“Protein never tasted so good,” says Starbucks about its new lineup of protein-infused lattes, cold brews, and matcha drinks. “Crafted to keep up with your goals, your pace and everything the day brings.”

Really? Two of the chain’s new featured Protein Cold Foam drinks have at least 5 teaspoons of added sugar. But you can do better. Starbucks’s protein rollout also lets you customize unsweetened protein drinks (more on that below).

This article comes from  Nutrition Action. We don’t accept any paid advertising or corporate or government donations. Any products we recommend have been vetted by our staff and are not advertisements by the manufacturers. They’re just healthier foods we think you’d like to know about!  

What’s in Starbucks Protein Cold Foam Drinks

Starbucks’s three new drinks that are topped with whey-protein-infused cold foam aren’t just high in protein. They’re also up there in added sugar and saturated (unhealthy) fat. And those extras add more calories than you might expect.

Here’s what comes in a grande (medium) size of each Protein Cold Foam Drink:

Chocolate Cream Protein Cold Brew: (“Cold brew with vanilla syrup and chocolate protein cold foam”) 

• 19 grams of protein
• 24 grams of added sugar (5-1/2 teaspoons)
• 10 grams of saturated fat
• 330 calories

Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha: (“Unsweetened matcha balanced with milk and topped with banana protein cold foam”) 

• 24 grams of protein
• 21 grams of added sugar (5 teaspoons)
• 13 grams of saturated fat
• 430 calories

Iced Vanilla Cream Protein Latte: (“Rich espresso and milk topped with vanilla protein cold foam”) 

• 26 grams of protein
• 10 grams of added sugar (2-1/2 teaspoons)
• 13 grams of saturated fat
• 390 calories

With any of the three, you’ll rack up roughly 20 to 50 percent of the 50-gram Daily Value (DV) for added sugar—that’s a daily recommended maximum for adults—and 50 to 65 percent of the DV for saturated fat. The sat fat rivals the 10 grams you’d get in a grande Mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream! Why so high? Blame the cream in each drink’s foam topper. 

Think of it this way: A grande Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha has about as many calories and as much sat fat (and protein) as a McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger. Sheesh! 

What’s in the Starbucks High Protein Lattes

The Vanilla Protein Latte and Protein Matcha—you can order them hot or iced—do a bit better than the cold foam drinks. They’re lower in saturated fat and deliver more protein for their calories because they’re free of cream. But they’re still high in added sugar. 

Here’s what comes in a grande size of each:

Protein Matcha: (“Unsweetened matcha with Protein-boosted Milk and classic syrup”) 

• 36 grams (iced) or 28 grams (hot) of protein
• 15 grams of added sugar (3-1/2 teaspoons)
• 3 grams (iced) or 4 grams (hot) of saturated fat
• 300 calories

Vanilla Protein Latte: (“Bold espresso with Protein-boosted Milk and vanilla syrup”)  

• 29 grams (iced) or 27 grams (hot) of protein
• 19 grams of added sugar (4-1/2 teaspoons)
• 2-1/2 grams (iced) or 4 grams (hot) of saturated fat
• 270 (iced) or 310 (hot) calories

What about the versions of both lattes made with sugar-free syrup?

They have just as much protein for fewer calories (200 to 250). It’s just too bad Starbucks uses sucralose to sweeten the drinks’ syrups. We rate the low-calorie sweetener as “avoid” on our  Chemical Cuisine Food Additive Safety Ratings. (Sucralose causes cancer in mice and may boost blood sugar, though more studies are needed.) 

How to order a healthy Starbucks protein drink with no added sugar

If you want to add protein to your Starbucks latte without adding sugar- or sucralose-sweetened syrup, your best bet is to customize it with Protein-boosted Milk. (That’s 2% milk blended with whey protein.)

For example, a grande iced Caffè Latte made with the “boosted” milk has 220 calories, 33 grams of protein, and 3 grams of saturated fat. Made with regular 2% milk, the same latte has 130 calories, 8 grams of protein, and 2-1/2 grams of sat fat.

Starbucks also offers unsweetened Protein Cold Foam that you can add to cold brews, iced coffees, and more. It has no added sugar, but its first ingredient is cream. Does that mean the foam has enough sat fat to rival the chain’s other cream-heavy drinks like the Chocolate Cream Protein Cold Brew or the Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha? Good question.

The Starbucks app and website don’t give nutrition information for the unsweetened protein foam or other customizations. So we asked Starbucks’s corporate office how many grams of sat fat are in a grande Cold Brew with Protein Cold Foam. “We weren’t able to get full nutritional information for that customization,” they replied. Gee, thanks.

Note to plant-based eaters and anyone with a milk allergy: Starbucks’s protein-boosted milk and protein cold foam are both made with dairy. 

Do you really need extra protein in your latte or coffee?

It costs an extra $1 to add protein-boosted milk or $2 to add protein cold foam to any Starbucks drink. Do you need it?

If you’re like most people in the US, you’re already getting enough protein. For adults, the daily protein minimum is your body weight in pounds multiplied by 0.36. For a 140-pound person, that works out to about 50 grams. 

And getting to 50 grams without adding protein to your coffee is easy.  Just a few servings of protein-rich foods can do it. And it doesn’t have to be meat, dairy, or other animal foods.

For example, while 3 oz. of chicken breast will get you halfway there (26 grams), so will 4 oz. of tempeh (24 grams). And while a 5 oz. tub of 0% Greek yogurt will give you 16 grams, you’ll get 14 grams in a cup of chickpeas. Then there’s soymilk (8 grams in a small, 8 oz. glass), black beans (8 grams in 1/2 cup), or a small, 1 oz. handful of peanuts (7 grams). For more examples, check out our protein chart.

At breakfast, your cereal and fruit won’t make much of a dent in your protein intake. If you want a boost, try using an ultra-filtered dairy milk in your cereal bowl or latte. For example, Fairlife Fat Free Milk is strained to concentrate its protein and remove some of its natural sugar, so each cup has about 50 percent more protein (13 grams vs. 8 grams) but the same calories (80) as regular fat free milk. Or mix your cereal with a 5 oz. tub of a protein-boosted plant-based yogurt like Icelandic Provisions Oatmilk Skyr (12 or 13 grams of protein).