Starbucks’ Iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte contains More CALORIES AND SUGARS THAN Dunkin’ Donuts’ Drink.

Both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have announced the return of their pumpkin spice lattes to the menu in recent weeks. While both are delicious fall treats, they are high in sugar, sodium, and calories, which your nutritionist would advise you to avoid.

The Dunkin’ Donuts small iced pumpkin spice latte is 16 ounces (oz), while the Starbucks grande version is 16 fluid ounces (fl oz). Starbucks’ drink is slightly larger – about an ounce more than Dunkin’s – but the difference is negligible.

Despite their nearly identical sizes, Starbucks’ drink contains more unhealthy fillers than its competitor. It has 150 more calories, 12 more grams (g) of sugar, 10 more grams (g) of fat, more than twice the cholesterol, 13 grams (g) more carbohydrates, and 40 milligrams (ml) more sodium.

It also has a slightly higher protein content than its competitor.

Neither drink is particularly healthy and should be avoided by anyone who is watching their weight, sugar, or sodium levels for any reason.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), both drinks account for more than half of a person’s daily sugar allowance for staying healthy.

Starbucks reintroduced its pumpkin spice latte drink on August 30, signaling to many coffee drinkers that summer has passed and it is time to prepare for fall.

The drink is extremely popular, and it even spawned a mocked subculture in the 2010s that referred to it as ‘basic’ due to how frequently it is ordered during the short time of year it is available.

To capitalize on the pumpkin spice craze, Dunkin’ Donuts introduced its own version of the drink in 2020.

It also places it on the menu weeks before Starbucks, with the goal of capturing the market by mid-August.

Despite their similar branding, the drinks’ ingredient lists and nutrition labels differ vastly.

For such a small drink, the Starbucks drink contains 370 calories.

Starbucks’ drink contains 45 g of sugar, which means that those who choose the grand size are nearly meeting their daily sugar allowance with just one 16 fl oz drink.

The total carb content of 47 g (including sugar) is 17% of the recommended daily intake.

It also has a high-fat content, with 16 g of fat accounting for more than one-fifth of what the FDA recommends a person limit each day.

The iconic iced drink is also high in cholesterol, with 55 mg accounting for nearly a fifth of daily intake.

It also has 190 mg of sodium, which is only a tiny portion of the recommended daily intake of 2,300.

All of these figures outperform the comparable metrics in Dunkin’ Donuts drinks.

The small 16 oz iced latte has 220 calories, which is 40% less than the Starbucks drink.

With only 6 g of fat, it contains roughly one-third of the fat content. Dunkin’ Donuts’ drink also has half the cholesterol, with 20 mg versus over 50 mg in Starbucks’.

Both the 34 g of total carbs and the 150 mg of sodium are significant decreases when compared to their competitor.
However, these are the smallest numbers Dunkin can go because small is the smallest size it offers. However, the grande size is generally considered to be large at Starbucks, and those who are health-conscious but still want to try the fall drink can choose the tall (12 fl oz) or short (8 fl oz) versions instead.

Because of its high sugar content, Katie Ferraro, a dietician at the University of California, San Francisco, does not even consider it a coffee drink.

‘Pumpkin is healthy food. Cinnamon and nutmeg work well. ‘However, pumpkin spice lattes are all about the sugar,’ she told Healthline.

I strongly advise my clients to avoid coffee drinks with more than 25 to 50 calories.

Most people’s calorie budgets do not allow for a pumpkin spice latte. Consider it like an ice cream sundae. It’s a snack or dessert food.’

Dunkin Donuts Nutrition Facts And Calorie Information

Nutrition information for the whole Dunkin’ Donuts menu. To read the entire nutritional information for each food, including calories, carbohydrates, salt, and Weight Watchers points, click on the item. You can also use our calorie filter to select the best Dunkin Donuts menu item for your diet.