Why drink calories are worth checking
A sweetened coffee, shake or soda can have as many calories as a snack. Drinks are less filling than food, though, so those calories usually come on top of a meal instead of replacing part of it.
Every drink in this guide has 100 calories or less, which is no more than 5% of the 2,000-calorie daily diet nutrition labels are based on. 5 drinks are essentially calorie-free (5 kcal or less), and 10 drinks come in at 50 kcal or under.
What keeps a drink under 100 calories
The lightest drinks are the plain ones: black coffee, espresso, unsweetened tea, sparkling and diet drinks. Each addition raises the count (milk, pumps of syrup or sauce, sweetened bases, whipped cream, toppings), and so does every step up in size.
Every drink here qualifies in its standard recipe and size; the item pages show the other sizes, which can push a drink past 100 kcal.
How to use this list
The table starts with the lightest drink at McDonald's. Tap a column heading to re-sort: by sugar to avoid sweetened drinks, or by caffeine to find something stronger or gentler. Open a drink to see its full nutrition label, other sizes and allergens, or add it to the calculator alongside your food.