How do you order a latte with less sugar. Lattes. They are so many people’s go-to orders in coffee shops (including mine – a large almond milk latte with extra sugar free vanilla shots). But exactly how much sugar is in the simple latte? That is the question I am going to be answering in this post and showing you how to order low sugar lattes at the biggest coffee chains.
To answer that question, I looked at the sugar content of lattes at four of the major coffee chains – Starbucks, Dunkin’, Peet’s, and Scooter’s. I looked at the sugar contents of lattes at each of these chains based on your choice of milk as well as cup size. This information allowed me to put together some helpful information on how to order a latte with less sugar.
So, let’s dig in – exactly how do you order a latte with less sugar?
How much sugar is in a Latte?
As a general rule, most small dairy lattes contain 8g-13g of total sugar. The best ways to reduce the sugar content of a latte are to:
- Order small size
- Order with oat, soy, or coconut milk
- Avoid regular syrups or whip
- Add sugar free syrup or sugar free sweetener if desired.
A small oat milk latte can contain as little as 0g-6g of sugar. If you are interested in reading more about the lowest sugar oat milks and other alternative milks, you can here:
- Which Oats Milk Do Not Contain Sugar? 25 Oat Milks Ranked by Sugar
- Which Alternative Milks Contain No Sugar (0g)?
Note that all the sugar contents below are for total sugar content (so this is added sugar plus naturally occurring sugar. Dairy can be quite high in naturally occurring sugar.
If you want to learn more about other coffee-style drinks then check out some of these posts I also wrote below:
- How Do You Reduce Sugar in a Caramel Macchiato?
- How Do You Order Mocha with Less Sugar?
- Does Matcha Contain a Lot of Sugar Matcha?
- How Much Sugar is in a Chai Tea Latte?
- How Much Sugar is in Hot Chocolate?
- Is There Any Sugar in a Cappuccino?
- Does Iced Coffee Contain a Lot of Sugar?
- Is there a lot of Sugar in Iced Tea?
STARBUCKS – How To Order A Latte With Less Sugar At Starbucks
Below I have collated the sugar content of the different sized caffe lattes and reserve lattes at Starbucks. Note that the Starbucks website does not update the nutritional information based on the type of milk ordered – it only updates it based on the size ordered. So, the below sugar contents for the lattes and reserve lattes are just for when ordered with 2% milk.
| Cup Size | Sugar Content of Starbucks Caffe Latte Made With 2% Milk | Sugar Content of Starbucks Reserve Latte Made With 2% Milk |
|---|---|---|
| Short (8oz) | 9g | 8g |
| Tall (12oz) | 12g | 13g |
| Grande (16oz) | 18g | 18g |
| Venti (20oz) | 23g | 22g |
However, I came across this document online from Starbucks which suggests that soy and coconut are lower sugar milk options at Starbucks. For example, this document states that a short soy has 4g of sugar and a short coconut latte contains 6g.
How Do You Reduce the Sugar in A Starbucks Latte?
In conclusion, the best way to order a latte with less sugar at Starbucks is:
- order short (8oz) size; and
- order with soy milk
Flavored lattes at Starbucks, such as vanilla lattes are of course higher in sugar due to the syrup. Starbucks does, however, have a sugar free vanilla syrup that you can ask to be added to your latte. The result? All the vanilla latte vibes but with less sugar. This is always my go-to choice at Starbucks.
If you are interested, I have written a few posts before on how to order the lowest sugar drinks at Starbucks. You can read these posts here –
- Which Frappuccinos Contain the Least Sugar?
- 34 Best Low Sugar Drinks at Starbucks (10g of sugar or less)
- 12 Lowest Sugar Starbucks Cold Drinks You Need To Know
DUNKIN’ – How To Order A Latte With Less Sugar At Dunkin’
I have collated the following information below from the Dunkin website on the different sugar contents of their lattes depending on which milk or size you order.
| Sugar Content in Dunkin’ Lattes | |||||
| Dunkin’ Cup Size | Coconut Milk | Oat Milk | Almond Milk | Whole Milk | Skimmed Milk |
| Small | 0g | 4g | 10g | 9g | 9g |
| Medium | 1g | 5g | 15g | 13g | 14g |
| Large | 1g | 7g | 20g | 18g | 18g |
As you can see the best way to order a lower sugar latte at Dunkin is to order a coconut milk latte. A small coconut latte contains 0g of sugar and even the medium and large sizes still only contain 1g of sugar – woah!
If coconut milk isn’t your thing, a small oat milk latte is your next lowest sugar option at just 4g of sugar.
What Lattes to Avoid at Dunkin’?
Avoid the signature lattes at Dunkin’ if you are watching your sugar intake. A large caramel craze signature latte made with skimmed milk contains 75g of sugar.
The lowest sugar signature latte is a small cocoa mocha made with whole milk which still contains 36g of sugar. The signature lattes contain whip, drizzle, and toppings – which of course explains the high sugar content.
If you want a flavored latte at Dunkin’ make sure to avoid the swirls. Instead, add a sugar free flavor shot to your latte. The sugar free flavor shots at Dunkin’ come in the following flavors – vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry, and coconut.
This isn’t the first time I have looked at the sugar content of Dunkin’s products. You can read the posts I wrote looking at the sugar content of Dunkin’s donuts and drinks here:
PEET’S – How To Order A Latte With Less Sugar At Peet’s
Below I have collated the sugar contents for the different sizes of lattes at Peets’s, as well as the different milk options.
| Sugar Content in Peet’s Lattes | ||||||
| Peet’s Cup Size | Oat Milk | Soy Milk | Almond Milk | Whole Milk | 2% Milk | Non-Fat Milk |
| Small | 4g | 8g | 10g | 15g | 13g | 15g |
| Medium | 5g | 11g | 14g | 19g | 18g | 20g |
| Large | 5g | 12g | 15g | 21g | 19g | 22g |
As you can see the best way to reduce the sugar content of your Peet’s latte is to order it with oat milk. A small oat latte contains 4g of sugar and a medium or large oat latte at Peet’s still just contains 5g of sugar.
If you want to order a lower sugar flavored latte at Peet’s then make sure to add some sugar free vanilla syrup.
You can read more about it in the post I wrote on the best low sugar and zero sugar drinks at Peets, which you can read here:
SCOOTER’S – How to Order A Latte With Less Sugar At Scooter’s
I have collated the sugar content of a latte at Scooter’s depending on the milk and cup size you choose.
| Sugar Content in Scooter’s Lattes | ||||||
| Scooter’s Cup Size | Oat Milk | Coconut Milk | Almond Milk | Whole Milk | 2% Milk | Skimmed Milk |
| Small | 6g | 9g | 10g | 13g | 13g | 14g |
| Medium | 8g | 13g | 14g | 18g | 18g | 19g |
| Large | 10g | 17g | 18g | 24g | 24g | 25g |
As you can see, the best way of reducing the sugar content of a latte at Scooters is to order yours small and with oat milk. A small oat milk latte at Scooters contains 6g of sugar.
If you enjoy your lattes flavored, you can also add a sugar free flavor to yours. Scooter’s has not one, not two, but THREE sugar free flavors – vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut.
They even have a whole menu item dedicated to their sugar free syrups – it’s called their “Super Skinny Flavored Latte”. You can read more about it in the post I wrote on the best lower sugar drinks at Scooters:
Sugar In Lattes F&Q
How Many Grams of Sugar Are There in a Latte?
As a general rule, there are 8g-13g of total sugar in a small dairy latte.
Are There Sugar Free Lattes?
As a general rule, most unflavored lattes are added sugar free but can be fairly high in naturally occurring sugar, especially if made with dairy milk.
Are Skinny Lattes Sugar Free?
A skinny latte is usually added sugar free but will contain naturally occurring sugar from the skimmed milk.
How Many Teaspoons of Sugar Are in a Starbucks Latte?
There are 2-5.5 teaspoons of sugar in a Starbucks latte depending on the size ordered. This is for a latte made with 2% milk and the sugar is all naturally occurring from the milk.
Is A Starbucks Skinny Latte Sugar Free?
A Starbucks skinny latte is added sugar free but still contains naturally occurring sugar from the milk.
Are Vanilla Skinny Lattes Sugar Free?
Vanilla Skinny Lattes do not tend to be sugar free.
There is usually added sugar in the vanilla syrup and naturally occurring sugar in the milk. You can order an added sugar free vanilla skinny latte by ordering your latte with sugar free vanilla syrup.
A vanilla skinny latte ordered with sugar free vanilla syrup may be added sugar free, but it will still contain naturally occurring sugar from your added milk of choice.
Does Starbucks Make a Sugar Free Vanilla Latte?
The way to order a sugar free vanilla latte at Starbucks is to order a caffe latte with sugar free vanilla syrup. This latte will be added sugar free but there will still be naturally occurring sugar in the milk.
Are There Sugar Free Lattes at Starbucks?
There are added sugar free lattes at Starbucks. The caffe latte is added sugar free.
Is There Sugar in a Dunkin’ Donuts Latte?
There is no added sugar in a Dunkin’ unflavored latte made with dairy milk, but there is naturally occurring sugar in the milk.
How Much Sugar is in a Dunkin’ Hot Latte?
There are 0g-20g of sugar in a Dunkin’ hot latte, depending on the size ordered and the milk ordered.
Does Scooter’s Have a Sugar Free Latte?
Scooter’s have an added sugar free latte, which is their plain latte. There is still naturally occurring sugar in the milk though.
Does A Latte Have More Sugar Than Coffee?
As a general rule, a latte contains more total sugar than a coffee. Black coffee is sugar free. However, milk contains naturally occurring sugar. As a latte is made up of a large quantity of milk it will tend to contain more naturally occurring sugar than black coffee, which tends to be predominantly made up of coffee.
How Do You Order a Latte With Less Sugar? – The Final Bite
How do you order a latte with less sugar? What have we learned from the above? Well, when it comes to lattes it is not possible to get a completely sugar-free version. This is because lattes are made predominately from milk and all kinds of milk (including plant-based alternatives) contain some natural sugars. However, there are ways you can reduce the sugar content of your latte. (1) make sure you order the small cup size available; (2) order it with the lowest sugar milk option (this may vary between different coffee chains); and (3) if you are going to add syrup to your drink then always opt for the sugar-free syrups available.
In fact, this article has now made me change my regular Starbucks order. Going forward it is now going to be a Coconut Milk Latte with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup. This is after I realized how much sugar can be in Almond Milk.
And Remember…
Ingredients and/or manufacturing processes may change. Always double-check ingredient lists and nutritional information before purchasing any food items.
WANT TO FIND MORE LOW SUGAR OPTIONS?
Do you want to learn about some other low-sugar options at your favorite coffee chains, fast food, or restaurant joints, or just while you are shopping for groceries? If you do, then check out some of my other articles below:
