Starbucks Cortado Menu USA

Cortado means cut in Spanish. The espresso is cut with roughly an equal amount of steamed milk, just enough to soften it, and served in a small glass or cup. Starbucks added it to the US board in early 2025 as part of a push toward smaller, more coffee-forward drinks, and it comes in a single Short size because the ratio does not survive a bigger cup.

The Starbucks version uses three ristretto shots of Blonde Espresso rather than two regular shots. Ristretto pulls are shorter and sweeter; Blonde is a lighter roast with more caffeine. Together that is why a Short cortado carries 230 mg of caffeine, more than a Grande Caffè Latte at 150 mg.

Cortado

The Cortado is the plain build: three ristretto shots, steamed 2% milk, nothing else. 90 calories, 6 g of sugar from the milk, $4.95 at the reference store.

• Why choose it: the most espresso per dollar on the milk side of the menu.
• Best for: a quick, strong drink you finish at the counter.

Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado

The Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado is the nondairy one, with brown sugar syrup, oat milk and a dusting of cinnamon. It is 130 calories with 14 g of sugar, and it is the same flavor idea as the shaken espresso in a much smaller cup.

• Why choose it: dairy free by default, sweet without being heavy.
• Nutrition tip: ask for one pump instead of two and the sugar roughly halves.

Pecan Cortado

The Pecan Cortado adds pecan syrup and a brown-butter topping. 130 calories, 17 g of sugar, $5.45. It is the autumn one and it reads like a small pecan latte with far more coffee.

• Why choose it: nutty and warm without the calorie load of the full-size pecan latte.
• Best for: a fall treat that stays under 150 calories.

Pistachio Cortado

The Pistachio Cortado pairs pistachio syrup with a salted brown-butter topping and is the heaviest of the four at 150 calories and 19 g of sugar. Same $5.45 price as the other flavored builds.

• Why choose it: the sweetest cortado, closest to a dessert.
• Nutrition tip: skip the topping to lose most of the added fat.

All four share the same caffeine because the shots never change. What moves is sugar: from 6 g in the plain cup to 19 g in the pistachio. Even the sweetest cortado carries less sugar than most Grande flavored lattes, simply because there is less room in the cup.

These three sit close together on the board. The Flat White uses ristretto shots too but far more milk in a Tall cup, so it is creamier and 170 calories against the cortado's 90. The Espresso Macchiato is two shots with a spoon of foam, so it is drier and smaller still at 15 calories.

Rule of thumb: espresso macchiato if you want almost no milk, cortado if you want the espresso softened but still leading, flat white if you want a proper milk drink that happens to be strong.

• There is no Tall or Grande. Asking for a bigger cortado gets you a flat white or a latte with extra shots, which is a different drink.
• Signature Espresso Roast can replace Blonde if you prefer a darker, more roasted taste; the caffeine drops a little.
• Decaf ristretto is available, so a decaf cortado is an easy order late in the day.
• It is served in a hot cup with a lid unless you drink in; ask for a ceramic cup if you are staying.
• Milk swaps: oat is the best match for texture, and the brown sugar build is already oat by default.

The plain, pecan and pistachio cortados use dairy milk and declare none declared beyond that. The flavored toppings are made on shared lines, and every cortado is made on the same steam wand as the rest of the milk drinks.