you can choose from.

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The Difference Between US and Starbucks UK Calories

The big one is that it’s a lot easier to work out the Starbucks UK calories (but you can see our post on US Starbucks calories here if you want some help). You can calculate the numbers more exactly what you’re drinking from the Starbucks Nutritional Information in the UK than you can in the US.

Not only is it all in the one big handy document (the US requires you to enter your choices online), they also break the choices down by the milk you pick. The US Starbucks calorie calculator doesn’t allow for that and so it was hard to tell if, say, swapping from whole milk to skimmed or oat milk made a huge difference to the number of calories that a drink contained – and it turns out it can.

As a general rule, if you want to pick the lowest calorie version of any of the many, many drinks in Starbucks, then choose almond milk as your milk of choice – oat milk is the one that will add the most calories.

Not surprisingly, of the dairy milks, choosing skimmed milk over whole milk will save you calories – but, what you might not realise is that it could be as many as 130 a drink in something like a Venti Cafe Latte where milk makes up most of the calories.

Now, considering it is easier to find out the calories in UK Starbucks than the US ones, why do you need this post? Because the list of Starbucks UK Calories is 52 pages long and is in very small type – and when there’s a queue of 20 people behind you all needing their morning coffee, it’s not going to be that easy to scroll through it on your phone. This gives you your choices at a glance!

What Counts as Low-Calorie?

That’s a difficult question as it can be subjective, but, I decided to choose 100 calories as my cut off because according to the NHS, around 20 per cent of your calories is a sensible amount to spend on snacks and other things you’re consuming in between meals – which is how most people consume their Starbucks.

For the average woman not on a calorie-restricted diet, that would be around 400 calories a day, which allows for an afternoon snack and a sweet treat after dinner without blowing your budget. If you are watching calories, then sticking to under 100 calories will allow you to enjoy your coffee – and another snack later in the day – as part of your 20 per cent.

If you’re watching your weight though, the fewer calories in your choice the better and so, where there’s a lot of different options under 100 calories, I’ve always pin pointed the absolute lowest choice.

Size Matters

As plain tea and coffee are naturally very low-calorie drinks, what determines whether your drink of choice is likely to be low-calorie in Starbucks depends on three other factors…

Additions: Whipped cream, flavoured syrups, caramel swirls and sugar will all dramatically increase your Starbucks calories.

The Serving Size: Sometimes you can get away with a short serving of a drink for under 100 calories, even if the next size up tips you over.

The Milk You Choose: As I just explained, swapping from whole milk to skimmed – or forgoing dairy completely and picking some of the alt milks on offer in UK Starbucks can make the difference between a drink that’s classed low calorie and one that doesn’t.

Because there are literally hundreds of permutations of drink type, milk and size on the Starbucks menu, I’ve only listed calories for the milk options and the smallest and largest sizes that fall under 100 calories for each drink type (if there’s a size in between assume it’s roughly halfway between the two).

If a larger size or specific milk option isn’t mentioned in the list below, that’s because it tips you over the 100 calorie limit.

If your favourite isn’t listed and you want to find out exactly how many calories it contains, then check out the UK Starbucks nutrition facts here.

And, if you’ve stumbled across this post wanting the US calories, then click here to find that list.

So, with those little housekeeping notes out of the way, here we go – all the drinks you can order in UK Starbucks for under 100 calories…

TL:DR: The Absolute Lowest-Calorie Drinks in Starbucks

If you’re standing in the queue at Buckies right now and just want to know what to order NOW, the absolute lowest calorie drinks in UK Starbucks, are these…

A black Cold Brew has just 1 calorie while a Short Americano has just 5 calories and a one-shot Espresso Macchiato with any milk has just 7 calories.

If you prefer your coffees milky pick either a Short Nitro Cappuccino with skimmed milk which has just 21 calories. Or, try a short Cafe Misto or a Short Cappucino, made with almond milk. Both have 35 calories.

If would prefer an iced drink, go for a short Iced Americano at 11 calories. Or, coming in at zero calories we have Shaken Iced Hibiscus Infusion Tea, Shaken Iced Black Tea and Shaken Iced Green Tea. Have whatever size you’d like!

A little bit higher are the sweeter versions, the Shaken Iced Black Tea Lemonade, Shaken Iced Green Tea Lemonade and Shaken Iced Hibiscus Infusion Lemonade. A short version of any of these has just 35 calories.

Tea drinkers are spoilt for choice with a whole load of black and herbal teas in Starbucks that have no calories at all. English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Hibiscus Blend, Emperor’s Clouds and Mist, Mint Citrus, Youthberry, Chai tea, Jasmine Pearl, Mint Herbal Blend and Chamomile – all drunk without milk. If you add a splash to your English Breakfast you’re probably looking at adding about 15 calories max.

Not feeling like any of those today – then look at the rest of our list.

Low-Calorie Starbucks Coffees

It’s what they are known for and, as you might expect with quite so many coffees on the menu, there’s a lot of potential choices. Remember, coffee itself is super low in calories – it’s all the things you add to it that make it potentially calorific, therefore, the more straightforward the brew you drink the better.

Caffe Latte

Because this is mostly milk, with just a shot of Espresso, it’s not surprising that the milk you choose is what makes the biggest difference to a Starbucks Latte calories.

Almond milk gives you the biggest bang for your buck – pick a Caffe Latte with almond milk and you can go all the way up to Grande for just 92 calories (a short is just 43).

If you choose any other type of milk as a base for your Caffe Latte you’ll need to stick to a short to get under 100 calories, but if you do, here’s what you’ll be consuming.

Skimmed milk – 60 calories. Semi-skimmed milk has 85 calories. Soya milk has 70 calories, Coconut milk has 77 calories. The Original Nut Blend which is a mix of rice and nut milk has 69 calories.

Vanilla Latte

A shot of syrup puts the calories up a little bit here, but, again, choose your milk carefully and you’re all good with your 100 calorie limit.

A short Vanilla Latte with skimmed milk has 96 calories,, a short with almond milk has 79 calories.

Latte Macchiato

A Latte Macchiato is aerated Milk with coffee poured on top, and you can enjoy a Short Skimmed Milk Latte Macchiato for just 43 caloris. Or go Grande for 94.

If you choose semi-skimmed milk, a short has 66 calories.

Cortado

This is on the Starbucks nutritional information, but isn’t on their menu…. hmm, have I found something on their secret menu? Not sure, but, I’m including it on here just in case there’s something I don’t know!

If you like your coffee concentrated, this mix of ristretto – a concentrated espresso and milk could be your go-to. It only comes in one size and, no matter what milk you order it with, it’ll come in under 100 calories.

The absolute lowest option is a Cortado made with almond milk which has 34 calories – the highest is oat milk at 84 calories a shot.

Espresso Macchiato

Super-low in calories, a solo one-shot version of this is just 7 calories with skimmed, semi-skimmed, almond or nut blend milk.

The most calories will be found in a double shot ‘doppio’ with oat milk which adds up to 23 calories.

Caramel Macchiato

When I read the description of this which included words like vanilla syrup and caramel sauce – I first thought yum, and then I thought, there’s not going to any of those under 100 calories – WRONG!

A short Caramel Macchiato with Almond milk has 74 calories, Choose it with Original Nut Blend milk and it’ has 95 calories, soya milk has 97 calories and the same size made with coconut milk has 98.

Cafe Americano

Literally, just coffee and water I’m surprised that this contains any calories, but a short Cafe Americano has 5 calories while a Venti has just 22 calories – although it also has 300mg of caffeine, so you might not want to have more than one of those a day no matter how low in cals it is!

Cappuccino

If you’re ordering a short size, you can have any milk you like – as with many of the other coffees, oat milk has the highest calories at 100 for a short size Cappuccino with almond milk is the lowest at 35.

If you want dairy, rather than alt milk, a Short Starbucks Cappuccino with skimmed milk has 49 calories.

If a short isn’t going to satisfy your need for coffee, stick with almond milk – a Tall is 67 and a Grande is 74.

Cafe Misto

As someone who doesn’t drink coffee, I find it fascinating there can be so many ways to make different things with just coffee and milk, but still they keep coming…. a Cafe Misto mixes coffee and milk in a half and half ratio – that means it has slightly lower calories than the other milky coffees.

You can have all four sizes in a Cafe Misto made with skimmed milk for under 100 calories. A short Cafe Misto has just 35 calories, a Venti has 92.

All four sizes made with almond milk also come in under 100 calories – with a short Almond Cafe Misto containing just 24 calories. A Venti has 64.

With the others – semi-skimmed milk is 50 a short, 67 for a Tall. With Whole Milk is 64 for a Short, and 86 for a Tall.

Soya milk is 41 calories for a short, 55 for a Tall and 81 for a Grande. Coconut milk is pretty much identical to that.

The only one where things increase a little is oat milk – there you have to stick to a 76 calorie short if you want to come in at under 100.

Flat White

Only comes in one size – and you can have all of the milks except whole milk and oat milk for under 100 calories. The lowest calorie choice is almond milk at 47 calories a cup.

Cold Brew

If you’re a coffee aficionado, you might be leaning toward the cold brews on the Starbucks menu – and there’s a few that come into our low-cal Starbucks category.

The lowest is a plain black Cold Brew which has just one calorie.

Moving on from here, you could add skimmed milk, or almond milk and have any size for under 100 calories. The lowest is the Short almond milk option at 40 calories, the highest is a Venti with skimmed milk at 91 calories.

Nitro Cold Brew is infused with nitrogen to give it a smoother taste – and its totally unsweetened, so if you’re looking for a low-sugar drink in Starbucks, this is a great one to choose. A black Nitro Cold Brew has a maximum of 2 calories even at Venti size.

If you prefer milky coffee, Nitro is also a good choice for you. A Short Nitro Cappuccino with skimmed milk has just 21 calories – even at Venti size it’s just 45 calories.

A Nitro Latte has just 53 calories in Short size and 75 calories in a Tall – even thought it’s topped with yummy sounding vanilla foam.

Iced Coffees

There’s a few of these in the list of low-cal Starbucks drinks and because they are served in larger sizes (to fit the ice I guess), you might feel as if you’re getting more for your calories if you pick one of these.

Iced Caffee Latte

You can choose a Tall Iced Caffe Latte with skimmed milk for 74 calories or upgrade to a Grande for just 16 more.

If you pick almond milk, you can even go as large as Venti and come in under budget. A Venti Iced Caffe Latte with Almond Milk is 78 calories – the Tall has just 54.

A Tall Coffee Latte with soya milk, Coconut Milk or Original Nut Milk also come in under 100 cals.

Iced Cappuccino

The lowest option is a Tall with Almond Milk at 58 calories, a Venti is 83 calories.

Choose a Tall with Skimmed milk for 80 calories or upgrade to a Grande for 17 more.

Soya, Original Nut Milk and Coconut milk are also okay.

Iced Americano

Super low calorie, a Tall serving has just 11 calories. A Venti has 22 but again, watch the caffeine.

Low-Calorie Mochas and Hot Chocolates

Oh, we were doing so well – and then we get to the section I would need to order from as I don’t like coffee – only to discover that sadly, when it comes to Starbucks Hot Chocolate calories there is not one option under 100 in the whole group.

Closest I can get is a short Classic Hot Chocolate with almond milk at 127 calories.

Low-Calorie Teas in Starbucks

Like coffee, tea basically has no calories in it’s ‘naked form’ and so I had high hopes for lots of entries in this category. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The Zero Calorie Teas

If you want to pick the lowest calorie drinks in Starbucks – go for the teas. There’s a couple of pages of these in the list that actually have no calories at all – that’s right, zero. No matter how big a size you order.

Pick from black teas, greens teas and also herbal blends – like English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Hibiscus Blend, Emperor’s Clouds and Mist, Mint Citrus, Youthberry, Chai tea, Jasmine Pearl, Mint Herbal Blend and Chamomile – all drunk without milk.

If you prefer you tea with black, even adding a large splash to your English Breakfast will see youadding about 15 calories max.

The Tea Lattes

If you want your tea more gussied up though, the calories increase.

A Matcha Tea Latte mixes green tea with steamed milk and so, as with the flat white and the milky coffees, the milk and size you choose determine how many calories it contains.

You’ll therefore need to order a short – anything bigger contains more than 100 calories no matter what the milk. And, as we’ve seen before, the lowest calorie option is almond milk at 45 calories. Skimmed milk has 63 calories. The highest calorie choice under 100 calories is coconut milk at 74 for a short.

Another possibility is to pick the iced version. I’m guessing because the ice takes up some room in the cup this cuts the calories over the hot version as all the sizes of Iced Matcha Tea Latte made with almond milk are under 100 calories.

The short has just 53 and the Venti has 80. You can also try the Short with Original Nut Blend for 82 calories, soya has 83 calories and Coconut Milk has 91.

If you prefer dairy, the Tall Iced Matcha Tea Latte with skimmed milk is 72 calories and the Grande has 93. Choose semi-skimmed and a tall is 100 calories.

Chai Latte mixes chai tea with milk – but, this one also has extra sugar and so contains more calories than the matcha does. If you’re trying to sneak in under 100 calories, your only choice in the world of the chai latte is a short almond which has 92 calories.

If you don’t mind your Chai Latte chilly, there are a couple of Iced Chai Tea Latte options to pick. The Tall made with Skimmed Milk has 99 calories, the same thing made with almond milk has 84.

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If you’re a chai latte fan, you might also want to check out our piece on whether chai latte is healthy.

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Iced Teas

Iced tea is something I traditionally associate with the US – and I also tend to associate it with lots of sugar – but, while some of the blends do contain a fair bit, others are both sugar and calorie free. So, here’s goes…

Coming in at zero calories we have Shaken Iced Hibiscus Infusion Tea, Shaken Iced Black Tea and Shaken Iced Green Tea. Have whatever size you’d like!

The next lowest at 35 calories for a Tall, 46 calories for a Grande and 56 calories for a Venti are the Shaken Iced Black Tea Lemonade, Shaken Iced Green Tea Lemonade and Shaken Iced Hibiscus Infusion Lemonade.

Lastly, the Peach Citrus Shaken Iced Green Tea Lemonade (phew!) and the Blueberry Mojito Shaken Iced Green Tea Lemonade (double phew) have 67 calories for a Tall and 89 for a Grande.

Frappuccino Calories

There are a lot of pages of Frappuccinos in the nutrition list. There are not many that come under 100 calories – but hey, at least you have some. I couldn’t find any when I listed the US ones.

Forget the idea of carrying a cup as big as your head though.

So, if you want a Frappuccino for under 100 calories, you’re looking at ordering the mini size Espresso Frappuccino with any milk.

Or, if you have skimmed milk, you can get the Tall size for 98 calories, or if you have it with almond that falls to 90 calories. But that doesn’t include whipped cream on top.

So there you go, my guide to calories in Starbucks drinks in the UK and a pretty long list of all the drinks in UK Starbucks that you can order for under 100 calories – and a heap are even under 50 calories – that will fit into any diet plan. See you don’t have to give up all your treats just because you’re watching your calories.

What to Read Next

At this point you might also be wondering whether any of these drinks are also good for you. In that case, have a look at our post on the health benefits of chai tea and chai lattes here

Or, if you’re more of a coffee lover, you might want to have a look our post on instant coffee and whether it’s good for you or not.

And, sticking with the hot drinks theme, we’ve also investigated that bedtime favourite Horlicks and looked into whether it really can make you sleepy – and some other Horlicks health benefits.

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