Every iced coffee drink at McDonald’s, ranked, including Frappes! Get tips on how to order, calorie count, and see what’s in each drink.
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Iced Coffees at McDonald’s
- McDonald’s started their McCafe line of drinks to rival popular Starbucks beverages like Iced Caramel Macchiatos and Mocha Frappes. Instead of Frappuccinos, their frozen drinks are called Frappes.
- McCafe drinks can be ordered at any McDonald’s at any time of the day.
- Every small drink is $2.00 or under because small sized McCafe drinks are on the Dollar Menu.
- McDonald’s offers three sizes for drinks: small (12 ounces), medium (16 ounces), and large (22 ounces). The medium is the same size as a Starbucks grande.
- McDonald’s uses 100% Arabica coffee beans, roasted by Gaviña. Their coffee is a medium roast and the espresso is a dark roast.
- There are only two milk options for espresso drinks: whole and nonfat milk. There are no dairy-free milk substitutes. For iced coffees, a light cream is added to the drinks.
- McDonald’s does not charge extra for flavors or add-ons. An iced coffee is the same price as a flavored iced coffee.
- There are four syrup flavors for coffee drinks: caramel, hazelnut, French vanilla and sugar-free French vanilla. There’s also chocolate syrup for espresso drinks. Hazelnut and sugar-free French vanilla are not available at all locations.
- Even if you don’t see it on the menu, you can customize using any combination of syrups.
- None of the espresso drinks can be made with decaf but iced coffees can be made with decaf.
RELATED: Best Dunkin’ Iced Coffees, Best Starbucks Iced Coffees, How to Make Iced Coffee, and 14 Refreshing Iced Coffee Recipes
Every Iced Coffee at McDonald’s, Ranked
11. Iced Caramel Coffee
Ice + Brewed Coffee + Light Cream + Caramel Syrup
Calories in a medium: 190
Sugar in a medium: 26 g
Tasted bitter and out of balance. McDonald’s caramel has a very buttery flavor to it, and this drink tasted kind of like burnt popcorn. It tasted like the caramel didn’t have any sugar on its own but at $2.00 for a medium, this is one of the best deals on the menu.
10. Iced French Vanilla Latte
Ice + Espresso + Whole Milk + French Vanilla Syrup
Calories in a medium: 240
Sugar in a medium: 34 g
The French vanilla latte was the sweetest of the bunch, with an overwhelming vanilla flavor. This drink would have been improved with just a few pumps less of the syrup.
9. Caramel Frappe
Ice + Caramel Coffee Frappe Base + Whipped Light Cream + Caramel Drizzle
Calories in a medium: 510
Sugar in a medium: 67 g
The caramel at McDonald’s can get to be too buttery and cloyingly sweet if too much is added to the drink and that was the case with this frozen drink. The Caramel Frappe uses a mix of caramel coffee frappe base and caramel drizzle, so the mix of the two led to it being too caramel-y.
8. Iced Mocha
Ice + Espresso + Whole Milk + Water + Chocolate Syrup + Whipped Light Cream + Chocolate Drizzle
Calories in a medium: 320
Sugar in a medium: 43 g
This drink could have used more chocolate. Instead of tasting like chocolate and espresso, the iced mocha was more like an iced latte.
7. Iced Caramel Latte
Ice + Espresso + Whole Milk + Caramel Syrup
Calories in a medium: 270
Sugar in a medium: 36 g
The caramel and the espresso work well together and provide just the right amount of sweetness.
6. Iced Caramel Mocha
Ice + Espresso + Whole Milk + Water + Chocolate Caramel Syrup + Whipped Light Cream + Caramel Drizzle
Calories in a medium: 300
Sugar in a medium: 38 g
If you love a swirl of caramel in your brownies, that’s pretty much what this tasted like. It’s a decadent drink that feels like dessert.
5. Iced Coffee
Ice + Premium Roast Coffee + Light Cream + Liquid Sugar
Calories in a medium: 180
Sugar in a medium: 28 g
Refreshing, coffee-forward, and just a touch sweet from the liquid sugar. This is a solid version of every coffee shop staple. The only complaint is that it tasted a little bit watery, but it wasn’t off-putting at all and a great option to reach for on a hot day.
4. Iced Caramel Macchiato
Ice + Espresso + Whole Milk + Water + Caramel Syrup + Caramel Drizzle
Calories in a medium: 310
Sugar in a medium: 41 g
The caramel macchiato is made almost exactly like the caramel latte but with an extra caramel drizzle (this drink has 30 more calories than an iced latte), and the boost of caramel really brings this drink to the next level.
3. Iced Latte
Ice + Espresso + Whole Milk + Water
Calories in a medium: 120
Sugar in a medium: 9 g
Another classic for a reason. Lightly sweetened with liquid sugar, the play of espresso and milk together was a great combination.
2. Iced French Vanilla Coffee
Ice + Premium Roast Coffee + Light Cream + French Vanilla Syrup
Calories in a medium: 170
Sugar in a medium: 23 g
Iced coffee tasted stronger than the espresso-based drinks, so that’s probably why the French vanilla flavor in the iced coffee stood out more than in the iced latte.
1. Mocha Frappe
Ice + Mocha Coffee Frappe Base + Whipped Cream + Chocolate Drizzle
Calories in a medium: 500
Sugar in a medium: 66 g
This frozen, blended drink tastes like melted ice cream and it was the most delicious drink on the menu. The espresso flavor wasn’t overwhelming, and the chocolate paired well with the coffee.
Tips on Ordering
- Every drink is made with whole milk by default, and some of the drinks came sweetened. If a drink didn’t have a syrup flavor, it was sweetened with liquid sugar. You can request the drink to be made with nonfat milk or with any of their flavored syrups.
- If you want your iced coffee without milk or sugar, you have to specify that you’d like the drink black and unsweetened.
- There are some inconsistencies with how many pumps of syrup are added to sweeten a drink at different McDonald’s locations so your best bet is to specify the number of pumps you want in your drink.
Questions You May Have
McDonald’s light cream is made with cream and whole milk and light whipped cream is made with cream and nonfat milk.
Yes, but you have to specify that you want your drink black, or without milk, otherwise it’ll come with milk already added.
Yes. For coffee drinks (both hot and iced) McDonald’s uses a medium roast blend. For espresso drinks (both hot and iced) McDonald’s uses a darker roasted blend.
Coffee at McDonald’s is very affordable compared to Starbucks or other coffee shops. Small iced drinks at McDonald’s are $2 as part of their Dollar Menu.
Related
- 47 Best Starbucks Drinks
- Easy Starbucks Copycat Recipes
- Most Popular Coffee Drinks and How They’re Different
- Espresso: Overview, Steps to Make It, and How to Order It at Starbucks
- How to Make Iced Coffee
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