Drinks
Calories in Cold Coffee
One glass of cold coffee has about 207 kcal, with 4.8 g of protein, 30 g of carbohydrate and 8.2 g of fat. The figure is from the Indian Nutrient Databank and describes a tall glass blended from 120 ml of milk, 15 g of cream, 22 g of sugar and 3 g of coffee powder. Ice cream or syrup adds more.
Nutrition in 1 glass of cold coffee
| Nutrient | 1 glass of cold coffee | 2 glasses of cold coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 207 kcal | 414 kcal |
| Protein | 4.8 g | 9.6 g |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 30 g | 60 g |
| Total fat | 8.2 g | 16.4 g |
| Dietary fibre | 0 g | 0 g |
| Sugars | 29.8 g | 59.6 g |
Of this energy, about 56% comes from carbohydrate, 35% from fat and 9% from protein.
1 glass of cold coffee is about 10% of the daily energy requirement of a sedentary adult man and 12% of a sedentary adult woman's (ICMR-NIN, 2020).
These figures are from the Indian Nutrient Databank (INDB), which calculates each dish from a standard recipe using Indian food composition data. They describe that recipe and that serving: a larger portion, or more oil, ghee or sugar, gives more. Source: Vijayakumar A, Dubasi HB, Awasthi A, Jaacks LM. Development of an Indian Food Composition Database. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2024;8(7):103790 (Indian Nutrient Databank, INDB).
What this figure covers
The recipe behind the number blends 240 ml of milk, 30 g of cream, 45 g of sugar and 6 g of coffee powder with ice, and pours the result into 2 tall glasses. Each glass therefore holds 120 ml of milk, 15 g of cream and 22 g of sugar. That is a home-style cold coffee. A cafe version usually comes in a bigger glass and often has a scoop of ice cream blended in or chocolate sauce around the inside, none of which is counted here. Read 207 kcal as the figure for a creamy but plain homemade glass.
Carbohydrate supplies 56% of the energy, fat 35% and protein 9%. The carbohydrate is almost entirely sugar: the 22 g that is added, plus the milk's own. The fat, 8.2 g, comes from the milk and the 15 g of cream, and the cream is what separates this drink from an ordinary glass of sweetened milk. Coffee powder adds flavour and close to no energy. In effect a cold coffee is sweetened milk and cream with coffee in it, and its calories follow the sugar and the cream.
What goes into one serving
The recipe INDB analysed makes 2 glasses. These are its main ingredients; spices, salt and water are left out.
| Ingredient | In the recipe | In 1 glass of cold coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 240 ml | 120 ml |
| Cream | 30 g | 15 g |
| Sugar | 45 g | 22 g |
| Coffee powder | 6 g | 3 g |
What changes the number
- 01
The cream
This recipe includes 15 g of cream in each glass, which is why 35% of the energy is fat. Leaving the cream out and blending the milk with ice gives much of the same froth with less fat. Ice cream, the usual cafe addition, pushes the glass the other way.
- 02
Sugar in the blender
Each glass carries 22 g of sugar, and a level teaspoon is about 4 g, so this is a sweet drink before anything else is poured over it. One more teaspoon takes the glass to 223 kcal and two more to 239 kcal.
- 03
The size of the glass
The figure is for one of the 2 tall glasses the recipe fills. Half a glass is about 104 kcal. A cafe tumbler or a shaker bottle filled to the top is more than one of these servings, so count by volume and not by the glass.
- 04
Syrups and toppings
Chocolate syrup, caramel, whipped cream and crushed biscuit are extras that cafes add freely. They are sugar and fat on top of a drink that already has both, and none of them is part of the 207 kcal.
How cold coffee compares
Other dishes of the same kind, one serving each, lightest first. Serving sizes differ, so read the serving before the number.
| Dish | One serving | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chai | 1 cup of chai | 34 | 0.8 |
| Jal Jeera | 1 glass of jal jeera | 42 | 0.6 |
| Kashmiri Kahwa | 1 cup of Kashmiri kahwa | 64 | 0.4 |
| Nimbu Pani | 1 glass of nimbu pani | 73 | 0.1 |
| Salted Lassi | 1 glass of salted lassi | 80 | 5.7 |
| Aam Panna | 1 glass of aam panna | 96 | 0.4 |
| Coffee | 1 cup of coffee | 104 | 2.9 |
| Sattu Drink | 1 glass of sattu drink | 125 | 3 |
| Sweet Lassi | 1 glass of sweet lassi | 158 | 5.7 |
| Mango Milkshake | 1 glass of mango milkshake | 202 | 6.1 |
| Cold Coffee | 1 glass of cold coffee | 207 | 4.8 |
| Banana Milkshake | 1 glass of banana milkshake | 226 | 6.4 |
| Thandai | 1 glass of thandai | 256 | 9.1 |
| Kesar Milk | 1 glass of kesar milk | 268 | 8.3 |
In a meal and in a day
A glass is about 10% of a sedentary man's daily energy requirement and 12% of a woman's, which is closer to a snack than to a drink. Two glasses come to 414 kcal. It does bring 4.8 g of protein from the milk, but no fibre, and as a liquid it does not stay with you the way the same calories of food would. Had alongside a sandwich or a plate of fries, it turns a snack into a full meal's worth of energy; had in place of the evening snack, it fits more easily.
Ways to keep it lighter
- Blend it without the cream, since cold milk and ice froth up well enough without it.
- Halve the sugar and add a little more coffee, because a slight bitterness is the point of the drink.
- Use toned milk in place of full-cream milk to bring down the saturated fat.
- Skip the ice cream scoop and the chocolate sauce when ordering one outside.
- Pour a smaller glass and top it up with ice.
Before you rely on the number
Sugar and saturated fat arrive together here. The glass has about 30 g of carbohydrate, nearly all of it sugar, and 8.2 g of fat from the milk and cream, much of it saturated. As an occasional drink that is unremarkable; as a daily summer habit it is a steady source of both. Anyone advised to limit sugar or saturated fat for diabetes or raised cholesterol should check with their doctor or dietitian where a drink like this fits.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
Cold Coffee: common questions
How many calories are in a glass of cold coffee?
About 207 kcal for a tall homemade glass made with 120 ml of milk, 15 g of cream and 22 g of sugar, by the Indian Nutrient Databank's recipe. Versions with ice cream, syrup or a larger glass will be higher, and one blended without cream and with less sugar will be lower.
Is cold coffee higher in calories than hot coffee?
Yes, in these recipes. The cold coffee is 207 kcal a glass and a cup of hot instant coffee with milk and sugar is 104 kcal. The glass is bigger, and it has cream as well as more milk and sugar. The coffee itself is not the reason.
Is cold coffee good for weight loss?
At 207 kcal with little protein and no fibre, a creamy cold coffee is not a filling use of calories. It can still fit into a day that has room for it, and made without cream and with less sugar it becomes a much lighter drink. What happens to weight depends on everything eaten and drunk across the day.
How much protein is in cold coffee?
About 4.8 g in one glass, all of it from the 120 ml of milk. Protein supplies only 9% of the energy, so cold coffee is not a protein drink. A banana milkshake in the same set has 6.4 g and a glass of thandai 9.1 g, because they use more milk.
The recipe, the ingredients and related reading
Milk: nutrition per 100 g
Nutrients per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Is Coffee Good or Bad for You? Blood Pressure, Acidity and How Much
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
How Much Sugar Is Safe per Day? WHO Limits in Teaspoons and Indian Foods
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Indian food calorie counter
Add up a whole plate in rotis, katoris and cups.
Calories in every dish
All the cooked dishes, with calories per serving.
Learn to read a plate
Certification in Nutrition
Estimating what is on a plate and turning it into a meal plan is taught in this NNWA course.