There is always discussion about the health of coffee. Coffee nutrition facts will definitely surprise you. While the health facts of simple coffee are mostly quite simple, it does vary by preparation. We all love to jazz up our coffee in some way. Whether its milk or sweetener, we have particular preferences. This definitely changes the coffee nutrition facts!
But, have no fear! We are here to expose the health and nutrition behind the most delicious coffee drinks. Breaking it down by beverage, let’s explore the coffee nutrition facts of our most favorite caffeinated beverages. We even included some helpful tips for boosting the healthfulness of your preferred beverage – you’re welcome!
The Essential Health Benefits of Coffee
There are several health benefits when enjoying a cup of coffee. Analyzing plain coffee nutrition facts is not complicated whatsoever.
A single cup of black coffee only has one calorie. It contains no fat, carbohydrates, or sugars. It does have .3 grams of protein and 6 mg of sodium per cup. An espresso has only 3 calories. This makes coffee pretty light in terms of consumption.
Caffeine is the largest denominator when it comes to coffee nutrition facts. This of course varies by coffee preparation. For example, a cup of black coffee (at 8 ounces) has 96 mg of caffeine. One shot of espresso has 64 mg of caffeine. It is important to note that most coffee shops pull 2 shots of espresso. This makes for 128 mg of caffeine in a typical espresso serving.
Coffee also offers key vitamins and minerals. In particular, it is chock full of complex B vitamins. The most prominent is riboflavin. This is an integral B vitamin needed to produce energy in the body. A serving of coffee has 11% of your recommended daily intake of riboflavin. Coffee also is plentiful in potent antioxidants. These keep us feeling and looking young. They also protect us from diseases, like cancer and heart disease.
The Nutrition of Coffee Additives
Many people do not prefer solely black coffee. There are lots of delicious ways to enhance your coffee. Yet, we should remember that the nutrition profile of coffee begins to shift when we incorporate new ingredients into our cups.
Understanding Milk
The type of milk you choose to add will alter the nutrition profile of your coffee. We confront a plethora of milk options on the market.
When it comes to cow milk, the nutrition facts are quite simple. You can break it down into about 5 different categories.
Whole milk has roughly 150 calories per 8-ounce cup, with 8 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbohydrates, and 12 grams of sugar. It is a solid source of protein, with 8 grams per glass. Also, it contains 9 percent of your daily potassium needs, with 322 mg. Whole milk offers the most vitamins, like magnesium and vitamin A, per glass.
2 percent milk varies slightly from whole milk, which has 3.5 percent fat. It has the same amount of carbohydrates, sugar and protein as whole milk. Yet, it is lighter in calories and fat. It contains 125 calories and 5 grams of fat per cup.
1 percent milk, as you would expect, has fewer calories and fat than 2 percent milk. It has roughly 100 calories and 2.5 grams of fat per cup. Its protein, carbohydrates, and sugar content remains the same as the other two milk types.
Nonfat milk is pretty self-explanatory. Its nutrition profile is nearly identical to the other milks except for in calories and fat. Nonfat milk is the lowest in calories, at about 83 calories per cup. It has a negligible amount of fat, at .2 grams per glass. So, technically nonfat milk is not completely without fat!
We cannot forget to mention cream as well as half and half. Cream, otherwise known as heavy cream, is the densest milk option. A single tablespoon has about 50 calories with 5 grams of fat. Half and half essentially is half cream half whole milk. This gives it almost half the calories and fat. There are an estimated 20 calories and nearly 2 grams of fat per tablespoon of half and half.
Nondairy Options
Each day, many people worldwide opt for plant-based milk in their coffee. These non-dairy options are expertly crafted to create luscious milk froth. However, each vegan milk alternative has a completely different nutrition profile. This has to do with its base ingredients. For example, oats will have a completely different nutrition profile than almonds.
Knowing the nutrition facts of each milk will deem useful when deciding how you’d like to prepare your coffee. Here’s a quick nutrition analysis of the most favored types of non-dairy milk.
Soy milk may be the first plant-based milk to grace coffee shop menus. It contains roughly 80 calories and 4 grams of fat per cup, when unsweetened. It has the most protein, with 7 grams per glass. Also, soy milk has 30 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin D!
Almond Milk is a popular milk alternative that is lower in calories. When unsweetened, almond milk has 30 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. It offers 45 percent of daily calcium needs.
These Oat Milk nutrition facts are for plain homemade oat milk. A simple cup of oat milk contains 130 calories and only 2.5 grams of fat. It is higher in carbohydrates, with 24 grams along with 5 grams of sugar. It is important to note that many oat milk brands fortify their product with more vitamins. They also are sometimes higher in sugar.
Coconut milk is a more creamy option for your cup of coffee. Unsweetened, it has 45 calories per cup. It also has 4 grams of fat and 7 grams of sugar. Coconut milk contains 45 percent of your daily intake of calcium per cup as well. These nutrition facts are for bottled coconut milk that is lighter and thinner than that in a can. When using canned coconut, assess the nutrition facts as it typically has more coconut cream.
It is always important to check the variations in nutrition facts when purchasing sweetened non-dairy milk. The sugar additives will alter the calories, sugar content, and other nutrition facts as well!
Coffee Nutrition Facts by Beverage
Of course, you are not adding an 8-ounce cup of milk to every coffee. Each specialty coffee beverage entails a unique preparation. This also regards sweeteners. Not all of our favorite coffee drinks have sweeteners, while some do require them.
Below are proper nutrition fact breakdowns for the most popular coffee beverages:
Cappuccino
This classic Italian coffee is roughly comprised of equal parts of espresso, milk, and foam. This makes for a 5-6 ounce beverage. Typically, it features whole milk. Thus, at most, a cappuccino contains 80-90 calories and 4-5 grams of fat.
Latte
A latte’s nutrition facts are simple to calculate. A regular-sized latte is 2 shots of espresso and a cup of milk. There are only 6 calories in 2 shots of espresso, with marginal amounts of carbohydrates and fat. A cup of milk of course varies by type of milk used. If sticking with the usual whole milk, a plain latte has roughly 160 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 12 grams of sugar.
Caffe Mocha
The nutrition facts of a caffe mocha vary on a few factors. The first is size. The average size is 12 ounces, however, you can make caffe mochas larger or even smaller. Secondly, the type of chocolate-based used. Many coffee shops opt for premade syrups with guaranteed nutrition facts. Other coffee shops make their own mocha base, usually with pure cocoa powder and/or dark chocolate. This can add nutritional benefits to your mocha.
Nonetheless, a caffe mocha will have more calories, fat, and sugar than your typical latte. On average, a standard 12-ounce caffe mocha with whole milk has roughly 350 calories and 30 grams of sugar. It also has 13 grams of protein. When made with non-dairy milk like almond milk, it has an average of 300 calories.
Affogato
This beverage combines coffee and dessert in the simplest way. No one is judging if it is your method of a caffeine boost.
Affogato is solely 2 shots of espresso and vanilla gelato. Of course, you can experiment with different gelato flavors and how much gelato you like.
An affogato is roughly 250 calories, with one serving of vanilla gelato (½ cup.) This equates to one generous scoop of gelato. If you add in Italian wafers and/or chocolate sauce, an affogato can be closer to 400-500 calories. Nonetheless, the fat, sugar and other nutrition facts will depend on the kind of gelato you use. Gelato oftentimes has less sugar and fat than traditional ice cream.
Frappuccino (or frappé)
This may be the sweetest way to have your coffee. Frappés and frappuccinos are arguably coffee milkshakes. Thus, their nutritional profile does vary by what flavors, milk, and size you prefer.
The Starbucks java chip frappuccino a precise example. It is one of the most popular frappuccinos out there. A 16 ounce, or grande sized, comes in at 440 calories with 18 grams of fat and 60 grams of sugar. The nutritional benefits are pretty nominal and mostly come from the type of milk included in the frappé.
