Starbucks Just Released Protein Lattes and Cold Foams—Here’s My Honest Review

I usually don’t hit my protein goals for the morning when I go to a coffee shop instead of making an iced latte at home. This is especially true when I go to Starbucks, because I almost exclusively order a cold foam cold brew, which has only 3 grams of protein and 250 calories (not an ideal ratio for someone prioritizing protein in their diet). That’s why the news about Starbucks releasing protein lattes and protein cold foams felt like winning the jackpot. In theory, it meant I could treat myself to a coffee and get a good amount of protein at the same time.

My curiosity was piqued! Would the new Starbucks protein line taste chalky or have chunks of powder dispersed into an otherwise-smooth drink? I’ve tried many protein powders, shakes and coffees and have been disappointed more often than I’ve been impressed. But I’m always searching for a drink that doesn’t have that thick artificial powder flavor, so I put four of the new Starbucks protein drinks to the test.

What are the new Starbucks protein drinks?

Starbucks released seven new menu items. Three of them come with protein cold foam on top, including:

• Iced Banana Cream Protein Matcha
• Iced Vanilla Cream Protein Latte
• Chocolate Cream Protein Cold Brew.

The remaining drinks are not served with cold foam on top:

• Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Matcha
• Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte
• Protein Matcha
• Vanilla Protein Latte.

To make the protein cold foams, Starbucks adds premium whey protein for 15 grams per serving. For the protein lattes, Starbucks blends 2% milk with whey protein to create “protein-boosted milk.” On its own, milk delivers 12 to 16 grams of protein per grande-sized latte—while the “boosted” lattes will have approximately 27 to 36 grams of protein.

Are the Starbucks protein drinks good?

Overall, I couldn’t believe how little I could taste the protein powder in the drinks I tried. That stuff is hard to disguise! Here are the four I tasted:

• Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte: This was about on par with what I’d expect for a sugar-free drink. It was very artificially sweet and reminded me of sugar-free Torani syrup. However, the vanilla flavor was prominent, and the protein flavor wasn’t. A grande offers 27 to 29 grams of protein.
• Chocolate Protein Cold Foam Cold Brew: This was a close second for me. The flavors and textures felt very balanced, and the protein was only slightly noticeable upon first sipping. Rather than the typical chalky chocolate of protein powder, this was reminiscent of chocolate syrup. Since the cold foam was sitting on top of cold brew instead of a latte, it was more coffee-forward.
• Matcha Protein Latte: The protein cold foam on top made the regular iced matcha latte creamier than usual, with a little froth from the cold foam. A grande has 28 to 36 grams of protein, depending on whether you order it iced or hot.
• Iced Vanilla Cream Protein Latte: This was my favorite of the bunch. It’s made like a regular iced latte with the vanilla protein cold foam on top. I don’t normally put cold foam on lattes because I find them sweet enough already, but I enjoyed it in this instance because it meant I’d be sipping on a drink that has 26 grams of protein. I tasted the cold foam on its own before taking a sip or stirring it into the coffee, and I could taste the protein in the cold foam ever so slightly, but that flavor goes away quickly. After stirring the cold foam into the protein latte, I found it to be frothy and smooth with the sweet, toasty vanilla flavor throughout.

How long are the Starbucks protein drinks available?

Right now, the protein cold foams and protein lattes are available on the permanent menu. However, Starbucks is unveiling more than these new signature items. The chain will also allow customers to order the protein versions of many beloved cold foam flavors. So in reality, we’re getting more than just the seven new drinks.

You can add the following permanent protein cold foam flavors to any cold drink: banana, vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, chocolate, matcha, salted caramel, brown sugar and plain, plus seasonal protein cold foams like pumpkin and pecan. Plus, you can add the protein-boosted milk in any milk-based items you order. Personally, I’ll be trying it in shaken espressos, and also asking for protein-boosted milk in the Vanilla Cream Protein Latte, since that comes with regular milk.

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