You’re in good company if you head to Starbucks to curb your caffeine cravings. According to ZipDo, the Seattle-born coffee giant serves more than 100 million customers globally every week!
But what should you order there when you need a serious energy boost? Don’t worry — we’ll tell you. We’ve rounded up the 13 best Starbucks drinks for energy and shared all there is to know about their ingredients and caffeine levels below.
With a minimum of 80 milligrams of caffeine per 16-ounce serving, one of these Starbucks drinks can wake you up and help push you through your day.
Key Takeaways
- Starbucks offers a variety of beverages that can provide a caffeine liftoff, with the Blonde Roast Drip Coffee providing the strongest energy boost at 360 milligrams of caffeine per Grande cup.
- These high-energy beverages include traditional coffee drinks, like the Espresso or Caffè Latte, and more innovative beverages, like the Nitro Cold Brew, catering to different preferences and energy needs.
- Whether they select the lower-caffeine Chai Tea Latte or higher-caffeine Venti Blonde Roast, Starbucks customers should choose their drinks wisely and stay within the recommended daily caffeine limit of 400 milligrams.
What Are the Best Starbucks Drinks for Energy?
The Starbucks menu has a plethora of drinks with high caffeine content. Filter coffee, espresso drinks, tea — whatever you’re craving to put some pep in your step, there’s probably something like it on the menu.
| Drink Name | Caffeine Content* |
|---|---|
| Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew | 185 milligrams |
| Matcha Tea Latte | 80 milligrams |
| Blonde Caffé Americano | 225 milligrams |
| Espresso Macchiato | 150 milligrams |
| Nitro Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew | 265 milligrams |
| Iced Coffee | 165 milligrams |
| Chai Tea Latte | 95 milligrams |
| Espresso | 150 milligrams |
| Cold Brew | 205 milligrams |
| Nitro Cold Brew | 280 milligrams |
| Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso | 255 milligrams |
| Blonde Roast Drip Coffee | 360 milligrams |
| Caffé Mocha | 175 milligrams |
*These figures come from a Grande (16-ounce) serving of each beverage, except for the Espresso and Espresso Macchiato. Those drinks’ caffeine content comes from a doppio (1.5-ounce) serving.
Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
Allow us to introduce you to the Starbucks Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew. The beverage provides a perfect energy boost and boasts a smooth taste, courtesy of the cold brew coffee it contains. Plus, the sweet cold foam made from milk, heavy cream, and vanilla flavor brings some sweetness into the equation.
Matcha Latte
The Matcha Latte got lots of positive attention when Starbucks first added it to the menu, and it’s still a popular favorite for folks who want to buy an energizing coffee alternative. The drink contains matcha green tea powder and a splash of milk. You can add your favorite syrup to it for an extra shot of flavor, but we say enjoy the creamy tea latte as is.
Matcha has a good amount of caffeine, so this highly Instagrammable drink can perk you up during an afternoon slump or early morning. Plus, it’s a great source of antioxidants.
Blonde Caffé Americano
If you love the idea of a Starbucks Caffé Americano — that’s bold espresso and water — but are sometimes put off by its flavor intensity, you need a Blonde Caffé Americano. This drink, made with blonde-roasted coffee beans, has a smooth and easy-to-drink flavor that’s brighter, less acidic, and more caffeinated than the standard dark roast.
Espresso Macchiato
This delicious drink is made with Starbucks’ signature espresso and topped with a layer of rich, creamy foam, all served over ice to create a rich and decadent way to enjoy a hot summer’s day.
The foam is lightly sweetened and has a hint of vanilla flavor, perfect if you have a mild sweet tooth but don’t want to drink your dessert. It’s specially crafted to be the perfect balance of sweet and refreshing, and in our opinion, it succeeds!
Vanilla Sweet Cream Nitro Cold Brew
Look no further than Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream if you’re looking for a new coffee drink to try. It’s the perfect drink for coffee lovers who want a little something extra in their cup.
The nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee provides a bold and intense flavor, while the sweet cream helps balance the coffee, making for a well-rounded and delicious drink. It’s the perfect blend of bold and sweet and will leave you wanting more.
Iced Coffee
One of the best ways to get your daily dose of caffeine on a hot summer day is with a cold iced coffee. The classic drink is incredibly versatile, easily enhanced by Starbucks’s wide variety of flavored syrup, cold foam, and milk options or enjoyed black.
Chai Tea Latte
The Chai Tea Latte is our recommendation to Roasty readers trying to curb their caffeine cravings without turning to coffee. Available hot or iced, the drink combines spicy Chai with the milk of your choice. The result is a lightly caffeinated but highly flavorful cup of creamy tea goodness.
Compared to other drinks in this lineup, the Chai Tea Latte is on the low end of the caffeine scale. But you can give yourself an even bigger energy boost by making it a dirty chai — that means adding a shot of espresso or two.
Espresso
Most coffee-loving caffeine fiends know that ounce-for-ounce, a plain espresso shot is one of the strongest drinks you can get at a coffee shop. It’s classic and straightforward.
A Starbucks espresso shot drops a huge caffeine bomb with 150 milligrams in a 1.5-ounce serving. If you need something to wake you up quickly, we’re certain one of these babies will do the job.
Cold Brew
Cold Brew is a fan-favorite coffee drink, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s strong, flavorful, goes down smoothly, and gives you a caffeine jolt powerful enough to push you through every part of your day — even the midday slump that hits you out of nowhere!
A cup of Starbucks Cold Brew makes a refreshing drink on hot days (or cold ones if you’re one of the many who insist on having iced coffee all the time). Plus, you can customize your cup however you’d like. Our go-to is to add a splash of oat milk, but you do you. Play around with Starbucks’s customization options until you create the cold-brewed coffee of your dreams.
Nitro Cold Brew
Nitro Cold Brew infuses cold brew coffee with nitrogen gas, which gives it a rich, creamy texture and unique flavor. If you haven’t tried it yet, get to Starbucks ASAP.
Like regular cold brew, it’s smooth, not as acidic as regular drip or espresso, and has a bright flavor. Whether you drink it black or create a customized version with milk, sweetener, or flavored syrup, it’s sure to put a little pep in your step.
Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
The Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso has a mouthful of a name. But don’t let that keep you from ordering it. The frothy oat milk, espresso, and brown sugar drink is one of our favorites. We love this drink because it packs a much-needed dose of caffeine — a Grande-sized serving has 255 milligrams! — in a delightfully sweet package.
Blonde Roast Drip Coffee
Starbucks’s plain, blonde-roasted drip provides the biggest caffeine boost of all the drinks on this list. Integrate it into your morning routine the next time you’ve got a long, busy day ahead of you.
Each batch of 100 percent arabica beans used to brew this joe is lightly roasted to perfection. When the blonde roast arrives in your cup, it boasts a light body and bright, citrusy flavor almost as energizing as its caffeine content.
Caffe Mocha
You’re missing out if you’ve never put chocolate and coffee together. The Starbucks Caffé Mocha is proof that the two belong together.
The decadent drink has espresso, mocha sauce, and milk, and with 175 milligrams of caffeine, it’s sure to give you a nice jolt of energy. And maybe a slight sugar rush.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Starbucks Have Energy Drinks?
Starbucks is famous for its coffee, but can it come through when you need energy without the taste of coffee? The answer is, surprisingly, yes! Starbucks sells energy drinks, though the company doesn’t make them in-house.
The Seattle-born franchise’s line of energy drinks is called Starbucks Baya Energy and features a variety of flavors like Raspberry Lime and Mango Guava. At only 90 calories per can and 170 milligrams of caffeine, they’re the perfect pick-me-up when plain coffee just won’t cut it. But be warned: those things are seriously addicting.
Which Starbucks Drink Gives You the Most Energy?
The Venti Blonde Roast is the Starbucks menu item packing the biggest caffeine punch. It has around 475 milligrams of caffeine — if that doesn’t wake you up, nothing will.
How Much Caffeine Can You Have per Day?
The recommended limit for caffeine intake is 400 milligrams per day. For context, that’s about four cups of drip coffee, 10 cans of soda, or two energy drinks. But keep in mind that everyone is different, so you may be able to handle more or less caffeine.
Final Thoughts
It’s probably no surprise that Starbucks has a wide range of caffeinated drinks, but we hope you’ve got a better idea of which ones will give you that much-needed boost.
The possibilities are limitless, from coffee to energy drinks, refreshers, and everything in between. So next time you’re feeling tired, or just need a little caffeine fix, try one of these suggestions, and you might have just found your new go-to!
If you’ve ever wondered exactly how much caffeine is in a standard cup of coffee, check out our handy guide! And if you want to explore more of the Starbucks menu, consider checking out some of the best viral Tik-Tok Starbucks drinks!
Happy Caffeinating!
