Starbucks offers a variety of dairy free options for their customers. From oat milk to almond milk, they have an abundance of options.
But if you’re on a health kick or don’t have a particularly sweet tooth, you may be wondering if Starbucks Almond Milk is sweetened? And what brand do they use exactly?
We did some digging and this is what we found…
Is Starbucks Almond Milk Sweetened?
Starbucks almond milk does have a small amount of added sugar. Natural (non-sweetened) almond milk contains no sugar, but an 8 ounce serving of the Starbucks almond milk will contain 3 grams of sugar.
However, this is still a very low amount of sugar for a commercial drink. The coconut milk at Starbucks, for example, contains 8.5g of sugar, and the soy milk 13.5 grams of sugar.
Starbucks almond milk can be used in any handcrafted Starbucks drink, and if you’d prefer an almond milk drink with no sugar at all, you can always make your own at home.
This article takes a look at the almond milk used at Starbucks: what it is, what it’s made from, how they use it, and how it impacts on our health.
What Kind Of Almond Milk Does Starbucks Use?
Starbucks introduced almond milk to their menus in 2016 after the results of customer surveys indicated a need for it. Starbucks make their almond milk, it’s called Starbucks Almondmilk and it can’t be found in stores.
Where Do Starbucks Get Their Almond Milk From?
Starbucks make their own almond milk, which is called Starbucks Almondmilk, and which is specially designed to complement their unique hand crafted drinks.
The Starbucks beverage team knew they could order in any brand of good almond milk. However, they needed something specific, and they didn’t want to have to tinker with someone else’s brand (no matter how good it was) to get that special drink effect they are known for.
Therefore, the baristas created an almond milk which would complement both hot and iced drinks. It needed to create a rich textured foam when steamed for hot drinks and a rich and creamy drink when added to iced beverages.
Why Did Starbucks Introduce Almond Milk?
Starbucks have a website called My Starbucks Idea, which is a crowdsourcing platform for beverage connoisseurs and enthusiastic Starbucks customers.
Here, you can log on and add all your ideas (and requests) for new Starbucks drinks, the return of old Starbucks drinks, ingredients you’d like to see, ingredients you’d like removed, and alternative ingredients, ideas (and methods) you’d like to contribute.
Starbucks take the customer board seriously and note the information contributed regularly. Customer ideas receive votes, and the ideas with the most votes will often make their way on to Starbucks menus.
This is how almond milk (or Almondmilk) arrived at Starbucks – through customer enthusiasm and willing barista expertise.
What Exactly Is Almond Milk?
Almond milk is a non-dairy (or plant) milk alternative to dairy milks, and along with soy milk, oat milk coconut milk and rice milk, provide consumers with a wider range of milk choices.
Starbucks currently offer almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and oat milk in their non-dairy range.
Almond milk is made from almonds and has a creamy texture and a light almond flavour. The milk is considered healthy because it is low in saturated fat and contains no cholesterol or lactose. It is available in both sweetened and unsweetened form and in different flavours, and some brands have micronutrients added.
It is possible to make your own almond milk at home with a blender, a good quantity of almonds, and plain water.
Is Starbucks Almond Milk Bad For You?
Starbucks almond milk drinks are definity a healthy alternative to many of the other Starbucks choices, which can be very high in sugar, fat, and caffeine. Almond milk itself is considered to be a healthy drink, providing it has not been highly sugared or flavoured.
One cup of Starbucks almondmilk contains 3 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein, 60 calories, 4 grams fat, 110 mg sodium, 5 grams carbohydrate, and 1 gram fibre.
Although the protein content is low, and there is no calcium present, this nutrient list is pleasing the nutritionists, but they do advise that if you add quantities of sugars, syrups, and caffeine to your almondmilk drink, the health benefits will begin to wane.
The full and precise ingredient list for Starbucks almondmilk is: almond milk (made with water and almonds), sugar, tricalcium phosphate, sunflower lecithin, sea salt, xanthan gum, guar gum, vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin D2.
Does Starbucks Have Unsweetened Almond Milk?
Starbuck’s own variety of almond milk is the only almond milk on offer at the Starbucks stores. And although it is low in sugar, it is not sugar free.
If you would prefer a completely sugar free drink, the best thing to do is to make your almond milk at home by blending almonds with water and then straining the mixture to remove the solids.
The concentration of your almond milk will depend on how many almonds you use to make it. Experts recommend making two cups of almond milk from one cup of almonds; however, commercial varieties are far more diluted than this.
Enthusiasts add further ingredients such as vanilla flavouring, honey, molasses, and so on, depending on personal taste.
Does Starbucks Have Unsweetened Milk Alternatives?
Starbucks use a range of diary and non-dairy milks on their menu, and the lowest in sugar is their almondmilk.
Starbucks dairy milks contain the usual 5g of sugar (lactose) per 100ml, but this is before the milk is made into a handcrafted drink. The ingredients added to a typical iced coffee, for example, will dramatically increase the sugar level, as will the size of the serving.
Starbucks range of sugar free drinks does not include the dairy or non-dairy milk drinks. Tropical sugarless Starbucks drinks include the espresso coffees (with nothing else added) and a range of plain tea drinks.
Some coffee enthusiasts count white coffees (lattes and cappuccinos) as sugar free because they contain lactose rather than sucrose. However, this is personal preference.
Conclusion…
Knowing your milks is useful these days, as more and more food and coffeehouses introduce them to menus.
Almond milk, along with other plant based milks, is one more alternative to the traditional dairy based drinks, and Starbucks has come up with their own almond milk recipe that is proving to be both popular and healthy.