Dunkin fanatic.

Hey all!

My go to is a large caramel swirl iced coffee with cream and sugar. Well finally looked at the nutritional numbers and holy moly…

What are your dunkin preferably (or Starbucks) favorite low calorie/yummy tasting drink!

Tia!
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Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    In warm weather, iced coffee (or cold brew), no sweetener, usually no cream, although on occasion I'll put a small splash of milk or half and half in.

    In hot weather, an americano or a latte, sometimes with nonfat milk instead of 2%. Once in a while a flat white. Calories from milk don't concern me, as I get the protein and calcium for my calories.
  • sophiaa_j
    sophiaa_j Posts: 3 Member
    Those types of coffees are soooo yummy. It's a shame about the nutritional content 😭 I've never had dunkin but I like the Nitro Cold Brew with Sweet Cream from starbucks, its 70 calories and super yum, very caffeinated. You could also try sugar free versions of your fav Dunkin drinks if that's an option? Good luck
  • mrsyeds1
    mrsyeds1 Posts: 1 Member
    Flavor swirls are dairy sweeteners at about 50 calories, so I rarely add any extra creams or sugars. My go-to in warm weather is iced coffee or cold brew with one flavor of choice and 1 skim milk. At Starbucks the chocolate cream cold brew is normally made with 3 vanilla syrups and chocolate cold foam. I omit the vanilla syrup, add one sugar free vanilla syrup and change to light chocolate cold foam. If you download the apps for these places you can customize and preorder. This gives you more control and knowledge.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    edited April 2023
    I make my chai lattes and coffee lattes at home, with skinny syrups (tasty, zero cal) and frothed skim milk.

    They are….magnificent. A 20 oz mug of chai is 54 calories (including the fat free half and half, frothed skim, and syrup) and a huge coffee latte is 25.

    I visit a coffee shop once a week to get a fresh baked squirrel cookie for le dog. Visits are for him not me, so I usually get a popsicle. A wonderful, yummy 40 calorie lemon/blueberry handmade popsicle.

    My coffee tastes better, is cheaper, takes less than five minutes to make (mostly waiting for the kettle) and I’d rather spend the hundreds of calories saved gnoshing on something edible and satisfying.

    BTW, if you’re American and don’t have an electric kettle, you’re seriously missing out. Also great for making jello, “clarifying” tap water to make yogurt etc, fast prep to boil water for pasta or soups. I don’t know why we’ve never caught on to them over here.

  • Mdin1029
    Mdin1029 Posts: 456 Member
    I make Dunkin coffee at home and use a bit of their Extra Extra creamer (not low cal). If I order I get the regular coffee at starbucks with a splash of half and half and a bit of sugar.
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,461 Member
    Black coffee 😋 = less than 5 cals 😁
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 702 Member
    BTW, if you’re American and don’t have an electric kettle, you’re seriously missing out. Also great for making jello, “clarifying” tap water to make yogurt etc, fast prep to boil water for pasta or soups. I don’t know why we’ve never caught on to them over here.

    +1 to this. As a british person it is genuinely incomprehensible how people don't have a kettle :D

    To add to the stereotype - tea is the choice for me. Some lovely earl grey with a slice of lemon.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    BTW, if you’re American and don’t have an electric kettle, you’re seriously missing out. Also great for making jello, “clarifying” tap water to make yogurt etc, fast prep to boil water for pasta or soups. I don’t know why we’ve never caught on to them over here.

    +1 to this. As a british person it is genuinely incomprehensible how people don't have a kettle :D

    To add to the stereotype - tea is the choice for me. Some lovely earl grey with a slice of lemon.

    What is the benefit of an electric kettle over a kettle I sit on my stove top burner? To me an electric kettle has more "moving parts" than an old-fashioned kettle I heat on the stove -- more things to go wrong. I used the same Corningware kettle for about 40 years, until it started to look like maybe there was some kind of wear occurring with the inner lining, and I chucked it just in case and got a new glass kettle with a whistle top. It probably won't last as long as the old one (new things never seem to), but at this point in my life it could still outlast me.

    For small amounts of water, I occasionally just pop a measuring cup in the microwave instead of using the kettle.

    Anyway, I'm seriously interested in what the benefit of the electric kettle is over the stove. If it's time, I generally use the time I'm waiting for water to boil to prep the coffee set-up (French press or pour-over) or to select my tea and measure it into the infuser, then maybe fixing some food to go with my drink, putting clean dishes away, washing up, etc.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Good question. I could not do without an electric kettle. It's much faster compared to a stovetop one. When I'm impatient I boil water in it to use for e.g. pasta as it's about 3x faster than cooking the same amount of water in a pot. Generally when I need to add more water to my dinner I switch on the kettle instead of pouring cold water into the pot. It's pretty much the only small kitchen appliance that I own, next to a small rice cooker. Don't need instapots, fryers, all the other stuff, but the kettle is non-negotiable. Due to the shape it keeps warm for longer, thus when my tea is consumed I don't need to heat up the water from scratch again, hence saving energy (I do drink masses of tea!)
  • jaycooks2
    jaycooks2 Posts: 3 Member
    Black coffee only for me iced or hot
  • lilbogie6454
    lilbogie6454 Posts: 1 Member
    edited April 2023
    THIS!!! :D:D

    I used to get a medium caramel mocha iced coffee with cream and sugar, so I know how you feel! I have since switched my go-to dunkin order to a medium caramel iced coffee with 2 caramel swirls, 2 cream, and no sugar (and for the record, I like sweet and don't like the taste of coffee lol -- the swirl has enough sugar in it once you are able to ween off of the added sugar).

    Since I no longer have to drive to work, at home, I make homemade cold brew (half gallon mason jar with a wide mouth lid, a cold brew filter, and a reusable plastic lid for wide mouth jars (all from amazon). I then add in 2 tbsp of sweet cream creamer and 2 tbsp of any choice of coffee syrup from Davinci or Torani.

    My daily "DIY" coffee comes out to about 121 calories, 22g carbs, 3g fat, 1g protein, 22g sugar. Not to mention, it saves a lot of money if you can make something just as tasty at home! :blush:
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Good question. I could not do without an electric kettle. It's much faster compared to a stovetop one. When I'm impatient I boil water in it to use for e.g. pasta as it's about 3x faster than cooking the same amount of water in a pot. Generally when I need to add more water to my dinner I switch on the kettle instead of pouring cold water into the pot. It's pretty much the only small kitchen appliance that I own, next to a small rice cooker. Don't need instapots, fryers, all the other stuff, but the kettle is non-negotiable. Due to the shape it keeps warm for longer, thus when my tea is consumed I don't need to heat up the water from scratch again, hence saving energy (I do drink masses of tea!)

    The energy issue is a good point. I do tend to use the leftover water when I need to add a little to a pot or pan, since it's right there.

    For dinner, if I'm going to need hot water, I set it heating for grains or pasta or whatever before prepping veggies, proteins, etc., so I've never really felt like I was just "waiting for the pot to boil."

    And like you, I'm not big on kitchen appliances (mostly because of limited counter space). I didn't replace my coffee-maker when the water-heating mechanism died (although I did keep the carafe and the filter basket to use for pour-over). No electric can opener, air fryer, slow cooker, etc. I do have a toaster (not a toaster oven) and a food processor from when I was making nut butters and hummus, etc. (don't do that so much lately). And I have a bread maker that someone gave me (which was a "don't you even know me?" moment initially, because I baked bread from scratch for years, but I discovered it's nice for doing a single loaf or not heating the oven in the summer).
  • westrich20940
    westrich20940 Posts: 920 Member
    My first instinct - for coffee drinkers -- is drink your coffee how you like it and simply make room for it in your daily calorie intake.

    If you want to try and get a little less calories for it (particularly if what you like to drink has a LOT of calories)...look on the ticket for Dunkin and see how many cream/sugar are in it. Like for a medium, it's '3' of each. For a large it's '4' of each.

    So, whatever size you get...try getting one less of each and sort of ween yourself off and save some calories.

    But, ultimately, if you want coffee in the morning and you don't like it other ways --- enjoy your coffee.
  • 8rbncr8mv5
    8rbncr8mv5 Posts: 7 Member
    It isn’t from a coffee shop and it’s not particularly low calorie but I use a caramel premier protein or Fairlife drink and mix it with a little bit of a coffee concentrate and it gets me 30 grams of protein (170 calories) and I really like it. I do it with coffee ice cubes so it stays cold and doesn’t get watered down
  • healthyrachel1979
    healthyrachel1979 Posts: 414 Member
    Black coffee 😋 = less than 5 cals 😁

    I caaaaant
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,461 Member
    Black coffee 😋 = less than 5 cals 😁

    I caaaaant

    @healthyrachel1979 - I never thought I’d be a black coffee drinker. I always loved milk and sugar, and most of all cappuccino … my grandmother always drank it black. … a few years ago .. I started doing espresso and somehow it just changed.. I started liking the plain better… sounds weird to me too being the black Coffee gal. Lol - I get it though, I would have said I ick a few years ago. Interesting how tastes change.

    😉
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone can go to a Dunkin or Starbucks for a high calorie coffee and not leave without a high calorie something else to go with it.

    Old me would have required a sampling of at least half a dozen donuts before I could get out the door. (Although I would have rationalized that a dozen was the “better deal” and left with that.)

    Hats off to those of you managing “just” coffee.

    …..or, are you? 😈
  • COGypsy
    COGypsy Posts: 1,352 Member
    I cannot for the life of me understand how anyone can go to a Dunkin or Starbucks for a high calorie coffee and not leave without a high calorie something else to go with it.

    Old me would have required a sampling of at least half a dozen donuts before I could get out the door. (Although I would have rationalized that a dozen was the “better deal” and left with that.)

    Hats off to those of you managing “just” coffee.

    …..or, are you? 😈

    Haha--that sounds like my last trip to Starbucks! I was NOT popular in the drive through lane that morning. Friends were moving, so I went and picked up coffee and breakfast sandwiches and some snacks for later since I knew they wouldn't stop and actually eat a meal. The barista had to go back and check to see if they had everything I wanted in stock. Too bad I couldn't really see the looks on the faces of the people behind me when I got the drink carrier with three coffees, and a big ol' bag with three breakfast sandwiches, two protein boxes and a couple of sweet treats!
  • spacetreemonkey
    spacetreemonkey Posts: 171 Member
    I like chai lattes, caramel frapps and chocolate chip fraps. I'm sure there's more, but there's not much variety in New Zealand. I think Gloria Jeans used to make a tim tam drink that was nice.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Hey all!

    My go to is a large caramel swirl iced coffee with cream and sugar. Well finally looked at the nutritional numbers and holy moly…

    What are your dunkin preferably (or Starbucks) favorite low calorie/yummy tasting drink!

    Tia!

    A few years ago DD's messed up my partner's iced coffee order and gave him one with caramel, which he gave to me. Oh my...I bought one thing of Ghirardelli caramel and made this at home, but decided I couldn't afford the calories and stopped. I normally make coffee at home. I get a lot of flavor for few calories by using half Starbucks caramel coffee and half Teeccino almond amaretto.

    Twice this summer I've been out with my partner and did indulge in a small DD caramel coffee. That's how I reduce calories - I get these caramel treats only very rarely, and get smalls :wink: Oh, and previously I would have gotten a Boston cream donut, so still a win.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    BTW, if you’re American and don’t have an electric kettle, you’re seriously missing out. Also great for making jello, “clarifying” tap water to make yogurt etc, fast prep to boil water for pasta or soups. I don’t know why we’ve never caught on to them over here.

    +1 to this. As a british person it is genuinely incomprehensible how people don't have a kettle :D

    To add to the stereotype - tea is the choice for me. Some lovely earl grey with a slice of lemon.

    What is the benefit of an electric kettle over a kettle I sit on my stove top burner? To me an electric kettle has more "moving parts" than an old-fashioned kettle I heat on the stove -- more things to go wrong. I used the same Corningware kettle for about 40 years, until it started to look like maybe there was some kind of wear occurring with the inner lining, and I chucked it just in case and got a new glass kettle with a whistle top. It probably won't last as long as the old one (new things never seem to), but at this point in my life it could still outlast me.

    For small amounts of water, I occasionally just pop a measuring cup in the microwave instead of using the kettle.

    Anyway, I'm seriously interested in what the benefit of the electric kettle is over the stove. If it's time, I generally use the time I'm waiting for water to boil to prep the coffee set-up (French press or pour-over) or to select my tea and measure it into the infuser, then maybe fixing some food to go with my drink, putting clean dishes away, washing up, etc.

    An electric kettle is faster, and also uses less energy.

    In 2012, I stayed with friends who had one, and have enjoyed one in my own home ever since.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,217 Member
    Give people a choice between a regular coffee or basically a dessert, I wonder what the popular pick would be. Espresso for the win.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,225 Member
    Give people a choice between a regular coffee or basically a dessert, I wonder what the popular pick would be. Espresso for the win.

    I don't drink coffee and I almost never crave sweets, but if the dessert was Key Lime pie then it's a no brainer for me. I frequently call it Kryptonite pie. LOL. Oddly, the sweets I like aren't really sweets, I lean toward tart/citrus.

    Sorry, for the slight topic derailment. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.
  • spacetreemonkey
    spacetreemonkey Posts: 171 Member
    I really want to try the Christmas drinks at Starbucks. Unfortunately it's too expensive to try all of them and they seem to bring out different ones each year.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
    I'm a coffee addict. I grew up in a household of coffee addicts where the pot was always brewing. And I couldn't even think of eating anything until I'd had at least 2 cups to start my day. At the height of my coffee addiction (well really my addiction to the stuff in the coffee) I was drinking like 8 cups per day, but I cut it down to 2 or occasionally 3.

    Yummy always just got me in trouble, no matter what, lol. I've found that even artificial sweeteners, when you're getting like 6-8 packets of them and a whole bunch of creamer, makes for a pretty hefty chunk of calories out of my day.

    For a while I got satisfaction just making coffee at home, or getting black coffee at Dunkin and bringing it home to fix up. I went the Torani sugar free syrups for a while, or I'd make iced coffee by blending it with ice, a packet of Spenda, a squirt of sugar free chocolate, some milk/creamer, & low fat cool whip.

    That worked for me for the first 40 lb loss or so... until it didn't work for me anymore. With my blood sugar and food addictions, any artificial sweeteners were spiking me and kept triggering my sweet cravings leading to more cheats and stalls than I'd like.

    I gave up all added sugars and daily artificial sweeteners, that scared me because of my coffee love and for a while I was just throwing back a couple of ounces of black coffee to keep from getting a caffeine headache. I found that with a little heavy cream, the creaminess flavor is more satisfying than the sugary flavor. So now I get it no sugar/2 tbsp heavy cream, or at DD I get it with 3 tbsp half and half in a small cup. Or if they're out of half and half I'll get it with coconut cream. By cutting out the sweets, my sweet tooth died down, so I don't miss the sugar anymore, but I gotta have it creamy.

    My 1st coffee of the day now is my breakfast/coffee combo: In a cup I add a raw egg and a tbsp or two of butter and whip them with a stick blender. Then I slowly pour in boiling hot coffee while whipping so it cooks the egg but makes it creamy/frothy rather than scrambled. Sounded crazy to me at first but it's so delicious and frothy and satisfying... unless I'm fasting that's how I start every day now.

    And that is my coffee ramble lol.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Non-American here, thus please excuse my question: Why? It's just candy with (possibly) some caffeine. If I want something sweet I buy candy, and if I want coffee I cook it (Syrian with cardamom, without anything added). I to be honest also don't understand why to buy coffee. And then? Drink it while driving to work? Go there, stand about and drink, drive home?
    /confused rant :#
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,437 Member
    edited September 2023
    yirara wrote: »
    Non-American here, thus please excuse my question: Why? It's just candy with (possibly) some caffeine. If I want something sweet I buy candy, and if I want coffee I cook it (Syrian with cardamom, without anything added). I to be honest also don't understand why to buy coffee. And then? Drink it while driving to work? Go there, stand about and drink, drive home?
    /confused rant :#

    I brew my own at home with an aeropress. I seldom buy it out unless I’m traveling, meeting someone social, or need a cheap excuse to take the dog the local bakery for a free squirrel dog cookie. I feel obligated to buy something. 🤷🏻‍♀️

    I think that a paper coffee cup is like a fashion statement for many here. It makes them look trendy having one in their hand.

    There’s always laziness, or time constraint ,although I can’t fathom why, since the lines are incredible, and that’s if you do drive thru and don’t have to fight to find parking. We always goggle at the line wrapping around Starbucks

    We just got back from visiting several countries in the Balkans, and there was very little “take out” coffee- just self-serve machines in the back of small groceries.

    I think the whole concept is wasteful and extravagant. I don’t think people stop to figure that the 1,2, or 3 fancy cups they buy a day are maki g a massive dent in both their financial and calorie budgets.

    My small touristy town has a Starbucks and two independent coffee shops on the small Square. All three do a booming business. The many, many trash cans absolutely overflow with coffee cups, even though Parks & Rec empties them several times a day. And people leave empties under benches, on the rim of the big fountain, on shop window sills, or in the gardens.

    It drives me nuts!!!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Supposedly there is a supercut of "Weeds’ Nancy Botwin Guzzling Iced Coffee" on this page, but the video is not displaying for me. Anyway, in every episode, there were multiple scenes with her with an iced coffee in her hand.

    https://www.vulture.com/2012/06/video-weeds-iced-coffee-addiction.html
  • PeachHibiscus
    PeachHibiscus Posts: 163 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Non-American here, thus please excuse my question: Why? It's just candy with (possibly) some caffeine. If I want something sweet I buy candy, and if I want coffee I cook it (Syrian with cardamom, without anything added). I to be honest also don't understand why to buy coffee. And then? Drink it while driving to work? Go there, stand about and drink, drive home?
    /confused rant :#

    Americans aren't a hive mind and all Americans don't like the same things. Some Americans order sweetened drinks at coffee shops; others order plain coffee. Or tea. Or milk. I would imagine the ones who order sweetened drinks do so because they like the taste. I would order a black Americano, which is espresso and hot water, because I like the taste. Each to their own.

    I'm not sure what's confusing about buying coffee. Coffee is no different than any other food or drink which people buy in a restaurant or on the go.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,941 Member
    Of course not, but 'on the go' isn't really much of a thing here to start with. I guess the difference is that people sit down and eat and drink, as a meal, and not something inbetween.