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

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short), cortado with espresso and a layer of steamed milk in a small glass, nutrition and calories

Boone’s analysis puts Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) at 8% of an adult’s daily calories, 3.0 teaspoons of added sugar and 230mg of caffeine.

How many calories are in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)? It contains 150 calories, 5g of fat (2.5g saturated), an estimated 12g of added sugar and 140mg of sodium, plus 230mg of caffeine.

Build a full order with our nutrition calculator

Use the Boone meal calculator to see this drink alongside the rest of your order rather than on its own. Choose your age and sex, and switch between US and UK guidance, for a more accurate view of how a Pistachio Cortado (Short) fits into a day.

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Nutrition information

Nutrition information: Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)

Serving size8 fl oz
Calories150
Total fat5g
of which saturated2.5g
Trans fat0g
Carbohydrate22g
Total sugars19g
Includes added sugars (Boone estimate)12g
Fibre0g
Protein5g
Sodium140mg
Caffeine230mg

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 Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains 150 calories, which is 8% of the 2,000-calorie Daily Value used on US food labels. It provides 5g of total fat, of which 2.5g is saturated, 19g of total sugars (an estimated 12g added), 140mg of sodium, 5g of protein and 0g of fibre.

The saturated fat content of 2.5g represents 12% of the 20g Daily Value.

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) is assembled from 2 separately manufactured components, combined at the point of sale. The pistachio sauce alone carries 5 different classes of additive. Across the whole drink the ingredient list names corn syrups and invert sugar, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, flavourings and preservatives. None of these add nutritional value. They exist to make components survive industrial production, storage and transport.

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) is over the US per-meal added sugar limit

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains an estimated 12g of added sugar, 1.2 times the 10g per-meal limit in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The same guidelines recommend no added sugar at all for children aged 10 and under.

FDA Daily Values (2,000-calorie diet)

Calories2,000
Total fat78g
Saturated fat20g
Carbohydrate275g
Added sugars50g
Fibre28g
Sodium2,300mg
Protein50g

Added sugar vs total sugar

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

An estimated 12g of the 19g counts as added sugar, or about 3.0 teaspoons. The other 7g is naturally occurring.

Added sugars come from

  • invert sugar in the pistachio sauce
  • sugar, powdered sugar in the salted brown butter cookie flavored topping

Naturally occurring sugars come from

  • lactose in the milk
  • lactose in the pistachio sauce

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.

Ultra-processed food: what is really in it

Processing and additives: Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) is assembled from 2 separately manufactured components, combined and served at the point of sale. Reading the ingredient list closely, it contains corn syrups and invert sugar, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, flavourings and preservatives. These are not there to add nutritional value. They make industrial production and distribution possible.

Corn syrups and invert sugar

Sweeten and control texture more cheaply than sugar alone. Found in the pistachio sauce.

Emulsifiers

Keep fat and water mixed so sauces, creams and foams stay smooth. Found in the pistachio sauce.

Thickeners and gums

Thicken and stabilise texture so sauces and foams hold up in storage. Found in the pistachio sauce.

Flavourings

Add or restore taste lost during processing. Found in the pistachio sauce and salted brown butter cookie flavored topping.

Preservatives

Slow the growth of bacteria, yeasts and moulds, or stop fats going stale, in centrally prepared components. Found in the pistachio sauce.

Boone classifies Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) as NOVA group 4, ultra-processed, based on the additives named above. 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.

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains at least 22 distinct ingredients: 16 raw and 6 manufactured. Raw means something you could buy and cook with at home; manufactured means a substance that only exists as an output of industrial processing.

Ingredient count: Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)

What you orderRawManufacturedTotal% manufactured
Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) on its own1662227%

The 6 manufactured ingredients

invert sugar, monoglycerides, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, tocopherols, xanthan gum.

The 16 raw ingredients

apple, brewed espresso, carrot, cocoa butter, condensed nonfat milk, corn starch, ground pistachios, hibiscus, milk, powdered sugar, pumpkin, salt, sea salt, sugar, sugar beets, water.

What those ingredients are, by type

Sugars and syrups4
Fruit, vegetables and nuts4
Meat, fish, dairy and eggs3
Emulsifiers and thickeners3
Salt and minerals2
Preservatives and acidity regulators2
Coffee, tea and cocoa1
Water1
Flavourings and extracts1
Herbs and spices1

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

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) is made from 4 components, 2 of them separately manufactured.

Ingredients by component: Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)

Milk

Milk.

Brewed espresso

Brewed Espresso.

Pistachio sauce

Invert Sugar, Condensed Nonfat Milk, Water, Pistachio Butter (Ground Pistachios), Natural Flavors, Cocoa Butter, Salt, Potassium Sorbate, Xanthan Gum, Tocopherols, Monoglycerides.

Salted brown butter cookie flavored topping

Sugars (Sugar, Powdered Sugar), Corn Starch, Sea Salt, Fruit and Vegetable Color (Pumpkin, Sugar Beets, Apple, Carrot, Hibiscus), Natural Flavors, Salt.

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.

Allergens at a glance

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains milk and tree nuts.

Allergen information: Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)

AllergenStatus
MilkContains
EggsNot declared
FishNot declared
Crustacean shellfishNot declared
Tree nutsContains
PeanutsNot declared
WheatNot declared
SoybeansNot declared
SesameNot declared

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.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)?+

Boone calculates that Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains 150 calories, which is 8% of the 2,000-calorie Daily Value and 10% of the daily needs of a moderately active child aged 4 to 8.

How much added sugar is in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)?+

Boone estimates that Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains 12g of added sugar, about 3.0 teaspoons, which is 24% of the 50g FDA Daily Value. Starbucks publishes 19g of total sugar.

How much caffeine is in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)?+

Starbucks lists 230mg of caffeine for Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short). That is 57% of the 400mg a day the FDA cites as an amount not generally linked with negative effects in healthy adults. Pregnancy guidance is 200mg a day, and the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against caffeine for children.

Is Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) within US sugar guidance for children?+

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 recommend no added sugar for children aged 10 and under and no more than 10g per meal from age 11. With an estimated 12g of added sugar, Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) is over both.

How much saturated fat is in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)?+

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains 2.5g of saturated fat. Boone calculates this as 12% of the 20g Daily Value and 15% of the 17g limit for a child aged 4 to 8.

Is Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) ultra-processed?+

Boone classifies Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) as NOVA group 4. Reading the published ingredient list, it contains corn syrups and invert sugar, emulsifiers, thickeners and gums, flavourings and preservatives. NOVA group 4 describes how far a food is from its whole-food form, not how nutritious it is.

Is Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) suitable for children?+

Boone’s analysis flags that its estimated 12g of added sugar is above the Dietary Guidelines advice of no added sugar for children aged 10 and under; it contains 230mg of caffeine, which the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against for children. That does not make it off limits, but it does mean a Pistachio Cortado (Short) uses up a large share of a young child’s day in one drink.

How much protein is in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)?+

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains 5g of protein, which Boone calculates as 10% of the 50g Daily Value.

How much sodium is in a Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short)?+

Starbucks US Pistachio Cortado (Short) contains 140mg of sodium. Boone calculates that as 9% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 8 and 6% of the 2,300mg adult limit.