12 Fast-Food Coffees With A Ridiculous Amount Of Sugar

We all understand that some drinks are meant to be sugary –- it's why we love them, after all. And while coffee purists might turn their noses up at sugar-laden brews, there are many of us who simply wouldn't have it any other way. If you're a coffee-lover with an insatiable sweet tooth, we feel you –- we're certainly not here to judge. Still, we want you to know that although those sugary slurps might help you get through your morning, they also might be detrimental to your health — not to mention the fact that adding too much sugar to your coffee might just prove useless, anyhow.

In this article, we're uncovering some of the sugariest coffees on fast food menus. From Starbucks to McDonalds, we've combed through nutrition facts to present you with coffee drinks that aren't only sweet, but contain amounts of sugar that will make your jaw drop. As you read, remember that the American Heart Association recommends the average person consume no more than 25-36 grams of sugar per day. With those guidelines in mind, let's dive into 12 fast-food coffees with a ridiculous amount of sugar.

It's no surprise that Starbucks' Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino contains more sugar on average than many other Starbucks frappuccino offerings –- just look at the ingredients! Starbucks' Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino comes with whipped cream on the bottom and top, "frappuccino chips," cookie crumble topping, and chocolate drizzle, all on top of a frappuccino base.

As for the amount of sugar in Starbucks' Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino, expect 40 grams of sugar in a tall, 55 grams of sugar in a grande, and a whopping 75 grams of sugar in a 24-ounce venti. Given how these amounts compare to the American Heart Association's daily sugar consumption recommendations, you can see how drinking even the smallest version of a Starbucks' Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino could wreak havoc on your health long-term.

Looking for a venti-sized alternative? Consider grabbing the Starbucks Iced Caffé Mocha. No, it doesn't have the decadence of the Mocha Cookie Crumble, and yeah, you might miss out on all the cookie pieces, but you'll still be able to enjoy a tasty drink and consume about 43 grams of sugar in the process. It's still a lot of sugar, but let's be honest — 43 grams of sugar beats 75 grams any day, especially for a venti-sized sip.

Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino is another extremely sweet contender on this list of fast-food coffees that are ridiculously high in sugar, and no, you don't have to order "The Edward" to make it unfathomably unhealthy. Like the Starbucks Mocha Cookie Crumble, the Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino comes with whipped cream at the bottom of the cup and is then layered with caramel sauce, the frappuccino base, more whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and that oh-so-coveted crunchy caramel topping.

Of course, all these delicious embellishments come at a sweet price; Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino runs about 42 grams of sugar for a tall, 60 grams of sugar for a grande, and 78 grams of sugar for a venti. Interestingly, an entire pint of Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream contains 75 grams of sugar, meaning that ordering a venti Starbucks Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino will have you consuming even more than that. Yikes.

As an alternative, consider trying the Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew instead. It still contains plenty of yummy caramel flavor but only contains 32 grams of sugar for a venti, which we think might prove more practical for a once-in-a-while treat.

The Dunkin' Butter Pecan Frozen Coffee is one of the sugariest fast-food coffee offerings on the menu. Made with one of Dunkin's many "swirl" flavors (one of the biggest mistakes people make at Dunkin' is not customizing drinks with flavors, including the unsweetened flavor "shots"), Dunkin' Butter Pecan Frozen Coffee is made with your choice of milk or cream, coffee swirl syrup, liquid cane sugar, butter pecan swirl syrup, and other ingredients and flavors. The coffee swirl syrup and butter pecan syrup each contain sugar, with the latter containing high fructose corn syrup, which is known to spike glucose levels and contribute to weight gain.

Because of the many sugary components that make up Dunkin' Butter Pecan Frozen Coffee, you can expect to consume over triple the daily recommended sugar value at 84 grams of sugar in a small Dunkin' Butter Pecan Frozen Coffee with skim milk. Want something a little larger? You'll get 129 grams of sugar in a medium and 172 grams of sugar in a large cup.

If that sounds off-putting, it might help to order a Dunkin' drink that's a bit more modest in the sugar category. In that case, try a large iced coffee with cream with the butter pecan swirl in its place. You'll still end up consuming 50 grams of sugar, but at least it cuts the amount of sugar you would've consumed with the Butter Pecan Frozen Coffee in half.

Is Panera Bread considered fast food? We'll leave that up to you to decide. Either way, unlike some other sugary grabs from fast food coffee chains, the Panera Bread Caramel Latte isn't made with fancy ingredients –- it is only a latte, after all. Even so, expect this laid-back sip to still pack a wallop in terms of sugar, containing nearly double the daily sugar recommendation, and that's only for a regular-sized portion.

Panera Bread's Caramel Latte comes layered with frothed milk, caramel sauce, and espresso, which is then topped with rich whipped cream. Though we aren't seeing any high fructose corn syrup hiding in the drink, it still contains 44 grams of sugar when ordered in the "regular" size. When ordering a large Caramel Latte at Panera Bread, expect to consume even more sugar, at 56 grams. Looking to add a hint of vanilla flavor? Panera Bread allows you to customize the drink further by adding a shot of Madagascar vanilla syrup to your caramel latte, but doing so will up sugar totals from 56 grams to 61 grams per large-sized portion.

Instead of downing the Caramel Latte, why not try Panera Bread's large Caffé Latte instead? It only contains 13 grams of sugar and you could always customize it by adding a shot or two of vanilla syrup, which would only increase the sugar amount by 6 grams. Hey, it might not be as sweet, but it's an option!

You aren't gonna find a Dutch Bros. everywhere, but if you happen to have one near you, you'll want to watch out for a couple of fast food coffees that the chain offers that are particularly high in sugar. The Dutch Bros. Cocomo is one such drink, and as much fun as it is to say, we have to admit, it isn't the healthiest offering the chain has. The drink is described as containing espresso combined with coconut syrup and chocolate milk, and is topped with whipped cream. And though the option sounds tantalizing indeed, it also contains 81 grams of sugar when you order the drink hot and in a large size.

So, what alternatives at Dutch Bros. might work in its place? Try the Annihilator instead, which features rich espresso with chocolate macadamia nut syrup and half-and-half for a delicious yet not-so-sugary concoction that clocks in at less than half the amount of sugar as the Cocomo at 36 grams of sugar per large cup.

Another one of the sugariest options at Dutch Bros., the Caramelizer, as delicious as it may sound, comes unbelievably sweet. Unfortunately, this drink has almost as much sugar as the previously mentioned Dutch Bros. Cocomo. The Caramelizer comes composed of chocolate milk, espresso, and rich caramel sauce. Ordering this drink in a large means you'll sip 81 grams of sugar, with other sizing options containing 73 grams of sugar for a medium and 57 grams of sugar for a small. 

And though we're sure you caramel fans are sighing at this point (most caramel-flavored drinks up until this point have gotten a pretty bad rap for high sugar totals), there is hope; Dutch Bros. offers its Golden Eagle drink, which contains caramel and vanilla syrup combined with half-and-half and espresso to yield only 36 grams of sugar when ordered in a large size hot. Remember that you can customize drinks at Dutch Bros. too, meaning that if you like this coffee flavor, you could totally order it iced or blended as well. Cheers!

Tim Hortons Mocha Iced Capp might hit the spot in terms of creamy, chocolate goodness (Tim Hortons even inspires love letters, particularly in Canada), but when it comes to the amount of sugar in this fast food coffee, we can't help but give it a side eye. Tim Hortons Mocha Iced Capp is described simply by the company as a frozen coffee drink made with dark chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream. Expect Tim Hortons Mocha Iced Capp to contain 61 grams of sugar in a small, 72 grams of sugar in a medium, and 90 grams of sugar in a large. For reference, 90 grams of sugar is the equivalent of eating over 21 teaspoons of white table sugar –- need we say more?

As far as alternatives to Tim Hortons Mocha Iced Capp, you've got several options. Look into the Vanilla Cream Cold Brew at only 30 grams of sugar for a large or, if you'd prefer to have more of a mocha-flavored beverage, consider the coffee mocha, which, though hot, features 29 grams of sugar when ordered in a large size. You could also try Tim Horton's regular iced cappuccino, but if you're looking to cut back, be aware that although there's technically less sugar in the original flavor than the mocha version, it still contains 56 grams per large cup size.

Caribou Campfire Mocha? Mmm, mmm, delicious, right? Well, yeah -– but it'll cost you. Look, we love Caribou Campfire Mocha just as much as the next person (some of Caribou Coffee's menu updates even make Starbucks look bad), but the sugar content in this thing is downright obnoxious. The drink comes with "real" chocolate melted into steamed milk with marshmallow flavor topped with whipped cream, mini marshmallows, and chocolate chips.

For a Blended Caribou Campfire Mocha, expect to get as much as 95 grams of sugar for a small, 118 for a medium, 142 for a large and, get this, 189 grams of sugar for an extra large. That's almost 200 grams of sugar in a single drink, which is over seven times the amount that the American Heart Association recommends that people consume daily. Add to that any snacks, desserts, or other sugary drinks you might consume for the day, and it's easy to see why this drink is easily flagged as one of the sugariest fast-food coffees out there.

Unfortunately, there aren't many other options on Caribou Coffee's menu that would serve to replace the unique flavors of the Campfire Mocha. Even the traditional mocha is quite high in sugar at 57 grams, and that's only for a large-size cup. Your best bet is to order a plain latte –- there's only 21 grams of sugar in a large, though, as always, additional flavor shots will tick up the amount of sugar in the drink.

Caribou Coffee might have decadent and delicious-tasting coffees, but goodness, it certainly knows how to bog its drinks down with sugar. As if things weren't bad enough with 189 grams of sugar in the Campfire Mocha, we now present you with an even worse option: Caribou Coffee's Blended Turtle Mocha. This sugary concoction comes with espresso infused into real chocolate melted into steamed milk along with caramel and topped with whip, caramel drizzle, and turtle pieces. It packs 100 grams of sugar in a small, 124 grams of sugar in a medium, 148 grams of sugar in a large, and a shocking 196 grams of sugar in an extra large. That's the equivalent of eating 47 teaspoons of sugar! Somehow we think serving a drink with this much sugar ought to be illegal, but as it stands at the time of writing, there it is on the Caribou Coffee menu.

As mentioned before, many of Caribou Coffee's replacements for mocha-style coffees are exceedingly high in sugar, and thus, replacements can be tricky. Though not a mocha, a Vanilla Espresso Shaker might suit your taste buds, especially if you have chocolate added to the beverage. It comes with only 31 grams of sugar per large cup, which is pretty decent, especially for Caribou Coffee. No, it isn't an extra large coffee, but since it contains only a fraction of the amount of sugar of the Caribou Coffee's Blended Turtle Mocha, we think its worth looking into.

If you have a Biggby Coffee shop near you, you may already know the many delicious coffee menu items the chain offers. And while there are many fun flavors to choose from, several of them have an outrageous amount of sugar. The Biggby Coffee Mint Mocha Latte, for example, is one such drink. This sip contains mint and chocolate, and like many of the drinks on this list, you can order it several ways. Though the hot, iced, and frozen versions of the Biggby Mint Mocha Latte all contain high amounts of sugar, the frozen version takes the cake. In a 16-ounce drink, expect to gulp 68 grams of sugar, while a 20-ounce drink delivers 78 grams of sugar, a 24-ounce drink 102 grams of sugar, and, finally, 131 grams of sugar in a 32-ounce cup. Yikes!

With that said, we are relieved to know that in addition to the many ways you can customize your Biggby latte, making it "sugar-free" is one of them. Just know that consuming a 32-ounce Biggby Mint Mocha Latte and making it sugar-free still rings in at 98 grams of sugar, according to the Biggby Coffee website. It could be the sugar in the milk, but that's up for speculation — hey, we don't make rules here. All in all, though you have options at Biggby Coffee, it helps to know that certain drinks, like the Biggby Mint Mocha Latte, are concerningly high in sugar.

Before Starbucks, there was Peet's Coffee. Known for doling out high-quality brews, Peet's certainly has some tasty picks, though some contain a little more sugar than we'd prefer. The company's caramel frappé, for instance, is one of the sugariest drinks on the menu. Made from Peet's double-strength Baridi Blend cold brew, Peet's Coffee Caramel Frappé comes layered with rich caramel sauce and is topped with whipped cream for added decadence. And decadent it is — expect 59 grams of sugar for a small, 73 grams of sugar for a medium, and 99 grams of sugar for a large. That's the equivalent of eating 11 Dum-Dum lollipops (rumor has it that Amazon is ruining Dums-Dums for everyone, by the way) in one sitting!

Thankfully, Peet's Coffee has many options that can get you the flavor you crave without being woefully high in sugar. Take the Iced Skinny Vanilla Latte, for example; for a large-sized sip, you'll only incur 14 grams of sugar. Other lower-sugar iced fast-food coffee options from Peet's that work as an alternative to Peet's Coffee Caramel Frappé include the plain iced latte and the Horchata Oat Milk Cold Brew.

Last but not least, though not a traditional coffee shop, McDonald's has its share of fast-food coffee options and many of them are quite high in sugar. One of which, the McDonald's Caramel Frappé, caught our attention. It comes with a shot of espresso enveloped in ice and a frappe base and is topped with whipped cream. Like so many of the other caramel-flavored fast food coffee options on the list, this too features ridiculously high sugar totals at 53 grams of sugar for a small, 62 grams of sugar for a medium, and 84 grams of sugar for a large.

Fortunately, McDonald's offers other caramel coffee options, one of which is the Iced Caramel Macchiato. A large version of this drink contains 51 grams of sugar, and while that's still a little more than we're comfortable with, it's still the best alternative in terms of caramel flavor, making it a decent lower-sugar option for taming an insatiable sweet tooth.