Is Starbucks Almond Milk Sweetened?

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Starbucks has a reputation for offering a broad range of milk alternatives for their coffee-based beverages, including almond, soy, oat, and coconut milk. Many people choose these plant-based milk alternatives over traditional cow’s milk for health reasons, so some may be concerned about the sugar in each one. This leads us to ask the question: is Starbucks almond milk sweetened?

Yes, Starbucks almond milk is sweetened with cane sugar. The sweetener only adds roughly three grams of sugar to your drink, so it isn’t a huge amount. 

If you’d like to know more about the ingredients and sweeteners in Starbucks milk alternatives, we’ll break it down and compare them below. 

If you'd like to learn about all the types of milk Starbucks offers, check out our guide to Starbucks milk here. 

Related: Why You Need to Know about the Sugar in Starbucks Matcha

What Is Starbucks Almond Milk Made of?

The almond milk Starbucks uses is a plant-based alternative to traditional cow’s milk, and it’s gaining popularity very quickly with Starbucks' regulars. This almond milk has a blend of very simple ingredients that combine to create a creamy and smooth texture. 

The main ingredient in almond milk is filtered water. Another big ingredient is almond butter, which is what gives a creamy texture and nutty flavor to the drink. To help add calcium to the formula, tricalcium phosphate is added to the milk to serve as a calcium supplement.

To ensure the almond milk emulsifies and blends better, sunflower lecithin is added. This is a natural emulsifier that comes from sunflower seeds. They then add sea salt for flavor and to help enhance the nutty notes in the milk. Xanthan and guar gum help stabilize and thicken the formula to ensure a consistent texture. Finally, you’ll get a dose of vitamin A palmitate. This is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps maintain strong vision and healthy skin. 

All of these ingredients combine to give you a nutritious and tasty alternative to cow’s milk. It’s dairy and vegan-friendly, and gluten-free, making it a great option for anyone who has those dietary restrictions. Whether you’re enjoying a cappuccino, latte, or just a plain coffee, almond milk is a delicious additive. The following are a few popular Starbucks drinks with it mixed in: 

  • Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato
  • Hazelnut Latte made with almond milk
  • Honey Almond Milk Flat White
  • Honey Almond Milk Nitro Cold Brew
  • Horchata Almond Milk Frappuccino
  • Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso
  • Iced Honey Almond Milk Flat White

How Much Sugar is in Other Starbucks Milks?

When you go to Starbucks, you’ll notice that they have a variety of milk options available for you to choose from, including non-dairy and dairy-based options. The sugar content will vary depending on the type of milk you want. 

If we start with the dairy options, the whole milk that Starbucks uses has roughly 13g of sugar in every serving. This is a naturally-occuring sugar in the milk, not an added one. The non-fat milk has around 12g of sugar in each serving.

For non-dairy milk choices, Starbucks has coconut, soy, and oat milk at most locations. The soy milk has the highest amount of sugar out of any plant-based milks. The oat and coconut milks also have sugar, and the almond milk has the least sugar per serving of the plant-based milk options. 

You also want to note that the sugar content in the milk can vary slightly, depending on the location and where the milk is sourced from. However, these are a general guide for the sugar content for each choice. 

Check out our guide to ordering coffee at Starbucks with Starbucks lingo here.

Is Starbucks Coconut Milk Sweetened?giv
Yes, the coconut milk you get at Starbucks is sweetened. Per serving, the sugar content is around 10g. This is slightly lower than the sugar in the regular whole milk. Along with sugar, the coconut milk has a blend of water, coconut cream, tricalcium phosphate, cane sugar, natural flavors, coconut water concentrate, sea salt, gellan gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, and corn dextrin. The water and coconut cream give the tropical flavor and creamy texture, and the natural flavors and salt enhance the flavor. 

As with the almond milk, tricalcium phosphate gives a boost of calcium, which is important for helping you maintain strong teeth and bones. Gellan gum and carrageenan help to thicken the formula and keep the creamy texture, and xanthan gum acts like a stabilizer while helping the milk blend into drinks better. Coconut milk goes well with the following Starbucks drinks: 

  • Coconut Cascara Latte
  • Coconut Lime Refresher
  • Dragon Drink
  • Orange Drink
  • Paradise Drink
  • Pina Colada Tea
  • Pink Drink
  • Star Drink
  • Violet Drink

Is Starbucks Oat Milk Sweetened?

There is also sugar in the oat milk. However, the sugar content in a single serving of this milk alternative is lower than almost all other milk alternatives. One serving of oat milk at Starbucks has roughly 5g of sugar. This is around half the sugar content of the soy milk they use. Along with sugar, the oat milk has a blend of whole oat flour, filtered water, natural flavoring, and high oleic sunflower oil. 

They add the sunflower oil to give a creamy texture to the milk, and the natural flavors work to enhance the milk’s taste. One huge benefit of the oat milk Starbucks serves is that it’s gluten-free. This makes it safe for people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity to have. It also doesn’t have any soy or dairy, making it a popular choice for people with dietary restrictions. If you want to add oat milk to your Starbucks drink, we recommend: 

  • Honey Oat Milk Latte 
  • Iced Blonde White Mocha with Oat Milk 
  • Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso 
  • Java Chip Frappuccino with Oat Milk 
  • London Fog Latte with Oat Milk 
  • Oat Milk Chai Tea Latte
  • Oat Milk Cocoa Macchiato 

Is Starbucks Soy Milk Sweetened?

The soy milk at Starbucks also has sugar to sweeten it. In fact, a single serving of soy milk has around 14g of sugar. This is the highest amount out of any of the plant-based milk alternatives. Along with sugar, the soy milk features filtered water, a soybean blend, natural flavors, and cane sugar. The soybeans give you a dose of plant-based protein, and the natural flavoring enhances the milk’s flavor. 

Soy milk is a very popular cow’s milk alternative, and you find it in coffee-based drinks a lot, along with smoothies. It’s naturally free of lactose, and it doesn’t have any cholesterol. This makes it a healthier alternative to dairy milk for people with high cholesterol or who are lactose intolerant. 

So, while it has sugar to sweeten it, soy milk is still a healthier pick for some people over cow’s milk. If you want to lower your sugar intake, you can choose unsweetened soy milk for your drink instead. A few popular drinks that blend with well soy milk at Starbucks include: 

  • Caramel Macchiato with Soy Milk
  • Cinnamon Dolce Latte
  • Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino with Soy Milk
  • Soy Green Tea Latte
  • Starbucks Reserve Dark Chocolate Mocha

Which Starbucks Milk Has the Most Sugar in it?

As we touched on, the soy milk Starbucks uses has the highest amount of sugar out of all of the plant-based milk alternatives with 14g. Sweetened coconut milk has the second highest sugar content at 10g per serving, then almond milk at 7g of sugar in every serving. Bringing up the rear is oat milk with the least amount of sugar out of the plant-based options with 5g per serving. 

If you look at the regular milk options Starbucks offers, the regular milk has roughly 13g of sugar in each serving and their non-fat milk has 12g of sugar per serving. Again, it’s important to note that these milks’ sugar content will vary from location to location and depending on how they prepare the milk. 

Generally speaking, if you want to lower your sugar intake, it may be a good idea to consider adding unsweetened milk alternatives to your drink, or pick a smaller serving size when you order. If you prefer a sweeter taste, you may want to pick a sweetened milk alternative. 

Now that you know which milk Starbucks offers and which has the most sugar, what type of milk or cream do other popular chains use? You can find out what Dunkin Donuts uses here

Comparing Starbucks Milk Choices – Nutritional Value

Below, you’ll find a quick table that compares the basic nutritional information for Starbucks’ milk choices, and they include: 

Milk Alternative Almond Coconut Soy  Oat
Serving Size 1 cup (240mL) 1 cup (240mL) 1 cup (240mL) 1 cup (240mL)
Calories 60 140 130 90
Total Fat 2.5g 10g 4.5g 1.5g
Saturated Fat 0g 9g 0.5g 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0mg 0mg 0mg
Sodium 150mg 150mg 105mg 105mg
Carbs 8g 12g 16g 17g
Dietary Fiber 1g 0g 2g 2g
Sugars 7g 10g 14g 5g
Protein 1g 1g 8g 3g

Sip and Enjoy: Choose the Perfect Starbucks Milk Alternative 

Starbucks has several milk alternatives available for any customer who wants to avoid dairy or who wants a different flavor. Almond, coconut, soy, and oat milk all introduce their unique nutritional profiles, textures, and flavors to Starbucks drinks, and they’re viable options. 

Each of these milk alternatives has a different sugar content, they are a great choice for anyone who is lactose intolerant or who has dietary restrictions to consider. With this information in mind, you can make an informed decision regarding which milk alternative is a good choice for you based on your preferences and dietary needs. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Since you have a range of choices available at Starbucks, it’s common for people to have a few questions about them. The most popular ones include: 

1. Can you buy the almond milk Starbucks uses?

No, you can’t buy the exact same almond milk Starbucks uses. Starbucks doesn’t sell bottles of it. However, you can purchase Starbucks almond coffee creamers in some stores. If you want just the almond milk, some locations allow you to order a cup of it from your local barista. You can also buy almond milk and use it in place of the one Starbucks uses from trusted brands. 

2. Does Starbucks almond milk have sugar in it?

Yes, but the almond milk Starbucks uses features natural cane sugar. Also, almonds come packed with organic sugars that can break down into calories. 

3. Do you have to pay for almond milk at Starbucks?

If you order a drink and substitute almond milk at Starbucks, there is usually a $0.60 to $0.80 upcharge, depending on your location.

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