Is Starbucks Doubleshot Energy ultra-processed?

15 oz Energy drinks Sold in the United States and Switzerland

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Flavouring
Glucose
Maltodextrin
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose
E955 Sucralose

28 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed energy drinks

Orange Kiss Energy Drink Alani NU 5 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 1
Virtue Sparkling Energy Water Berries Refresh Brands 12 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 1
Good energy Organic Guayusa Blood orange & Tangerine Good Earth 8 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

starbucks coffee (water, coffee), reduced-fat milk, skim milk, sugar (processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), dextrose (ultra-processing marker), taurine, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), cellulose gel, panax ginseng root extract, inositol, sodium ascorbate, guarana (paullinia cupana), seed, cellulose gum (ultra-processing marker), niacinamide, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), sucralose (ultra-processing marker), tricalcium phosphate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), riboflavin, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3

Additives: E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

starbucks coffee (water, coffee), reduced-fat milk, skim milk, sugar, maltodextrin, dextrose, taurine, natural flavor, cellulose gel, panax ginseng root extract, inositol, sodium ascorbate, guarana (paullinia cupana) seed extract, cellulose gum, niacinamide, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), sucralose, tricalcium phosphate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), riboflavin, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3,

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.

1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 278 energy drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 166th. 99% of the energy drinks here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 278 energy drinks, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0012000028458, last edited 19 March 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.