Coffee time is the best time, don’t you agree? Taking a coffee (or tea) break is synonymous with relaxation, but it’s also awesome for promoting productivity. There’s a good reason why there’s a coffeeshop on almost every corner. If you’re looking to fuel up, the first step is to find out what’s vegan at Starbucks.
Whether it’s a super small, hole-in-the-wall Starbucks or the biggest, baddest Starbucks your eyes have ever encountered, you’ll need a game plan. The options can be overwhelming at first (no matter which location you visit), so this guide will be your best friend.
With our Starbucks vegan handbook, it’s possible you’ll discover delightful hot and cold drinks you’ve never heard of and learn tips and tricks that will get you the best beverages and the tastiest snacks, all without dairy or animal products. Let’s get started!
Did you know that you can order (almost) anything at Starbucks vegan? Here’s how to hack the Starbucks menu so you can ace your next road trip and order like a vegan boss when visiting the biggest coffeehouse chain in the world.
Why order a vegan drink at Starbucks, you ask? Starbucks goes through a whopping 93,000,000 gallons of milk every year. This not only causes an unthinkable amount of suffering and has devastating effects on our environment, but it also contributes to unhealthy cholesterol and casein consumption leading to numerous human health issues.
When you follow the steps below, you can order all your favorite beverages in a way that’s animal friendly, kinder to our planet, healthier for your body, and still tastes great. It’s a win-win-win. So why not make your next Starbucks order vegan?
We’re happy to say that there are so many delicious drinkable options at Starbucks right now. Although we know there could be improvements (vegan sauces, dairy-free whipped cream, and a bunch of baked goods), it’s a thrill to be able to visit this popular corner cafe and order a hot, iced, or fruity beverage that’s vegan-friendly. Here are some FAQs and answers to get you started:
Yes, it is! With only four simple ingredients of water, sugar, cocoa, and natural flavors, it can be considered vegan-friendly.
At the moment, the only sauce that is vegan is their mocha sauce. The caramel sauce/drizzle is not vegan, but the caramel syrup is only made with sugar, not dairy.
According to their current Health and Wellness Fact sheet, the Plain, Cinnamon Raisin, Sprouted Grain, and Everything bagels are vegan.
Well, the answer is yes and no. If you’re ordering a Chai Latte, then it’s a no-go because of the dairy. But, if you’re having a hot chai tea (using a tea bag), then it’s a yes. You can ask for a plant-based milk to add into it and perhaps a simple agave sweetener or sugar.
The Kind granola bars and the Marshmallow Dream bars seem to be the only gluten-free options but, sadly, they are not vegan.
Just ask your barista to replace dairy milk with soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk or oat milk.
If ordering food, request no cheese, no egg, and (of course) no meat.
For beverages, hold the following non-vegan ingredients:
It’s as easy as that! You can always just ask your barista to make your drink vegan (without dairy, honey, or other animal products), but the steps above will give you an idea about what to look out for.
For either hot or iced coffee beverages, ask for a plant-based milk (almond, coconut, oat, or soy) and cane sugar to be used, if you want a creamy or sweet addition. You may wish to take notes or order online before you go to because there are just so many choices to consider.
The beverage list for Starbucks is impressive, so we’ll try to break up it into easy-to-find sections for you. Whether you’re searching for hot coffees, iced teas, creamy lattes, zesty lemonades, or vegan Starbucks frappuccinos, we’ll help you find what you’re longing for. Just keep reading!
If you like your tea with milk and sweetener, ask for a plant-based milk (almond, coconut, oat, or soy) and cane sugar to be used.
Request non-dairy milk to be used in these lattes.
For all of these iced teas options, you may wish to choose the cane sugar as a sweetener and/or a non-dairy milk of your choice. Finally, bottled teas (like Teavana Black or Green) are sometimes offered (depending on location) because they’re a good to-go option.
Don’t worry if you’re not a die-hard coffee drinker. There is actually a huge selection of both hot and cold beverages that are completely free of coffee or caffeine. A number of the Starbucks vegan drinks for spring and summer are sensational!
For every one of these creamy, dreamy frappuccinos, remember to ask for non-dairy milk and absolutely whipped cream (until they start offering an oat or coconut whipped cream).
These specialty blends are all the rage and also caffeine-free. They’re colorful, super fun, and downright delicious if you’re vegan or not. It’s time to give one (or all of them!) a try!
This popular cafe also has a wide selection of vegan Starbucks food choices, and approximately 60 million people visiting Starbucks every single week, it’s wonderful to know that much of their menu can easily be made plant-based to accommodate vegans and health-conscious consumers. Cheers to that!
At the moment, you can order food items such as:
Although you’d assume it would be, it’s the same situation as Dunkin’ Donuts with their Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich. They add both egg and cheese to the sandwich before serving and, unless you wish to pick them both off before eating, you may want to forget about ordering this particular item.
There are tons of tasty choices for Starbucks vegan snacks. At least half of the sweet and salty snack selections are vegan-friendly and dairy-free. Just take a quick peek at the back of those pre-made packages and skim the list for milk, egg, or meat ingredients. You’re likely to be pleasantly surprised with their vegan offerings—chips, cookies, and candies, oh my!
Here is a sound sampling of some of the treats on display:
These items at Starbucks contain dairy and cannot be made vegan:
If you’re frustrated with the lack of luscious vegan desserts and wonderfully warm (or cool and creamy!) drinks, we know just the thing to tide you over. Take just a few minutes to make one or two of these deliciously decadent recipes, settle into your favorite comfy chair, and enjoy in your own environment. Set the speakers to some soothing jazz sounds and enjoy the peaceful ambiance!
You can find out more about the small steps that have been made towards beverages that are dairy free at Starbucks and and dairy free Starbucks food offerings here.
Check out the Starbucks Health and Wellness Fact Sheet to make sure that you are purchasing a vegan-friendly item. The menu items offered at Starbucks might change often (especially during the holidays), so you may want to double check before you visit.
Although this semi-cozy, high-end cafe does not yet have a specific vegan Starbucks menu to order from (we hope someday!), we can still keep our fingers crossed that our passionate vegan pleas will be heard. Since there are so few vegan-friendly coffee or sweet craving choices on the fast food front, let’s hope that they will continue to step up their Starbucks dairy free drinks and add at least one vegan bakery item soon. Wouldn’t it be a dream to be able to order a vegan cappuccino, vegan latte, or a vegan frappuccino without any fuss or extra charges? In the meantime, we can always write to, call, or contact the managers of any location to make our requests.
This video was a collaboration with Vince Lia. You can watch our next video about how to order vegan at Chipotle and check out his plant-based recipes, inspiring videos, vegan shirts and more at VinceLia.com.
What would be your most wished for food items on a vegan menu at Starbucks ? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Have you found any other vegan food at Starbucks menu options to be veganizable? Did you find something delicious or unique that we missed? Let us know by tagging #worldofvegan and sharing your favorite vegan-at-starbucks creations with all of us!
This article is not sponsored and we are in no way affiliated with Starbucks. At the time of this article, the menu items mentioned above are vegan. Since restaurants constantly update their menus and add or take away items, please keep this in mind when ordering your food. There may be new Starbucks vegan options that are not listed or items listed here as vegan, which are no longer vegan. Take care to double-check.
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