The Calories In Your Coffee: 5 Popular Coffee Drinks Over 500 Calories

People around the world drink an average of 500 billion cups of coffee per year. In America, half of the population drinks coffee everyday from one of about 24,000 cafes and coffee shops spanning the country. But what is really hidden in our favorite coffee drinks?

There have been numerous studies done on the health effects of coffee. On the positive side, some studies suggest links between coffee and lower rates of suicide, Parkinson's Disease, Type 2 Diabetes and short term memory loss. On the negative side, some studies link coffee to an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, decreased blood flow to the heart, calcium deficiency, and increased anxiety, stress and sleep problems.

Most of these studies, however, measure the potential health effects of pure coffee, but many coffee lovers have long ago swapped black coffee for creamier and more sweetened versions. Being that it's a diuretic, some people drink coffee as a way to lose weight -- not realizing that many of the creamy blended drinks and frothy mocha lattes we consume come packed with more calories than multiple fast food items -- as the list below shows.

While plain, black java might have several health benefits, many Americans lace their coffees with large amounts of sugar, flavored syrups, caramel, chocolate sauces, heavy cream and whipped toppings to the point that many coffee drinks -- which start out with only a few calories -- end up being loaded with hundreds of calories and double digit grams of fat.

Below is a list of five of the highest calorie coffee drinks from the five largest coffee shop chains in the U.S., and their fast food item equivalents in terms of calories. The information was sourced from FindTheBest.com, which compiled the data from the coffee shops themselves:

1. Krispy Kreme's Mocha Dream Chiller, 20oz: 1,050 calories, 41g total fat
EQUAL TO: 6.17 White Castle cheese burgers

2. Dunkin' Donuts Vanilla Bean Coolatta, 32oz: 860 calories, 12g of total fat
EQUAL TO: 3.44 McDonald's Hamburgers

3. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Caramel Ice Blended, 24oz: 790 calories, 13g of fat
EQUAL TO: 4.16 Taco Bell Chicken Soft Tacos

4. Starbucks White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino w/whip, 24oz: 760 calories, 13g of fat
EQUAL TO: 2.23 Burger King Fries (small)

5. Peet's Coffee & Tea Hot White mocha w/whip, 20oz: 547 calories, 25g total of fat
EQUAL TO: 1.95 Subway 6" Turkey Breast Sandwiches

 

Follow Grace Nasri on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@GraceNasri

Comments

[traceymarie]

12:42 PM on 03/04/2011

I like my coffe ground fresh for each brew and just a dab of 2% milk. Enjoy the coffee, if you want candy or sweets just buy it.

[Christopher Bowen]

11:01 AM on 03/02/2011

The great Jackie Mason use to do a whole routine about how they took an inexpensive drink, added junk, and now charge 5 bucks. It's a total scam. And, for many people, including kids, this is now breakfast. It's just a matter of time until Starbucks comes out with their version of the Big Gulp.

[onionboy]

05:09 PM on 03/02/2011

They have. It's called the Trente. I call it Trentesaurus. In full disclosure, though, I love a nice mocha frap...just not for breakfast.

[butchcliff]

06:54 PM on 03/01/2011

One of these coffees is a full meal. Worse than a milk shake. Guess if you're under 25, your
metabolism could handle it. Mine wouldn't. Newest coffee business is for the young. Just a
good savory cup of joe is quite satisfying enough for me.

[Raymond Chuang]

08:49 PM on 02/28/2011

I don't drink these coffees not for health reasons, but for financial reasons: a "grande" coffee drink can set you back over US$5.00!

Small wonder why I make at home a mug of Nescafé "Clasico" instant coffee with a small dab of sweetened condensed milk--a lot less calories, that's to be sure.

[nerdsushi]

04:43 PM on 02/28/2011

You could of course not be a glutton and order a small, since these numbers are for the biggest sized drinks... so at 380 cals, the small size of that starbucks drink really isn't so bad.

[txdem1968]

04:53 PM on 03/01/2011

No kidding, who really needs a 24 oz frappuccino?!

[alisonv]

06:07 PM on 03/03/2011

The problem is that people don't really think of these drinks as "eating." 380 calories every once in a while may not be a big deal. 2 or 3 times a week (or more) and it's going to pack on extra pounds. Studies have also shown that calories we drink do not make us feel full - not for long anyway. So most people are going to drink these and then eat what they usually eat. I'll just have my coffee with some milk. One of these drinks is not worth it!

[florida native]

11:25 AM on 02/28/2011

Black coffee for 35 years, but I have my "fix" once a week with a SONIC Carmel Java Chiller..........lol.

[lolrus]

08:09 PM on 02/27/2011

Not that it's a healthy habit, but if you drink one of these beverages as a meal replacement once in a while it could be ok. I do maybe once or twice a week and am thin.

[lolrus]

08:13 PM on 02/27/2011

Scratch that. Maybe once every other week. I drink regular coffee much more often.

[thebearschick]

06:16 PM on 02/27/2011

I am actually one of those people who doesn't really like coffee. If I have it, I usually go half decaf

[ljkcan]

07:50 PM on 02/27/2011

I love coffee and make my own all the time, You are right I also notice the older I get I go have regular and half decaf. I have only had Starbucks once and all I can say it is a rip off.

[babybecks]

05:58 PM on 02/27/2011

Unless it comes with a couple of shots of alcohol and a heavy duty buzz, no drink is worth 1,000 calories. Now the Krispy Kreme donut on the other hand...

[iRock]

07:39 PM on 02/27/2011

i agree. those donuts are the devil. when i see that red light flashing i have to speed up, because if it look at it for too long, I'd veer into the parking lot and smash right through the glass.

[txdem1968]

04:54 PM on 03/01/2011

LOL

[ljkcan]

07:45 PM on 02/27/2011

I remember when they came to Toronto we all got in the car to go try these donuts that we had heard so much about. I gained weight just watching them go through the cooking process. They closed down here.

I know it is fattening but I love to indulge in a tim hortons ice cap in the summer. Yet I hate their coffee.

[butchcliff]

07:45 AM on 02/28/2011

Is the one at Hillcrest Mall gone? Visited it once when in Toronto many years
ago. Richmond Hill right? Wasn't this the first one?

[Jolimont]

04:33 PM on 02/27/2011

Leave it to Americans to make an otherwise healthy drink fatty and horrible for your health! We're NUMBER ONE!!!

[HerrMonk]

03:53 PM on 02/27/2011

Coffee has no calories...

If your "coffee drink" has 1000 calories, it's got 1000 calories of not coffee...

[iRock]

07:40 PM on 02/27/2011

amen to that. makes complete sense.

what they are drinking is fat and sugar from the dairy creams. oh and lets not forget the caramel and chocolate and other sugary goodness!

[iRock]

07:41 PM on 02/27/2011

in essense, it's a coffee flavored milkshake.

[txdem1968]

04:55 PM on 03/01/2011

exactly!

[richieroo]

03:03 PM on 02/27/2011

Wow that's one heck of a fattening coffee.

Anyone interested in finding out more about calorie killing foods should check out the website below - the guy runs a regular section called Fast Food Fix highlighting the best and worst foods available from some of America's biggest chains...

http://www.angrytrainerfitness.com/2011/02/fast-food-fix-kfc/

[garynathan]

01:54 PM on 02/27/2011

Grace, this is great! It supports my decision to stick with tea.
I think drinks should be taxed based on their nutritional value - anyone with me?

[HerrMonk]

03:51 PM on 02/27/2011

No.

[Megan Porter]

05:17 PM on 02/28/2011

It's not the coffee that's the problem, it's all the crap that gets put into it. I drink mine with a little bit of milk and that's it.

[Brayton Johnson]

12:13 PM on 02/27/2011

Incredible stats Grace, good job bringing this to people's attention. It's a potential health issue. Along the lines of the comment below where Starbucks will be the new tobacco lawsuit, coffee has been proven to have actual health benefits, but the habit - almost obsession - that coffee has become in many people's lives continues to grow and the heath attributes you point out are going to become a greater and greater issue. Good reporting.

[Nicole Dixson]

11:47 AM on 02/27/2011

Starbucks is gross. Now that I got that out of the way, I used to love my iced blended mocha drinks, but I cut those out due to the calories. I no longer drink regular coffee either because of the amount of sugar and cream that I would use. Water and hot and cold tea. Made a big difference on reducing my belly fat.

[iRock]

07:42 PM on 02/27/2011

Congrats, girl! I'm a water fan myself, but i'm just now starting to get into my nightly earl gray green tea again....