- In addition to its traditional PSL, Starbucks will roll out its new pumpkin cream cold brew nationwide on Tuesday.
- The news of a new pumpkin drink has already garnered a ton of hype online.
- Dietitians break down the pumpkin cream cold brew’s nutrition facts, compare it to the PSL, and offer the healthiest way to enjoy it.
Huge news for fans of the pumpkin spice latte: There’s another pumpkin spice drink coming to Starbucks. Their new pumpkin cream cold brew will roll out on Tuesday, and there’s a lot of hype surrounding the new drink.
The pumpkin cream cold brew is the first new pumpkin coffee beverage to join the Starbucks menu in 16 years, according to Starbucks, which calls it “a testament to Starbucks customers’ love of cold coffee.”
People are already freaking out about the news online:
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This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Soon I can buy pumpkin scones and a pumpkin cream cold brew and light some pumpkin scented candles and draw all the curtains to watch Practical Magic in peace from now until 2020
— Noah Steele 💖 (@booksbynoah) August 21, 2019
But like any holiday beverage, we had to ask: How does the new pumpkin cream cold brew stack up nutrition-wise—and is it any better for you than the traditional PSL? Here’s what dietitians think.
What’s in the pumpkin cream cold brew?
Starbucks tried out 10 different variations of the drink, and finally settled on a recipe that features Starbucks cold brew coffee, vanilla, pumpkin cream cold foam, and a dusting of pumpkin spice topping.
Pumpkin cream cold brew nutrition
Starbucks says this is what you can expect from a grande pumpkin cream cold brew:
- Calories: 250
- Fat: 12
grams
- Carbohydrates: 31 grams
- Sugar: 31 grams
Is the pumpkin cream cold brew healthy? And is it any better for you than the PSL?
While Starbucks’ cold brew ~can~ be healthy, this isn’t exactly a healthy drink, says Gina Keatley, a certified-dietitian nutritionist practicing in New York City.
“While the cold brew does have fewer calories, it has a ton of sugar,” says Jessica Cording, MS, RD, author of
The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety. “It’s about the equivalent of two servings of carbohydrates and almost all of it is sugar. You’re not getting any nutritional value there."
Still, the pumpkin cream cold brew is lower in calories and sugar.In case you’re wondering how this stacks up to the pumpkin spice latte, this is what you can expect on the nutrition front if you have a grande version of the PSL:
- Calories: 380
- Fat: 14 grams
- Carbohydrates: 52 grams
- Sugar: 50 grams
“The cream cold foam in the pumpkin cream cold brew is bringing almost all of the fat and sugar this drink contains, but it’s more than 30 percent less sugar and 100 fewer calories than the traditional PSL,” Keatley says.
However, Cording adds that the pumpkin cream cold brew is “more imbalanced” than the PSL because it doesn’t have protein from the milk. As a result, “the sugar will hit your bloodstream super quickly,” she says.
So…what’s the healthiest way to enjoy the pumpkin cream cold brew?
There are a few different options here. If you want to tweak the actual drink, you can simply ask for less of the cream cold foam. “If the cold brew with less foam is too bitter for you, then try the nitro, which is much smoother than the cold brew, with half of the cold foam,” Keatley says, noting that should have about 130 calories for a grande.
Another option is to simply be aware of how much calories, fat, and sugar are in the pumpkin cream cold brew and think of it like a snack, Keatley says. Of course, if you want enjoy the pumpkin cream cold brew the way it was meant to be here and there, you should be fine. “On occasion, this can be a delight to add into the routine,” Keatley says.
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Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.