Does Starbucks Have Sugar-Free Caramel? (QUICK Answer)

No, Starbucks no longer serves sugar-free caramel syrup at their outlets. Starbucks has discontinued most of its sugar-free syrups.

A Venti Iced Coffee, sugar-free caramel syrup, and heavy whipped cream were always my favorite among all the sugar-free drinks at Starbucks. However, despite the numerous campaigns for these sugar-free syrups by Starbucks, they failed to gain popularity in and outside the US.

So, the question now arises if Starbucks does have sugar-free caramel syrup. Or have they discontinued it after realizing they were not selling as much as they had expected?

If so, what is the type of syrup they use currently? And how many more calories does it have compared to the discontinued sugar-free caramel syrup?

That’s exactly what we’ll be covering in this article.

Let’s go!

Is There Sugar-Free Caramel At The Starbucks?

No, Starbucks currently does not sell drinks with sugar-free caramel syrup, nor do they endorse it.

Sugar-free caramel syrups were introduced after seeing the success of caramel syrups in drinks, especially all around the US. Jumping on the trend, Starbucks came up with a new sugar-free caramel syrup option for its customers’ convenience.

The sugar-free caramel syrup was made of a natural flavor, citric acid, sucralose, water, and potassium sorbate as a preservative. The sucralose, also called Splenda, was responsible for the artificial sweetening you felt when you tasted the caramel syrup.

Interestingly, the pump that came with the syrup had 0 calories, meant to cater to Starbucks customers who liked having their coffee sweet but could not because of their dietary choices.

However, this plan backfired, and they had to stop selling sugar-free caramel syrup and drinks at their outlets.

This result was shocking as the other sugar-free syrups by the company, vanilla, and cinnamon, were an instant hit amongst the customers.

Why Did Starbucks discontinue Sugar-Free Caramel Syrup?

Starbucks had to discontinue the sugar-free caramel syrup because it was not popular amongst customers.

Starbucks’s reason for discontinuing some sugar-free flavors was their unpopularity, despite their advertising campaigns of “skinny vanilla latte with sugar-free caramel syrup.”

Sugar-free caramel syrup consists of zero calories, as the coffeehouse company claimed; however, there has been no significant public interest in these.

The usual three to four pumps of sugar-free caramel syrup had 0 calories to cater to the customers who could not indulge in their sweet tooth for caramel in their heavy whipped cream-filled iced coffee, helping the coffee to maintain the rich, creamy texture despite being low in sugar and calories.

However, this plan backfired, and they had to stop selling sugar-free caramel syrup and drinks at their outlets.

What Type Of Caramel Does Starbucks Generally Use?

Starbucks uses its own brand of caramel syrup and sauce.

Both the caramel sauce and syrup used by Starbucks taste like any other brand’s caramel products. However, the way the drinks are made with these syrups makes them distinct.

The caramel syrup is essentially made of sugar and water cooked to caramelize. 

On the other hand, the caramel sauce comprises butter, cream, water, and sugar cooked on slow heat. The heavy cream in the sauce makes it extra thick and high in density compared to other brands’ products.

The Starbucks caramel syrup is relatively versatile and has a lower density than the sauce. The lack of dairy products in the syrup makes blending with hot and cold drinks easier.

It is also available for sale in stores, unlike the caramel sauce.

The caramel sauce is also one of the most popular Starbucks sauces for hot drinks, thanks to its popularity during the pumpkin spice season.

How Many Calories Are There In A Sugar-Free Caramel Syrup In Starbucks?

The sugar-free caramel syrup at Starbucks has 0 calories in 1 pump of syrup.

Surprisingly, if you asked for one pump of sugar-free caramel syrup in your drink, you would be consuming 0 calories.

This means even 30 ml of the syrup has 0 calories, 0 grams of protein, and fats.

The sugar-free caramel syrup, however, tastes different than the regular caramel syrups. It leaves an artificial aftertaste due to the presence of Splenda in it.

On the other hand, the general caramel syrup at Starbucks has 20 calories per pump. This means a cup of grande has about 80 calories from the syrup alone.

On the other hand, the Starbucks caramel sauce has an even higher calorie content due to its dairy products. It has a whopping 30 calories per pump.

Is A Skinny Caramel Macchiato Keto-Friendly?

Starbucks’s skinny caramel macchiato drink is keto-friendly, consisting of about 15 calories and 2 grams of carbs.

Ordering a skinny drink instead of one with regular milk at Starbucks cuts the calorie count of your drink by two-thirds while still keeping everything creamy, smooth, and filled with caramel.

Starbucks Skinny Caramel Macchiato is made with sugar-free vanilla syrup, freshly steamed nonfat milk, and Espresso Roast and topped with a velvety-rich foam and a buttery caramel drizzle.

This drink has lesser calories than the regular Caramel Macchiato sold at Starbucks, yet creamy and frothy enough.

A skinny caramel macchiato can be made from freshly steamed nonfat milk, like almond milk, and glazed with caramel drizzle. This drink still comes in way below keto-appropriate carbohydrate levels.

Final Remarks

There was not a lot of information regarding the sugar-free caramel syrups being discontinued by Starbucks. However, through this article, we tried to present a definitive guide around the subject.

Let’s briefly go over this topic once again.

Does Starbucks have sugar-free caramel syrup? No, Starbucks no longer serves sugar-free caramel syrup at their outlets. Starbucks discontinued most sugar-free syrups, except for vanilla and cinnamon.