For coffee lovers and fanatics, going on a diet may mean you must sacrifice some of your guilty coffee pleasures. Curbing your coffee intake can be one of the most difficult aspects of eating healthy. However, if you choose your coffee (and your diet) wisely, you’ll find that drinking coffee and a healthy diet are not necessarily mutually exclusive. You may just need to make some minor adjustments to your drink order.
When you are focusing on a healthy diet, you will want to take a look at the sugar, fat, and calorie content of your go-to coffee drinks. Many fast-food chains list the nutritional facts of their beverages online which can help you adjust your beverage as needed.
Dunkin Donuts offers alternative sweeteners and milk options as well as unsweetened flavor shots. These options can be helpful if you are going low-carb, vegan, keto, or just trying to make healthier choices.
We’ve put together a list of some of the healthiest coffee drinks that Dunkin Donuts has to offer. To make it easier to find your beverage of choice, we’ve separated them into hot and cold drinks and listed them from the healthiest choices on down. The nutritional chart is based on a medium-sized drink order.
Take a peek at these drinks and see which one is for you!
How to Order Healthier Dunkin Donuts Drinks
If you are wanting to make healthier choices in your daily eating habits, you won’t need to give up your Dunkin’ Donuts run entirely. However, you may want to familiarize yourself with better choices offered on their menu. By looking at the milk options, sweetener options, and flavor options, you can find the healthiest Dunkins drink for you!
Choosing Your Milk Option
Most diets and nutritionists agree that you can have your coffee and drink it, too, as long as it is black unadulterated coffee. If you are like me and the thought of coffee without some kind of milk option makes you sad, you can choose the milk option that is most in line with your diet. For example, if you are on a low-carb diet, you may choose skim milk over whole milk. If you are on a vegan diet, you can choose from oat milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. For a Keto dieter, your best options will be cream or coconut milk.
Milk tips: Be aware that Dunkin’s almond milk is actually fairly high in sugar content. Also, for those on the Keto diet, Dunkin’s cream is not heavy cream but rather a combination of heavy cream and half-and-half.
Sugar and Sweeteners
Although the best course of action would be to steer away from sugars and sweeteners as much as possible, sometimes your health-conscious brain has to compromise with your taste buds. Luckily, Dunkin Donuts has sugar-free options that taste (almost) like the real deal. These sweeteners can be a low-calorie option to help you curb your sugar cravings.
Flavor Swirl vs Flavor Shot
Each fast-food chain comes with its own insider lingo and Dunkins is no different. At Starbucks, you get to know the cup sizes by specific Starbucks names and at McDonald’s, you have to put “Mc” in front of almost every menu item.
At Dunkin Donuts, a little knowledge of the insider lingo can be important for making the healthiest drink choices. Dyed in the wool Dunkin Donuts fans are probably familiar with their Dunkaccinos, munchkins, and flavor swirls. However, if you are not a frequent Dunkins consumer, you could easily order a swirl when what you really want is a shot.
The flavor swirl is made with sweetened condensed milk and comes in vanilla, mocha, caramel, hazelnut, as well as seasonal flavors such as sugarplum and pumpkin. These taste great but will pack a solid sugar punch.
The best bet for dieters is a flavor shot. This is an unsweet option that adds flavor to your coffee without any sweetness. The classic Dunkin flavors include vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, coconut, blueberry, and raspberry.
| Dunkin’ Donuts Nutritional Facts | Sugar (g) | Calories | Carbs |
| Hot Coffee | 0 | 5 | 0g |
| Espresso | 0 | 2.7 | 0.5g |
| Americano | 0 | 10 | 2g |
| Cappuccino with Skim Milk | 9g | 70 | 10g |
| Latte with Coconut Milk | 1g | 50 | 3g |
| Iced Dark Roast Coffee | 0g | 5 | 0g |
| Cold Brew | 0g | 5 | 0g |
| Vanilla Almond Milk Iced Macchiato | 10g | 80 | 12g |
| Coconut Milk Iced Latte | 0g | 50 | 3g |
Hot Coffee Drinks
If you are looking for a hot drink to keep you warm on a cold day, here are some of the healthiest coffee choices offered on the menu.
Regular Coffee
First up is Dunkin’s regular coffee. This drink is made out of 100% high quality Arabica beans and has natural antioxidants. A brewed coffee will generally contain less than 0-5 calories (without additives) so drinking it black will fit into almost any diet plan. However, if you feel the need to add a little something to tone down the bitterness, you can try a splash of skim milk and/or a flavor shot.
Espresso
A shot of espresso can start your day off right. Although espresso is only about one ounce in size, it can contain about as much caffeine as 4 ounces of regular brewed coffee. This tiny drink can pack a punch! If you are on a Keto diet, this drink is delicious with a splash of cream.
Americano
An americano is also a diet-friendly choice. This rich-tasting brew is generally made with 1 or 2 shots of espresso and then topped off with hot water. It is lighter than an espresso and also will last you longer than a shot will. Espresso has about 8 calories per shot. So, if your americano has 2 shots, you are looking at about 16 calories per drink.
Cappuccino
Cappuccinos are deliciously foamy and yummy. To keep the calcium in your drink but cut down on calories, you can order your drink with skim milk. Skim milk has less saturated fat than whole milk and is fortified with vitamins. This delicious cuppa can be a guilt-free treat on a diet.
Latte with Coconut Milk
Have your latte, and drink it, too, with coconut milk instead of whole milk. If you like sweet the taste of sweet coffee, Dunkin’s coconut milk lends a slightly sweet taste to a drink but has 0 grams of sugar. It is also a low calorie option. The coconut flavor does come through pretty strong in this cup of coffee. You may want to add an extra shot of espresso so your taste buds can pick up the coffee flavor.
Iced Coffee Drinks
During those hot summer months, I enjoy to ice my coffee beverage, especially when I am running errands. This can give you an energy boost and also help cool you down, killing two birds with one stone. Here are some healthier iced coffees among Dunkin Donut’s menu items.
Iced Dark Roast Coffee
The amount of calories a coffee has is about 2-5, which most nutritionists consider to be calorie-free. The dark roast brew can give you a stronger coffee flavor, but at the same time, it will have less acid than lighter roasts. I like to add a splash of skim milk to this brew for a slightly creamy, rich tasting coffee. Also, adding a tiny pinch of salt can tone down the bitterness for a more mellow drink.
Cold Brew Coffee
A cold brew coffee is one of my favorite coffee drinks. This drink will pack in a bit more caffeine than your regular cup of joe. Still, the flavor is deliciously smooth. If you are on a Keto diet, adding cream to this brew will be the perfect finish to this lovely drink.
Vanilla Almondmilk Iced Macchiato
An iced macchiato is an espresso poured over milk. If it is made by an experienced barista, this drink will layer into 3 colors making an Instagram worthy shot. The macchiato can be made using almond milk or coconut milk for a vegan-friendly drink. These milk options can also add sweetness to your cup and a touch of vanilla flavor can be the (figurative) cherry on top!
Coconutmilk Iced Latte
To get the taste of your favorite coffee beverage without the sugar, you can add a flavor shot to your drink instead of a swirl. A French Vanilla latte tastes delicious over ice. Also, a Toasted Almond flavor shot can pair nicely with coconut milk for a sweet and roasted taste in your coffee.
Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Drinks to Avoid
While you are looking for some healthier options to choose from, it may be worth briefly looking at those you might want to avoid on a diet. Some drinks may sound innocent but are actually loaded with sugar. Here are some of the top drinks you may want to avoid, or drastically alter, to fit in with your diet.
Vanilla Bean Coolatta
This is arguably the most unhealthy drink on the menu, packing in a whopping 630 calories and 130 grams of sugar. Although it may taste like ice cream in a cup, it will be a diet-wrecker. Also, this drink disappointingly offers no shot of espresso to tone down that sweet.
Blue Raspberry Coolatta
This drink sounds like it should be a health drink filled with fruits. However, along with the added sugars and calories in this drink, it also contains blue 1 dye and artificial flavors. If you are trying to eat healthier, nutritionists recommend avoiding dyes and artificial ingredients if at all possible. Just the small size of the blue raspberry coolatta packs in 234 calories.
Frozen Coffee
While coffee and iced coffee are great choices if you are trying to eat healthier, you may want to avoid Dunkin’ Donut’s frozen coffee. A large frozen coffee has 112 grams of sugar. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ this is more than two times your daily sugar allowance in one drink!
Pair Your Coffee Order with Healthy Breakfast Menu Items
When you go to Dunkin Donuts, there are a lot of tasty treats to go along with your coffee drink that can tempt you to kick your healthy eating to the curb. If you need to have a donut at Dunkin’s, munchkins are probably the best choice. These donut holes have 70 calories a pop and can treat your sweet tooth while still keeping you on the straight and narrow.
A better choice will be to leave the donuts behind completely if you have a hefty amount of willpower. Luckily, Dunkin’s breakfast menu also includes some savory options to go with your morning brew. Here are some of the healthiest food options on the Dunkin’ Donuts menu.
Veggie Egg White Breakfast Sandwich
This sandwich can be delicious on an english muffin for those who are wanting a low-cal breakfast option. The English muffin has more fiber than other bread options. An iced latte with your favorite flavor shot can be a great sidekick for this sandwich.
Egg and Cheese Wake Up Wrap
If you are wanting to start your day with protein as an energy source, you can try this egg and cheese wake up wrap. This tasty treat contains whole eggs instead of egg whites and will give you 7 solid grams of protein. You can also ask to trade out the processed American cheese with cream cheese to add in more protein. An americano or an iced dark roast coffee with a splash of skim milk will pair nicely with this wrap.
Multigrain Bagel
The multigrain bagel is certainly not a low carb option, but it does pack in 15 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber to help you feel full. If you want to top it with cream cheese, the USDA gives its nutritional profile as 84 calories, 2 grams of protein, and 1 gram of carbs per ounce. You can pair this breakfast option with a breakfast blend tea or a black coffee.
Dunkin Breakfast Bowls
For Keto dieters, the trick is to order your breakfast sandwich without bread. Or, you can choose a Dunkin’ Breakfast Bowls. The Egg White Bowl and the Sausage Scramble Bowl both automatically come without bread and are delicious omelette-like orders. You may want to cut the potatoes (and possibly onions) out of these recipes for a great Keto order. My favorite drink to combine with this order is an espresso with cream.
Wrap Up
If you are eating healthy, props to you! The good news is you don’t have to give up all your favorite flavors at Dunkin’s to diet. There are many options on their current menu that are solid choices for different dieting styles. Let us know what your favorite healthy coffee drink is at Dunkin Donuts. Whichever coffee drink you end up choosing, delicious tastes await!
FAQs
What is a French Roast coffee?
A French roast coffee is defined by its roasting method, not its origin, In fact, a French roast coffee can be from any country in the world, or use a combination of coffee beans. This brew is roasted until it has a get smoky, bittersweet flavor. It will generally contain less caffeine, and be less-acidic than light or medium roasts.
What is an americano?
An americano is an espresso that is topped off with water. This brew will not be as strong in taste as an espresso. You will also get a fuller cup to sip on longer! The amount of caffeine in an average cup of joe and in an americano is similar. However, the americano will often have a richer taste and a regular black coffee may taste smoother,
What is the difference between a cold brew and an iced coffee?
Cold brews and iced coffees are very similar drinks. However, there are a few key differences that set them apart. Cold brew is extracted very slowly (often overnight). This brew method makes the brew very smooth and highlights the sweet and fruity flavors in your beans. Iced coffee, on the other hand, is brewed hot, then allowed to cool down and poured over ice. It can often have a weaker taste than a cold brew. Dunkins double-brews their iced coffee so you get a full flavor from your iced coffee.
