- Starbucks is launching permanent high-protein drinks in the United States and Canada on September 29, featuring lattes and cold foam with up to 36 grams of protein.
- Customers can add protein-boosted milk or cold foam to any menu item, including seasonal flavors like pumpkin and pecan.
- The rollout follows successful limited tests under Starbucks’ Starting 5 program, tapping into the growing trend of protein-focused coffee and wellness drinks.
Looking to increase your protein intake this fall? Your early-morning coffee run could actually help you meet your macros.
High-protein drinks will be available at Starbucks locations in the United States and Canada starting September 29, according to a company announcement today. Starbucks confirmed that both lattes and cold foam — which contain as much as 36 grams of the macro — will soon be part of the chain’s permanent menu.
“As we continue to get back to Starbucks, we’re focused on modernizing our menu with innovative, relevant, and hype-worthy products that will resonate with our customers,” global chief brand officer Tressie Lieberman said in the announcement. “Our new protein beverages tap into the growing consumer demand for protein in an innovative, premium, and delicious way that only Starbucks can deliver.”
Starbucks baristas will start with 2% dairy milk and then blend in the correct ratio of unflavored protein powder. It’s still unclear whether the protein milk is made-to-order or batched daily, but Starbucks does confirm the protein powder is dairy-based. Protein cold foams are exclusively made with dairy milk, a representative tells Food & Wine, and cannot be customized with plant-based milk.
As for the taste? Starbucks HQ describes the high-protein cold foam as a “creamy, frothy topping that adds texture and flavor” to the chain’s coffees, teas, and Refreshers. You’ll be able to order it with any of the chain’s existing cold foam flavors — yes, including seasonal options like pumpkin and pecan — plus a brand-new banana flavor.
For those who prefer to skip all the extra syrup, an unflavored version is also headed to café menus.
Dairy milk already contains protein, hovering around 14 grams for a standard 16-ounce latte made with 2% milk. Starbucks aims to double that: A latte with protein-packed milk contains 27 to 36 grams of the macro for a grande. Visitors can also request the “protein-boosted milk” in any other drink currently on the menu, per the announcement.
If you’ve scrolled through social media in the past few years, you already know that high-protein diets have nearly taken over online wellness communities. Last fall, a flood of creators began adding splashes of protein shakes to their morning drinks, and some even mixed up their morning “proffee” at the Starbucks drive-thru.
Seems like the nation’s largest coffee chain was listening.
Starbucks first introduced this concept earlier this summer, pitching the protein cold foam as a limited-run test by its emerging Starting 5 development program. Simply put: The coffee chain plans to incubate tentative launches in a few cafés, gathering feedback before possibly rolling it out nationwide. Another Starting 5 concept, Coco Matcha and Coco Cold Brew, recently proved successful in a small market — and was rolled out in an expanded test last week.
Taste and chalky texture are two major complaints among the protein-conscious crowd, but other brands have already cracked the code to making surprisingly tasty drinks. Will Starbucks be next?
Starbucks’ 2025 high-protein drinks
- Starbucks Protein Latte: Contains 27 to 36 grams of protein (for a grande size) and is available in several flavors.
- Starbucks Protein Cold Foam: Contains 19 to 26 grams of protein in a grande size, with customizable flavors — including banana, vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, chocolate, matcha, salted caramel, pumpkin, pecan, and brown sugar.
