This Starbucks Frappuccino Is One Of The Heaviest On The Menu, According To A Former Barista

When you're craving something fruity, sweet, and cold, a Starbucks Frappuccino sounds like just the right treat. Made from a blend of flavored syrups, milk, ice, and a unique powdered coffee — before being topped with a generous helping of whipped cream and, in some cases, cookie crumbles — these frozen coffee drinks look as good as they taste. But, if you're expecting something light, you should know that even the non-chocolate options are filling, with Dani Zoeller, Tasting Table writer and former Starbucks barista, noting that even the Strawberry Créme Frappuccino is one of the heaviest drinks on the menu.

"Sometimes, the appearance of drinks can be misleading ..." writes Zoeller in their roundup of lessons learned while working at Starbucks. "A common example is the Strawberry Crème Frappuccino from Starbucks. Many people seeking a more delicate option gravitate towards this drink, perhaps perceiving it as a fruit-based beverage. However, the reality is quite different." While this drink does contain strawberry, it's in the form of the chain's strawberry purée sauce and blended with cream to create something much more akin to a milkshake.

Totaling up to about 370 calories, 51 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of fat in a grande size, the Strawberry Crème Frappuccino from Starbucks doesn't just look like a milkshake — it tastes and feels like one, too. It's delicious, but there are plenty of other fruity and sweet drinks on the menu to order if you're in the mood for something lighter.

The Strawberry Créme Frappuccino isn't the only way to get your strawberry fix from Starbucks. The former barista recommends adding the strawberry purée to a Starbucks lemonade or iced tea, and it'd taste particularly good added to any one of Starbucks' Refreshers, which typically combine a combination of fruity flavors with tea and lemonade. The Strawberry Açaí and Strawberry Açaí Lemonade Refreshers are two great examples, featuring shaken dried strawberries to complement the addition of the purée, but it'd also taste good added to the Pink Drink, which, despite also featuring freeze dried strawberries, doesn't contain any of the purée.

As far as iced teas go, Starbucks offers black, green, and Passion Tango tea. Any one of these could pair with the sweet, berry flavors of the strawberry purée if you wanted. You also have the option to add lemonade to any one of them. However, if you like the earthy flavors of matcha, another option is to get a lemonade with matcha added to it, also known as a matcha lemonade. Once a menu item, the drink won't be found on the regular menu, but it's still possible to order — and it'd taste great with a bit of strawberry purée added to it. Matcha and strawberry are a match made in heaven, so feel free to also add it to your iced matcha latte any time you like.