Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See All Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See All News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet isĀ not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See All Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See All Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
    • Wellness Warriors
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
    • Health Reviews
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Nutrition Chevron Right
  3. 10 Coffee Drinks Worse Than a Candy Bar

10 Coffee Drinks Worse Than a Candy Bar

By Beth Lipton
Updated February 27, 2021
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
Some fancy coffee drinks pack in as many calories as a small meal—and more sugar than you should eat in an entire day.
Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Worst coffee drinks

Credit: Getty Images

We've all been there: 4 o'clock rolls around and you're dying for something to help get you through an afternoon energy slump. Your head knows that a healthy snack will perk you up—carrots and hummus, an apple with peanut butter—but your heart is craving one of those warm, lip-smacking seasonal coffee drinks with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. Even nutritionists enjoy an occasional not-so-healthy treat, so should you go for it? Sorry, but probably not: most of these coffee concoctions contain more fat and sugar than sweet treats you can actually eat—and many rack up more calories than a small meal. Read on for the 10 coffee calorie bombs you should avoid, and the less-sinful ways you can satisfy your cravings.

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dunkin Donuts Sugar Cookie Latte

Credit: Getty Images

230 calories, 6 g fat (3.5 saturated), 35 g sugar in a small

Even a small has 230 calories, plus it's loaded with less-than-desirable ingredients: high-fructose corn syrup, four artificial colors, and something called “sugar cookie flavored swirl syrup.” Why bother?

Have this instead: Drink a cup of coffee with whole milk and pair it with an actual sugar cookie. You can skip the scary ingredients and still clock in at 205 calories.

2 of 11

3 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

McDonalds McCafe Mocha

Credit: Getty Images

340 calories, 11 g fat (7 saturated), 42 g sugar in a small

Along with a caffeine jolt, knocking back a McDonald's McCafé Mocha will give you a

sugar buzz: a small contains the equivalent of 10 teaspoons, or nearly twice what the American Heart Association recommends for the entire day. Artificial flavors and colors also lurk inside this treat.

Have this instead: Sip a small café au lait made with whole milk and savor an ounce of good-quality dark chocolate. You get your caffeine fix, and you get to eat chocolate, all for less than 200 calories. Plus, dark chocolate is rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants.

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Seattle's Best Birthday Cake Latte

Credit: Getty Images

310 calories, 15 g fat (9 saturated), 35 g sugar in a small

Honestly, we're not really sure what a birthday cake-flavored coffee even means. But we'll probably never find out, since a small one has 310 calories—nearly as many as an actual

cupcake, with frosting, which clocks in at 342 calories.

Have this instead: If you have a cake craving you just can't shake, then skip the coffee concoction and have a cupcake instead. Yes, we know—342 is more than 310, and neither of these choices is healthy. But if you're going to indulge, wouldn't you rather eat a cupcake with frosting than sip an artificially flavored coffee drink?

4 of 11

5 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Caribou Coffee Gingersnap Cookie Mocha

Credit: Getty Images

420 calories, 24 g fat (15 saturated), 43 g sugar in a small

The American Heart Association recommends that an average person following a 2,000-calorie diet limit their saturated fat intake to 11 to 13 grams a day. With just one indulgent order at Caribou, you'd exceed that by 2 grams. Even if you cut the whipped cream from your order, you're still looking at 8 grams of saturated fat, not to mention 320 calories, 42 g of sugar, and 13 grams of total fat.

Have this instead: Instead of drinking coffee laced with “gingersnap syrup,” have a—you guessed it—actual gingersnap. In fact, have two. You're still taking in only around 275 calories, and no fake syrups.

5 of 11

6 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf White Chocolate Latte

Credit: Getty Images

330 calories, 9 g fat (8 saturated), 41 g sugar in a small

It's a stretch to call

white chocolate "chocolate" since it doesn't actually contain any of the antioxidant-packed treat. White chocolate is made of cocoa butter (the fat from the cocoa bean), plus milk solids, milk fat, sugar, and vanilla.

Have this instead: White chocolate is far from health food, but everything in moderation: If you really want it, then you may as well treat yourself to two Pepperidge Farm Tahoe white chocolate and macadamia cookies. That will only set you back 260 calories and half the sugar of the latte.

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Starbucks Eggnog Latte

Credit: Getty Images

380 calories, 18 g fat (11 saturated), 38 g sugar in a Tall

A 12-ounce eggnog latte at Starbucks has 380 calories—the size of a small meal. And those 38 grams of sugar don't even include whipped cream.

Have this instead: Stir a little nutmeg into a container of vanilla rice pudding and spoon that up for less than 200 calories. Even if you serve your dessert with a cup of coffee with whole milk, you're still coming in below 250 calories. And did we mention that you get to have pudding?

7 of 11

8 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Peet's Coffee & Tea Eggnog Latte

Credit: Getty Images

450 calories, 20 g fat (14 saturated), 52 g sugar in a small

Eggnog replaces the milk in this latte for a

holiday treat so sugary that our teeth hurt just thinking about it. Even if you replace the straight eggnog with non-fat milk, your drink will still set you back 335 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 10 teaspoons of sugar.

Have this instead: Try this lightened up recipe for eggnog—made with low-fat milk, it clocks in at just 148 calories per serving.

8 of 11

9 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte

Credit: Getty Images

520 calories, 16 g fat (13 saturated), 70 g sugar in a small

This is really more milkshake than coffee drink; but then again, it is called a latte. With nearly 18 teaspoons of sugar, the concoction racks up three times more sugar than experts recommend you consume in an entire day.

Have this instead: Satisfy your caramel cravings by savoring a half-cup of Haagen-Dazs Sea Salt Caramel Gelato. It's definitely an indulgence, but still—it contains about half the calories (270) and sugar (29 grams), and is made with ingredients we recognize.

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Krispy Kreme Mocha

Credit: Getty Images

320 calories, 9 g fat (6 saturated), 46 g sugar in a small

No, we weren't expecting a doughnut shop to be healthy. But this drink has 320 calories and 46 grams of sugar, and that's before you even think about a

doughnut to dunk in it.

Have this instead: Drive right on by this place, and have yourself a cup of coffee with whole milk and a slice of sprouted-grain toast slathered with a tablespoon of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. You get your coffee fix, and chocolate, and something satisfying to sink your teeth into (that won't leave you hungry and spiraling down on a sugar crash 20 minutes later), all for around 200 calories and less than 10 grams of sugar.

10 of 11

11 of 11

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Au Bon Pain Peppermint Latte

Credit: Getty Images

240 calories, 7 g fat (4 saturated), 38 g sugar in a medium

Peppermint coffee already sounds like an odd combination to us—and with 240 calories and 38 grams of sugar, we'd just as soon not explore it.

Have this instead: We'd rather have 2 pieces of Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark with Dark chocolate, which has 133 calories and 11g of sugar. Plus, hello, it's chocolate. Or you could quiet your yen for peppermint by having a candy cane—they're just 60 calories apiece.

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Beth Lipton

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 11 Worst coffee drinks
2 of 11 Dunkin Donuts Sugar Cookie Latte
3 of 11 McDonalds McCafe Mocha
4 of 11 Seattle's Best Birthday Cake Latte
5 of 11 Caribou Coffee Gingersnap Cookie Mocha
6 of 11 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf White Chocolate Latte
7 of 11 Starbucks Eggnog Latte
8 of 11 Peet's Coffee & Tea Eggnog Latte
9 of 11 Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte
10 of 11 Krispy Kreme Mocha
11 of 11 Au Bon Pain Peppermint Latte

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

10 Coffee Drinks Worse Than a Candy Bar
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.