How To Order A Skinny Pumpkin Drink At Starbucks

Ah, fall. It's that time of year with cool breezes, leaves changing color, and the Starbucks siren's call to people who are waiting with their flannel shirts ready to go — the yearly release of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). The PSL has graced menus since 2003, and many customers have come to adore the social media-famous drink. While there are plenty of low-sugar Starbucks drinks, the PSL is not one of them. It's more of a dessert than a morning beverage, but there's a Starbucks ordering hack to get pumpkin spice flavor without as many calories.

The "skinny pumpkin" drink tastes similar to the standard PSL, but has fewer ingredients, making it overall "skinnier" in content than the original. A grande (or 16-ounce) PSL has 390 calories, with 2% milk, whipped cream, PSL topping, and a standard four pumps of the PSL syrup, which contributes to the sugar content. This means that a grande PSL has 50 grams of sugar. For reference, the average recommended daily intake for sugar is below 40 grams in adults.

Those seeking a lower-calorie, lower-sugar option can ask for a grande cold brew without the classic pumpkin syrup. Instead, you can swap it for one pump of pumpkin syrup and two pumps of sugar-free vanilla or cinnamon dolce syrup. You can also switch to nonfat milk or unsweetened almond milk and skip the whipped cream. Swapping the milk and cutting out the cream alone can reduce the calories to approximately 220.

You may feel self-conscious asking for a customized drink at Starbucks, but drink customization isn't a problem as long as the instructions are clear and reasonable. There's nothing wrong with tailoring a drink to your nutritional needs. Getting almond, non-fat, or soy milk with just a few pumps of syrup really isn't that much of a bother to your barista at all. One Starbucks secret you'll wish you knew sooner is that you can cut down on the sugar content of your coffee by asking for less syrup.

For example, if you order a mocha or any flavored grande drink, such as a vanilla latte, you'll get four pumps of syrup. A 12-ounce tall drink will receive two or three pumps, whereas a hot venti will have five pumps, and an iced venti will have six pumps (due to the ice). Feel free to customize to your heart's content and get creative. You can try crafting a cold brew with a half-shot of heavy creamer, a single pump of vanilla or cinnamon syrup, and a pump of pumpkin spice syrup. That might still be sweet for some, but removing the latte milk can seriously reduce calories if that's your goal. The big takeaway here is that anyone can enjoy a personalized pumpkin spice latte this fall — you may even prefer this new concoction over the original recipe.