What's a Healthy Drink from Dutch Bros?

January 6, 2026 •

4 min read

With many Dutch Bros signature drinks packing high sugar and calorie counts, it can be tricky to navigate the menu for healthier options. Fortunately, with a few smart ordering strategies, you can find a healthy drink from Dutch Bros that fits your dietary goals. This guide will show you how to customize your order to reduce sugar and calories while still enjoying a delicious beverage.

Quick Summary

This guide provides practical strategies for ordering healthier beverages at Dutch Bros. It details specific low-calorie and sugar-free coffee, tea, and Rebel options, explains how to customize drinks with alternative milks and syrups, and offers a comparison of common modifications to help you make informed choices.

Key Points

Start with a Low-Calorie Base: Opt for a plain cold brew, Americano, or iced tea to build your drink from scratch, minimizing your calorie and sugar intake from the start.
Choose Sugar-Free Syrups: Most signature Dutch Bros flavors like vanilla, caramel, and chocolate macadamia nut are available in sugar-free versions, allowing you to enjoy the flavor without the added sugar.
Select Lighter Milk Options: Request skim milk or a non-dairy alternative like almond or oat milk to reduce the fat and calorie content of your coffee or chai.
Order a Zero Sugar Rebel: For a low-calorie, fruity energy boost, customize a Rebel energy drink with sugar-free flavors like peach, strawberry, and coconut.
Add a Protein Boost: Try a protein latte, available with various sugar-free flavor combinations, for a more filling and nutrient-rich beverage.
Limit High-Calorie Toppings: Avoid or limit Soft Top and whipped cream, as these add significant calories and sugar to your drink.
Mind Your Portions: Consider ordering a smaller size to help manage calorie and caffeine consumption, especially for energy drinks.

Navigating the Dutch Bros Menu for Healthier Options

While Dutch Bros is known for its sweet and indulgent drinks, many of their most popular items can be modified to be lower in sugar and calories. The key is understanding the base ingredients and how to swap them out for healthier alternatives. For coffee-based drinks, a good starting point is ordering a cold brew or americano, which offers a robust coffee flavor with very few calories on its own. From there, you can control the add-ins.

Customization is Your Best Friend

To craft a truly healthy drink from Dutch Bros, you need to become familiar with their sugar-free options and milk alternatives. Nearly all of Dutch Bros' signature drinks can be made 'skinny' by using sugar-free syrups and lighter milk options. Instead of full-sugar syrups, ask for the sugar-free versions of flavors like vanilla, caramel, or chocolate macadamia nut. For milk, opt for skim milk or a non-dairy alternative like almond or oat milk to significantly reduce fat and calories. Many customers also recommend requesting half the standard amount of syrup if they still find the sugar-free options too sweet.

The Healthier Coffee Drink: Custom Cold Brews

Cold brews are an excellent base for a healthier Dutch Bros coffee. A straight cold brew has virtually no calories, leaving you in complete control of your drink's nutritional content.

The Keto Cold Brew: Start with a medium cold brew and add two pumps of your favorite sugar-free flavor (e.g., raspberry or vanilla), a splash of heavy cream, and hold the soft top. The addition of heavy cream provides richness without the added sugar of sweeter milks.
Sugar-Free Annihilator Cold Brew: Enjoy the classic chocolate macadamia nut flavor without the high sugar count. Order a cold brew with sugar-free chocolate macadamia nut syrup and a light splash of your preferred milk alternative.

Protein-Packed Alternatives

For a more filling option, Dutch Bros offers protein lattes made with their special protein milk. These are a great way to add a macronutrient boost to your beverage, helping to keep you full and energized.

Vanilla Zero Sugar Added Protein Latte: This drink combines Dutch Bros' espresso, sugar-free vanilla syrup, and protein milk for a satisfying, lower-sugar option.
Hopscotch Zero Sugar Added Protein Latte: A blend of espresso, sugar-free salted caramel, caramel, protein milk, and sugar-free caramel drizzle gives you a flavorful treat with added protein.

Beyond Coffee: Teas and Rebels

If you're not in the mood for coffee, Dutch Bros also has tea and Rebel energy drink options that can be made healthier.

Iced Green Tea: This is one of the healthiest beverages on the menu and can be ordered plain or with sugar-free flavors like peach or strawberry. A small contains only 28 mg of caffeine, making it a milder alternative to coffee or Rebels.
Sugar-Free Rebels: The signature Rebel energy drink can be made zero sugar and combined with a variety of sugar-free flavor combinations like strawberry and peach for a fruity, low-calorie energy boost. Be mindful of the high caffeine content in these drinks, however.

Comparison Table: Healthier Dutch Bros Customizations


Drink Item	Standard Version	Healthier Customization	Key Nutritional Changes
Golden Eagle	Made with Breve (half-and-half) & caramel drizzle. High sugar and fat.	Iced, Sugar-Free Golden Eagle with Almond Milk and no Soft Top.	Significantly lower calories, fat, and sugar. Added caramel drizzle can be omitted or made sugar-free.
Caramelizer	Made with chocolate milk and caramel sauce. High sugar.	Sugar-Free Caramelizer with Skim Milk and no Soft Top.	Drastically reduces sugar and calorie content.
Rebel Energy Drink	Made with full sugar Rebel mix and syrups. High sugar and calories.	Zero Sugar Rebel with Sugar-Free Strawberry & Peach flavors.	Eliminates added sugars while maintaining flavor.
Annihilator	Made with Breve and chocolate macadamia nut syrup. High fat and sugar.	Cold Brew with Sugar-Free Chocolate Macadamia Nut and a splash of Milk of Choice.	Uses cold brew base to reduce calories; sugar-free syrup cuts sugar.
Chai Latte	Often made with 2% milk and sugary chai concentrate.	Chai Latte with Sugar-Free Vanilla and Almond Milk.	Reduces sugar and fat by swapping to alternative milk and sugar-free syrup.

Conclusion

Dutch Bros offers numerous ways to enjoy a delicious, healthy drink without sacrificing taste. By opting for a low-calorie base like cold brew or Americano, using sugar-free syrups, choosing lighter milk alternatives like almond or oat milk, and moderating or omitting high-calorie toppings like Soft Top and whipped cream, you can easily transform many menu items. The zero-sugar Rebel and plain iced teas are excellent choices for a low-calorie, hydrating alternative to coffee. Ultimately, mindful ordering and customization are the most effective tools for creating a healthy drink at Dutch Bros.

Frequently Asked Questions

The plain Iced Green Tea with no added sugar is a zero-calorie drink and one of the lowest-calorie options available. Other options include a plain Americano or a cold brew with a sugar-free flavor.

Most of Dutch Bros' standard Rebel energy drinks are high in sugar, which can lead to health issues if consumed regularly. However, you can make them healthier by requesting a 'Zero Sugar Rebel' with sugar-free flavor shots.

At Dutch Bros, a 'skinny' drink is made with sugar-free syrups and either skim milk or a plant-based alternative like almond milk, reducing the overall sugar, fat, and calorie content.

Yes, you can order a 'Skinny Golden Eagle' by asking for it with sugar-free vanilla and caramel syrups, almond milk, and no caramel drizzle or Soft Top. This drastically reduces calories and sugar.

To reduce calories, opt for skim milk or a dairy-free alternative like almond or oat milk. These have significantly fewer calories and less fat than the standard breve (half-and-half) or whole milk.

Yes, Dutch Bros offers a Zero Sugar Rebel base, which can be flavored with any of their available sugar-free syrups to create a low-calorie and sugar-free version of the energy drink.

To make a healthier chai, order it with almond or skim milk, ask for sugar-free vanilla syrup, and specify that you would like fewer pumps of the chai concentrate, as it can be high in sugar.