Starbucks honey blend is a thin and watered-down version of pure honey. It is basically a liquid sweetener that adds a boost of flavor to your drink.
Like other Starbucks sweeteners/syrups such as vanilla, hazelnut and many more, the honey blend is also a part of this family made by Fontana.
This sweet addition to your favorite brew is more than just a sweetener; it’s a carefully crafted blend that adds a unique touch to your daily cup of joe.
In this post, I’m going to explain what is Starbucks honey blend, what things constitute this and how it impacts your beverages.
Starbucks drinks that use Honey Blend as a Sweetener
- Iced Honey Almondmilk Flat White
- Honey Almondmilk Flat White
- Honey Oatmilk Latte
- Honey Almondmilk Cold Brew
- Honey Almondmilk Nitro Cold Brew
Some of the drinks that use honey blend as syrup are not on this list as Starbucks discontinued them because of supply chain shortages.
However, you can request a Starbucks barista to add honey blend as a sweetener in other of your favorite drinks.
And, if you got the bottle unofficially as it is not allowed for retail sale, then apart from your favorite honey blend drink, you can test it with different beverages and find out which one it pairs well with.
You can follow our brewing guides to learn & make yourself a good cup of coffee.
Ingredients
Now, it’s time to discuss what goes into the delicious Starbucks Honey Blend. And it’s not just honey – there’s a whole squad of ingredients working their magic. Let’s break it down.
Main Ingredients: Honey, Water & Natural Flavors
Preservative: Potassium Sorbate (E202), Xanthan Gum (E415) & Citric Acid (E330)
It’s clearly mentioned on the label that a bottle of Starbucks Honey Blend has only 64% honey and the rest 36% are the remaining mentioned ingredients and preservatives.
The Starbucks honey blend is diluted with water to make a syrup that is easy to pump out of the bottle and contains natural flavors (maintaining honey flavors) to fulfill the taste difference created by dilution.
It also has preservatives that have several roles, like potassium sorbate is used to increase the freshness by inhibiting the development of yeast, and fungi.
Xanthan gum is a food additive that helps in stabilizing the blend, and citric acid helps keep the color, texture, and taste in a very good condition.
Nutritional Facts
Let’s take a sneak peek into the nutritional facts of Starbucks Honey Blend. Discovering these details isn’t just about what you eat – it’s about making choices that keep you smiling and healthy!
| Serving Size | 2 tbsp |
| Calories | 80 |
| Carbs | 28 grams |
| Sugar | 20 grams |
| Potassium | 28 milligrams |
| Sodium | 4 milligrams |
Now, you might be thinking that we dispense the blend using a pump, so instead of tbsp, wouldn’t it be better to count the nutritional value per pump?
So here’s a simple calculation, and I am taking calories as an example: 1 pump = 20 calories, 2 pumps = 1 tbsp = 40 calories and 4 pumps = 2 tbsp = 80 calories. In this way, you can find nutritional value per pump data by just simply dividing it by 4.
Is the honey blend at Starbucks healthy?
Whether it is healthy or not, depends upon what is inside the blend (the ingredients), as I’ve already mentioned above that it has 64% honey and honey has several health benefits like it is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory & antimicrobial effects.
And no debates for water but one should avoid consuming natural flavors as they can go through a lot of processing and have many added chemicals, even sometimes worse than artificial flavors.
For preservatives, even though it’s considered safe for most people, they are something that isn’t appreciable.
And if we talk about these three particular preservatives, potassium sorbate & citric acid are widely used & usually considered safe but potassium sorbate may lead to allergic reactions in some individuals.
However, Xanthan gum has both positive and negative effects on the human body. It can lower blood pressure & cholesterol but can cause digestive problems too.
What is the difference between honey and Starbucks honey blend?
The simple answer to this question is Starbucks honey blend is a mixture of different ingredients and is considered processed food.
Honey blend is designed in such a way that can easily dissolve & use in drinks, especially plant-based milk drinks.
On the other hand, honey is extracted from honey bee hives and is raw, pure & unprocessed (free from any mixture or chemicals).
Also, you can easily find differences in nutritional value between honey and Starbucks honey blend. If we again take the example of calories, honey has 64 calories per tbsp while honey blend has 40 calories per tbsp.
The Bottom Line
Starbucks Honey Blend adds a touch of sweetness and sophistication to your beverages and is used as a thick and raw honey substitute.
So, is it good for you? Well, if you’re okay with honey, it’s like a tasty treat. But if you’re allergic to honey or a superhero vegan, it might not be your cup of tea.
So, the next time when you enjoy your drinks with Starbucks honey blend, just remember it’s because of a special mix (as now you know what it is) made to make your coffee taste even better.
