The Best Low Sugar Starbucks Fall Drinks

Disclaimer: I am NOT sponsored by Starbucks (although at this point I really should be). I just like fun drinks. I’m a silly simple girl who likes silly little beverages.

The literal second it turns September and I feel that first cool breeze, I have pumpkin on my mind. It is pumpkin o’ clock.

But the issue I am constantly coming across is that if I were to order a fall Starbucks drink right off the menu (how it comes), I’d get hit with something that just has way too much sugar. I’m basically drinking a dessert at 10 in the morning.

And if you’re anything like me, you may not have upwards of 70g of added sugar to spare in your diet. I need that sugar for the sweet treat I’m having in the afternoon! Only kidding…unless you want to split a cookie with me lol.

So what’s a girl to do? Modify my drink so I can still have it of course!

So let’s break down Starbucks’ fall menu together to find the best low sugar Starbucks fall drinks!

*Please keep in mind that this is just how I would personally modify the drinks if I were to order them/ suggest them to a friend. They are very basic modifications that can certainly be added upon.

Starting with the hot fall drinks:

Pumpkin Spiced Latte

The OG. The drink of all fall drinks. Of course we had to start the list of the best low sugar Starbucks fall drinks with this iconic number.

The grande pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks is made with espresso, steamed milk, pumpkin sauce, whipped cream, and pumpkin spice topping.

Without modifications, a grande pumpkin spiced latte has 390 calories, 50g of sugar and 14g of fat.

For a lower sugar version, I would:

• Decrease the amount of pumpkin sauce from 4 pumps to 2.
• Remove the whipped cream (optional and negligible in terms of sugar content but something I do)

Based off this Reddit user’s post, one pump of pumpkin sauce from Starbucks has 8g of sugar. Lowering the amount of pumps from 4 to 2 would decrease the amount of sugar in your drink from 50g to 34g. If you do like your drinks on the sweeter side, you can add sugar free vanilla syrup to complement the pumpkin flavor. I personally do NOT like the sugar free syrups at Starbucks and find them artificial tasting.

The internet doesn’t have a definitive answer on the amount of sugar in Starbucks’ whipped cream, which I would imagine is because it depends on the person making the drink. But typically, whipped cream doesn’t have too much added sugar per serving. If I were to guess, I would say there is probably somewhere between 2-5g of added sugar in Starbucks’ whipped cream.

That being said, I still like to remove it because even if it is only a few grams of added sugar, I don’t find that it elevates the drink in any way. I also don’t enjoy the fatty mouth feel that whipped cream gives sometimes.

You can of course also change the milk from 2% to a lower sugar option like almond milk as well to further reduce the sugar content.

The pumpkin spice topping does NOT have sugar, so it is totally okay for you to keep that in your drink if you want it!

Here is exactly what to say at the window: “Hi, can I please have a grande pumpkin spiced latte with 2 pumps of pumpkin and no whipped cream”.

Pecan Oatmilk Cortado

The Pecan Oatmilk Cortado is a new menu item this year that has three shots of the Starbucks blonde espresso, two pumps of pecan syrup, steamed oatmilk, milk foam and pecan crunch topping.

A pecan oatmilk cortado ordered as is has 120 calories, 13g sugar, and 3.5g fat.

For a lower sugar version, I would:

• Decrease the amount of pecan syrup from 2 pumps to 1.
• Remove the pecan crunch topping (optional and negligible in terms of sugar content)

Because there are only 13g of added sugar in this drink, there really isn’t much wiggle room here. You really could order the drink as is.

Of course, you also have the option to change the milk from oatmilk to almond milk. But then it wouldn’t be an oatmilk cortado.

I couldn’t find the pecan crunch topping nutrition information but I would imagine there isn’t more than 1-2g of added sugar per sprinkle. Still, I don’t think its really needed in the drink so I don’t mind if it isn’t in there.

Here is exactly what to say at the window: “Hi, can I please have a grande pecan oatmilk cortado with 1 pump of pecan syrup and no pecan crunch topping”.

Now, moving on to the iced fall drinks:

Iced Pumpkin Spiced Latte

The grande iced pumpkin spiced latte from Starbucks is made with espresso, milk, pumpkin sauce, whipped cream, and pumpkin spice topping.

Without modifications, a grande iced pumpkin spiced latte has 370 calories, 45g of sugar and 16g of fat.

For a lower sugar version, I would:

• Decrease the amount of pumpkin sauce from 4 pumps to 2.
• Remove the whipped cream (optional and negligible in terms of sugar content but something I do)

Again, you can certainly keep the whipped cream and change the milk. You can also add sugar free vanilla syrup as well.

Here is exactly what to say at the window: “Hi, can I please have a grande iced pumpkin spiced latte with 2 pumps of pumpkin and no whipped cream”.

Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte

The Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte is basically just an iced version of the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado with extra milk and vanilla sweet cream cold foam at the top.

A grande iced pecan crunch oatmilk latte has 410 calories, 36g sugar and 21g fat.

For a lower sugar version, I would:

• Decrease the amount of pecan syrup from 4 pumps to 2.
• Ask for either light or no vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
• Remove the pecan crunch topping (optional and negligible in terms of sugar content)

If Reddit serves us right, there are about 5g of sugar per pump of pecan syrup. Reducing it from 4 to 2 would remove about 10g of sugar from your drink.

The vanilla sweet cream cold foam is a free pour. So, the amount of cold foam can vary from barista to barista. I would estimate anywhere from 6-8g of added sugar are coming from the cold foam.

Here is exactly what to say at the window: “Hi, can I please have a grande iced pecan crunch oatmilk latte with 2 pumps of pecan syrup, no vanilla sweet cream cold foam and no pecan crunch topping”.

Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai

The Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai is so good but so high in sugar. There is chai syrup, milk, pumpkin cream cold foam and pumpkin spice topping.

A grande iced pumpkin cream chai has 460 calories, 66g sugar and 17g fat.

For a lower sugar version, I would:

• Decrease the amount of chai from 4 pumps to 2 pumps.
• Ask for light pumpkin cream cold foam.

According to Google, there are 8g of sugar in one pump of chai syrup at Starbucks. Removing two pumps would bring your drink down from 66g of sugar to 40g.

Asking for light pumpkin cream cold foam would remove an additional 10g for a total of 30g for your drink, which is still a lot but certainly better than 66g. You could further reduce the sugar by replacing the milk to almond milk.

Here is exactly what to say at the window: “Hi, can I please have a grande iced pumpkin cream chai with 2 pumps of chai and light pumpkin cream cold foam”.

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

Out of all the best low sugar Starbucks fall drinks, I would probably say my favorite is the pumpkin cream cold brew. The cold foam adds just the right amount of creaminess and pumpkin flavor to the drink.

The pumpkin cream cold brew has cold crew, vanilla syrup, pumpkin cream cold foam, and pumpkin spice topping. A grande pumpkin cream cold brew haas 250 calories, 31g sugar and 12g fat.

For a lower sugar version, I would:

• Substitute vanilla syrup for sugar free vanilla syrup.
• Ask for light pumpkin cream cold foam.

The vanilla syrup has 5g of added sugar, so replacing it with sugar free vanilla syrup reduces your drink by 10g. Light pumpkin cream cold foam would cut an additional 10g, making the total drink 11g of sugar.

Here is exactly what to say at the window: “Hi, can I please have a grande iced pumpkin cream cold brew with 2 pumps of sugar free vanilla syrup instead of the regular vanilla syrup and light pumpkin cream cold foam”.

What Milk Should I Get With My Sugar Free Drink At Starbucks?

Starbucks offers a variety of milk including 2%, nonfat, whole, half and half, and heavy cream. Starbucks also offers oat, almond, soy and coconut milk.

All of the plant-based milk options will come with added sugar. Therefore, I suggest choosing a milk with a higher fat content, such as half and half.

If you do need a nondairy option, I would recommend the almond milk because it only has three grams of added sugar per cup.

In all honesty, the milk that you choose is up to your own personal preference. I personally love half and half for hot drinks and oat milk for cold drinks. I recognize that almond milk may be lower in sugar, but I know I wouldn’t enjoy my drink.

Other Starbucks Fall Drinks

Some of the best low sugar Starbucks fall drinks haven’t been created by Starbucks, but by customers. Here are just a few drinks from other creators that sound amazing:

• Pumpkin Pie Shaken Espresso (sororitynutritionist): grande shaken espresso with no classic syrup, 1 pump pumpkin sauce, 1 pump brown sugar syrup, and almond milk.
• Iced Americano with light pumpkin cream cold foam
• Iced coffee with no classic syrup, 2 pumps of pumpkin (or pecan) and a splash of half and half
• Cafe Misto with almond milk and 1 pump of pumpkin (or pecan)

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my article about the best low sugar fall drinks at Starbucks. May your lattes be hot and your pillows be cold.

Further Research

If you’re like me and love low sugar/sugar free drinks at Starbucks you may want to check out my article Sugar Free Options At Starbucks. Or, you could explore sugar free options at other popular chains like Dunkin Donuts, Dutch Bros, Sonic and Chick Fil A.