The Best Coffee Swap For When Starbucks Runs Out Of Cold Brew

We've all gone to our local Starbucks only to discover that they are out of cold brew. And, unlike with their other types of coffee, there's no easy fix because Starbucks' cold brew is produced in small batches that each take 20 hours to steep. So, what's a cold brew lover to do? Luckily, you can still get your fix. Starbucks offers two other options that will give you a similar flavor profile and energy boost: Iced coffee and iced espresso-based drinks.

Cold brew and iced coffee are not exactly the same. The former is notably smoother and less acidic because it's produced without heat, but Starbucks' iced coffee and iced espresso-based beverages such as Americanos do offer similar flavor profiles if you take your coffee black. And in May 2024, Starbucks changed its iced coffee blend to a mellower alternative and stopped serving the drink sweetened with classic syrup by default, which makes it an even more apt replacement. 

Starbucks also offers different espresso varieties, and an Iced Americano made with the mild-flavored Blonde Espresso Roast would simulate the smooth tasting notes of cold brew more closely than Starbucks' Signature Espresso, which is a bolder dark roast. If you normally take your cold brew sweetened with flavored syrup or with add-ins like cream or cold foam, both iced coffee and iced Americanos can be similarly customized, and Iced Shaken Espressos offer another flavorful option. As a former Starbucks barista and black coffee connoisseur, my personal favorite cold brew stand-in is an iced coffee with an added shot of Blonde Espresso.

While its pleasant, smooth flavor is certainly a selling point, many people prefer Cold Brew for its higher caffeine content. As anyone who relies on coffee for an energy fix will tell you, this is not something you want to mess with. So, will a Starbucks Americano, iced coffee, or Shaken Espresso still give you the same boost? The short answer is not quite — but there are things you can do to get your back-up drink where it needs to be.

A grande cold brew has around 205 milligrams of caffeine, compared to around 185 milligrams of caffeine in their iced coffee. While not a huge difference, you can get more caffeine by choosing a Venti (which has around 265 milligrams of caffeine) or by adding a single shot of espresso, which contains around 75 milligrams of caffeine, to your grande. This creates a drink called a Red Eye, which has about 260 milligrams of caffeine. 

If you want to skip the iced coffee and go right to the espresso, a grande Americano has 225 milligrams of caffeine in its three shots of espresso. This gives you a drink with a caffeine content close to a cold brew. Since espresso is always brewed hot, you can order however many shots you want and then add water and ice to match the size you're after. So, if you want a little more or less caffeine, you can simply adjust the number of shots as needed.