Top 5 Things to Know About the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino

Though the Unicorn Frappuccino was new in 2017, it quickly spawned some creative offshoots. Created by off-duty Starbucks employees, Unicorn Lemonade is the perfect light summer counterpart to the heavier Frappuccino. The drink is made by mixing the colored powders meant for the Frap with Starbucks’ standard lemonade mixture. At some other Starbucks locations, baristas got crafty after running out of the necessary ingredients for the Unicorn Frap and devised entirely new beverages like the Dragon Frappuccino. Do note that neither of these drinks is on the official Starbucks menu so employees have no obligation to make them for you.

While you’ve definitely seen the Unicorn Frappuccino taking over your social media feeds, do you actually know what it taste like? This drink is more than just rainbow food porn. The beverage combines sweet and sour flavors to create an ever-morphing taste as you drink it. The pink and blue pigments of the flavored powder start off as separate entities but the more you mix it, the more they blend together creating a new look and taste in each sip.

It probably comes as no surprise that this drink is not exactly diet-friendly. We all know that Starbucks Frappuccinos are packed with calories and the unicorn version is no exception. If you opt for the medium-sized grande version, and you add whipped cream (because of course you do) you’re looking at a whopping 410 calories. The drink also contains 16 grams of fat at a whopping 62 grams of sugar. Low carb dieters beware- this is NOT the drink for you. Luckily, there are some DIY versions that can be slightly lower in calories.

While the unicorn trend has been going strong in the hair and makeup world since 2016, the unicorn food fad was fresher in 2017. The woman who has been credited with inventing this popular style is Adeline Waugh, a food blogger and stylist based in Miami, Florida. Waugh focuses on healthy living on her blog, so the fact that the trend has begun to churn out creations laden with sugar and food dye is the antithesis of her philosophy. The original unicorn toast was made as an all-natural treat and the colors were created using dyes like beet root juice and algae powders.

Starbucks is known for their addictive caffeinated beverages, but the Unicorn Frappuccino is actually decaf. The chain offers Frappuccinos that are both caffeinated and caffeine-free so you can enjoy one at any time of day. That doesn’t mean it won’t give you a buzz though because this stuff contains nearly 15 teaspoons of sugar in the Grande size. This means that it’s somewhat kid friendly- though there’s no guarantee that children will actually enjoy it, despite the fun colors. This trendy beverage may be best left to the millennials.