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Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall): calories, sugar and caffeine by portion, age and sex

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall), chai tea latte with milk foam and pumpkin spice in a white paper cup, nutrition and calories

Boone’s analysis puts Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) at 8% of an adult’s daily calories, 5.0 teaspoons of added sugar and 35mg of caffeine.

How many calories are in a Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)? It contains 170 calories, 3g of fat (2g saturated), an estimated 20g of added sugar and 120mg of sodium, plus 35mg 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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) fits into a day.

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Nutrition information

Nutrition information: Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)

Serving size12 fl oz
Calories170
Total fat3g
of which saturated2g
Trans fat0g
Carbohydrate29g
Total sugars28g
Includes added sugars (Boone estimate)20g
Fibre0g
Protein6g
Sodium120mg
Caffeine35mg

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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains 170 calories, which is 8% of the 2,000-calorie Daily Value used on US food labels. It provides 3g of total fat, of which 2g is saturated, 28g of total sugars (an estimated 20g added), 120mg of sodium, 6g of protein and 0g of fibre.

The saturated fat content of 2g represents 10% of the 20g Daily Value.

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) is assembled from 3 separately manufactured components, combined at the point of sale. The pumpkin spice sauce alone carries 3 different classes of additive. Across the whole drink the ingredient list names flavourings, colours, preservatives and acidity regulators. None of these add nutritional value. They exist to make components survive industrial production, storage and transport.

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) is over the US per-meal added sugar limit

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains an estimated 20g of added sugar, 2.0 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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)

An estimated 20g of the 28g counts as added sugar, or about 5.0 teaspoons. The other 8g is naturally occurring.

Added sugars come from

  • honey in the chai tea concentrate
  • sugar in the pumpkin spice sauce

Naturally occurring sugars come from

  • lactose in the milk
  • lactose in the pumpkin spice 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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) is assembled from 3 separately manufactured components, combined and served at the point of sale. Reading the ingredient list closely, it contains flavourings, colours, preservatives and acidity regulators. These are not there to add nutritional value. They make industrial production and distribution possible.

Flavourings

Add or restore taste lost during processing. Found in the chai tea concentrate and pumpkin spice sauce.

Colours

Keep the colour bright and consistent from batch to batch. Found in the pumpkin spice sauce.

Preservatives

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

Acidity regulators

Control sourness and keep syrups and bases stable on the shelf. Found in the chai tea concentrate.

Boone classifies Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) 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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains at least 21 distinct ingredients: 16 raw and 5 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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)

What you orderRawManufacturedTotal% manufactured
Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) on its own1652124%

The 5 manufactured ingredients

annatto, citric acid, fruit and vegetable juice for color, natural flavors, potassium sorbate.

The 16 raw ingredients

black pepper, black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, condensed skim milk, ginger, ginger juice, honey, milk, nutmeg, pumpkin puree, salt, star anise, sugar, water.

What those ingredients are, by type

Herbs and spices8
Meat, fish, dairy and eggs2
Sugars and syrups2
Preservatives and acidity regulators2
Colours2
Water1
Coffee, tea and cocoa1
Flavourings and extracts1
Fruit, vegetables and nuts1
Salt and minerals1

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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) is made from 4 components, 3 of them separately manufactured.

Ingredients by component: Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)

Milk

Milk.

Chai tea concentrate

An Infusion Of (Water, Black Tea, Black Pepper, Ginger, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Natural Flavor, Star Anise), Honey, Ginger Juice, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid.

Pumpkin spice sauce

Sugar, Condensed Skim Milk, Pumpkin Puree, Contains 2% or Less of Fruit and Vegetable Juice for Color, Natural Flavors, Annatto, Salt, Potassium Sorbate.

Pumpkin spice topping

Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves.

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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains milk.

Allergen information: Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)

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

Contains 35mg 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 Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)?+

Boone calculates that Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains 170 calories, which is 8% of the 2,000-calorie Daily Value and 11% of the daily needs of a moderately active child aged 4 to 8.

How much added sugar is in a Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)?+

Boone estimates that Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains 20g of added sugar, about 5.0 teaspoons, which is 40% of the 50g FDA Daily Value. Starbucks publishes 28g of total sugar.

How much caffeine is in a Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)?+

Starbucks lists 35mg of caffeine for Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall). That is 9% 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.

How does Pumpkin Spice Chai compare across sizes?+

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai by size: Short: 60 calories, an estimated 7g of added sugar, 15mg of caffeine; Tall: 170 calories, an estimated 20g of added sugar, 35mg of caffeine; Grande: 260 calories, an estimated 30g of added sugar, 55mg of caffeine; Venti: 350 calories, an estimated 41g of added sugar, 75mg of caffeine. Figures are for the standard recipe.

Is Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) 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 20g of added sugar, Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) is over both.

How much saturated fat is in a Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)?+

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains 2g of saturated fat. Boone calculates this as 10% of the 20g Daily Value and 12% of the 17g limit for a child aged 4 to 8.

Is Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) ultra-processed?+

Boone classifies Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) as NOVA group 4. Reading the published ingredient list, it contains flavourings, colours, preservatives and acidity regulators. NOVA group 4 describes how far a food is from its whole-food form, not how nutritious it is.

Is Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) suitable for children?+

Boone’s analysis flags that its estimated 20g of added sugar is above the Dietary Guidelines advice of no added sugar for children aged 10 and under; it contains 35mg of caffeine, which the American Academy of Pediatrics advises against for children. That does not make it off limits, but it does mean a Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) uses up a large share of a young child’s day in one drink.

How much protein is in a Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)?+

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains 6g of protein, which Boone calculates as 12% of the 50g Daily Value.

How much sodium is in a Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall)?+

Starbucks US Pumpkin Spice Chai (Tall) contains 120mg of sodium. Boone calculates that as 8% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 8 and 5% of the 2,300mg adult limit.