Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso (Taste, Ingredients, Caffeine, Calories, Copycat Recipe & More information)
Want to know how you can enjoy your favorite Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso from home? Read on to find out more about the drink and the perfect recipe to try.
Since its launch, I have been a crazy fan of the iced shaken chocolate Almond milk shaken espresso. It is my go-to cold drink each time I am looking for something cooling, refreshing, and let us not forget, absolutely delicious. But soon enough, my craving was becoming too expensive for my budget, so I decided to see if I can recreate the drink at home. After lengthy research hours and a lot of experimenting, I finally came up with the best recipe. I am going to share this recipe with you today, but first, there are a few things about this drink I think you should know.
Table of Contents
Brief History Of The Drink
The Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso is among the first of its kind released in early March of 2021. Its debut was alongside the equally popular Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso. Their release was the company’s attempt to attract more customers to the store.
According to their statistics, the younger generation seemed to enjoy a lot of their iced drink options and many of their consumers were requesting more plant-based options. These iced shaken espressos were, therefore, Starbucks’ way of killing two birds with one stone.
I have to say their move seemed to work out pretty well for them. After the release of the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso, it has become a favorite for many. So much that some customers have complained about the stores running out sometimes.
Last I checked, however, this drink was only available in US Starbucks locations, so you may want to ask your barista first if it is available in other stores outside the country. If not then, you are in luck because I am going to show you an easy recipe that you can use to recreate this amazing drink right from your home and you won’t even tell the difference.
Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso Overview.
What’s In A Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso – (Ingredients)
The Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso is made up of three main ingredients served over ice. It contains 3 shots of brewed Blonde espresso shaken with a scoop of chocolate malt powder and served over ice and almond milk.
In case you are wondering, the almond milk Starbucks uses is mainly made up of almonds, filtered water, sugar, sea salt, and vitamins (A and D2) among other components. Being plant-based milk, this is the perfect drink if you are lactose intolerant or vegan.
Chocolate Malt powder on the other hand is a combination of cocoa powder, sunflower oil, cane sugar, and natural flavors. One of the natural flavors includes the hints of malt you’ll taste in the drink. According to Starbucks, the malt has been processed from Barley. Considering that barley has about 2-8% of gluten, this may not be the drink for individuals with celiac.
Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso: Sizes, Nutrition, Caffeine & Calories.
What Sizes Are Available
When it comes to the drink sizes, Starbucks offers three options for the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso. The smallest size is Tall which is about 12 fl oz. You can also get it as a grande which is 16 fl oz or a venti which offers 24 fl oz.
I normally see most people ordering the Grande size. Since it’s one of my favorites at Starbucks, I like to splurge on the Venti size as often as I can. But if it is your first time trying this drink, maybe start with a Tall size and see how you like it.
Nutritional facts
How healthy is the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso? That is still up for debate, and it depends on who you ask. Starbucks has not expressly branded the drink as a healthy one, but it is among its Vegan options. Still, some dieticians could argue that being a plant-based option, doesn’t automatically make it healthy despite many people’s misconceptions. So, to determine just how nutritious this drink is, let us take a look at what it has to offer in terms of nutrients.
Since most people opt for the grande size, I will discuss the nutritional facts of this shaken espresso based on this size per serving. The information is also based on the original recipe of the drink without any customizations. To begin with, it offers a low-calorie count of 110 per serving. This is a good amount for a drink especially if you working with a diet of 2,000 calories per day.
Out of the 110 calories, you’ll get 3g of total fat which is about 4% of your daily intake which is good for one serving. You will also get 20g of carbs which is a healthy percentage of the 300g required daily. Most of the carbs come from the sugar content which is about 16g, but you will also get a nice amount of dietary fiber (1g). The protein content is 2g and what I love most about the drink is it is low sodium content which is just 80mg and 3% of your daily intake.
Overall, I would say that the drink is healthy enough for someone on a regular diet. You could have it three to four times a day and still be well within your calorie limits. Of course, that will depend on what else you eat during the day. If you are on a Keto diet, however, the 20g of carbs may be a bit high per serving, considering your daily carb intake should be between 50-150g. The following table below is a summary of the Nutritional facts I have shared above:
Caffeine information
The amount of caffeine in one grande serving of the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso is about 255 mg. This would be the major issue with most people when it comes to this drink. 400mg of caffeine per day is the advised intake for any regular healthy adult. So, some could argue that 225mg is above half of that amount and therefore, a bit too much for one serving. But some people take in way more caffeine levels per day without experiencing any issues.
255mg of caffeine does give you a nice boost of energy, especially in the morning, when you need to kick start your day. It does, however, go without saying that this is not a drink you want to buy for your kids or anyone with health conditions that could be affected by the level of caffeine. Also, if you are worried about the amount of caffeine, you could always order a tall instead of a grande, or ask the barista to switch the espresso to decaf or reduce the number of espresso shots.
So, What Does Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso Taste Like?
There are a lot of ways I could describe the taste of this delicious drink, but let us start with my favorite part, the combination of chocolate and coffee. With the very first sip, you’ll be hit with the sweet chocolate taste, a hint of malt, and a soft mellow coffee taste. I appreciated that they used blonde espresso in this drink, which allowed the chocolate malt to shine through without completely being overpowered. It is also the best coffee combination for almond milk.
Overall, in my opinion, the drink tastes like delicious melted chocolate candy in your mouth. It may, however, be overly sweet for someone who takes their coffee black or prefers the bitterness of dark coffee. But if you are a sweet tooth, who enjoys soft mellow coffee that is still rich in flavor, then you will enjoy this amazing option.
Ways To Customize A Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso At Starbucks
There are a lot of ways you can customize the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso. The original drink is made up of 3 shots of espresso, chocolate malt powder, almond milk, and ice. Aside from the size of the drink, you could reduce or increase the number of espresso shots per serving. You can also switch the blond espresso to partially or fully decaf espresso. As for the Almond milk, you can switch to any other milk or creamer option available. You can also reduce or increase the amount of chocolate malt powder or use a substitute. You can even add a scoop or more of vanilla powder if you want a different twist.
The drink doesn’t come with any toppings or additional flavors but you have the option of adding them if you want something extra. You can either top it off with whipped cream or cold foam, although I would recommend the cold foam. On top of that, you can sprinkle some cinnamon powder or cinnamon dolce sprinkles. Alternatively, you could drizzle some caramel or mocha drizzle, depending on whether you want more sweetness or chocolate. There is also the option of adding to the flavor by choosing to add a pump or more of the available syrups or flavors from Brow sugar syrup to the mocha sauce.
Personally, as much as I enjoy customizing my Starbucks drink to see what I can come up with, I like this drink just the way it is. I may sometimes ask for extra ice or light ice depending on how cold I want the drink to be. But you are welcome to let your imaginations run wild and see what you can come up with, or ask the barista for some advice in case you do not want to end up messing up your drink.
How to make Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso at Home - Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso Copycat Recipe
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid
- Espresso machine or Moka pot
Ingredients
- 2 shots of espresso (Starbucks Blonde espresso)
- ½ cup sweetened almond milk
- 1 ½ cups ice
- 3 tablespoons chocolate malt powder
Instructions
- Prepare the espresso shots. An alternative to using an espresso machine, is to make espresso-like coffee with a Moka pot.
- Add the half cup of ice into the cocktail shaker or jar, pour in your two shots of espresso, and add the three tablespoons of chocolate malt powder.
- Close the shaker or jar tightly and shake the contents well for about a minute or so, or until everything is well mixed.
- In a tall glass, add the remaining cup of ice and pour the mixture into the glass over the ice.
- Fill up the rest of the glass with the sweetened almond milk and your drink is ready to enjoy!
Notes
- If you want the replicate the exact taste of the original drink then I would advise you to use the Starbucks blonde espresso, otherwise, if that is not available you can use a blonde roast blend of coffee. If you want something stronger then go for the regular Starbucks signature espresso or dark roast blend, although it may not be the best compliment for almond milk’s overpowering nutty flavor.
- The espresso machine only allows you to pull two shots of espresso at a time, that is why I only included two shots in my recipe to avoid making extra. You can, however, add one more shot if the drink is not strong enough.
- I use sweetened almond milk so that I do not have to add any more sweeteners, plus that is what Starbucks uses as well. You can, however, choose to use regular almond milk if you could do with less sugar. I have also seen some people using vanilla-flavored almond milk instead. It may alter the overall taste of the drink but you can give it a try.
- A great tip is to stir the mixture first before shaking it, I found that it reduces the amount of time and effort that goes into shaking the mixture together.
- Like Starbucks, I like to use coffee ice cubes, so my drink is not watered down when the ice melts. To make them, simply freeze coffee in your mold instead of water. If you do not mind then you can stick to regular ice cubes, but use filtered water.
- Another tip is if you do not want your mixture to be too cold, you could reduce the amount of ice or avoid adding ice to the shaker or jar and just add it to your glass while serving. On the other hand, you can refrigerate your mixture for some time to make it colder without having to use more ice.
- As for the chocolate malt, you can use Ovaltine or Milo, they are great alternatives to chocolate malt powder. You can also make your powder, by mixing a tablespoon each of cocoa powder, malt powder, and brown sugar.
- If you are not a fan of the hints of malt, or simply do not mind, you can use chocolate or mocha sauce or powder instead of the chocolate malt powder.
Informative Section.
Is Starbucks iced chocolate almond milk shaken espresso vegan?
Yes, the Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso is vegan. It does not contain any dairy, since Almond milk is a plant-based drink. The company created this drink for that specific reason, to give vegans an option when it came to their Iced Shaken Espresso selection. But just because it is vegan doesn’t automatically make it healthy.
Is there sugar in Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso?
No, there is no added sugar to Starbucks Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso. The original drink contains blonde espresso, chocolate malt powder, almond milk, and ice. Starbucks, however, use sweetened almond milk, and the chocolate malt powder also contains sugar, so they naturally sweeten the drink. You can, however, customize your order by adding a pump or so of your preferred syrup or sauce.
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