For our office, the weekly…okay, daily…trip to Starbucks is a great excuse to get outside and indulge in our favorite coffee beverages.
With the debut of six new Frappuccino flavors last week, we were eager to find a refreshing go-to summer drink. After we ran across an article by FitFabFun with the recipe and – unfortunately – calorie count of each new sweet treat, we decided to taste test these calorie-packed, sugar-filled drinks for you. See how much we love you!
Here you go – the definitive Healthy Headlines team ranking of Starbucks’ newest Frappuccino offerings (calorie counts based on grande drinks):
1. Lemon Bar: We detected just the slightest touch of lemon zest and vanilla bean in this 350-calorie beverage. Okay, maybe not. But still a team favorite by far.
2. Cinnamon Roll: At 510 calories per drink, we should have ranked this one lower, but a guilty pleasure has to have something to feel guilty about, right? Definitely the most flavorful choice.
3. Cupcake Creme: Felt like we stuck a straw in some watery cake batter. Not the worst, the 420-calorie drink was a solid middle finisher.
4. Cotton Candy: Hot pink should never be a food color. It was much less sweet than expected, but steer clear of this 430-calories of pink in a cup.
5. Red Velvet: Nope. Nope. Nope. We all love red velvet cake and were hugely disappointed in this raspberry-heavy drink. It’s an easy 480 calories to cut out of your day.
6. Caramel Cocoa Cluster: While most of us love chocolate, this was just too much. Toffee nut syrup, coffee, dark caramel, whipped cream and mocha drizzle – it’s 470 calories of sweetness overload.
The calorie count for these drinks is on the high end of Starbucks’ traditional Frappuccinos. Bottom line – none are worth the calories. But if you’re looking for a quick treat every now and then, enjoy! Just stay away from Red Velvet!
