{"id":63656,"date":"2017-11-26T09:15:49","date_gmt":"2017-11-26T14:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=63656"},"modified":"2017-12-11T11:07:59","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T16:07:59","slug":"healthy-starbucks-holiday-drinks-recipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/recipes\/healthy-starbucks-holiday-drinks-recipes\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Healthier Starbucks Swaps for the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"9<\/div>\n

Those seasonal Starbucks cups are already in hand, and that means one thing: The holidays are here! While we adore the coffee chain as much as the next java lover, it’s no secret that their drinks \u2014 especially the extra-sweet and chocolatey concoctions \u2014 can be chock full of calories and\u00a0sugar<\/a>. But what if we told you there’s a way to get the same once-a-year cheer in a more waist-friendly dose? Behold nine healthier make-at-home versions of the classic Starbucks holiday drinks. (Plus, you’ll get a few that the worldwide cafe should <\/em>have on the menu).<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Superfood Lattes That Will Make You Quit Coffee<\/a><\/p>\n

9 Healthier Starbucks Holiday Drinks to Make at Home<\/h3>\n

\"Healthier<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. MCT Oil Pumpkin Spice Latte<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

PSL, meet bulletproof coffee<\/a>. Unlike the Starbucks version, this pumpkin spice latte uses real pumpkin, maple syrup, spices and vanilla extract. While the MCT oil<\/a>\u00a0is optional, it adds a butteriness to the coconut milk base and helps it hold the froth. Photo and recipe: Nutiva \/ The Kitchen Table<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/p>\n

2. Cinnamon Brown Sugar Latte<\/a><\/h3>\n

While it’s not possible to whip up a Starbucks’ brown sugar shortbread latte<\/a> with no sugar, we love that this healthier cinnamon version omits the corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, butter and heavy cream. Simply add a tablespoon of the cinnamon syrup to the bottom of a mug, drop in a shot of espresso and top with steamed milk. It’s all about balance after all \u2014 plus you’ll save $4 on a grande size. Photo and recipe: Anetta \/ The Wanderlust Kitchen<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/p>\n

3. Cinnamon Coffee Smoothies<\/a><\/h3>\n

Starbucks’ Cinnamon Dolce Latte isn’t on their holiday menu, but it sure tastes like it with those warm flavors. Instead of indulging in a frappuccino<\/a>, swap in this cinnamon coffee smoothie. It’s basically breakfast in a cup with banana, almond butter, protein powder and maca<\/a>. When you’ve got an indulgent day of holiday eating ahead, you’ll want to kick it off with this healthy smoothie. Photo and recipe: Jeanine Donofrio \/ Love & Lemons<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>7 Tricks to Slim Down Your Starbucks Order<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/p>\n

4. Vegan Gingerbread Latte<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Molasses is the secret ingredient to getting that rich, warm gingerbread flavor in your latte. The biggest challenge with a vegan latte is getting the milk to foam up. Try topping your drink with coconut whipped cream to get the same frothy effect. Sweetener is totally optional! Photo and recipe: Gwen Leron \/ Delightful Adventures<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/h3>\n

5. Pumpkin Chai Latte<\/a><\/h3>\n

While Starbucks’ holiday take on chai this year is a praline chai latte, we find the idea of a pumpkin chai latte way more exciting. Combine pumpkin puree with spices, vanilla and the milk of your choice in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, add the tea bags and let them steep for at least three minutes. The result is a rich and flavorful latte that\u2019s barely sweetened at all. Photo and recipe: Erin Dooner \/ Texanerin Baking<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/p>\n

6. Vegan Peppermint Drinking Chocolate<\/a><\/h3>\n

You’ll never go back to boxed hot cocoa mixes once you try this\u00a0rich and creamy recipe. Drinking chocolate is thicker than hot chocolate because it has solid chocolate instead of cocoa powder. In this recipe, we use dark chocolate, which has more flavonols than milk chocolate. Add a splash of peppermint extract to this cozy latte \u2014 it makes it tastes more decadent than it really is. Photo and recipe: Dana Shultz \/ Minimalist Baker<\/em><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Frappuccino or Coolatta? The 7 Worst Iced Coffee Orders<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/p>\n

7. Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake<\/a><\/h3>\n

When all you want is peppermint hot cocoa<\/a>, this peppermint mocha protein shake is a great compromise \u2014 plus it’ll give you that jolt you need to get your day started right. This recipe calls for coffee ice cubes, bulletproof collagen protein powder<\/a>, cacao powder, vanilla, peppermint extract and your choice of sweetener. Photo and recipe: Lisa Wells \/ Cook Eat Paleo<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. Horchata<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Horchata, an deliciously spiced Latin American rice milk, was featured on the Starbucks seasonal menu, but never on the holiday one. Well, it should be! In our humble opinion, horchata is a great vegan alternative to uber-indulgent eggnog. Try this recipe as a base, and if you want to spike it with coffee or liquor (or both), we promise we won’t tell. Photo and recipe: Kathryne Taylor \/ Cookie and Kate<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Healthier<\/p>\n

9. 3-Ingredient Vegan Matcha Latte<\/a><\/h3>\n

Although matcha lattes are a treat year-round, we think the cheery, green-hued drink is particularly uplifting during the holidays. Matcha is a good source of L-theanine \u2014 a compound shown to ease anxiety and stress \u2014 which we all need during this busy time of year! Jazz up your latte with your favorite spices. Photo and recipe: Carmen Sturdy \/ Life by Daily Burn<\/em><\/p>\n

Read More
\n<\/strong>12 Fast Food Drinks That Aren\u2019t Worth the Calories
\n<\/a>How Much Caffeine Are You Really Drinking? Find Out Here
\n<\/a>9 Ways to Fight Holiday Bloat (and Still Enjoy Your Eggnog)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret that Starbucks holiday drinks are packed with sugar and calories. These festive swaps use healthier ingredients so you can drink guilt-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":63688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[428,27,9,427],"tags":[31,147,148,44,189,341,388],"class_list":["post-63656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dessert","category-healthy","category-recipes","category-snacks","tag-beverages","tag-caffeine","tag-coffee","tag-drinks","tag-holiday","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63656"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63656\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}