How many calories in coffee?

How many calories in a cappuccino, flat white, latte or instant? Find out what are the lowest calorie options for your morning cuppa!

Wake-up, brew, sip and… actually wake-up. For many people, the day doesn’t begin until after a cup of coffee. We know better than to get between a coffee and its drowsy drinker, but is your daily cup of joe more of a calorie-loaded indulgence than you think.

It’s easy to imagine anything liquid flowing through our bodies leaving nothing behind, but sadly this is fanciful flim-flammery.

Whether you’re wild for wellbeing or taking the first step to better health, understanding how many calories are in anything you consume on a daily basis is a great place to start.

And because we love coffee and have it every single day we’re starting there.

Coffee alone has less than 2 calories

Ain’t that good to know!? If you’re a black coffee drinker then rest easy. Regardless of whether you have an espresso-based coffee from your barista, brew at home from grounds or have instant, your beloved morning mug will barely make a dent in your daily allowance of calories if you just add water.

Calories in coffee and milk

In reality, most people will mix a little (or a lot) of milk in with their coffee and this is where the calories start to add up.

If you have your coffee at home, or you’re unsure about what size you’re ordering at your local café, refer to our handy reference guide to some of the most common coffee components and their respective calorie counts (below).

Calories in coffee: find out what the lowest calorie options are for your cup of joe!

Do you take coffee with milk? Here are calorie counts for popular supermarket brands.

Calories in popular components of coffee

30ml espresso shot – 2 calories
60ml double-shot – 4 calories
30ml dash or splash of full cream milk – 20 calories (depending on brand)
30ml dash or splash of skim milk – 12 calories (depending on brand)
200ml full cream milk – 135 calories (depending on brand)
200ml skim milk – 84 calories (depending on brand)

Calories in barista-made coffees

Due to the variety in serving sizes, it’s difficult to pinpoint milk volumes exactly, however based on a Food Standards survey of coffee cup sizes, using the average sizes of small and large, we’ve compiled the following list.

An average small/regular coffee is approximately 285ml
An average large coffee is approximately 497ml

Cappuccino

It turns out, a small cappuccino has approximately 85ml of milk as your cup is filled with more froth than the other barista made options. A large cappuccino has approximately 230ml of milk, with the remainder of the volume made up of milk froth.

Small skim cappuccino – 38 calories
Large skim cappuccino – 97 calories
Small full cream cappuccino – 59 calories
Large full cream cappuccino – 159 calories

Flat White

A small flat white has around 140ml of steamed milk, two shots of espresso and approximately a centimetre of milk froth on top (around 25ml), whereas a large flat white consists of between two and three shots of espresso and can contain up to 410ml of steamed milk.

Small skim flat white – 61 calories
Large skim flat white – 176 calories
Small full cream flat white – 97 calories
Large full cream flat white – 281 calories

Latte

A small latte has one shot of espresso and about 120ml of frothed milk, and around one and a half to two centimetres of milk froth on top (up to 45ml), whereas a large latte generally contains two shots of espresso and can contain up to 320ml of steamed milk, with the remainder of the volume made up of milk froth.

Small skim latte – 53 calories
Large skim latte – 139 calories
Small full cream latte – 83 calories
Large full cream latte – 221 calories

Other Options

Smaller options include a piccolo with about 50ml of milk (around 36 calories if made with full cream milk, or 24 calories with skim milk) or just a macchiato with only 5ml of milk (around 6 calories if made with full cream milk or 4 calories if made with skim milk.)

Thanks to the chocolate a small full cream mocha sits at around 296 calories. A chai latte made with that sweet, tasty chai powder or syrup is deceptively high in calories because of the sugar contained – it alone has between 120 and 198 calories. Add the milk calories for the average serving sizes to this and you’re looking at around 180 calories on the lower end for a small skim chai latte, or up to 475 calories on the upper end for a large full cream chai latte.

Ultimately, your coffee choice is as unique as you, and enjoying a frothy cappuccino, delish latte or creamy flat white is part of what makes life enjoyable. So, by all means, now that you’re aware of how many calories are in each coffee, make smarter choices wherever you can… but also believe us when we say, we’ll happily dedicate 90-odd calories to our regular skinny cappuccino on a fast day if that’s what it takes us to get through. And when it’s a feast day… well, that’s the whole point of part-time dieting, isn’t it?

If you’re a coffee addict and in the mood for a laugh, make sure you read our post on thoughts every coffee lover will understand!

And don’t forget to have a read of our current offer, which truly has to be one of our best yet. Click here to find out more!