Starbucks vanilla syrup vs. Torani vanilla syrup: which is better?

Many customers are starting to shift to homemade beverages and the best way to do that is to have a versatile syrup like vanilla syrup on your kitchen shelf. This is a big move and while you can dust off a wrong coffee choice it would be hard to get over buying a whole bottle of vanilla syrup that is just not good enough. I’m a perfectionist, so to ensure I made no such mistake I decided to weigh my two top choices; Starbucks and Torani’s vanilla syrup.

After researching, I compared the two and decided to create this post to ease your decision-making. By the end of it, you will know which of the two is better. Read on!

What are the differences between Starbucks vanilla syrup and Torani vanilla syrup?

Features	Starbucks vanilla syrup	Torani vanilla syrup
Ingredients	Sugar, water, natural flavor, citric acid, and potassium Sorbate as a preservative	Pure cane sugar, water, natural flavors, citric acid, and preservatives (Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate)
Taste profile	Has a sweet and rich taste	Has a sweet and crisp taste
Nutritional value	Two tablespoons of this syrup have 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 20 grams of sugars, and 20 grams of carbs	Two tablespoons of this syrup have 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 20 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of carbs
Availability/ Accessibility	This is readily available and easy to access through the Starbucks app. The app gives prompts of online websites where it can be bought and physical locations near you.	This syrup is also readily available and can be accessed through Torani’s shop website and through the app that connects you to distributors.

Starbucks vanilla syrup vs. Torani vanilla syrup – How they compare

What it’s made of (Ingredients)

Starbucks vanilla syrup is made of sugar, water, natural flavors, Potassium Sorbate as a preservative, and citric acid. Starbucks mostly uses classic syrup as a sweetener but does not specify which type of sugar is used in the vanilla syrup. A regular Starbucks Grande cup has at least two tablespoons of this syrup which can be added to most of the drinks the company offers.

On the other hand, Torani’s vanilla syrup is made with pure cane sugar, water, natural flavors, citric acid, and two preservatives; Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate. The sugar is a specifically pure cane that sets back to the inspiration the founders had to bring Italian syrup flavors to the United States.

Starbucks vanilla syrup wins this category since it is only made with one preservative compared to Torani’s two which most people try to avoid.

Taste profile

Starbucks vanilla syrup is the most popular syrup the coffee chain has. It is delicious, rich, and versatile which complements many of the company’s top drinks. Many people enjoy this syrup because it has a simple flavor and is hard to get wrong since it can be paired with most drinks on the menu.

On the other hand, Torani vanilla syrup has a crisp flavor and is creamy and smooth. It is one of the best-tasting vanilla syrups and was rumored to be the one that Starbucks uses in its drink. However, those were just baseless rumors since Starbucks has its brand. This just says how good Torani’s vanilla syrup is.

Torani’s vanilla syrup, therefore, wins this category since the flavors are more indulgent compared to Starbucks’.

Nutritional Value

Nutrition-wise, the two vanilla syrups are pretty much the same. Two tablespoons of Starbucks Vanilla syrup which is a total of 30 mL has 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 20 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of carbs. The total carbs are only 7% of the daily value intake while the sugar is 40%.

On the other hand, two tablespoons of Torani vanilla syrup also has 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 20 grams of sugar, and 20 grams of carbs. If you ignore all the other features it would be hard to tell the difference between the two syrups. The number of calories in the syrups is however on the high end since there are syrups with as 15 calories.

Choosing either of the two vanilla syrups does not bring any change to the nutritional value since they are the same. Therefore in this category, Starbucks and Torani vanilla syrups are at a tie.

Availability/ Accessibility

Both Starbucks vanilla syrup and Torani vanilla syrup are easy to access from the stores. Starbucks has special features that make it easier to purchase the product online. When on the Starbucks website, you can easily purchase the product from sites like amazon and Walmart or you can get a prompt of stores near you that has the products so you can make your order.

Torani on the other hand has an online shop where you can include the product in your cart for purchasing. You can also use the app to connect with distributors in case you want to retail the product.

In this category, it is a draw since Starbucks and Torani’s vanilla syrups are easy to access and are available all year round.

Starbucks vanilla syrup vs. Torani vanilla syrup: A comparison overview

Starbucks vanilla syrup – Overview

Whenever you are at Starbucks and you are completely lost on which syrup to pick, the vanilla syrup will be right there waiting for you to peruse through all the other syrups and come back to it because it is the syrup you will never realize you need. I tried this syrup with a couple of drinks and I loved how delicious it was. It was perfectly sweet and allowed me to taste its flavor and the drinks’ flavors as well without being completely overpowered. To get the distinctive flavor of this syrup, I tried the same drinks with different flavors and they were either too sweet or just odd-tasting.

This vanilla syrup is best for anyone who wants to add a delicious sweetness to their drink without taking away the original flavors. I liked that it was only made with one preservative which gave it a longer shelf life but I would have preferred the flavors to be crispier.

This is not the fanciest syrup Starbucks has but surprisingly enough it is the most loved which goes to tell you that sometimes to go big, you have to go small. But Starbucks knew that already.

What I liked;

• Use of natural flavors
• The delicious, versatile taste

Who it’s best suited for

• This vanilla syrup is best suited for customers who enjoy a delicious and sweet flavor and are looking for a versatile syrup that compliments most drinks.

Torani vanilla syrup – Overview

Whatever twist was made to make this syrup different from Starbucks’ despite the similarity in ingredients, it worked. I tried this syrup with the same drinks I had tried with Starbucks’ vanilla syrup and sweet, creamy, and oddly pleasant. At first, I did not notice any difference in taste but the flavor became evidently crisp when I got to my third sip.

I liked that this syrup was made with pure cane sugar but the two preservatives used were a major turn-off. This syrup is best suited for anyone willing to overlook the preservatives and enjoy the crisp and sweet flavor

What I liked;

• The crisp flavor
• Use of pure cane sugar

What I didn’t like;

• The preservatives used.

Who it’s best suited for

• This vanilla syrup is best suited for customers who are comfortable with preservatives and enjoy the crisp vanilla flavor.

Final Verdict: So, which is better – Starbucks vanilla syrup vs. Torani vanilla syrup

Torani vanilla syrup is better than Starbucks vanilla syrup. It all narrows down to the taste and flavors of the two since the ingredients and nutritional value are pretty much the same. Torani’s vanilla syrup has extra sweetness and crispness compared to Starbucks’ vanilla syrup. Starbucks might have just gotten too comfortable with its vanilla syrup that is loved by customers and goes with almost any drink on the menu that it did not see Torani outwitting. Though there are only minor differences between the two, Torani’s vanilla syrup has a lot more positive customer reviews which makes it better.

FAQ SECTION

Which one tastes better between a Starbucks vanilla syrup and Torani vanilla syrup?

Torani vanilla syrup tastes better than Starbucks vanilla syrup since the flavors are more crisp and indulgent.

What is the difference between Starbucks vanilla syrup and Torani vanilla syrup?

Starbucks vanilla syrup is made with only one preservative while Torani vanilla syrup is made with two preservatives and pure cane sugar.

Which one has a more balanced flavor between Starbucks vanilla syrup and Torani vanilla syrup?

Torani vanilla syrup has a more balanced flavor than Starbucks vanilla flavor since its flavor is crisp.