Starbucks Just Unveiled Its New Apple Crisp Macchiato—Here’s What Dietitians Think of It
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Starbucks fans across the country are celebrating the return of the fan-favorite pumpkin spice latte, but the coffee giant has unveiled a new drink at the same time. It’s called the Apple Crisp Macchiato, and people are already itching to get their hands on a cup.
Starbucks made it clear that they spent a lot of time trying to get the flavors of this drink just right, testing and tasting apple-flavored fall favorites like apple maple syrup, apple cider donuts, apple pies, cakes, and crisps since spring 2020.
“Creating an ingredient with a spicy baked apple flavor was crucial to be able to bridge an autumn red apple to espresso,” Raegan Powell, senior manager on the Starbucks research and development team, said in a press release. “Consider how well a delicious slice of warm apple pie pairs with a cup of coffee or how well the combination of Starbucks roasty signature espresso pairs with warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.”
Of course, we’re curious: How does the Apple Crisp Macchiato stack up nutrition-wise? Ahead, dietitians give us all the deets.
What’s in the Apple Crisp Macchiato?
The Apple Crisp Macchiato starts out with a base of steamed milk and espresso, along with apple brown sugar syrup. That’s “marked” (as Starbucks calls it) with a cross-hatch of caramelized spiced apple drizzle.
The apple brown sugar syrup includes invert sugar, water, brown sugar, natural flavors, salt, potassium sorbate (a preservative), and malic acid. The spiced apple drizzle consists of sugar, brown sugar, water, apple juice concentrate, apple puree, ground cinnamon, pectin, potassium sorbate, salt, lemon juice concentrate, malic acid, xanthan gum, caramelized sugar, natural flavor, and ground nutmeg.
Apple Crisp Macchiato nutrition
Starbucks says this is what you can expect nutrition-wise from a grande Apple Crisp Macchiato:
Calories: 300
Fat: 7 g (4.5 g sat fat)
Carbs: 47 g (0 g fiber)
Protein: 12 g
Sugar: 45 g
Sodium: 280 mg
Caffeine: 150 mg
Is the Apple Crisp Macchiato healthy?
To be fair, Starbucks never claimed the drink is healthy. “Not surprisingly, this is a treat,” says Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. “At 300 calories… that’s like a small meal.”
The drink has some protein and fat to help balance out the 45 grams of sugar a little, but all that sugar (in addition to the caffeine boost) can still leave you feeling jittery, she says.
“It really should be called a sugar crisp,” says Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet. Still, she adds “the protein can definitely be a bonus.”
If you want to make the drink a little less indulgent, there are a few potential swaps you can make, says Gina Keatley, a certified dietitian-nutritionist practicing in New York City. First, switch from full-fat milk to nonfat or almond milk. With that swap, “you can cut the calories by more than one third,” Keatley says.
Another option, Cording says, is to ask for fewer pumps of syrup. A grande Apple Crisp Macchiato has three pumps of apple brown sugar syrup, and you can still get a similar flavor with one pump—which significantly slashes the amount of sugar in your cup. Downsizing from a grande to a small can also help limit calories, Gans says.
But if you want to try the Apple Crisp Macchiato the way Starbucks intended, don’t fret over one treat. “If you really want to try it and it’s not going to be [a] regular part of your routine, it’s OK to make room for it,” Cording says.
Gans agrees. “If this is something you are going to enjoy once or twice,” she says, “please order as-is.”
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