Does Dunkin Donuts' Coffee Syrup Actually Contain Caffeine?

If you're a cold coffee lover like us, you order an iced coffee even when it's ice-cold outside. We've even ranked every iced coffee at Dunkin' Donuts. On extra-hot days, however, we might up the iciness a notch and opt for a frozen coffee. The Dunkin' frozen coffee is essentially an adult, coffee-flavored Slurpee, and you might be surprised to find that brewed coffee is not one of its ingredients. As per the Dunkin' Donuts menu, the frozen coffee consists of water, milk, liquid cane sugar, and coffee swirl syrup. 

Dunkin's coffee swirl syrup has its own long list of ingredients, including water, sugar, xanthan gum, a handful of preservatives, and, yes, coffee. Essentially, the syrup is a sugary coffee concentrate that does contain a pretty significant amount of caffeine. A small frozen coffee contains 196 mg of caffeine, and a 32-ounce large holds a whopping 393 mg. Comparatively, Dunkin's iced coffee contains nearly the same amount of caffeine. So, although the frozen coffee is made with coffee syrup instead of actual coffee, it's still very much caffeinated. 

Besides the coffee syrup, which adds both flavor and caffeine, there are also flavor shots and swirls that can add some extra sweetness and taste.

Though Dunkin' Donuts' frozen coffee contains coffee swirl syrup to give it the necessary coffee flavor and kick, this drink can also be customized with various flavors and levels of sweetness. The difference between Dunkin's flavor swirls and flavor shots is the sugar and dairy content. Much like Starbucks' flavored syrups, Dunkin's flavor swirls are sugar-sweetened syrups meant to add sugar and flavor (like caramel, vanilla, or butter pecan) to a coffee. Dunkin's flavor swirls also act as a creamer since they contain dairy, unlike the dairy-free flavor shots. They do not add extra caffeine to your drink.

But do Dunkin's flavor shots contain sugar? No, they don't. The flavor shots are exactly what they sound like: unsweetened pumps of concentrated flavoring, including French vanilla, caramel, and more. They are designed to add a burst of flavor without altering the calorie count of your drink significantly. These are ideal for those looking to enjoy a flavored coffee without any added sugar or extra caffeine beyond what's in the base coffee.

The coffee syrup used in Dunkin's frozen coffee differs from shots and swirls because it not only adds flavor but also contributes to the drink's caffeine content.