Starbucks’ New Summer Menu Is Here: We Asked Nutritionists If the New Drinks Are Healthy
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Starbucks just launched two new drinks for summer 2023.
The Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino and White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew are in stores now on Starbucks’ summer menu.
Nutritionists say these drinks pack a lot of calories.
Starbucks has an annual tradition of rolling out new drinks in time for summer, and 2023 is no exception. The coffee giant just announced two new drinks for this summer—the Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino and White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew.
The drinks are now available in Starbucks locations across the country, and they’re already getting positive reviews on social media. It’s understandable to have questions about what’s in them, as well as the overall nutrition. Here’s the deal.
What’s in the Starbucks Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino?
The Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino features coffee, along with white chocolate and mint sauce, blended with Frappuccino chips. It’s finished with a layer of mocha sauce, whipped cream, and a chocolate-mint cookie crumble, according to Starbucks.
The drink features a laundry list of ingredients that include ice, milk, coffee Frappuccino syrup, whipped cream, coffee, white chocolate mint flavored sauce, Frappuccino chips, mocha sauce, and the chocolate cookie mint sprinkle. (You can view the full list here.)
What’s in the Starbucks White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew?
The White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew features Starbucks cold brew, along with macadamia syrup, white chocolate macadamia cream cold foam, and toasted cookie crumbles.
It also has a long ingredients list that includes ice, brewed coffee, macadamia cream, white chocolate mocha sauce, macadamia flavored syrup, and toasted cookie topping. (Check out all of the ingredients here.)
Starbucks Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino nutrition
Here’s what you’re looking at in the nutrition department when you have a grande Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino:
Calories: 490
Fat: 20 g (13 g sat fat)
Carbohydrates: 73 g
Protein: 6 g
Sugars: 69 g
Sodium: 300 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Starbucks White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew nutrition
The grande White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew will give you the following nutrition:
Calories: 240
Fat: 11 g (7 g sat fat)
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 2 g
Sugars: 30 g
Sodium: 140 mg
Fiber: 0 g
Are these drinks healthy?
Again, Starbucks doesn’t claim that these are health beverages and most people probably wouldn’t view them that way. But nutritionists say these are more desserts than coffee drinks.
“Starbucks should consider categorizing the Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino as a dessert rather than a beverage,” says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. “No beverage should have a nutritional content that includes 490 calories, 13 grams of saturated fat, and 69 grams of sugar.”
Jessica Cording, R.D., a dietitian and health coach, and author of The Little Book of Game-Changers, agrees, calling the Frappuccino “essentially a meal in a cup.”
“It’s a lot of sugar,” she continues. “There’s a little bit of protein in it but not much, and minimal fiber. It has 73 grams of carbs—that’s equivalent to almost five slices of bread.”
As for the White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew, Gans says it’s a “better choice” than the Frappuccino. “However, it’s still packed with too many calories and added sugar for a coffee beverage,” she says. Cording agrees. “It’s less extreme than the Frappuccino but it’s not low in calories and certainly isn’t low in sugar,” she says. “It’s wild to think that 30 grams of sugar makes for a ‘lower sugar’ beverage.”
Cording also flags the caffeine content in the cold brew. “At 185 milligrams, it’s almost half of what the recommended caffeine limit is for adults,” she says.
If you want to try the drinks, but prefer to have them be a little more nutritionally sound, Cording says you can tweak them slightly. “Get the smallest size, and limit the toppings and pumps of syrup,” she says. “That can make these more approachable.”
But if you want to enjoy the beverages the way Starbucks designed, experts say you’re fine to do just that—it’s just best to view them as more of a treat than a new everyday beverage.
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