Flavored coffee is perhaps the most popular type of coffee around. Among other things, flavored coffee provides that extra kick to help start your day.
But then:
What is the calorie content of your favorite flavored coffee? No idea?
Don’t worry.
In this blog post, we’ll be examining the calorie content of flavored coffee, flavored coffee grounds, coffee pods, and k cups.
Table of Contents
Do Flavored Coffee Have Calories? The Answer May Surprise You
Flavored coffees can have calories. The amount of calories depends on the type and amount of flavor, milk, and sweetener added. However, you can reduce the calorie content of your coffee by substituting whole milk with non-fat milk, regular sugar with natural sweeteners, and strong coffee with mild coffee. Also, choosing low-calorie or sugar-free flavors helps reduce calories.
Flavor Up, Calorie Count Down: The Impact of Added Flavors on Your Coffee
Ordinarily:
Regular black coffee has about 0-5 calories, which is extremely low. But then, the calorie content of your coffee drink increases significantly as you begin to garnish it with flavors, milk/creamer, and sweetener.
The amount of these garnishes also impacts the calorie content of your coffee. More garnishes equal more calories.
Here are some examples of high and low-calorie flavored coffees at Starbucks:
High-calorie flavored coffees:
- A 20-ounce White Chocolate Creme Frappuccino with whole milk and whipped cream has about 510 calories
- A 20-ounce Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino with whole milk and whipped cream has 530 calories
- A 20-ounce White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream has 620 calories
Low-calorie flavored coffee:
- A 12-ounce Cafe Americano with one pump of brown sugar syrup has about 25 calories.
- A 12-ounce Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino with one pump of peppermint syrup has about 150 calories.
- A 12-ounce Iced Caffe Latte with one pump of brown sugar syrup and sugar-free vanilla syrup has 110 calories.
From the examples above, these factors can impact the calorie content of your coffee:
- The type and amount of flavor
- The type and amount of milk/creamer
- The amount of sweetener
For an even better idea:
Here’s a table of Starbucks’ most popular flavored syrups and their calories, carbs, and sugar:
| Flavors | Calories (per pump) | Carbs (G) | Sugar (G) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Sugar Syrup | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| Caramel Syrup (for Frappuccinos) | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| Caramel Syrup (for hot and iced drinks) | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Cinnamon Dolce Syrup | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Hazelnut Syrup | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Irish Cream Syrup | 40 | 10 | 10 |
| Peppermint Syrup | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Pineapple Ginger Syrup | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Raspberry Syrup | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Toffee Nut Syrup | 20 | 5 | 5 |
| Vanilla Syrup | 20 | 5 | 5 |
4 Tips For Reducing Calorie Content of Flavored Coffee
- Substitute whole milk with half-fat or non-fat milk: Many coffee shops today offer a lot of milk and creamer options. Instead of whole milk, you can opt for lighter alternatives like soy milk, almond milk, hazelnut milk, and non-dairy creamer.
- Substitute sugar with natural sweeteners: You may not know this, but there are other ways to sweeten your coffee besides regular sugar. You can ask for natural sweeteners like maple syrup, agave syrup, and birch syrup. These sweeteners have much fewer calories.
- Replace strong coffee with mild coffee: Typically, strong coffee is bitter. So, if you like your coffee strong and sweet, you’ll need to dilute it with whole milk, that’s high in calories. Start taking mild coffee instead. It is not bitter, thus, doesn’t require any garnishing.
- Choose low-calorie or sugar-free flavors: If you like your coffee flavored but also low in calories, you can try sugar-free flavors. These flavors include sugar-free vanilla latte, and a sugar-free hazelnut latte. This way, you can get a taste of your favorite flavors in a healthy cup of joe.
Do Flavored Coffee Beans Have Calories?
In the coffee world:
It is commonplace to add flavors to coffee beans. This is achieved by adding natural or synthetic flavor oils before or during the roasting process.
Some of the most common flavors used include vanilla, caramel, nut oils (hazelnut), cinnamon, cocoa beans, nutmeg, and clove.
Now the question becomes:
Do flavored coffee beans have calories? Or do they have more calories than regular beans?
To answer these questions, we must first know the number of calories in regular coffee beans.
You see:
Coffee made with only regular coffee beans contains between 0 and 5 calories. So, flavored coffee beans contain at least the same amount of calories.
But does the flavoring increase the calories?
The answer is no. The natural and synthetic flavor oils added to coffee beans do not increase the coffee’s calorie content, carbs, or sugar.
What these oils do is enhance the taste of the final coffee and nothing more.
So:
If you’re calorie-conscious but still want to enjoy your favorite coffee flavors, you should try flavored coffee beans.
Do Flavored Coffee Pods Have Calories?
Fact:
Coffee pods have revolutionized the way we drink coffee. These prepackaged capsules are quick and convenient and have become the go-to coffee for many modern consumers.
But what do we know about these shiny pods and their calorie content?
Well:
We know that each coffee pod contains either regular or flavored coffee grounds. And already, we’ve established that flavored coffee beans have the same amount of calories as regular ones (0 to 5).
This means that a flavored coffee pod also contains approximately the same number of calories. A quick search on Nespresso’s website shows that each of their pods (which are the most popular) has between 2-5 calories per pod.
This includes both regular and flavored coffee pods
Remember:
Garnishing the drink with extra flavored syrups will increase the calories significantly.
Now:
You may be more concerned about the caffeine content of your favorite Nespresso pods rather than the calories. In that case, check out our post on Nespresso Caffeine Content Chart.
Do Flavored K-Cups Have Calories?
According to Keurig:
Natural and artificial flavorings added to K cups do not add significant nutritional value.
In fact, Keurig states that their regular K cups contain about two to four calories, while the flavored K cups have just 0.8 calories. That’s even fewer calories than regular K cups.
However:
You can increase your calorie intake with extra flavor syrups like vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut.
Here are two examples of high and low-calorie coffees you can make using a Keurig machine and your favorite K-Cup. (The recipes used here are created by CoffeeHolli).
High-Calorie
A 12-ounce Starbucks Iced Peppermint Mocha with ½ cup of 2% milk, a pump of chocolate syrup, whipped cream and red sugar sprinkles has about 420 calories.
Low-Calorie
A 12-ounce Iced Coffee with 3 pumps of classic syrup and sugar-free vanilla syrup has about 60 calories.
Conclusion
Flavored coffee provides that extra kick you need to start your day. However, you must be mindful of the amount of calories in your coffee as too many calories may have adverse health effects like obesity.
So:
Inasmuch as you want to enjoy your coffee, you must enjoy it responsibly. Here are ways to lower the amount of calories in your coffee.
- Substitute whole milk with half-fat or non-fat milk
- Substitute sugar with natural sweeteners like maple syrup and agave syrup
- Replace strong coffee with mild coffee
- Choose low-calorie or sugar-free flavors
And so we’re done:
If you have any questions or contributions about this topic, please reach us via the comment section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Flavored coffees do not contain sugar, but they have a small number of calories.
Flavored coffee pods have almost the same number of calories as regular pods. Flavored Nespresso pods have between 2-5 calories.
According to Keurig, K-cups do not contain any fat or sugar, but they have 0.8 calories per pod.
Research shows that an ordinary black is unlikely to break your fast as it contains very few calories. Flavored coffee grounds have approximately the same number of calories as regular black coffee. So, it also shouldn’t break your fast.
