I hate the word “diet,” but I try to eat consciously and healthily. This means sacrificing some sweets, extra calories, and cocktails here and there. Normally, I manage just fine.
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But there is one thing that can always tempt me out of routine: Starbucks. I drink black coffee every morning, which makes the frills of a pre-made coffee that much more alluring.
Still, these fancy drinks are usually loaded with sugar, carbs, and fat. Luckily, I found the solution to my problem (and maybe yours, too). This s’mores cold brew is simple, decadent, and only 40 calories.
Two Ingredient Perfection
Besides being low in calories and delicious, this drink is also amazingly simple (read: easy to order). Start with your preferred size of cold brew, and add two to three pumps of toasted marshmallow syrup.
A tall cold brew s’mores addition contains only 40 calories and 3 g of fat and carbs. In addition, it contains 2 g of sugar and 1 g of fiber (no protein in this one). There is, however, 175 mg of caffeine for an ample energy boost.
For even more energy, add a shot of espresso. Each shot contains an additional 75 mg of caffeine and only adds 2 g of carbs to the overall total.
If you’d rather not trek to your local Starbucks, you can easily recreate this drink at home using Starbucks’ pre-made cold brew concentrate and marshmallow syrup. But caffeinate with caution: Starbucks’ at-home concentrate requires a 1:1 cold brew and water ratio.
Adding Bells And Whistles
One of the best parts about a low-cal drink is the wiggle room for add-ins. Adding on to 40 calories is a lot different than adding on to 150. So, go ahead and add those bells and whistles!
To make it a true s’mores cold brew, add a sugar-free chocolate or mocha drizzle and crushed graham cracker. No graham crackers in sight? Use cinnamon and a dash of cloves instead.
This drink will come out dark and stout with just cold brew, syrup, and graham crackers. For a smoother sip, add a splash of your favorite milk. Almond and coconut milk have the lowest caloric content, while oat and hemp milk have the highest.
Depending on which bells and whistles you add, this s’mores cold brew shakes out to around 100 calories. This is still considerably lower than most sugary Starbucks drinks, and it contains way fewer calories and carbs.
Suddenly, those guilty pleasures don’t seem so guilty anymore.