10 Best Vegan Drinks at Second Cup Café. In this post, I am going to be sharing the 10 best vegan drinks available from Second Cup Café. One of Canada’s biggest coffee chains, Second Cup Café started as a kiosk in 1975 to become the massive chain it is today. But is Second Cup Café vegan friendly, do they offer vegan drinks, and what are the best vegan drinks at Second Cup Café? Let’s find out.
Does Best Vegan Drinks at Second Cup Café?
The best vegan drinks at Second Cup Cafe include their Almond Date Smoothie, Americano, Espresso, Hot Tea, Unsweetened Iced Tea, Brewed Coffee, Flash Cold Brew, as well as Lattes Cappuccinos and Flat Whites made with dairy-free milk. Sugar-free vanilla or hazelnut syrup can also be added to Second Cup Café vegan coffees for flavor.
Summary Table – 10 Best Vegan Drinks at Second Cup Café
Below is a table summarizing the 10 best vegan drinks at Second Cup Café.
| Best Vegan Drinks at Second Cup Café |
|---|
| Almond Date Smoothie |
| Americano With Coconut Milk (Hot/Iced) |
| Oat Milk Latte with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup (Hot or Iced) |
| Soy Cappuccino |
| Espresso |
| Almond Milk Flat White |
| Unsweetened Brewed Iced Tea |
| Flash Cold Brew with Oat Milk and Sugar-Free Hazelnut Syrup |
| Brewed Coffee |
| Hot Brewed Tea |
Does Second Cup Cafe Have Vegan Options?
A wide number of the drinks at Second Cup Café are vegan as-is (e.g., the black coffees and teas) or can be ordered vegan by substituting dairy milk for non-dairy milk (at a surcharge).
Does Second Cup Have Non-Dairy Milk?
Second Cup Café has the following non-dairy kinds of milk available – oat, soy, almond, and coconut milk.
Does Second Cup Have Coconut Milk?
Second Cup Café does have coconut milk available at a surcharge.
Before I go into the below list, you should know as a vegan you will want to avoid any with chocolate in them at Second Cup Café. For example, mochas.
This is because these “chocolate” drinks cannot be made vegan even if the dairy milk is substituted for vegan milk. For example, the Oatmilk Mocca Flash Cold Brew is marked as containing milk on the Second Cup Café website as the chocolate contains milk. Or, for example, Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie with Oatmilk for example also contains milk.
This means that just because a drink is made with oat milk doesn’t mean it is vegan.
Cross-Contamination
Before I continue, just a quick note on cross-contamination. As is the case in all non- exclusively vegan restaurants and coffee chains, there is always the possibility of cross-contamination. I will leave that to your discretion as to whether this is something you are comfortable with or not.
So, without further ado, what are the best vegan drinks at Second Cup Café?
Syrups at Second Cup Café
A note on the syrups.
It appears from the Second Cup Café website that they use both Monin and Torani syrups.
All Monin syrups are vegan (apart from their honey syrup for obvious reasons).
Torani has stated in the past that their full sugar syrups are not vegan as the sugar used is processed with bone char (charred animal bones – the processing process turns the sugar white). However, Torani’s sugar-free syrups are not processed with bone char as they do not contain sugar.
This means that any Monin syrups (apart from honey) or the sugar-free Torani syrups are vegan at Second Cup Café (Second Cup Café has sugar-free vanilla and hazelnut at the time of writing).
My personal strategy when ordering a flavored coffee at any coffee shop is to go for their sugar-free syrup as that is almost always vegan.
What About Other Coffee Chains in Canada?
Want to know what drinks are vegan at other coffee chains in Canada then check out my posts on Coffee Chains and in particular my post on Tim Hortons below:
10 Best Vegan Drinks at Second Cup Café
1. Almond Date Smoothie
First up on this list – Second Cup Café’s almond date smoothie. This delicious smoothie is helpfully marked as vegan on Second Cup Café’s website. This smoothie is creamy, buttery, and sweetened with dates. Yum! It also contains a whole banana.
Note – this is the only vegan smoothie at Second Cup Café.
The Chocolate Banana Power Smoothie with Oatmilk contains whey powder and chocolate, both of which contain milk. The third smoothie on the menu, the Strawberry Banana Glow also contains milk and is not vegan.
2. Americano with Coconut Milk (Hot/Iced)
*Order with a dash of coconut milk*
Next up – a classic caffeinated vegan drink, the Americano. An Americano is essentially water poured over espresso. Americanos can either be hot or iced. I personally think a dash of creamy coconut milk really adds something to an Americano in terms of creaminess and coconut flavor.
3. Oat Milk Latte with Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup (Hot or Iced)
*Substitute dairy milk for oat milk*
*Order with sugar-free vanilla syrup*
An oat milk latte is such a classic vegan drink to order at any coffee shop – Second Cup Café is no exception. You can order your oat milk latte either hot or iced. If you want some sweetness to it, then definitely order yours with sugar-free vanilla syrup.
I personally love an iced oat milk latte with sugar-free vanilla syrup. It gives those sweet-flavored frappe vibes – but vegan style.
4. Soy Cappuccino
*Substitute dairy milk for soy milk*
If you are all about the foam on your coffee, then definitely order a soymilk Cappuccino next time you are at Second Cup Café. All the foamy vegan vibes.
5. Espresso
An espresso is such a classic vegan pick-me-up to order at any coffee shop. Second Cup Café’s espresso has a thick caramel crema on top – super flavorsome.
6. Almond Milk Flat White
*Substitute dairy milk for almond milk*
A flat white is the “perfect balance of espresso and velvety steamed milk“. Orders yours with almond milk for the perfect vegan flat white.
7. Unsweetened Brewed Iced Tea
Iced tea is a great refreshing summer afternoon drink. You can order your brewed iced tea either sweetened or unsweetened at Second Cup Café. Make sure to order yours unsweetened so eliminate any bone char concerns.
8. Flash Cold Brew with Oat Milk and Sugar-Free Hazelnut Syrup
Second Cup Café’s signature Flash Cold Brew Coffee is “freshly brewed directly over ice, locking in the aromatics and delivering a smoother taste than traditional Iced Coffee“. Their cold brew is available sweetened or unsweetened.
Order yours unsweetened and then add oat milk and sugar-free hazelnut syrup for sweet creamy cool vibes.
9. Brewed Coffee
Next up – a super simple classic vegan drink – brewed coffee. That no-frills vegan pick-me-up that does the job every time.
You can add some dairy-free milk to yours if you want some creaminess – or even a sugar-free syrup for some extra sweetness.
It’s also great to know that the brewed coffee at Second Cup Café is made from Fairly Traded beans, and 99% are Rainforest Alliance Certified.
10. Hot Brewed Tea
The final vegan drink on this Second Cup Café list is a hot brewed tea. A hot brewed tea is the perfect warming cozy afternoon drink. The brewed teas at Second Cup Café are made with whole tea leaves, and you can choose from black, green, and herbal tisane.
Second Cup Café are also committed to sourcing its tea from a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership, “an organization dedicated to improving the social and environmental conditions of tea supply chains“.
The Final Sip – 10 Best Vegan Drinks at Second Cup Café
10 best vegan drinks at Second Cup Café. So, if you are vegan and live or are visiting Canada and really need a coffee – the good news is that Second Cup Café is a vegan-friendly chain you can visit for your coffee needs. My above list share 10 of my personal favorite and most interesting drinks to order from the chain. Just be sure to remember, as a vegan you can’t order any of the “chocolate drinks” as these all contain dairy in the chocolate used – even if you order them with plant-based milk.
Also, if you are vegan, in Canada, and looking for coffee you may want to check out my post covering Tim Hortons here: The 10 Best Vegan Drinks at Tim Hortons.
…Now I Know.
Beverage makers may change ingredients and/or manufacturing processes. Always double-check ingredients before purchasing any beverages.
Please Drink Responsibly.
Like What You Are Reading
Want to learn more? Need to know if your favorite Soda is vegan? How about that morning coffee or orange juice – think those are vegan…well do you? Or how about those drinks from your favorite coffee chain or restaurant – want to know if they are vegan? It’s time to find out. Check out some of my other vegan articles:
