The short answer: plain black iced coffee and cold brew at Starbucks are nearly calorie-free. Officially, a Grande (16 fl oz) of unsweetened Iced Coffee is 5 calories, and the same size of Cold Brew or Nitro Cold Brew is 5 calories too. The calories come from what gets added — syrup, milk and sweeteners — so the same drink can be 5 calories or many times that, depending on how it is ordered.
Every figure below is Starbucks’ own published nutrition for a Grande (16 fl oz), read from starbucks.com on October 27, 2026, for the standard build shown. Nitro Cold Brew is only sold in Tall and Grande, so Grande is its largest size.
The drinks: official Grande calories and sugars
| Drink (Grande, 16 fl oz) | Calories | Sugars | Standard build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iced Coffee (unsweetened) | 5 | 0 g | Black coffee over ice, no syrup |
| Cold Brew | 5 | 0 g | Black, slow-steeped, no milk or syrup |
| Nitro Cold Brew | 5 | 0 g | Black, nitrogen-infused, no milk or syrup |
| Iced Caffè Americano | 15 | 0 g | 3 shots of espresso over ice, no milk |
| Iced Shaken Espresso | 100 | 14 g | 2% milk, 2 pumps of classic syrup, 3 shots |
| Iced Caffè Latte | 130 | 11 g | 2% milk, 2 shots (contrast drink) |
| Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso | 150 | 15 g | Oatmilk, 2 pumps of brown sugar syrup, blonde espresso, 3 shots |
Two drinks you will not find on the menu
Starbucks does not list a separate sweetened Iced Coffee or an Iced Coffee with Milk. The current Iced Coffee is served unsweetened, and classic syrup is an add-on you ask for, not a separate menu item. Likewise, an Iced Coffee with Milk is just an Iced Coffee plus a splash of milk, ordered as a customization. The base drink is still the 5-calorie unsweetened coffee, and a splash of milk adds only a little: our calories in coffee guide puts a tablespoon of milk at about 9 calories, so even a generous splash keeps the drink well under 100 calories.
The syrup maths
Starbucks does not publish a per-pump calorie figure on its menu pages, so here is the honest maths from the official builds. The standard Grande Iced Shaken Espresso — 2% milk plus 2 pumps of classic syrup — is 100 calories with 14 g of sugar. The unsweetened black drinks are 5 calories with 0 g of sugar. So the milk and the two pumps together add about 95 calories and all 14 g of sugar. Split roughly between the milk splash and the two pumps, one pump of classic syrup works out at roughly 20 calories. Treat that as an estimate, not a Starbucks-published figure: it is the approximation you get from the official difference, and it matches the roughly 20 calories per pump in our coffee guide.
The practical point is simple: on a shaken espresso, cutting the syrup from 2 pumps to 1 saves roughly 20 calories (estimate), and asking for none at all removes the syrup’s whole share. That is the single biggest saving you can make on that drink.
How to order it under 100 calories
- Order it unsweetened. Iced Coffee, Cold Brew and Nitro Cold Brew are all 5 calories as a Grande, and the Iced Caffè Americano is 15.
- Ask for half the pumps. On the Iced Shaken Espresso, 1 pump instead of 2 saves roughly 20 calories (estimate).
- Try sugar-free vanilla. Starbucks officially offers sugar-free vanilla syrup, so you can keep the sweetness without the sugar.
- Swap 2% milk for almond milk where the menu offers the choice. Our latte calories guide puts a 16 oz almond-milk latte around 100 calories versus about 190 for 2% milk, so the swap is worth a big chunk (general latte figures, not Starbucks-specific).
- Skip whipped cream on anything that comes with it. A dollop of whipped cream is roughly 50–100 calories in our coffee guide (estimate).
The honest note
Frappuccinos and most signature lattes are desserts, not coffee. They are built on milk, sugar and whipped cream, which is why they sit far above every drink in the table above. If you want the coffee flavour without the dessert calories, the unsweetened iced drinks are the order. For more sugar-free ideas, see our sugar-free grocery list.
Bottom line: the lowest-calorie iced coffee at Starbucks is the one with nothing added. Start from the 5-calorie black drinks, add milk or syrup only if you want it, and you stay in control of the calories.
What is the lowest-calorie iced coffee at Starbucks?
The lowest-calorie iced coffees at Starbucks are the unsweetened ones: Iced Coffee, Cold Brew and Nitro Cold Brew are all officially 5 calories for a Grande (16 fl oz), with 0 g of sugar. The Iced Caffè Americano is next at 15 calories, also with 0 g of sugar.
How many calories are in a Starbucks iced coffee?
An unsweetened Grande Iced Coffee is officially 5 calories. Once syrup is added, the calories rise: as a rough estimate, each pump of classic syrup adds about 20 calories, so a sweetened build climbs quickly.
Is Starbucks cold brew low calorie?
Yes. Plain Starbucks Cold Brew is officially 5 calories for a Grande, with 0 g of sugar. Stick to the plain Cold Brew: the cream-topped versions add sugar and calories.
How do I order a low-calorie iced coffee at Starbucks?
Order it unsweetened, ask for half the syrup pumps or none at all, swap 2% milk for almond milk where offered, try the officially offered sugar-free vanilla syrup, and skip whipped cream. An unsweetened Iced Coffee, Cold Brew or Nitro Cold Brew is 5 calories as a Grande.
How many calories does Starbucks syrup add?
Starbucks does not publish a per-pump figure. From the official builds, the standard Grande Iced Shaken Espresso (2% milk plus 2 pumps of classic syrup) is 100 calories, while the unsweetened black drinks are 5 calories, so the milk and two pumps together add about 95 calories. As an estimate, one pump works out at roughly 20 calories.
