How to Order
By far the easiest way to order is via the Starbucks phone app. You can customize your drink and save it to your favorites without having to remember it for next time. You can also see how many pumps /shots of espresso are in things. It will also tell you the nutrition information for the drinks as they normally come, so you can check the carb count. Starbucks prints things out on a label so they get your drink right far more often than some of the smaller shops. You can earn points towards free drinks. And of course, Starbucks is just about everywhere!
Don’t get
Almond Milk or Coconut Milk – Both are sweetened.
Soy Milk – Soy isn’t great for you. Dr. Ken Berry and Dr. Anthony Jay discuss that in their talk on estrogen here.
Frappes – Sorry Frappe fans, the base for the frappes itself is made with a fair amount of sugar! And sadly, it’s also got the thickener that gives frappes that unique almost milkshake-like texture. So you can’t really blend an iced coffee to get the same experience.
Whipped Cream – This is heavy cream + sugar. It’s gonna melt anyways a lot of the time. So just save the carbs and get heavy cream.
Sweeteners
Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup – This is dirty keto so you may wish to avoid it. Starbucks uses sucralose as the main sweetener for its sugar-free vanilla syrup, however, it is still also bulked with maltodextrin so it’s not the best SF syrup. It’s about 1g carb per pump. This is low carb, but personally, it makes me VERY hungry, so I have trouble losing weight when I have it. Your body may be different. If you really want some, get some and maybe try using fewer pumps over time to wean off of sweet coffee.
Stevia Packets – Seems to vary on the location. Where I am it’s erythritol, stevia, and monkfruit, which is great for keto. But some people have reported that where they are it’s bulked with dextrose and/or maltodextrin, which isn’t OK. Read the label.
Splenda Packets – Avoid these. Liquid Splenda is mostly just sucralose, but the packets are bulked with maltodextrin, which has a fairly high glycemic index(raises blood sugar in most folks). I’d opt for the vanilla syrup over this.
Keto Starbucks Menu
I’m putting all of these down as Venti (the large size) for ease of ordering, but you can get a tall (small) or a grande (medium).
The idea is in bold, you say what is in “Quotes”.
Hot Coffee
Americanos are made with espresso, which is generally bolder and more bitter than drip coffee. Lighter roasts are less bitter and have more caffeine. Darker roasts are more “bold”.
Don’t Drink Coffee Often? = “Grande Americano with Heavy Cream, Decaf. 3 Pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”
For an espresso-based hot coffee =”Venti Americano” (“with Heavy Cream”)(“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) (“Decaf/Half Decaf”)
For a light roast drip hot coffee = “Venti Blonde Roast Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
For a medium roast drip hot coffee = “Venti Pike Place Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) (“Decaf/Half Decaf”)
For a dark roast drip coffee = “Venti Dark Roast Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Cold Coffee
Don’t Drink Coffee Often? = “Grande Iced Americano with Heavy Cream, Decaf. 3 Pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”
Espresso Iced Coffee = “Venti Iced Americano” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with light ice”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) (“Decaf/Half Decaf”)
Drip Iced Coffee = “Venti Iced Coffee” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with light ice”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Cold Brew (Higher Caffeine, lower bitterness than drip so it’s easier to get black) = “Venti Cold Brew” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Nitro Cold Brew (Smoother, least bitter, higher caffeine) = “Venti Nitro Cold Brew” (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Tea
{Peach Cobbler Tea} = “Venti Hot Peach Tranquility Tea with Heavy Cream, Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup, and Cinnamon Powder”
{Strawberries and Cream Iced Tea} = “Venti Iced Passion Tango Tea sweetened with sugar-free vanilla syrup. With a Splash of Heavy Cream and dried strawberries.”
{Berries and Cream Iced Tea} = “Venti Iced Passion Tango Tea sweetened with sugar-free vanilla syrup. With a Splash of Heavy cream. Scoop of dried strawberries, scoop of blackberries. “
Chai Tea = “Venti Chai Tea” (“Iced”)(“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Earl Grey Tea = “Venti Earl Grey Tea” (“Iced”)(“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Royal English Breakfast Tea = “Venti Royal English Breakfast Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Emporer’s Clouds & Mist = “Venti Emporer’s Clouds and Mist Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea = “Venti Jade Citrus Mint Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Mint Majesty = “Venti Mint Majesty” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Peach Tranquility Tea = “Venti Peach Tranquility Tea” (“Iced”) (“with Heavy Cream”) (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”)
Tangy Fruity Iced Tea = “Venti Iced Passion Tango Tea” (“with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup”) –this one is kinda fruity and doesn’t need sweetener as much
Bottled Teavana Sparkling Unsweetened Peach Nectarine Green Tea
Food
Classic Almonds
Moon Cheese
String Cheese
Babybel Mini Cheese Snack
Creminelli Snack Tray – Sopressata Salami & Monterey Jack Cheese
Breakfast sandwiches with no bread. (Avoid the impossible meat, it’s unhealthy ingredients.)
Sous Vide Bites – (Bacon and Gruyere) They are still pretty carby for what they are and I would rather eat somewhere else with more filling food. Still, you can work them in if you’d like with the lowest carb option being bacon and gruyere which comes in at 9 net carbs.