- Starbucks has officially released their Tie-Dye Frappuccino, a brightly-colored beverage inspired by summer.
- The Tie-Dye Frappuccino is officially available to order on July 10 at Starbucks locations nationwide, but it will only be in stores for a limited time.
- The Tie-Dye Frappuccino has a notably high sugar content, so we asked dietitians to weigh in on its nutrition facts and ingredients.
Just when the excitement finally died down from the Dragon Drink and S’mores Frappuccino, there’s a new Starbucks beverage here to dominate your social media feeds. It’s called the Tie-Dye Frappuccino, and it was inspired by the popular summer camp craft.
Like recent new Starbucks drinks, the Tie-Dye Frappuccino is brightly-colored, filled with blues, yellows, and reds.
“We wanted to create something that celebrates summer and really conveys it both visually and through flavor within the beverage,” said Starbucks product development manager Paloma Carrington-Bataller, who designed the drink. “We knew it had to make you smile at first sight and our Tie-Dye Frappuccino does all this! It’s summer in a cup and something everyone can relate to; it takes you back to sunny warm days of summer spent at camp or with friends and family.”
The Tie-Dye Frappuccino is officially available to order on July 10 at Starbucks locations nationwide, but it will only be in stores for a limited time while supplies last (as it will probably be a complicated, time-consuming drink for baristas to make).
People are already sharing their excitement over the drink on Instagram, but we have to ask: What exactly is in this drink—and is there any healthy way to enjoy it? Here’s what dietitians think.
What’s in the Tie-Dye Frappuccino, exactly?
There’s a lot going on with the ingredients here. The drink is made with a tropical Crème Frappuccino base, with dashes of powder in yellow, red, and blue. They get their colors from plant extracts, including turmeric, red beet, and spirulina, per the Starbucks website. It’s topped off with whipped cream and a dusting of colored powder. People online describe it as having a fruity, banana flavor.
Tie-Dye Frappuccino nutrition
Starbucks doesn’t claim that this is a health food drink, and the nutrition info doesn’t, either. Here’s what you can expect when you have a grande with whole milk:
- Calories: 400
- Total fat: 15 grams
- Saturated fat: 10 grams
- Cholesterol 50 milligrams
- Sodium: 240 milligrams
- Carbohydrates: 60 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Sugars: 58 grams
- Protein: 5 grams
What do dietitians think of the Tie-Dye Frappuccino?
They’re not exactly in love. “The sugar content in this drink is outrageous,” says New York-based registered dietitian Jessica Cording. The added sugar in one drink alone far surpasses recommendations for people, which are no more than 37.5 grams a day for men and no more than 25 grams a day for women, says Beth Warren, RDN, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Secrets of a Kosher Girl.
Gina Keatley, a certified dietitian nutritionist practicing in New York City, agrees, calling the drink “a sugar bomb…but we knew that going in.” Plus, “with 58 grams of added sugar in a standard grande Tie-Dye Frapp, you may be bouncing off the walls for hours after finishing the drink,” she adds.
Warren isn’t impressed with the calorie count, either. At 400 calories, the drink “resembles more of a meal than a snack,” Warren says.
Is there a healthy way to enjoy the Tie-Dye Frappuccino?
There’s nothing healthy about this drink, but you could do a few things to make it a little healthier. Cording recommends ordering a small size and sharing it with a friend. “This is definitely best as an ‘in moderation, experience,” she says.
You can also order a small and abide by the “three-sip rule,” Warren says. “The ‘less is more’ mantra definitely applies here if your health and weight are a priority,” she says. And, if you want to have the whole thing for yourself, you can cut calories by using nonfat milk and skipping the whipped cream, Keatley says.
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