10 Dunkin' Drinks That Are Astonomically High in Sugar & 10 Better Picks to Sip On
A Whole Sugar Bomb
No one knows Dunkin' as a place to get healthy food or drinks, but even then, you might want to think twice before doing your daily "coffee" run there. As you'll see, most of the beverages you're ordering are just sugar bombs in a cup, containing at least four times the recommended daily sugar intake (topping our list is one that clocks in a whopping 172 g of sugar). If you still can't give up your Dunkin', though, don't worry: we've got some better drinks you can pick from.
1. Butter Pecan Swirl Frozen Coffee with Skim Milk, Large
Sounds delicious, right? Before you order that frozen coffee, just know that a large contains 172 g of total sugars. That's an extraordinary number for something sold as a coffee beverage! If this is your usual order, it's worth realizing just how much sugar is coming along for the ride.
2. Caramel Creme Frozen Coffee - Large
You should know that caramel anything often means you're in for a sugar rush, and this drink is no exception. A large Caramel Creme Frozen Coffee also clocks in at 172 g of total sugars, tying for the highest spot. What you're mostly getting here in every sip is a very, very sweet frozen treat with the teensiest bit of caffeine attached.
3. Vanilla Bean Coolatta, Large
A large Vanilla Bean Coolatta contains 167 g of total sugars, and that number makes it one of the most over-the-top drinks on the menu. Even if you opt for a medium or a small, it still contains 125 g and 83 g of sugar, respectively, meaning it's probably best to stay away from it altogether.
4. Caramel Swirl Frozen Chocolate, Large
This frozen chocolate comes in at 165 g of total sugars, which keeps it firmly in the upper tier of the menu's sweetest options. Though a drink like this is clearly built for indulgence, the total still goes well beyond what many people would reasonably assume from the name alone. If you're ordering it, you're essentially choosing dessert in a cup.
5. Triple Mocha Frozen Coffee, Large
The large Triple Mocha Frozen Coffee also packs 165 g of total sugars, so it earns its place right alongside the sweetest frozen drinks. “Triple mocha” doesn't exactly promise moderation, but even then, the actual sugar number is hard to ignore.
6. French Vanilla Swirl Frozen Chocolate, Large
A large French Vanilla Swirl Frozen Chocolate has 162 g of total sugars. You might think that French vanilla sounds less heavy than a triple mocha drink, what with its softer, milder flavor, but that doesn't translate to a lighter drink here. The sweetness is still just as extreme.
7. Frozen Chocolate, Large
Even a plain large Frozen Chocolate still packs a whopping 148 g of total sugars, meaning you don't even need a fancy swirl flavor added to end up with a very sweet drink. And forget about the banana-flavored frozen chocolate, too—that one contains just as much sugar.
8. French Vanilla Swirl Frozen Coffee with Skim Milk, Large
Don't be confused, this one isn't the chocolate one. Though a touch less sweet than that variation, the French Vanilla Swirl Frozen Coffee clocks in at 144 g of total sugars, which still puts it deep in dessert-level territory. The fact that it's made with skim milk doesn't change the larger picture much, because the swirl and frozen base are still driving the sugar count.
9. Strawberry Coolatta, Large
A large Strawberry Coolatta has 110 g of total sugars, which is lower than the drinks above but still extremely high by any everyday standard. Fruit-flavored frozen drinks often come across as lighter or more refreshing, but here, the bright flavor doesn't make the drink any more modest.
10. Blue Raspberry Coolatta, Large
The large Blue Raspberry Coolatta, too, contains 110 g of total sugars, tying it with the Strawberry Coolatta. Again, as harmless as you might think fruity flavored drinks are, you should still be wary; they could pack in just as much sweetness.
These 10 drinks might scare you away, and they should. If you're still craving Dunkin', though, there are better drinks to order—ones that aren't diabetes in a cup. Let's jump into what you should opt for instead.
1. Americano, Large
A large Americano contains 0 g of total sugars, which makes it one of the best choices on the Dunkin' menu. If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, this pick offers plenty of flavor and caffeine without being loaded with sweetness. That's a win-win if you ask us.
2. Cold Brew Coffee, Large
A large plain cold brew also comes in at 0 g of total sugars, which is exactly where a better everyday drink should start. Cold brew tends to taste smoother than standard iced coffee, so it often doesn't need much added to it, anyway.
3. Hot Coffee, Large
Sometimes the plainest option is plain for a reason, and sometimes it's also the best option. Large hot coffee rings in 0 g of total sugars, so if you're looking for caffeine, skip the fancy swirls and frozen, sugar-bomb varieties and order a plain coffee instead.
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4. Hot Tea
Dunkin's tea and herbal infusion varieties have no nutritional significance, which makes hot tea one of the easiest low-sugar picks available. It doesn't need swirls, syrups, or creamy add-ins, which honestly, we could all do without, anyway.
5. Iced Green Tea Unsweetened, Large
A large unsweetened iced green tea has (surprise, surprise) 0 g of total sugars, which is exactly what you want from a genuinely refreshing tea drink. Cold and crisp, you'll thank yourself for ordering this over the other overly decadent drinks on the menu.
6. Iced Tea Unsweetened, Large
Not a fan of green tea? No worries: Dunkin' has a regular iced tea, too. This one also contains 0 g of total sugars, and that alone gives it a huge advantage over Dunkin's sweeter iced tea variations. You can get it flavored, but the trick is to get it unsweetened to ensure you're not getting a dessert beverage.
7. Hot Coffee with Oat Milk, Large
For a tiny touch of sweetness with your coffee, why not add some oat milk to it? Thankfully, a large hot coffee with oat milk contains just 2 g of total sugars, which is impressively low for a drink with a little more body. If you want something slightly creamier but still easy to justify as an everyday order, this is a great choice.
8. Hot Coffee with Almond Milk, Large
If you prefer almond milk over oat milk, just know that this drink comes in at 5 g of total sugars, which, while still well within reasonable territory, is a bit more sweet. Of course, it's nowhere near as indulgent as the other sugar bombs we've covered on this list.
9. Hot Macchiato with Oat Milk, Large
Craving a macchiato instead? A large hot macchiato with oat milk also has 5 g of total sugars, so it offers a more coffeehouse-style feel while still keeping the sugar relatively low. It feels a bit more polished than plain coffee, so if you want something more substantial without going overboard, this is a good pick.
10. Cappuccino with Whole Milk, Large
A large cappuccino with whole milk contains 8 g of total sugars, which is a little higher than the other low-sugar options on this half of the list, though it's still far more reasonable than Dunkin's frozen drinks and sugary specialty orders. If you're more of a steamed milk and coffee kind of person, ordering a cappuccino won't hurt.
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