Right off the bat, you may think sauces and syrups are the same, but there are actually some key differences you should know.
The main difference between sauces and syrups at Starbucks is that syrups are just flavored simple syrups, but sauces are thicker and have more texture and ingredients.
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Why the Differences Between Sauces and Syrups Matter
There are several key reasons it matters to know the difference between the two.
First, if you are either dairy-free or vegan, you can safely drink any syrup that Starbucks offers.
Next, for those who have diabetes or limit their sugar intake—there are several sugar-free syrups that Starbucks offers; however, there are no sugar-free sauces at this point.
Lastly, there is no caffeine in any syrup, but sauces like chocolate sauce naturally contain small amounts of caffeine. While the amount of caffeine is incredibly small, it is important to note for parents who may want to get their child a hot chocolate a couple of hours before bed or a pregnant woman who is already reaching her upper limits of caffeine for the day.
Another important thing to note is that syrups are very easy to mix in hot and iced drinks. They are technically more viscous than milk and water and will separate over time, but they quickly mix back in if stirred. This means they’re not ideal in iced coffee, cold brew, and iced americanos, but they can still be used.
Sauces have a harder time mixing in cold drinks in general. A good Starbucks barista will know to mix your sauces with your hot espresso shots before adding cold milk for an iced drink.
If you’re ordering chocolate milk, for example, you will probably notice that there will be chocolate sauce still stuck to the bottom of the cup. This is because it is much harder to dissolve it effectively in a cold drink.
Everything You Need To Know About Starbucks Sauces
Here is the breakdown of everything you need to know about each of the sauces Starbucks offers right now and seasonally:
Chocolate (Mocha)
Chocolate sauce and mocha sauce are the same, but customers and baristas may use the names interchangeably depending on whether they are ordering the espresso versions of the beverage or not.
Vegan Friendly- Yes
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- No
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 25
Caramel
Starbucks caramel sauce is typically used as a topping instead of mixed into beverages, but this can be mixed into hot drinks instead of the syrup version upon request.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten-Free- No
Calories Per Tablespoon- 75
Dark Caramel
Dark caramel sauce is typically cooked longer than regular caramel to give it a more robust flavor. Because of the longer cooking time, the moisture is further reduced, making it higher in sugar and viscosity.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten-Free- No
Calories Per Pump- 17
Pumpkin Spice
This popular fall seasonal sauce contains milk, which unfortunately means it is not vegan-friendly.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 30
White Chocolate
The white chocolate mocha sauce is packed to the brim with dairy and, despite the name, contains no cocoa derivatives at all.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 60
Caramel Bruleé
Caramel bruleé is a flavor that is inspired by the creme bruleé dessert. A creme brulee dessert is topped with sugar and lit on fire with a torch to produce a hard surface on top of a traditional vanilla custard. This sauce contains a smoky flavor reminiscent of the custard dessert topping.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 25
Toasted White Chocolate Mocha
This sauce is the same base as Starbucks' traditional white chocolate sauce but contains toasted butterscotch to give it a smokey flavor.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 60
Frappuccino Base
Frappuccino base is a critical component that binds together your frappuccinos' ice, milk, and flavorings. If you’ve ever tried to make a copy-cat frappuccino at home, you will probably notice that the ingredients tend to separate very quickly compared to the Starbucks version. This is because of the frappuccino base they add.
Vegan Friendly- Yes
Dairy-Free- No
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 41
Disclaimer: Many beverages that contain these sauces come standard with whipped cream. Whipped cream contains dairy and therefore isn’t vegan.
Everything to Know About Starbucks Syrups
Starbucks flavored syrup is gluten-free and dairy-free. Every syrup Starbucks offers is vegan except honey syrup. This syrup is not considered vegan because some vegans don’t consume honey since it comes from bees.
Also, brown sugar sometimes contains animal bone char, but Starbucks' brown sugar does not. This means that brown sugar syrup is vegan-friendly.
Starbucks also has crafted sugar-free versions of some of its most popular syrups. This includes vanilla, caramel, cinnamon dolce, and hazelnut. Unfortunately, Starbucks tends to drop and replace syrups, so your location may or may not have all these sugar-free options available. These syrups use sucralose instead of sugar.
Starbucks' classic syrup used to come sugar-free as well, but it has been removed. Fortunately, the classic syrup is just cane sugar and water that have been simmered to create a simple syrup that is easier to mix into iced beverages. Sugar alternatives such as Splenda, Stevia, and Equal are easy to dilute in cold liquids.
One great thing about all Starbucks simple syrups is that they all contain roughly the same nutritional breakdown. This means that if you are someone who is counting calories or macros—syrups are going to be much easier to track. Each pump of syrup contains just 20 calories. The sugar-free versions have 0 calories.
What About Other Flavor Additives?
You may have noticed that several different flavors at Starbucks are not mentioned above—they aren’t technically sauces or syrups, but they still are used for the same purposes.
The other flavor options are:
Matcha Powder
Matcha is made from green tea leaves that are ground up instead of steeped. This makes them richer in flavor, color, and health benefits. Starbucks matcha powder is pretty high in sugar which is not traditional and should be taken note of by those watching their sugar intake.
Vegan Friendly- Yes
Dairy-Free- Yes
Caffeine-Free- No
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Scoop- 25
Chai Concentrate
Chai concentrate is one of the most widely misunderstood products because traditional chai tea is totally vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free. Many vegans don’t immediately recognize that the Starbucks chai concentrate contains honey. Additionally, the concentrate does contain barley powder which is not gluten-free.
Chai tea is made from black tea. This means that it contains the most caffeine out of all of the different kinds of teas.
Vegan Friendly- No
Dairy-Free- Yes
Caffeine-Free- No
Gluten-Free- No
Calories Per Pump- 28
Vanilla Bean Powder
Both the vanilla bean frappuccino and the espresso-based caffè vanilla frappuccino use vanilla bean powder.
Vegan Friendly- Yes
Dairy-Free- Yes
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Scoop- 20
Espresso Base
All of the coffee-based versions of frappuccinos use an espresso base.
Vegan Friendly- Yes
Dairy-Free- Yes
Caffeine-Free- No
Gluten Free- Yes
Calories Per Pump- 5
Chocolate Malt Powder
This product surprised vegans because chocolate is almost never vegan at coffee shops. Starbucks decided to use malt powder and other natural flavors to create another option that is completely vegan-friendly and dairy-free.
Vegan Friendly- Yes
Dairy-Free- Yes
Caffeine-Free- Yes
Gluten-Free- No
Calories Per Scoop- 27.5
Final Thoughts
When you have dietary restrictions, it is important to know the differences between sauces and syrups at Starbucks. For instance, drinks like the caramel frappuccino contain both caramel syrup and caramel drizzle. Similarly, unlike the name suggests, caramel macchiatos don't contain any caramel syrup. They are made from vanilla syrup and have caramel drizzle on top.
It is important to note that if you have any dietary restrictions, allergies, or preferences, it is always a good idea to mention that when placing your order. It is not required that every barista memorize what products are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, or caffeinated, so it's always a good idea to come in with general knowledge about what products accommodate your needs.
Starbucks has also put out a disclaimer that their products are all made in a factory where they may be in close contact with other products. So while something may be labeled vegan—it may have been made right next to a product that was not.
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