What’s the Healthiest Starbucks Holiday Drink? How much sugar, caffeine is in seasonal drinks and other nutritional facts

‘Tis the season for Starbucks seasonal drinks. This year, the coffee chain is ringing in the holidays with new drinks, which will be available in stores from November. While tried-and-true favorites like the Peppermint Mocha are back on the menu (this time in a pink, green and red cup), there are also new additions with festive ingredients like cranberry and gingerbread.

There’s no doubt that Starbucks holiday drinks can be a fun part of the festive time of year — but with such unique drinks on menus across the country, you might wonder if some are healthier than others. As a dietician Chris Mohr tells Yahoo Life, it’s important to research the nutritional profile of these drinks, as these seasonal specialties “can be high in sugar, fat and calories,” which can lead to weight gain and even negatively impact your metabolic health – aka your ability to maintain optimal levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol – if consumed regularly.

We examined the ingredients and nutrition facts of the new offerings to determine what you might want to know about these drinks and whether there’s one that’s the healthiest overall.

Cran-Merry Orange Refresher

Who says a holiday drink has to be warm and cozy? The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher — which is made with a blend of white grape, orange, cranberry and juice concentrates, along with green coffee extract for flavor — bucks that trend and is served over ice instead. It is also topped with freeze-dried cranberries.

It’s also the lowest calorie option of the bunch at 100 calories for a 16-ounce Grande. However, these calories mostly come from sugar – there are 20 grams per portion. (By comparison, the same amount of Coke has 52 grams of sugar.)

There is also a version of this drink on the menu that includes lemonade called Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher. This includes all the same ingredients as above, but is mixed with lemonade, increasing the sugar content to 31 grams and the calories to 140 for the same size drink.

Lindsay Malonea dietitian and instructor at Case Western Reserve University, tells Yahoo Life that we should be careful about regularly drinking such beverages since “sugar has no nutritional value and is a well-documented driver of many common chronic diseases such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.”

Then there is the Cran-Merry Drinkwhich is the original refreshment recipe, shaken with coconut milk – a take on Starbucks’ iconic Pink Drink. Although the sugar content is only slightly higher than the original refresher (23 grams this time), the addition of the coconut milk gives the drink 140 calories, the same as in the lemonade version.

Importantly, these refreshers also do not have many beneficial nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Although cranberries have some nutritional benefits (like vitamins C and E), they are more of a garnish in the drink, meaning you don’t get much of those benefits. Plus, these drinks are completely devoid of protein, which helps keep you full.

It should also be noted that these drinks contain caffeine – which may surprise people who don’t necessarily associate these refreshing drinks with the stimulant. A Grande contains 55 mg of caffeine, which is significantly less than Starbucks Cafe Americano espresso drink, which has approximately 225 mg. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to monitor your intake.

Peppermint Mocha

This classic drink – a staple of the holiday season – contains espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce and peppermint syrup. It is also topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

The standard Peppermint Mocha in a Grande size contains 440 calories, 54 grams of sugar and 16 grams of fat — the equivalent of a “small meal,” says Malone.

“Regular black coffee has less than 15 calories and zero sugar, while the peppermint mocha is more closely related to a peppermint milkshake,” says Malone. “Most people wouldn’t choose a peppermint milkshake for breakfast, while a coffee drink, even laced with sugar, cream and chocolate, seems a more appropriate choice.”

Caramel Brulee Latte

This dessert-like drinkwhich contains milk, caramel brulèe sauce, espresso, whipped cream and caramel brulèe topping, has 410 calories, 14 grams of fat and 48 grams of sugar, making it only a slightly lighter option than the Peppermint Mocha.

Chestnut praline latte

The Chestnut praline latte is made with steamed milk, espresso and chestnut praline syrup, then topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with a spiced sugar topping. It has about 110 fewer calories than Peppermint Mocha, with 330 and less sugar at 38 grams. It has about the same amount of fat at 14 grams.

Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte

With only 150 calories it is Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte is a much easier choice than the above options for hot coffee – and this is partly due to using an almond drink instead of whole milk. The drink is also made with espresso and sugar cookie flavored syrup and has approximately 25 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fat.

However, it’s worth noting that this latte might not fill you up as much as the other coffee drinks on this list. The drink only has 2 grams of protein, whereas the Peppermint Mocha, for example, contains 13 grams. Protein is the most satisfying macronutrient.

“Some people may choose almond milk instead of dairy milk to save calories, but I’d recommend sticking with fat-free milk if you can tolerate dairy — you’ll get about 8 grams of protein per cup, as well as calcium, vitamin D and potassium,” Malone says.

Iced Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai

This ice cold drink combines oat milk, chai tea concentrate, gingerbread syrup and a spicy topping made with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Since it contains oat milk, unlike Starbucks’ almond drink, it’s slightly higher in calories than the Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte: It clocks in at 310. It also contains 25 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fat.

Importantly, however, this drink also contains minimal protein – just 2 grams – which means it may not leave you feeling particularly full.

Holiday cold foam

Cold foam drinks at Starbucks contain ice, brewed coffee and a sweet cream topping that is flavored with various syrups and additives. The new flavors are:

• Gingerbread cream Cold foam

• Peppermint chocolate cream Cold foam

• Sugar Cookie Cream Cold foam

• Chestnut praline cream Cold foam

• Caramel Brulée Creme Cold Foam

Currently, the specific nutrition facts for these drinks are not available. However Chocolate Cream Cold Brew contains about 250 calories, 14 grams of fat and 28 grams of sugar. Since no milk is added (only cream), these drinks have a low protein content of only 2 grams.

The bottom line

There’s no “healthiest” Starbucks holiday drink — and how you choose to incorporate these into your diet can make all the difference in your overall nutrition, Malone says.

“Like most foods, there’s a spectrum here where some holiday beverages like flavored brewed coffee are pretty harmless, and at the other end of the spectrum you’re essentially having a dessert for breakfast,” she says.

Malone says it’s OK to make a daily Starbucks run for one of these holiday drinks—but if you want to be nutritionally savvy, you might want to customize your drink. “Choosing fewer syrup pumps or choosing the sugar-free syrups is a great way to lighten up Starbucks drinks,” says Malone. “You can also skip added drizzled sauces and choose lower-fat dairy products such as fat-free and low-fat.”

The easiest way to do this, Malone notes, is to order your drink “skinny”—that way, she says, your barista will use “nonfat milk, sugar-free syrup, and skip toppings like whipped cream and chocolate chips.”

Want a fun drink to enjoy every day? Malone recommends “flavored brewed coffee or a fat-free latte with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on top.” You can then “save the fully loaded drinks for a treat to be enjoyed a few times a month.”