Dunkin’ Donuts has become increasingly popular for their wide variety of coffee drinks and refreshers. One of their most popular offerings is the coconut milk refresher, which combines flavors like coconut and fruit for a refreshing chilled beverage. But a common question about the Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher is – how many calories does it contain?
With rising health consciousness, many people want to keep track of their calorie intake throughout the day. So knowing the calorie count of your favorite Dunkin’ drinks can help you make informed choices.
In this article, we’ll provide a detailed breakdown of the calorie and nutrition information in a Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher. We’ll look at the calorie count for a small, medium, and large serving size. We’ll also overview the ingredients and added sugars.
Finally, we’ll compare the Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher calories to other popular Dunkin’ drinks. This provides context on how this beverage fits into your daily calorie allotment.
Overview of Dunkin’s Coconut Milk Refresher
First, let’s quickly overview what a Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher is.
The coconut milk refresher is a non-coffee chilled drink offered at Dunkin’. It was introduced to menus in spring 2020 as a refreshing, fruity beverage.
The main ingredients in a coconut milk refresher are:
– Coconut milk – adds creaminess and coconut flavor
– Fruit juice – typically peach, strawberry or blueberry juice provides fruity flavor
– Pure cane sugar – sweetens the beverage
The coconut milk refresher can be customized with various fruit flavors and topped with inclusions like whipped cream or coconut flakes.
It’s served chilled over ice, resulting in a cool, sweet treat. The coconut milk gives it a layer of creaminess while the fruit juice provides subtle fruity notes.
Nutrition Facts of Coconut Milk
Before diving into the full nutrition facts, let’s look at the base ingredient – coconut milk. This will give us insight into the general calorie content before added sugars and juices.
An 8-ounce serving of unsweetened coconut milk contains:
– 60 calories
– 6 grams of fat
– 0 grams of sugar
– 4 grams of saturated fat
– 25mg sodium
– 2 grams protein
So in its natural form, an 8-ounce portion of coconut milk equates to 60 calories. This will account for a good portion of the calories in a Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher.
The fat content is also notable, providing 6 grams per 8-ounce serving. Coconut milk gets most of its calories from fat rather than carbs or protein.
This gives us a baseline understanding of the nutrition profile of one of the main ingredients in this beverage.
Calorie Count in Small Dunkin’ Coconut Milk Refresher
Now let’s look at the calorie count for a small Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher.
A small serving is 12 ounces.
Here are the nutrition facts for a small Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher:
– Total Calories: 210
– Total Fat: 5g
– Saturated Fat: 5g
– Trans Fat: 0g
– Cholesterol: 0mg
– Sodium: 115mg
– Total Carbohydrates: 42g
– Dietary Fiber: 0g
– Total Sugars: 42g
– Added Sugar: 39g
– Protein: 2g
As you can see, a small Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher contains 210 calories.
Given a small is only 12 ounces, and an 8-ounce serving of coconut milk equates to 60 calories, the coconut milk likely contributes around 90 calories to the total.
The added fruit juice and sugar makes up the remaining 120 calories in a small serving.
Overall, 210 calories is considered a moderate calorie beverage for a 12-ounce chilled drink.
Carbohydrates
With 42 grams of total carbohydrates and 42 grams of total sugars, this drink gets most of its calories from sugars.
The nutrition facts indicate 39 grams of added sugar in a small Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher. This added sugar most likely comes from the pure cane sugar used to sweeten the beverage.
Given the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day for women and 36 grams for men, this drink contains more than the daily recommendation.
So while the calorie count is not overly high, the added sugar content is quite significant.
Fat Content
With 5 grams of total fat and 5 grams of saturated fat, a good portion of the calories in this beverage comes from fat.
As we saw, coconut milk is higher in fat and saturated fat compared to other milks or dairy alternatives. So the coconut milk likely accounts for most of the saturated fat content in a small serving.
For comparison, the American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat intake to no more than 13 grams per day. So a small Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher provides nearly half of the daily recommendation.
Micronutrients
When it comes to micronutrients like vitamins and minerals, the coconut milk refresher isn’t too high.
A small serving provides 115mg of sodium, which is 5% of the daily recommended value.
It also contains 2 grams of protein.
But overall, this drink functions more as a sweet treat rather than a source of micronutrients.
Calories in Medium Dunkin’ Coconut Milk Refresher
Let’s look at how the nutrition changes when you upgrade to a medium size.
Here are the calorie and nutrition facts for a medium Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher:
– Total Calories: 270
– Total Fat: 5g
– Saturated Fat: 5g
– Trans Fat: 0g
– Cholesterol: 0mg
– Sodium: 150mg
– Total Carbohydrates: 64g
– Dietary Fiber: 0g
– Total Sugars: 64g
– Added Sugars: 60g
– Protein: 3g
A medium serving is 16 ounces.
With 270 calories, a medium contains 60 more calories than a small serving.
The carbohydrate, sugar, and sodium content also increases accordingly with the larger 16-ounce size.
A medium provides 64 grams of total carbs and 64 grams of total sugar. Added sugar increases slightly to 60 grams.
The fat content stays the same at 5 grams of total fat and 5 grams of saturated fat.
Protein rises by 1 gram to 3 grams per serving.
Overall, the nutrition numbers scale up proportionally for a medium versus small serving. All the macros increase by 50-60 calories and grams.
Calories in Large Dunkin’ Coconut Milk Refresher
Finally, let’s examine the calorie count if you select a large coconut milk refresher from Dunkin’.
Here is the nutrition information for a large:
– Total Calories: 350
– Total Fat: 5g
– Saturated Fat: 5g
– Trans Fat: 0g
– Cholesterol: 0mg
– Sodium: 190mg
– Total Carbohydrates: 86g
– Dietary Fiber: 0g
– Total Sugars: 86g
– Added Sugars: 82g
– Protein: 3g
At 20 ounces, a large coconut milk refresher from Dunkin’ contains 350 calories.
That’s 140 more calories than a small and 80 more calories than a medium.
Carbohydrates jump up to 86 grams per serving. Total and added sugar also increase to 86 grams and 82 grams, respectively.
Sodium rises to 190mg in a large.
Fat, cholesterol, and protein remain constant across all sizes.
So if you’re looking to cut back on calories, sugar, or carbohydrates, opting for a small over a medium or large can make a significant difference. Sticking with the 12-ounce serving cuts the calories by 100-140 calories.
Comparing Calories to Other Dunkin’ Drinks
To put the calorie count of the Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher into context, let’s compare it to some other popular Dunkin’ menu items.
Here’s how it stacks up against other frozen and coffee drinks:
| Drink | Small Calories | Medium Calories | Large Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut Milk Refresher | 210 | 270 | 350 |
| Frozen Coffee | 140 | 230 | 340 |
| Iced Latte | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Classic Frozen Lemonade | 260 | 330 | 400 |
A small Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher has 70 more calories than a small frozen coffee and 110 more calories than a small iced latte.
Compared to a small classic frozen lemonade, the coconut milk refresher is slightly lower in calories.
When it comes to medium and large sizes, the coconut milk refresher tends to align with the calorie count of other frozen coffee drinks. It’s on the higher end for a medium and near the average for a large.
An iced latte is consistently lower in calories across all sizes – about 100 fewer calories than the coconut milk refresher.
So while not the most caloric option on the menu, the Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher also doesn’t rank as one of the lowest calorie choices. It falls somewhere in the middle calorie-wise for their line of iced and frozen beverages.
Tips for Ordering a Lower Calorie Coconut Milk Refresher
If you want to enjoy this sweet chilled drink but are also watching your calorie intake, here are some tips for lowering the calories:
– Order a small size. This cuts 100-140 calories versus a medium or large.
– Ask for less pumps of syrup. Reducing the pumps from standard reduces added sugar.
– Substitute water for juice. Water has 0 calories while juice adds sugar and calories.
– Leave off whipped cream. Whipped cream tops add about 50 calories.
– Ask for a light ice blend rather than frozen. Blending with more coconut milk rather than ice makes it lighter.
– Substitute unsweetened coconut milk if possible. Removes added sugar calories.
– Skip coconut flakes/toppings. These small add-ons bring extra calories.
With some simple customizations, you can order a lighter Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher while still enjoying the signature sweet coconut and fruit flavors.
Nutrition Summary
So how many calories are in a Dunkin’ coconut milk refresher? Here’s a quick recap:
– Small: 210 calories
– Medium: 270 calories
– Large: 350 calories
The coconut milk provides creaminess and around 90 calories per serving. Added fruit juice and sweeteners make up the remaining calories.
This beverage is high in added sugars, with 39-82 grams per serving. It also contains saturated fat from the coconut milk.
When comparing to other Dunkin’ drinks, it’s in the mid-range for calories, being lower than some frozen options but higher than iced coffee.
Making tweaks like opting for a small size, reducing syrup pumps, or subbing in water can lower the total calorie count.
Overall, while not the lowest calorie choice at Dunkin’, the coconut milk refresher can be worked into your diet in moderation by customizing your order and watching portion sizes.
