Quick Answer
A grande (16 oz) Cold Brew with vanilla sweet cream cold foam from Starbucks contains about 180 calories. This is calculated based on the standard recipe and nutrition information provided by Starbucks.
Detailed Answer
A grande (16 oz) Cold Brew with vanilla sweet cream cold foam from Starbucks is made up of the following ingredients:
- Cold brew coffee
- Vanilla syrup
- 2% milk
- Sweet cream cold foam
Let’s break down the calories from each component:
Cold Brew Coffee
The cold brew coffee itself contains minimal calories, around 5 calories per 8 oz serving. So in a 16 oz grande cold brew there are roughly 10 calories just from the black coffee alone.
Vanilla Syrup
The vanilla syrup adds a bit more calories and sugar. Standard Starbucks vanilla syrup contains about 50 calories per 1 oz (or 2 tablespoons). A grande cold brew comes with 4 pumps of vanilla syrup. Since one pump is about 0.5 oz, 4 pumps would be around 2 oz or 100 calories.
2% Milk
The milk adds more calories and gives it a creamy sweetness. Starbucks uses 2% reduced fat milk as the default milk. One cup (8 oz) of 2% milk contains about 120 calories. A grande is 16 oz, so with 8 oz of 2% milk this adds around 120 calories.
Sweet Cream Cold Foam
This is where most of the calories come from in a cold brew with sweet cream foam. The foam is made from vanilla syrup blended with heavy cream. Half an inch of sweet cream foam in a grande contains roughly 50 calories.
Adding that all up:
| Cold brew coffee: | 10 calories |
| Vanilla syrup: | 100 calories |
| 2% milk: | 120 calories |
| Sweet cream foam: | 50 calories |
| Total: | 280 calories |
So a grande Starbucks Cold Brew with the vanilla sweet cream cold foam contains approximately 280 calories. This may vary slightly depending on customization and precise recipe but this gives a good estimate based on Starbucks standard nutrition data.
Factors Affecting Calorie Count
Some factors that can change the calorie count include:
Size
The calories are for a grande 16 oz drink. Smaller or larger sizes will have different calorie counts:
| Tall 12 oz: | About 210 calories |
| Grande 16 oz: | About 280 calories |
| Venti 24 oz: | About 420 calories |
As you go up in sizes, the calories increase since you are getting more ounces of milk, vanilla syrup and cold foam.
Type of Milk
The calories can vary depending on the type of milk used:
| Nonfat milk: | Removes about 60-70 calories |
| Whole milk: | Adds about 45 calories |
| Soy milk: | Adds about 40 calories |
| Coconut milk: | Adds about 130 calories |
Opting for nonfat or skim milk reduces the calories, while richer milks like whole milk or coconut milk increases the calorie count.
Number of Pumps of Syrup
The standard is 4 pumps of vanilla syrup for a grande. Asking for extra pumps adds more calories:
| 2 pumps: | Removes about 50 calories |
| 6 pumps: | Adds about 75 calories |
| 8 pumps: | Adds about 100 calories |
Conversely, asking for less syrup pumps lowers the calorie count.
Whipped Cream
Adding whipped cream on top will add around 50 calories for the amount used on a grande drink.
Alternative Sweeteners
Using sugar-free vanilla syrup will remove about 100 calories. The stevia and Splenda based syrups have minimal calories.
Nutritional Profile
Beyond just calories, here is more detail on the nutrition facts breakdown for a Starbucks grande Cold Brew with vanilla sweet cream cold foam:
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Calories | 280 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Trans Fat | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 40 mg |
| Sodium | 100 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 41 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Total Sugars | 39 g |
| Added Sugars | 39 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
As you can see, the majority of calories come from carbohydrates and fat, specifically saturated fat from the milk and heavy cream. There is also a high amount of added sugar, around 39g per drink.
So while tasty, the Cold Brew with sweet cream foam is a high calorie, sugary drink. Those watching their sugar, fat, or calorie intake may want to customize the drink to be lower calorie or consider alternatives.
Health Impact of Drinking Full Sugar Cold Brews
The high amount of added sugar, saturated fat, and calories can negatively impact health if these drinks are consumed on a regular basis.
Some potential health risks of sugary coffee drinks include:
- Weight gain – excess calories consumed over time can lead to weight gain and obesity
- Increased blood sugar and diabetes risk – large amounts of added sugar spikes blood glucose
- Increased cholesterol and heart disease risk – saturated fat can raise LDL cholesterol
- Tooth decay – sugar feeds oral bacteria that can damage tooth enamel
- Inflammation – excess refined carbs and saturated fat causes chronic inflammation
- Increased cancer risk – some studies link high sugar drinks to increased cancer risk
While having the occasional sugary coffee drink is unlikely to cause harm on its own, regular daily consumption can be detrimental over the long run. It’s best to limit sweet creamy coffee beverages to occasional treats rather than everyday habits.
Lower Calorie Options
Thankfully, there are many ways to customize or modify a Starbucks Cold Brew to be lower in sugar, fat, and calories:
- Ask for less pumps of vanilla syrup. Get only 2-3 pumps for grande instead of standard 4.
- Substitute sugar-free vanilla syrup to remove around 100 calories.
- Ask for nonfat or skim milk instead of 2% milk.
- Skip the sweet cream foam completely.
- Ask for light cold foam made with nonfat milk.
- Order a small or tall size.
- Ask for less cold foam or no whipped cream.
- Blend in sugar-free cinnamon dolce syrup instead of vanilla.
- Add a splash of almond milk or oat milk as creamer instead.
Follow some of those tips, and you can enjoy a Cold Brew with sweet cream foam for under 100 calories instead of 280!
Healthier Drink Choices
Beyond customizing the Cold Brew drink itself, you can also consider lower calorie Starbucks drink options, such as:
- Plain cold brew coffee or iced coffee
- Cold brew with splash of almond or oat milk
- Iced coffee with sugar-free syrup
- Skinny vanilla latte made with sugar-free syrup and nonfat milk
- Iced skinny mocha
- Passion tango iced tea
- Iced coffee with stevia sweetener instead of classic syrup
- Cold brew lemonade
- Nitro cold brew with no sweeteners
Those provide the coffee flavor you crave without all the saturated fat, refined sugar, and excess calories.
Conclusion
A Starbucks grande Cold Brew with vanilla sweet cream cold foam contains around 280 calories. This is due to the high amounts of added sugar from vanilla syrup and saturated fat from the milk and cream. To lighten it up, customize the drink with sugar-free syrup, nonfat milk, less pumps of flavoring, and skip the whipped cream. Or opt for lower calorie Starbucks beverages like cold brew with splash of almond milk or iced coffee sweetened with stevia. Enjoy your coffee drink, but be mindful of added sugars and calories especially if consuming daily.