Low Calorie Drinks
Find the best low calorie drinks across Starbucks, Dutch Bros, and Dunkin'. Picks are under 100 kcal at the smallest available size — with links to full nutrition breakdowns, milk comparisons, and calorie-burn charts for every drink.
Low Calorie Drinks by Brand
Each brand guide below lists every low calorie drink for that chain — ranked from fewest to most calories, filterable by category and calorie range, with links to full nutrition pages for each drink.
Starbucks Low Calorie Drinks
37 drinks ≤ 200 kcalFull ranked list at Grande size with filters by category and calorie range. Includes milk-by-milk calorie comparisons and activity burn charts on every drink page.
Dutch Bros Low Calorie Drinks
71 drinks ≤ 200 kcalDutch Bros drinks ranked by calories at Small size. Hot and iced options shown separately where both are available. Full % daily value breakdown on each page.
Dunkin' Low Calorie Drinks
37 drinks ≤ 200 kcalDunkin' options ranked by calories at the smallest available size. Sweetener and dairy breakdowns included where applicable — unsweetened options are often the lowest.
Starbucks Low Calorie Picks
Lowest calorie Starbucks drinks at Tall size. Click any card for the full nutrition breakdown including milk options.
Dutch Bros Low Calorie Picks
Lowest calorie Dutch Bros drinks at Small size. Calories vary between hot and iced — click through for the full comparison.
Dunkin' Low Calorie Picks
Lowest calorie Dunkin' drinks at the smallest available size. Choosing unsweetened dramatically reduces calories on most drinks.
What Makes a Drink Low Calorie?
There's no single standard definition — here's how this page approaches it and what to watch out for when comparing calories across chains.
Under 100 kcal for picks, under 200 kcal for full lists
The drinks highlighted on this page are all under 100 kcal at the smallest available size. The full brand guides linked above use 200 kcal at the standard reference size (Grande for Starbucks, Small for Dutch Bros and Dunkin') as the broader threshold.
Milk choice is the biggest calorie variable
For espresso-based drinks, switching between dairy options can change calories by 60–100 kcal or more at a medium size. Almond drink and skimmed milk tend to be the lowest-calorie options. The full drink pages show calorie breakdowns across every available milk option.
Size scales calories more than any customisation
Calories shown here are at the smallest size. Moving up one size typically adds 30–80 kcal depending on the drink. Moving from small to large can add 100–200 kcal. The calorie gap between size options is usually larger than the gap between milk options.
Syrups and sweeteners add more than most people expect
Each pump of standard flavoured syrup at most chains adds approximately 20 kcal. A Grande latte at Starbucks typically contains 3–4 pumps by default — that's 60–80 kcal from syrup alone. Requesting fewer pumps or sugar-free alternatives is the simplest customisation to reduce calories.
How Many Calories Are in Common Coffee Drinks?
A quick reference to help you understand where the drinks on this page sit relative to familiar options.
| Drink | Typical calories | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Black coffee (8 oz) | 5 kcal | almost zero calories |
| Unsweetened green tea | 0 kcal | calorie-free |
| Espresso shot | 5 kcal | per single shot |
| Latte with skimmed milk | 100 kcal | approximate at medium size |
| Latte with whole milk | 180 kcal | approximate at medium size |
| Standard Frappuccino | 380 kcal | approximate at Grande |
Values are approximate and vary by preparation, serving size, and customisations. Click through to any individual drink page for exact figures across all sizes and milk options.
How to Order Low Calorie at Any Coffee Chain
These strategies apply across Starbucks, Dutch Bros, and Dunkin' — and can significantly reduce calories without giving up your usual order.
Switch to a lighter milk
Almond drink or skimmed milk are the lowest-calorie options at most chains. Switching from whole milk or oat drink on a medium latte can save 50–100 kcal — one of the easiest single changes to make.
Order a smaller size
Each step down in size removes 30–80 kcal depending on the drink. If volume matters less than the experience, a Tall instead of Grande — or Small instead of Medium — is the simplest calorie saving with no recipe change needed.
Reduce or skip syrup
Standard flavoured syrups add around 20 kcal per pump. Most drinks default to 3–4 pumps. Asking for 1–2 pumps or requesting sugar-free syrup removes 40–80 kcal while keeping the flavour profile largely intact.
Skip the whip and toppings
Whipped cream adds 70–100 kcal to most drinks. Sweet toppings, drizzles, and sauces add further. Ordering "without whip" or "light drizzle" requires no other changes and makes a noticeable calorie difference.
Related Tools
Tools to help you understand what's in your drink and how it fits your daily goals.
Low Calorie Drinks FAQ
Common questions about finding and ordering lower-calorie options at major coffee chains.
Across all three chains, the lowest calorie options are plain black coffee, straight espresso, and unsweetened teas — typically 0–10 kcal. These drinks contain no milk, no syrup, and no additional ingredients. If you want something with milk, ordering with skimmed milk or almond drink and no flavoured syrup keeps most espresso drinks under 100 kcal.
It depends on the milk. Almond drink is generally the lowest-calorie option at most chains — often 20–30 kcal per serving compared to 50–80 kcal for whole milk. Oat milk, while popular, tends to be higher in calories and carbohydrates than dairy alternatives. Coconut drink and soya drink sit somewhere in between. Each drink page on LiqLark shows the calorie breakdown across every available milk option.
Most standard Frappuccinos and blended drinks are not low calorie — they typically contain 300–500 kcal at Grande size due to the sweetened blended base, milk, and whipped cream. Light or "skinny" versions exist at some chains and can reduce this significantly, but most blended drinks are difficult to bring below 200 kcal without major modifications.
Ordering without whipped cream saves approximately 70–100 kcal depending on the chain and drink size. It's one of the simplest customisations since it requires no changes to the drink itself. Combined with switching to a lighter milk, skipping whip can reduce a high-calorie drink by 150+ kcal.
Not necessarily. Some low-calorie drinks use artificial sweeteners or sugar-free syrups that keep calories down but still deliver sweetness. Conversely, a drink can be relatively low in calories while still containing a moderate amount of natural sugar from milk or fruit ingredients. If sugar is the priority, check the sugar content separately on each drink page rather than relying on calorie count alone.