When it comes to keeping carbs low, many people turn to sugar-free drinks like those offered by Dutch Bros. With a wide variety of sugar-free options, Dutch Bros can be an appealing choice for low-carb lifestyles like the keto diet. But exactly how many carbs are in Dutch Bros sugar-free drinks? Let’s take a closer look.
What is Dutch Bros?
For those not familiar, Dutch Bros Coffee is a popular drive-thru coffee chain located primarily on the west coast of the United States. Founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, Dutch Bros began as a pushcart in Grants Pass, Oregon and has since expanded to over 580 locations across 14 states.
Dutch Bros is known for its fun, high-energy atmosphere and focus on speedy service. Their menu features a wide range of hot and iced coffees, teas, blended drinks, smoothies, freezes, and more. One popular offering is their lineup of sugar-free beverages to appeal to customers limiting sugar or carbs.
Dutch Bros Sugar-Free Drinks
Dutch Bros has many drinks that can be customized to be sugar-free upon request. Their sugar-free syrup flavors include caramel, almond, hazelnut, vanilla, and coconut. Some common Dutch Bros orders that customers can request sugar-free include:
- Iced coffee
- Cold brew
- Rebels (blended fruit drinks)
- Freezes
- Smoothies
- Chai tea
- Matcha tea
For hot coffee drinks, customers can request sugar-free flavor syrups and choose sugar-free milk alternatives like almond milk or coconut milk. Dutch Bros baristas are accustomed to customizing orders to be low-carb or sugar-free upon request.
Carb Counts in Sugar-Free Drinks
When ordering sugar-free at Dutch Bros, the carb count can vary substantially based on factors like:
- Size – carb counts are higher in larger sizes
- Base – iced coffee has fewer carbs than a blended rebel or freeze
- Milk – dairy milk adds more carbs vs. nut milks
- Syrups and mix-ins – extras like sugar-free syrups or chocolate chips add small amounts of carbs
To illustrate the range, here are some estimates for carb counts in Dutch Bros sugar-free drinks:
Cold Brew
A small sugar-free cold brew with almond milk could have around 2-3g net carbs. Size up to a large and carbs increase to 4-6g.
Iced Coffee
A small iced coffee with sugar-free vanilla syrup and almond milk has roughly 3-5g net carbs, while a large may have around 7-9g.
Rebel
Sugar-free rebels made with nut milk have more carbs from the fruits and juices. A small rebel could have around 15-20g net carbs, while a large may contain 25-35g.
Freeze
Similar to rebels, sugar-free freezes made with fruits and nut milks contain more carbs. Expect 15-25g net carbs in a small freeze, and 30-40g in a large.
The lowest carb sugar-free option is cold brew or iced coffee paired with sugar-free syrup and nut milk. Blended fruit drinks are higher in carbs. And larger sizes mean more carbs across any drink.
How to Order Low-Carb
Here are some tips for ordering sugar-free, low-carb drinks at Dutch Bros:
- Opt for iced coffee or cold brew as the base
- Request sugar-free syrup if adding flavor
- Ask for almond or coconut milk rather than dairy milk
- Avoid blended fruit rebels and freezes as they are higher in carbs
- Skip extra toppings like chips or drizzle which may add carbs
- Order the smallest size possible
Being specific with your barista is key – be sure to state that you want your drink to be sugar-free. Baristas are used to accommodating low-carb requests.
Nutrition Information
Dutch Bros does not provide complete nutrition information for customized sugar-free menu items. However, their website has limited nutrition facts for standard menu items made with classic syrups and 2% milk. These can provide a baseline idea, though sugar-free versions will be lower in carbs.
For example, a medium iced rebel made with 2% milk contains around 60g total carbs. Customizing this drink to be sugar-free with almond milk could reduce the carb count to around 20-30g net carbs. Likewise, standard medium iced coffee has around 35g total carbs, while a customized sugar-free, almond milk version may have 5-10g net carbs.
Sugar-Free Syrup Nutrition
While Dutch Bros doesn’t provide total carb information on their sugar-free syrups, we can estimate based on looking at the nutrition for similar retail products:
- Sugar-free caramel: 0g net carbs per 1 fl oz serving
- Sugar-free vanilla: 0-1g net carbs per 1 fl oz serving
- Sugar-free hazelnut: 0g net carbs per 1 fl oz serving
- Sugar-free almond: 0-1g net carbs per 1 fl oz serving
So for a typical 16 oz drink with 2 fl oz of sugar-free syrup, the syrup itself likely adds 0-2g net carbs at most.
Milk Nutrition
The type of milk used makes a significant difference in the carb content. Here are nutrition stats per 8 fl oz serving:
| Milk Type | Total Carbs | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| 2% dairy milk | 12g | 12g |
| Non-fat dairy milk | 12g | 12g |
| Unsweetened almond milk | 1g | 1g |
| Unsweetened coconut milk | 1g | 1g |
Nut milks like almond and coconut provide around 1g net carbs per 8 oz, compared to 12g in dairy milk. Choosing nut milk is an easy way to reduce carbs in any Dutch Bros sugar-free drink.
Fruit Juices and Purees
Blended drinks like sugar-free rebels and freezes are higher in carbs because they are made with fruit juices and purees. Here are the approximate carb counts for common ingredients in a 12 oz serving:
| Fruit | Total Carbs | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|
| Strawberries | 16g | 12g |
| Banana | 30g | 27g |
| Pineapple | 21g | 20g |
| Mango | 28g | 25g |
| Peach | 15g | 14g |
| Raspberry | 15g | 14g |
While sugar-free, these fruits and juices still contribute a significant amount of natural carbs. Fruit-based drinks will be higher in carbs compared to iced coffee or cold brew.
Low-Carb Rebels and Freezes
If you want to enjoy a blended rebel or freeze from Dutch Bros while limiting carbs, there are a couple lower-carb options. The Rebel or freeze made with strawberries and coconut milk is one of the lowest carb choices. You can also do an iced rebel on the rocks rather than blended to reduce carbs further. Here are some good low-carb choices:
- Strawberry Rebel With Coconut Milk
- Strawberries & Cream Rebel With Almond Milk
- Lemonade Freeze With Strawberries
- Iced Rebel With Peach Juice
These options use fruits and juices lower in sugar. Getting them sugar-free and with nut milk keeps the carbs as low as possible for a blended drink. An iced rebel on the rocks takes out the blended aspect so ice doesn’t add extra carbs.
Keto at Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros can be a good option for keto dieters watching carb intake. Focus on simple iced coffee or cold brew with sugar-free syrup and nut milk. Skip blended rebels and freezes, or opt for low-carb fruits like lemonade or strawberry if you want one. And be sure to verify your drink is made sugar-free when ordering.
Diabetic-Friendly Drinks
People with diabetes also commonly limit carbs and sugars. The best Dutch Bros diabetic drink choices are iced coffee or cold brew made with sugar free syrup and nut milk like almond or coconut milk. Skip blended fruit drinks, choose small sizes, and verify sugar-free. An unsweetened cold brew or iced coffee with nut milk is ideal for blood sugar control.
Conclusion
Dutch Bros offers a range of sugar-free drink options that can fit into low-carb eating plans. Cold brew and iced coffee customized with sugar-free syrup and nut milk provide the lowest carb choices, with around 0-10g net carbs depending on size. Blended rebels and freezes are higher in carbs at 15-40g due to fruits and juices. Focusing on simple coffee drinks made sugar-free with nut milk is the best way to keep carbs minimal when ordering at Dutch Bros.
