Nutrition Facts for Frappuccinos

Frappuccino drinks are generally high in added sugars.

Frappuccino drinks are generally high in added sugars.

The Frappuccino is a cold, crème- or coffee-based blended drink made with milk, ice, flavorings, optional add-ins and toppings. It’s a trademark beverage of Starbucks Coffee Company and is available in its stores in 12-ounce, 16-ounce and 24-ounce sizes. Because the Frappuccino is a customizable beverage, it comes in dozens of varieties. Size selection, milk choice, type and quantity of flavoring syrup and the inclusion of add-ins and toppings all significantly influence the nutritional content of the final product. In a healthy diet, Frappuccinos qualify as discretionary, or nonessential, calories, meaning they generally provide very little nutrition for the amount of calories they contain.

General Nutrition

Standard-recipe Frappuccinos are made with a size-specific amount of flavored syrup or sauce, 2 percent milk and ice. While a few Frappuccinos are crème-based, most include coffee. Non-light Frappuccinos are traditionally topped with whipped cream and finished with crumbled cookies, flaked coconut or drizzled chocolate- or caramel-flavored sauce. A 16-ounce serving of the whip-cream-free Coffee Frappuccino made with 2 percent milk provides 95 milligrams of caffeine, 230 calories, 3 grams of protein, 2 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat and 50 grams of carbohydrates, all of which are mostly added sugars. Comparatively, a 16-ounce Caramel Frappuccino made with 2-percent milk and topped with caramel-drizzled whipped cream contains 100 milligrams of caffeine, 400 calories, 4 grams of protein, 14 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat and 65 grams of carbohydrates, of which 63 grams are mostly added sugars.

Nutritional Comparison

Selecting the smaller 12-ounce serving size, substituting 2 percent milk with nonfat milk and skipping the whipped cream can significantly reduce the amount of calories, fat and sugar in a Frappuccino. When made with nonfat milk and served without the dessert-like topping, the smaller 12-ounce Caramel Frappuccino contains 180 calories, or less than half that supplied by its 16-ounce, standard-recipe counterpart. The smaller, lighter version also provides 70 milligrams of caffeine, 3 grams of protein, no fat and 42 grams of carbohydrates, of which 41 grams are mostly added sugars. Frappuccinos made with soymilk contain slightly more calories, fat and sugar than those made with nonfat milk, and slightly less protein.

Bottled Frappuccinos

Starbucks also packages some of its signature Frappuccino blends, including the vanilla-, mocha- and caramel-flavored varieties, in 9.5-ounce bottles. Although the bottled beverages lack the standard whipped cream topping, they still come packed with calories and added sugar. The bottled version of the Caramel Frappuccino contains 70 milligrams of caffeine, 200 calories, 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat and 36 grams of carbohydrates, of which 31 grams are mostly added sugars. A 16-ounce, or grande-sized, serving of the bottled Caramel Frappuccino would provide about 118 milligrams of caffeine, 336 calories, 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and just over 60 grams of carbohydrates, of which approximately 52 grams would be mostly added sugars.


The average American consumes about 355 calories, or 22 teaspoons, of added sugar per day, according to The American Heart Association recommends that most men and women restrict their added sugar intake to no more than 150 calories and 100 calories per day, respectively. One teaspoon of sugar provides 16 calories and is equivalent to 4 grams of sugar. Consequently, a blended coffee beverage that contains 63 grams of sugar provides 15.75 teaspoons, or 252 calories, of added sugar — an amount that’s significantly more than the daily recommended intake limit for most adults. To stay within recommended intake limits, a Frappuccino should contain no more than about 25 to 37 grams, or 100 to 150 calories, of sugar, assuming no other added sugar is consumed that day.

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