Your favorite iced summer coffee could contain 46 teaspoons of sugar — the same as drinking 5 cans of Coke
More and more people are choosing cold coffees over hot ones.
But many iced coffees contain more added sugar than the FDA recommends having in an entire day.
Insider looked at the sugar content of drinks from popular brands including Starbucks and Dunkin.
Switching your morning coffee for an iced drink like a Starbucks Frappuccino or a flavored cold brew is a summer ritual many of us look forward to.
And recent data shows that more and more people are opting for cold coffees over hot ones, with cold drinks accounting for 75% of Starbucks' beverage sales.
But the swap — even to a medium-sized beverage that we might think is a moderate choice — can see us unknowingly consuming more added sugar than the Food and Drug Administration recommends in a whole day in just one drink.
Some iced coffees from some of America's favorite brands contain as much sugar as five cans of regular Coke (one can has 35 grams of sugar), an analysis by Insider of products from Starbucks, Dunkin, McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Panera Bread, and Peet's Coffee found.
According to the FDA, a person who eats 2,000 calories a day shouldn't consume more than 50 grams, or 12.5 teaspoons, of added sugar daily. Most Americans get added sugars from sugar-sweetened beverages, baked goods, desserts, and sweets, it said.
The American Heart Association's guidelines for daily sugar intake are even lower. The non-profit says that men should have no more than 36g or 9 teaspoons per day, while for women it's 25g or 6 teaspoons.
People who consume sugary drinks regularly are more likely to face health problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart, disease, cavities, and gout, according to the CDC.
Iced coffees can contain as much as 185 grams of sugar
As a point of comparison, while a Grande Starbucks cappuccino contains 12g of sugar, its new Grande-sized Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino Blended Beverage has 69g — the equivalent to over 17 teaspoons or two cans of Coke.
Dunkin's large Frozen Coffee with Butter Pecan Swirl, meanwhile, contains 185 grams of sugar, or around 46 teaspoons, which is five cans of Coke and almost four times the recommended daily allowance.
These products are meant to be consumed occasionally and if someone were to have them every day, it could increase their risk of health conditions such as diabetes, Lorraine Kearney, a certified dietitian-nutritionist based in New York, told Insider.
"We don't want a diet that's too high in sugar, but we can include it in our diet," Kearney said. To reduce your sugar intake while still indulging in the occasional sugary summer drink, she suggested requesting only one pump of syrup, or getting a smaller size to decrease the amount of sugar you are having.
Insider compiled a list of the sugar content from popular coffee brands to help you make an informed choice when treating yourself this summer.
To create this list, Insider looked at classic frozen coffees — such as lattes and cappuccinos — flavored cold brews, and brand-specific specialty drinks, such as Starbucks' Frappuccino and Tim Horton's Iced Capps. We featured the standard version of products that were available on the brand's website at the time of writing.
We didn't include drinks that contained what would widely be considered a reasonable amount of sugar to put in a regular coffee, at around one to two teaspoons. As such, not all iced drinks available were included and the brands do offer lower sugar options, such as iced lattes with no syrup.
A spokesperson for Peet's Coffee said: "Some coffee drinkers like sweeter drinks — so we do offer a selection (and the sweetness profile is similar to other coffee shops). But we also encourage Peet's customers to customize their drinks — and when ordering in person or via our app, customers can ask for sugar-free vanilla syrup, modify their milk choice, and specify if they would prefer no syrup, or light, regular, or extra syrup."
Starbucks, Dunkin, McDonald's, Tim Hortons, and Panera did not provide a comment when contacted by Insider.
Starbucks
Drink Name | Size | Sugar (g) | No. of teaspoons of sugar | Equivalent sugar content to no. of cans of Coke |
Espresso Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium (Grande) | 42 | 10.5 | 1.2 |
Espresso Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large (Venti) | 56 | 14 | 1.6 |
Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 69 | 17.25 | 2 |
Chocolate Java Mint Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 87 | 21.75 | 2.5 |
Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 59 | 14.75 | 1.7 |
Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 79 | 19.75 | 2.3 |
Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino | Medium | 55 | 13.75 | 1.6 |
Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino | Large | 75 | 18.75 | 2.1 |
Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 60 | 15 | 1.7 |
Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 78 | 19.5 | 2.2 |
Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 63 | 15.75 | 1.8 |
Caffè Vanilla Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 83 | 20.75 | 2.4 |
Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 54 | 13.5 | 1.5 |
Caramel Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 72 | 18 | 2 |
Coffee Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 45 | 11.25 | 1.3 |
Coffee Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 59 | 14.75 | 1.7 |
Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 51 | 12.75 | 1.5 |
Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 67 | 16.75 | 1.9 |
White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Medium | 61 | 15.25 | 1.7 |
White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage | Large | 76 | 19 | 2.2 |
White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew | Medium | 30 | 7.5 | 0.85 |
White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew | Large | 37 | 9.25 | 1.05 |
Dunkin
Drink Name | Size | Sugar (g) | No. of teaspoons of sugar | Equivalent sugar content to no. of cans of Coke |
Iced Signature Latte with Caramel Craze flavor | Medium | 57 | 14.25 | 1.6 |
Iced Signature Latte with Caramel Craze flavor | Large | 74 | 18.5 | 2.1 |
Iced Signature Latte with Cocoa Mocha flavor | Medium | 52 | 13 | 1.5 |
Iced Signature Latte with Cocoa Mocha flavor | Large | 68 | 17 | 1.9 |
Frozen Coffee | Medium | 84 | 21 | 2.4 |
Frozen Coffee | Large | 111 | 27.75 | 3.1 |
Frozen Coffee with Caramel Swirl flavor | Medium | 134 | 33.5 | 3.8 |
Frozen Coffee with Caramel Swirl flavor | Large | 175 | 43.75 | 5 |
Frozen Coffee with Butter Pecan swirl | Medium | 142 | 35.5 | 4 |
Frozen Coffee with Butter Pecan swirl | Large | 185 | 46.25 | 5.3 |
Frozen Coffee with French Vanilla swirl | Medium | 132 | 33 | 3.8 |
Frozen Coffee with French Vanilla swirl | Large | 173 | 43.25 | 4.9 |
McDonald's
Drink Name | Size | Sugar (g) | No. of teaspoons of sugar | Equivalent sugar content to no. of cans of Coke |
Iced Caramel Macchiato | Medium | 35 | 8.75 | 1 |
Iced Caramel Macchiato | Large | 51 | 12.75 | 1.45 |
Caramel Frappé | Medium | 62 | 15.5 | 1.8 |
Caramel Frappé | Large | 84 | 21 | 2.4 |
Mocha Frappé | Medium | 60 | 15 | 1.7 |
Mocha Frappé | Large | 81 | 20.25 | 2.3 |
Iced Mocha | Medium | 43 | 10.75 | 1.2 |
Iced Mocha | Large | 62 | 15.5 | 1.8 |
Iced Coffee | Medium | 25 | 6.25 | 0.7 |
Iced Coffee | Large | 42 | 10.5 | 1.2 |
Iced Caramel Coffee | Medium | 26 | 6.5 | 0.7 |
Iced Caramel Coffee | Large | 39 | 9.75 | 1.1 |
Iced French Vanilla Coffee | Medium | 22 | 5.5 | 0.6 |
Iced French Vanilla Coffee | Large | 33 | 8.25 | 0.9 |
Iced Latte | Medium | 9 | 2.25 | 0.25 |
Iced Latte | Large | 12 | 3 | 0.3 |
Iced Caramel Latte | Medium | 32 | 8 | 0.9 |
Iced Caramel Latte | Large | 48 | 12 | 1.4 |
Iced French Vanilla Latte | Medium | 28 | 7 | 0.8 |
Iced French Vanilla Latte | Large | 42 | 10.5 | 1.12 |
Tim Hortons
Drink Name | Size | Sugar (g) | No. of teaspoons of sugar | Equivalent sugar content to no. of cans of Coke |
Iced Coffee (classic) | Medium | 23.6 | 6 | 0.67 |
Iced Coffee (classic) | Large | 29.5 | 7.4 | 0.8 |
Iced Latte | Medium | 11.3 | 2.8 | 0.3 |
Iced Latte | Large | 13.5 | 3.4 | 0.4 |
Caramel Iced Latte | Medium | 30.4 | 7.6 | 0.9 |
Caramel Iced Latte | Large | 40.9 | 10.2 | 1.2 |
Vanilla Iced Latte | Medium | 28.3 | 7.1 | 0.8 |
Vanilla Iced Latte | Large | 36.2 | 9 | 1 |
White Chocolate Macadamia Iced Latte | Medium | 52 | 13 | 1.5 |
White Chocolate Macadamia Iced Latte | Large | 67 | 16.75 | 1.9 |
Vanilla Cream Cold Brew | Medium | 26.2 | 6.6 | 0.7 |
Vanilla Cream Cold Brew | Large | 33.3 | 8.3 | 0.95 |
Caramel Cream Cold Brew with Cold Foam | Medium | 57.1 | 14.3 | 1.6 |
Caramel Cream Cold Brew with Cold Foam | Large | 69.4 | 17.35 | 2 |
White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew with Cold Foam | Medium | 71 | 17.75 | 2 |
White Chocolate Macadamia Cream Cold Brew with Cold Foam | Large | 88 | 22 | 2.5 |
Iced Capp | Medium | 28.6 | 7.15 | 0.8 |
Iced Capp | Large | 38.6 | 9.65 | 1.1 |
Caramel Iced Capp | Medium | 136.2 | 34 | 3.9 |
Caramel Iced Capp | Large | 173.9 | 43.5 | 5 |
Mocha Iced Capp | Medium | 52 | 13 | 1.5 |
Mocha Iced Capp | Large | 66.8 | 16.7 | 1.9 |
Oreo Iced Capp | Medium | 69 | 17.25 | 2 |
Oreo Iced Capp | Large | 89 | 22.25 | 2.5 |
Creamy Coconut Iced Capp | Medium | 67 | 16.75 | 1.9 |
Creamy Coconut Iced Capp | Large | 86 | 21.5 | 2.5 |
Panera
Drink Name | Size | Sugar (g) | No. of teaspoons of sugar | Equivalent sugar content to no. of cans of Coke |
Frozen Caramel Cold Brew | One size | 58 | 14.5 | 1.6 |
Frozen Chocolate Cold Brew | One size | 59 | 14.75 | 1.69 |
Iced Caffe Latte | One size | 14 | 3.5 | 0.4 |
Iced Caramel Latte | One size | 45 | 11.25 | 1.29 |
Iced Madagascar Vanilla Latte | One size | 34 | 8.5 | 1 |
Iced Chocolate Latte | One size | 46 | 11.5 | 1.3 |
Peet's Coffee
Drink Name | Size | Sugar (g) | No. of teaspoons of sugar | Equivalent sugar content to no. of cans of Coke |
The Black Tie | Medium | 36 | 9 | 1.02 |
The Black Tie | Large | 50 | 12.5 | 1.4 |
Cold Brew Oat Latte | Medium | 23 | 5.75 | 0.7 |
Cold Brew Oat Latte | Large | 31 | 7.75 | 0.9 |
Brown Sugar Cold Brew Oat Latte with Jelly | Medium | 41 | 10.25 | 1.2 |
Brown Sugar Cold Brew Oat Latte with Jelly | Large | 47 | 11.75 | 1.3 |
Iced Latte | Medium | 9 | 2.25 | 0.25 |
Iced Latte | Large | 15 | 3.75 | 0.4 |
Iced Vanilla Latte | Medium | 35 | 8.75 | 1 |
Iced Vanilla Latte | Large | 47 | 11.75 | 1.3 |
Mocha Frappé | Medium | 65 | 16.25 | 1.85 |
Mocha Frappé | Large | 88 | 22 | 2.5 |
Caramel Frappé | Medium | 73 | 18.25 | 2 |
Caramel Frappé | Large | 99 | 24.75 | 2.8 |
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