If you’re trying to control your sugar intake, stepping into coffee chains can be a minefield. Thankfully, most of them provide excellent alternatives, like the Dunkin Donuts sugar-free flavors.
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Topics Explored
- What Are Dunkin’ Flavor Shots?
- What Is Dunkin’ Flavor Swirl?
- Flavor Shot vs. Flavor Swirl
- Dunkin’ Sugar-Free Flavors
- Dunkin’ Flavor Shots At Home
Large flavored coffees can be a real sugar bomb and quickly ramps up your calorie intake for the day.
We went on the hunt to find out which flavors we could get with minimal guilt.
What are Dunkin’ Flavor Shots?
Dunkin flavor shots are not the regular syrups. Instead, they’re a type of essence that adds taste to your coffee without any sugar.
When picking a flavor shot, you add some kick to your coffee without the extra calories, as they’re almost calorie-free. The shots are available in a few different flavors.
What is Dunkin’ Flavor Swirl?
Swirls are a type of thick syrup that give your drink a creamy and decadent taste with some extra sweetness. Unlike flavor shots, swirls are rich in sugar and add around 150 calories per medium-sized drink.
Here’s the good news. Swirls are free from artificial dyes and sweeteners, so you can indulge without feeling guilty!
Flavor Shot vs. Flavor Swirl
The flavor shot, and flavor swirls are commonly mistaken for one another. Flavor shots are unsweetened, sugar-free, and dairy-free(1). They add only flavoring to the beverage, not sweetness or creaminess.
Swirls are creamy, sweet and most of them contain dairy(1). There are different flavor options between the two, and sometimes you can combine a swirl with a flavor shot. One popular example is lattes with a pumpkin swirl and french vanilla shots.
Dunkin’ Donuts Sugar-Free Flavors
There are more than a few Dunkin’ Donuts sugar-free flavors. The list includes the most common tastes you might miss when you decide to tone down your sugar consumption.
Whether you’re looking for a fruity or nutty flavor, Dunkin’ will provide it sugar-free!
1. French Vanilla
Flavor:
The French Vanilla provides a sweet and fragrant aroma and is one of the most popular flavors.
Many Dunkin customers like mixing it with other, stronger flavor shots such as caramel or with flavor swirls.
Drink Pairing:
French Vanilla might seem like a boring choice, but it complements most coffee types. It goes exceptionally well with Dunkin iced lattes.
2. Hazelnut
Flavor:
The hazelnut flavor has a delightful nutty aroma that gives coffee rounded tastes – it even reminds you of Nutella!
This syrup is an excellent choice for allergic people who miss the taste of hazelnut. It’s allergen-free because it doesn’t actually contain nuts but tastes a lot like hazelnut.
Drink Pairing:
The best part is that it goes well with all Dunkin coffees, warm or iced. It also tastes fantastic with Dunkin’s mocha.
RECIPE: Hazelnut Swirl: You Can Make It At home!
3. Caramel
Flavor:
Caramel can elevate your drink by adding a hint of richness and smokiness. The down side is regular caramel add-ons can be loaded with sugar and calories.
Fortunately, Dunkin’ has a sugar-free flavor shot that can save you from all the extras while still providing the same great taste.
Drink Pairing:
It adds sweetness and creaminess and tastes great in hot and cold coffees. Try it with Dunkin’s Signature Iced Latte.
4. Toasted Almond
Flavor:
Want a subtle nutty flavor in your coffee, go for the toasted almond flavor shot.
It gives your drink that roasted almond flavor without being too strong. It’s versatile too and goes well with pretty much any coffee.
Drink Pairing:
In our honest opinion, the toasted almond is better with milk-based coffees. For a great hack, combine the flavor shot with the mocha swirl. Or order toasted french vanilla by combining the two flavor shots in an iced coffee.
5. Blueberry
Flavor:
Blueberry flavor tastes like blueberry breakfast muffin or similar berry-filled pastry. The taste is a little specific, so not everyone will appreciate it.
Drink Pairing:
It works surprisingly well in black coffee, adds a hint of flavor but is not overpowering. Add blueberry flavor to your morning coffee for some added smoothness and a chill morning.
6. Raspberry
Flavor:
Raspberry is not your typical coffee taste, so it’s a contentious flavor shot. Many think it doesn’t go well with coffee and will avoid even trying it. It has a strong berry flavor.
Drink Pairing:
It’s fruity, so it doesn’t pair well with milk-based beverages. But it works well with Dunkin iced teas, like black tea.
7.Coconut
Flavor:
Just like Toasted Almond, Coconut tastes excellent paired with a milk-based drink. It’s creamy, rich, and combines well with other flavor swirls to make a unique beverage.
Drink Pairing:
The most delicious combination you can make with coconut flavor is Coolatta, especially when summer flavors are available.
Dunkin’: Commonly Used Ingredients
Consider making your own Dunkin’ drink at home? Here are the most commonly used ingredients in Dunkin’ beverages.
Are Dunkin’ Flavor Shots Completely Sugar-Free?
Dunkin flavor shots are unsweetened and sugar-free. They’re great for those wanting some flavor in their coffee without the guilt.
They Do Have Some Carbs
One shot of the flavor shots has a small number of carbs. Most flavors come around 2 grams of carbs per shot.
This makes them ideal for low-carb diets or those who want to avoid any liquid carb intake.
Along with the small number of calories, flavor shots are great for those on their weight loss journey.
Are They Keto-Friendly?
The keto diet limits the carb and sugar intake, and since flavor shots are unsweetened, they make the perfect addition to your keto coffee.
But, remember, other factors like adding a swirl along with the flavor shot can make your coffee not keto-friendly. The safest way is to go with black coffee and some flavor shots.
Can I Buy Dunkin Flavor Shots?
Dunkin flavor shots are not for sale. Dunkin makes them for commercial use only in their stores. They aren’t available for retail.
You can find some on eBay from time to time, but you can’t verify their authenticity. If you’re eager to try some at home, do this instead:
Dunkin Flavored Coffees
Dunkin Donuts sells some of their coffee, so you can get it online or anytime you’re close to a location. Not all flavors are available for sale, but some of the most popular can be found, like French Vanilla and Hazelnut.
They’re available as ground coffee or k-cups(2), depending on your coffee maker.
Syrups & Flavor Shots
Dunkin sells their coffee but doesn’t offer their flavor shots. But just because Dunkin doesn’t sell theirs doesn’t mean you can’t get flavor shots from other brands. Many beverage manufacturers sell sugarless drink flavorings on Amazon and other online retailers.
Experiment using syrups and flavor shots from Monin and Torani, but beware that some of them may contain sugar.
Final Words
Fun flavors are always preferred, especially when it comes to coffee. But most of the delicious and unique combinations come with staggering calorie and sugar counts.
However, there is a way to enjoy the yummy flavors for fewer calories with Dunkin Donuts sugar-free flavors. They’re unsweetened, nut and dairy-free, and have no more than 15 calories per shot.
Wondering where your info comes from? We totally understand. Hey Joe only obtains our information from reputable sources. Contents from this article are sourced from the following publications:
- Dunkin’ Newsroom: https://news.dunkindonuts.com/blog/dunkin-flavor-shot-flavor-swirl
- Dunkin At Home: https://www.dunkinathome.com/products/flavored
