Starbucks US Cortado (Short): calories, sugar and caffeine by portion, age and sex

Nutrition information: Starbucks US Cortado (Short)

Nutrition figures are Starbucks US published data for the standard recipe in this size, including the default milk and toppings. Starbucks publishes total sugar only, so added sugar is a Boone estimate. Boone converts the figures to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

Starbucks US Cortado (Short) is a high-caffeine drink

Starbucks US Cortado (Short) contains 230mg of caffeine, 57% of the 400mg a day the FDA cites as an amount not generally linked with negative effects in healthy adults, and at or above the 200mg a day advised in pregnancy.

FDA Daily Values (2,000-calorie diet)

Where the sugar comes from: Starbucks US Cortado (Short)

An estimated 0g of the 6g counts as added sugar, or about 0.0 teaspoons. The other 6g is naturally occurring.

Naturally occurring sugars come from

• lactose in the milk

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030: no more than 10g of added sugar per meal from age 11 and none for children aged 10 and under. FDA Daily Value: 50g a day. Starbucks publishes total sugar only. Boone estimates the naturally occurring share from the milk in the recipe (about 1.3g of lactose per gram of milk protein, capped at the sugar in a plain latte of the same size) and counts sugars, syrups and juice concentrates as added.

Processing and additives: Starbucks US Cortado (Short)

Starbucks US Cortado (Short) is made from simple ingredients with no industrial additives named in its ingredient list.

Boone classifies Starbucks US Cortado (Short) as NOVA group 1, unprocessed or minimally processed, based on its ingredient list. NOVA groups foods by how far they are from their whole-food form, not by how nutritious they are. A group 4 food is not automatically unhealthy, and a group 1 food is not automatically healthy. Read from the published ingredient list, October 2026.

Ingredient count: Starbucks US Cortado (Short)

The 2 raw ingredients

brewed espresso, milk.

What those ingredients are, by type

Boone counts every distinct named ingredient on Starbucks’ published component lists, including sub-ingredients, and removes duplicates, so sugar appearing in three syrups counts once. Ice and water added at the counter are not counted. Raw covers whole foods and basic kitchen staples such as milk, sugar, salt and oil. Manufactured covers substances that only exist as an output of industrial processing. Every figure here is a minimum.

Ingredients by component: Starbucks US Cortado (Short)

Ingredients taken from the Starbucks US menu at starbucks.com, retrieved October 2026, for the standard recipe. Recipes change and customisations alter them, so always check in store before ordering if you have an allergy.

Allergen information: Starbucks US Cortado (Short)

Contains 230mg of caffeine. Contains = named in the Starbucks US ingredient list for the standard recipe; Starbucks does not publish a separate allergen statement for most drinks. Starbucks prepares drinks with shared equipment, so no drink can be guaranteed allergen free, and changing the milk or adding toppings changes the allergens. UK rules also require barley, oats, mustard, celery and sulphites to be declared; these are shown where the ingredient list names them. Retrieved October 2026.