Dutch Bros is a popular coffee chain known for their sweet, customizable coffee and tea drinks. One of their most popular customizations is the caramelizer, a flavored syrup that gives drinks a sweet caramel taste. However, with many customers looking to reduce their sugar intake, a common question is whether Dutch Bros offers a sugar free version of their caramelizer.
The Basics of Dutch Bros’ Caramelizer
Dutch Bros’ regular caramelizer is made with cane sugar, water, natural and artificial flavors, potassium sorbate, and caramel color. It contains 140 calories and 38g of sugar in a 2 oz serving. This gives their drinks a sweet caramel flavor, but can significantly increase the sugar content.
Dutch Bros offers over 120 syrup flavors customers can add to any drink. Other popular syrups include hazelnut, white chocolate mocha, raspberry, and coconut. All of their standard syrup flavors contain cane sugar as one of the main ingredients.
Sugar Free Syrup Options at Dutch Bros
Currently, Dutch Bros does not offer a sugar free version of their caramelizer syrup. All of their standard syrup flavors contain cane sugar or other sugars like high fructose corn syrup. However, they do offer a few options for customers looking to reduce sugar:
- Sugar free vanilla or hazelnut syrups made with sucralose – Dutch Bros offers sugar free versions of some of their most popular syrup flavors. The sugar free vanilla and hazelnut contain 0g of sugar and are made with the artificial sweetener sucralose instead.
- Flavor shots – Customers can add a dash of flavors like caramel, hazelnut, or vanilla using a flavor shot instead of the full syrup. This adds just a hint of flavor without as much sugar.
- Sugar free sweetener – Dutch Bros has sugar free sweetener options like Splenda or stevia that can be added to drinks.
- Sugar free syrups brought from home – Customers are welcome to bring their own sugar free syrups or sweeteners from home to customize their drink.
- Order drinks less sweet – Drinks can be ordered with fewer pumps of syrup or extra milk/ice to dilute the sweetness.
While not exactly the same, these allow customers to get a less sugary or sugar free version of the flavors they enjoy.
Why Dutch Bros Doesn’t Offer Sugar Free Caramelizer
There are a few potential reasons why Dutch Bros has not added a sugar free caramel syrup to their menu:
- Development costs – Creating a new sugar free syrup flavor like caramel from scratch takes time and money for R&D.
- Lack of demand – Sugar free specialty syrups may not be requested enough to justify adding it.
- Difficult to replicate taste – Artificial sweeteners can sometimes have an aftertaste and may not replicate the flavor as well.
- Focus on natural ingredients – Dutch Bros advertises using pure cane sugar in their syrups, so a sugar substitute doesn’t align with their messaging.
Additionally, some customers genuinely prefer the taste of real sugar over artificial sweeteners in their flavored drinks. Dutch Bros may have determined that the demand isn’t high enough yet to create a sugar free caramelizer given these constraints.
How to Order a Lower Sugar Caramel Drink
While Dutch Bros doesn’t offer a sugar free caramel syrup, customers can order their drinks with lower sugar by:
- Using sugar free vanilla or hazelnut syrup instead of caramel syrup.
- Asking for just 1-2 pumps of caramel syrup instead of the standard 3-4 pumps.
- Adding extra milk or a splash of cream to help dilute the sweetness.
- Ordering their drink with light ice to make it less sweet.
- Opting for a smaller size. A 12 oz drink has less syrup than a 16 oz or 20 oz drink.
- Choosing a brewed coffee or tea as the base instead of a sweeter one like a smoothie or freeze.
- Adding a sugar free sweetener like Splenda or stevia.
Baristas are used to customizing orders to meet customer preferences. Don’t be afraid to ask for modifications to make your drink less sweet!
Sugar Free Syrup Alternatives to Bring from Home
Some customers prefer to bring their own sugar free or low calorie syrups and sweeteners from home to customize their drinks. Here are some options:
- Torani Sugar Free Syrups – Torani makes sugar free versions of popular syrup flavors like caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, and many more. A 1 oz serving contains 0g sugar.
- Jordan’s Skinny Syrups – These contain 0 calories and 0g sugar. Flavors like salted caramel and cinnamon roll make good replacements for the Dutch Bros caramelizer.
- Davinci Sugar Free Syrups – DaVinci offers sugar free caramel and a variety of sugar free flavors to try.
- Skinny Mixes – Skinny Mixes are sugar free, zero calorie cocktail mixes including caramel, which could work for coffee drinks.
- SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia – This stevia based sweetener comes in vanilla creme and caramel macchiato flavors to sweeten drinks without sugar.
- Sweet Drops or SweetLeaf liquid stevia – These are easier to mix into large coffee drinks compared to powder or packet sweeteners.
Any barista at Dutch Bros can add these sugar free syrups or sweeteners to your drink instead of the regular sweeteners. Just ask!
How Sugar Free Syrups Are Made
Sugar free syrups replace the sugar in regular syrups with artificial sweeteners like:
- Sucralose – Sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than sugar and the most commonly used sweetener in sugar free syrups. It passes through the body without being digested so it provides no calories.
- Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K) – Ace-K is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and is often combined with sucralose in sugar free products. It provides a similar sweet taste without calories.
- Stevia – Stevia comes from a natural plant extract and has no calories. It is much sweeter than sugar and can have a slight aftertaste.
- Monk fruit extract – Monk fruit extract is a natural, calorie free sweetener that is 100-250 times sweeter than sugar.
- Aspartame – Aspartame is made up of natural amino acids and is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. It’s not as commonly used in syrups.
These provide the sweet taste people expect from syrups without any sugar or calories. Combinations of sweeteners are often used to improve the flavor.
The Production Process
Sugar free syrups go through a similar production process as regular syrups. The main differences are:
- No added granulated cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup
- Artificial sweeteners like sucralose are added instead
- More focus is put on enhancing flavors since sweeteners can have an aftertaste
First, the flavoring ingredients like cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, etc. are combined together. Artificial sweeteners are dissolved into the mixture to provide sweetness.
Next, preservatives like potassium sorbate may be added to give the syrup a longer shelf life. Colors are also sometimes added to give the desired hue. Caramel coloring gives standard caramel syrup its brown color, for example.
The syrup mixture is then heated gently to get the proper texture and viscosity. Once cooled, sugar free syrups have a smooth, pourable consistency similar to regular syrups. They can be pumped and swirled into frozen blended drinks or coffees just like the regular sweetened versions.
Should Dutch Bros Offer More Sugar Free Choices?
Many major coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have added more sugar free syrup options to keep up with customer demand for low sugar drinks. Should Dutch Bros follow suit?
There are a few pros and cons Dutch Bros may be weighing:
Pros of Offering Sugar Free Caramel Syrup
- Appeal to health conscious consumers who avoid sugar
- Attract diabetic and prediabetic customers who must limit sugar
- Provide more customization options for all customers
- Keep up with current trends and demand for sugar free foods
Cons of Offering Sugar Free Caramel Syrup
- Higher R&D costs to develop flavors in-house
- Potentially smaller profit margins on sugar free syrups
- Some customers may prefer the taste of real sugar and cane syrup
- Changes brand image away from natural sweeteners like cane sugar
Public perception is also a factor. While many consumers view sugar free or low calorie options as beneficial, some view artificial sweeteners negatively. Dutch Bros may not want to move away from their focus on pure cane sugar syrups.
Should They Make the Addition?
Looking at customer feedback and demand seems to suggest it may be wise for Dutch Bros to expand their menu to include some sugar free specialty syrups. These additions could allow them to:
- Make their drinks accessible to diabetics and others limiting sugar
- Meet customer requests for less sweet options
- Keep up with competitors like Starbucks who offer sugar free choices
Even just having sugar free caramel, vanilla, and hazelnut would allow customers to modify most drink orders. They could keep their core syrup flavors as is to maintain their natural image. Expanding to offer a few sugar free alternatives in popular flavors seems like a logical next step for Dutch Bros.
Should You Consume Sugar Free Drinks Daily?
Sugar free coffee drinks can be safe for most people in moderation, but having them every day may not be ideal. Here are some things to consider:
Potential Benefits
- Lower sugar and calorie intake
- Do not negatively impact blood glucose levels
- Help satisfy sweet cravings
Potential Drawbacks
- Artificial sweeteners may negatively impact gut bacteria
- Can maintain taste preferences for very sweet foods and drinks
- Highly processed and not a natural product
- Unknown long term health impacts of consuming artificial sweeteners daily
The FDA has approved common sweeteners like sucralose and Ace-K as safe. But some recent studies have linked frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners to increased weight gain, glucose intolerance, and other issues.
While enjoying sugar free drinks occasionally seems fine for most people, consumers may want to limit daily intake until more research is done on long term impacts. Alternatives like adding just a splash of regular sweetener or switching to unsweetened beverages some days could be a healthier approach.
Tips for Consuming Sugar Free Drinks
Here are some tips for enjoying sugar free coffee drinks safely:
- Do not overcompensate calorie intake elsewhere. Sugar free does not mean unlimited calories from other sources.
- Check with your doctor about any necessary precautions if diabetic or pregnant.
- Read the ingredients list and nutrition info to understand what sweeteners are used.
- Be aware it can maintain a preference for very sweet tastes over time.
- Consume in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet.
Are There Healthier Alternatives?
For those concerned about consuming artificial sweeteners daily, there are alternatives to sugar free coffee drinks that provide health benefits:
- Unsweetened coffee or tea – Skipping sweeteners entirely avoids sugar and provides antioxidants from the drinks themselves.
- Sparkling water – Flavored sparkling waters offer light fruit flavors without sweeteners or calories.
- Green tea – Research shows green tea may help reduce risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more.
- Turmeric lattes – Turmeric provides anti-inflammatory benefits and mixes well with steamed milk for a comforting latte.
- Matcha lattes – Matcha is rich in antioxidants and makes a smooth, energizing latte.
- Chai tea – Chai gets natural sweetness from spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and black pepper.
Substituting sugar free coffee some days with these options can add more dietary variety and health benefits without the artificial sweeteners.
The Bottom Line
Dutch Bros currently does not offer a sugar free version of their popular caramel syrup. Consumers can request modifications like light syrup, sugar free flavors, and added milk to reduce the sweetness of their drinks. Some may want to bring their own sugar free syrups from home for maximum customization.
While Dutch Bros promotes the use of natural cane sugar, consumer demand for sugar free and lower calorie options continues to grow. At some point, offering a few sugar free syrups could attract new health-conscious customers. This could allow Dutch Bros to keep up with coffee industry trends while maintaining their core values.
In moderation, enjoying the occasional sugar free coffee drink seems fine for most people. But daily consumption may not be ideal due to concerns about artificial sweeteners and maintaining sweet cravings. Rotating in unsweetened options at times can provide more variety and health benefits.
Overall, Dutch Bros does not currently have a sugar free caramelizer but provides some ways to customize your drink order to be less sweet. Adding a sugar free caramel and a few other popular syrups could appeal to more health-conscious consumers in the future.
