How Many Calories in Coffee?

No more worries about calories!

If you have stayed away from coffee or attempted mask the bitterness or harshness with additives like creamers, flavors and sugar, HealthWise Low Acid Coffee offers much better options!

I love coffee.

Maybe I’m addicted. I tell myself there are worse things to be addicted to, and that makes me feel better.

Most people slam coffee as being bad for you.

This is the Starbuck’s effect in action. Starbucks turned a low (or no) calorie beverage into a sugar-fat laden monstrosity.

Here are some common coffee drinks, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that if you are looking after your weight – you’ll stick to black coffee or straight espresso.

This cup of espresso has just 1 calorie.

Calorie Amounts of Popular Coffees

| Beverage | Volume (oz) | Calories | | ---------- | ---------- | ---------- | | Instant coffee | 1 tsp | 4 | | Instant coffee | 8 | 4 | | Espresso Coffee | 1 | 1 | | Brewed Coffee | 8 | 2 | | McDonald’s Cappuccino | 16 | 130 | | McDonald’s Latte | 16 | 180 | | McDonald’s Mocha | 16 | 330 | | McDonald’s Brewed Coffee (Large) | 16 | 0 | | Dunkin Donuts Latte | 10 | 120 | | Dunkin Donuts Cappuccino | 10 | 80 | | Dunkin Donuts Mocha Swirl Latte | 10 | 230 | | Dunkin Donuts Brewed Coffee | 10 | 15 | | Starbucks Brewed Coffee | 16 | 5 | | Starbucks Caffè Americano | 16 | 15 | | Starbucks Caffè Latte | 16 | 220 | | Starbucks Caffè Mocha (no whip) | 16 | 290 | | Starbucks Caffè Mocha (whip) | 16 | 360 | | Starbucks Cappucino | 16 | 140 | | Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha (whip) | 16 | 560 | | Starbucks Caffe Vanilla Frappucino Blended Coffee (whip) | 16 | 430 | | Starbucks Hot Chocolate (no whip) | 16 | 330 |

It’s the Milk and Sugar!

Coffee drinks are high in calories due to what we add to the coffee.

Caffeine is a bitter chemical so we tend to sweeten it up – with milk, sugar, or syrups.

The larger the drink volume – the more milk you will be getting. With espresso-based drinks (latte, cappuccino) – the amount of water in the drink is minimal (typically 45ml / 1.5 fl. oz per espresso shot).

You do the math:

A 16 ounces Grande Latte from Starbucks will have two espresso shots (~ 3 oz) — that leaves around 13 ounces of 2% milk (depending on how much foam tops the drink) – so there’s 198 Calories already.

Add in cream, a pump of flavored syrup, and some sugar – and you are in for a very calorie-dense drink – more like sweetened milk than coffee.

I think I’m beginning to sound like a coffee snob.

Calories in Coffee Extras

If all else fails, maybe Snoopy can help.

| Extras | Calories (per Tablespoon) | | ---------- | ---------- | | Cream | 52 | | Half-and-half | 20 | | Whole milk | 9 | | Fat-free milk | 5 | | Sugar | 48 | | McDonald’s Coffee Cream (liquid) | 20 | | Plain nondairy creamer (powder) | 33 | | Plain, light nondairy creamer (powder) | 25 | | Flavored nondairy creamer (powder) | 45 | | Flavored, reduced-fat nondairy creamer (powder) | 40 | | Plain nondairy creamer (liquid) | 20 | | Plain, light nondairy creamer (liquid) | 10 | | Flavored nondairy creamer (liquid) | 35 | | Flavored, reduced-fat nondairy creamer (liquid) | 20 |

Coffee is almost Zero Calorie

According to the USDA nutrient database – an 8 ounce cup of coffee (brewed from grounds) has just 2 (yes two) Calories. The calories come from a tiny amount of protein and some mono-unsaturated oils.

A coffee bean has oils in it (which is why a barista often needs to clean their espresso machine to prevent an oily build up).

Sometimes a really bad coffee can be due to the oils in it becoming rancid (this often occurs from dark roasts, which cause a subsequent release of oils – if the beans are stored for a long time the oils may go slightly rancid).

So: coffee beans + water = virtually calorie-free.

The Best Coffee Drink For You Is…

If you are looking at reducing the amount of calories in your diet and coffee is your thing: It’s time to work on that sweet tooth.

The best option is to drink an Americano (espresso + water).

Believe it or not, espresso drinks have less caffeine than brewed drinks (where the water is in contact with the coffee grounds for a longer time).

Minimize the amount of extras you put into your coffee – and you may well remove a significant amount of Calories from your diet.

Written by Ted Kallmyer for Healthy Eater and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.

We think the best option is to drink HealthWise Low Acid Coffees... offering many flavors in regular and decaf, also flavored KCups!