Easy Vegan Cocktails – Recipes You Can Make At Home

Easy Vegan Cocktails – in this post I am going to be sharing with you everything you need to know to make some of your very own vegan cocktails at home. Yes, that is right. It is time to get out that cocktail shaker, grab some ice, and release that inner mixologist. Welcome to vegan cocktail making 101. If the COVID-19 pandemic taught us anything it was how to make a cocktail. During the height of COVID-19 sales of Vermouth (a key ingredient for the martini) were up 1,200% according to Drizly and orders for liqueurs, cordials, schnapps, and mixers were up by 600% to 1,000%. Being vegan, it cannot always be easy to find a vegan cocktail (with the number of ingredients that go into each one). The good news is that making vegan cocktails at home is easy. In fact, it is so easy I wanted to share with you my favorite at-home cocktail recipes. First, though, what vegan cocktails can you even make at home?

Easy Vegan Cocktail Recipes At Home

There are plenty of easy vegan cocktail recipes that can easily be made with as few as two ingredients. These include:

Vegan White Russian;

Vegan Pina Colada;
Vegan Margarita;
Vegan Negroni;

Vegan Whiskey Sours;
Vegan Brandy Alexander;
Vegan Aperol Spritz;

Vegan Red wine Spritzer; and
Vegan Shandy.

How Complicated Is It To Make A Vegan Cocktail At Home?

All these recipes require just 2-4 ingredients and just a little bit of a shake or a stir. My goal was to provide as simple as possible cocktail recipes for each of the six main types of liquors – vodka, tequila, gin, rum, brandy, and whiskey, as well as an easy wine, beer, and prosecco cocktail recipe.

Easy Vegan Cocktail Recipes

1. Easy Vegan Vodka Cocktail Recipe – White Russian

First on the list is the traditionally non-vegan White Russian. The Drink brought to fame by the movie the Big Lebowski is made with just three ingredients – Vodka, Cream, and Kahlua. Sadly, almost all the ingredients of a White Russian can be non-vegan. The good news is that if you love White Russians they can be made at home and completely vegan. I have listed below what you must replace each ingredient with.

Cream

Obviously isn’t vegan but we will just replace it with coconut cream (or creamy oat milk if you do not like coconut);

Vodka

Most vodka is vegan, especially unflavored vodka. You can read more about it in the post I wrote – Is Vodka Vegan? Hidden Surprises To Know About In Vodka.

Just be aware that coffee vodka isn’t always vegan (in case you fancied turning the coffee up a notch and using coffee vodka). For this recipe, I love using Tito’s – a smooth vegan vodka that is easy to buy and reasonably priced.

Kahlua

Kahlua does not contain lactose but isn’t vegan according to Barnivore. It appears to be the sugar used that is not vegan as it has been processed with bone char. However, Kamora is a vegan coffee liquor you can use instead.

Easy Vegan White Russian Ingredients

– 2 ounces vodka (you can get Tito’s on Amazon here).

– 1 ounce Kamora (you can buy Kamora on Instacart here).

– 1 ounce coconut cream (I love this coconut cream which you can buy on Amazon here). This extra creamy Califia Oat Milk from Amazon is also a great option.

Easy Vegan White Russian Recipe Instructions

Pour Vodka and Kamora into a glass with ice. Add ice. Then pour the coconut cream in. Stir gently to get the swirl effect.

If you want to read more about other vegan vodka cocktails, then read this post – How To Make Vegan Vodka Cocktails.

2. Easy Vegan Rum Cocktail Recipe – Pina Colada

Do you like Pina Coladas and dancing in the rain? Me too. Although I have found that even though Pina Coladas traditionally are dairy-free a lot of restaurants and bars add dairy to their Pina Coladas. This means you must be extra vigilant when ordering one out – always check if dairy has been used in the drink

I love to make my Pina Colada super high in coconut flavor by using coconut rum. But second Pina Colada shocker – Malibu, the go-to of coconut rum, isn’t vegan. It’s basically because of the sugar used – it is processed with bone char. However, Rumhaven is a vegan coconut rum alternative you can use instead.

Easy Vegan Pina Colada Ingredients

– 2 ounces Rumhaven on Instacart.

– 3 ounces pineapple juice on Instacart.

– 1 ounce coconut cream – I love to use the same one we used in the White Russian. Here is the Amazon link again.

Easy Vegan Pina Colada Recipe

Pour ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and pour into glass. A cocktail umbrella is optional.

If you want to read about more vegan rum cocktails, then read the post I wrote about it – How To Make Vegan Rum Cocktails.

3. Easy Vegan Tequila Cocktail Recipe – Margarita

Can Vegans Drink Margaritas?

Vegans can drink most margaritas. A traditional margarita is made from tequila, orange liquor, sugar syrup, and lime. These ingredients are usually vegan. The main potential non-vegan ingredients are sugar syrup (bone char processed sugar is sometimes used in the US).

In terms of making sure you are using a vegan tequila check out the post I wrote on vegan vs non-vegan tequilas – Is Tequila Vegan? How To Really Pick Vegan Tequila (spoiler alert – most tequilas are vegan).

Most orange liquors are vegan – both Cointreau and Grand Marnier are vegan. Triple Sec is almost always vegan.

In terms of sweetness, I tend to use light maple syrup – not only is it vegan, but I also find it not too overpowering and a “better for you” sweetener.

Easy Vegan Margarita Ingredients

– 2 ounces tequila – I love to use Teremana which is available on Amazon.

– 1 ounce fresh lime here.

– 1/2 ounce Cointreau, available on Amazon.

– 1/2 ounce maple syrup – I love using a light delicate maple syrup like this one on Amazon.

Easy Vegan Margarita Recipe Instructions

Pour the above ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake and pour into a margarita glass (with or without a salted rim – optional!)

4. Easy Vegan Gin Cocktail Recipe – Negroni

Traditionally a Negroni is made up of equal parts of Gin, Campari, and Vermouth. Most gins are vegan – see my post Is Gin Vegan? How To Really Tell Vegan Gins Apart. However, Campari is not vegan as it is filtered with gelatin.

A vegan Campari alternative is Luxxardo Bitter Rosso. Luxxardo Bitter Rosso is a vegan Italian bitter red liquor made from spices, herbs, and citrus fruits.

Not all vermouths are vegan – for example, Martini & Rossi is not vegan. However, there are vegan alternatives available. A great vegan vermouth brand is Dolin.

Easy Vegan Negroni Recipe

– 1 ounce Dolin rouge vermouth on Amazon.

– 1 ounce Bombay Sapphire on Amazon.

– 1 ounce Luxxardo Bitter Rosso on wine.com.

Easy Vegan Negroni Instructions

Pour the ingredients into an old-fashioned glass with ice, stir and garnish with orange peel (optional).

5. Easy Vegan Whiskey Cocktail Recipe – Whiskey Sours

I have written a whole post on vegan sours previously (see How To Make Vegan Whiskey, Gin, Amaretto & Pisco Sours) but essentially a traditional whiskey sour is not vegan as it contains egg white. The best vegan alternative to egg white is aquafaba which is the juice in a can of chickpeas. The starch and protein in this juice mean it foams up in a way like egg white.

Easy Vegan Whiskey Sours Recipe

– 1 ounce aquafaba – you can get an unsalted tin of chickpeas/garbanzos from Amazon here.

– 2 ounces of freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can get organic lemons from Amazon here.

– 2 ounces maple syrup. I love using a delicate maple-like this one from Amazon.

– 3 ounces of whiskey. I love Four Roses whiskey which you can buy from Amazon here. It adds the perfect touch of vanilla and spice to the sour.

Easy Vegan Whiskey Sours Recipe Instructions

Pour the drained aquafaba liquid into your cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds – it is important this is a dry shake without ice (as ice can dilute the aquafaba meaning it won’t foam up as much). Add the remaining ingredients and shake for a further 30 seconds. Strain into a glass filled with ice.

6. Easy Vegan Brandy Cocktail Recipe

A Brandy Alexander is the flagship brandy Cocktail but traditionally made it is not vegan. Traditionally made from brandy, crème de cacao and milk/cream. However, a vegan Brandy Alexander is super easy to whip up.

Easy Vegan Brandy Alexander Ingredients

– 1 ounce brandy – you can’t go wrong with Paul Masson Brandy which is vegan. You can get a bottle from Instacart here.

– 1 ounce crème de cacao – despite what the name suggests crème de cacao doesn’t contain cream – it is chocolate liquor. Like with most drinks some crème de cacao brands are vegan and some are not. A great vegan crème de cacao is Dubouchett which can be bought on Instacart here.

-1 ounce thick non-dairy milk – like this extra creamy oat milk from Amazon.

Easy Vegan Brandy Alexander Recipe Instructions

Pour the above ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice, shake until well chilled and strain into a chilled martini glass.

7. Easy Prosecco Cocktail Recipe – Aperol Spritz

In the mood for a summery cocktail that transports you to Italy? An Aperol Spritz it is then.

An Aperol Spritz is made from three ingredients – Aperol, prosecco, and soda water. The good news is that Aperol is vegan. Some Proseccos are vegan, some are not – you can read more about some of the best vegan Proseccos in my post – Over 100 Of The Best Vegan Wines.

Easy Vegan Aperol Spritz Ingredients

– 3 ounces prosecco like this Menage a Trois one that can be bought on wine.com.

– 2 ounces Aperol which can also be bought on Amazon.

– 1 ounce club soda on Amazon.

Easy Vegan Aperol Spritz Recipe Instructions

Fill a wine glass with ice and pour ingredients in. That is all there is to it.

8. Easy Vegan Wine Cocktails – Red Wine Spritzer

As this post is all about easy vegan cocktails, I felt like a sangria wasn’t an appropriate entry. As delicious a drink as sangria is, it is quite a lot of effort with all the fruit chopping, etc. But how about if you fancy that sangria vibe but without any of the hassle. Enter the red wine spritzer!

Easy Vegan Red Wine Spritzer Ingredients

– 3 ounces vegan red wine like this Avaline red blend from Instacart

– 3 ounces club soda – like this one on Instacart

If you would like to read about other vegan red wines, you could use instead then make sure to check out my post on the best 100 (yes 100) vegan wines – Over 100 Of The Best Vegan Wines.

Easy Vegan Red Wine Spritzer instructions

Pour red wine into a glass with ice and top with the club soda. Garnish with an orange slice if feeling fancy.

9. Easy Vegan Beer Cocktail – Shandy

Shandy – that refreshing beer cocktail for when you fancy a beer but kind of don’t. You can get inspiration for vegan beers to use here – Is Beer Vegan – Introducing The Secret To Finding Out and What Beer Is Not Vegan? Beers You Need To Avoid.

My personal preference is to use ginger ale to give it that extra ginger dimension to my shandy, but you can use lemonade instead (just make sure to check out my post Is Soda Vegan? Revealing What You Need To Know) first.

Easy Vegan Shandy Ingredients

– 6 ounces vegan beer (wheat beer or light lager works best) like Bud Light from Amazon here.

– 6 ounces vegan ginger ale from Amazon.

Not all ginger ales are vegan – you can read more about it here – Is Ginger Ale Vegan? Everything You Need To Know.

Easy Vegan Shandy Recipe Instructions

Pour both the beer and ginger ale into a beer glass (with no ice) and that is it!

Easy Vegan Cocktails – The Final Sip

Easy Vegan Cocktails – when it comes to making cocktails there is also this myth that they are impossibly difficult to make at home. The reality is that this just isn’t the case. Cocktails can be incredibly simple and fun to make at home. Most of the cocktails I provided above are a few simple ingredients that are just mixed and stirred together. Even if you don’t have a fancy cocktail shaker you can just stir them vigorously (or mix them using a blender). The saddest thing is that when it comes to cocktails and being vegan, you must be extra careful to make sure every ingredient being used is vegan. The good news is that by making it at home you can make sure your cocktail is 100% vegan, as strong as you like, and completely to your taste.

…now you 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

Need to know more? Think your favorite beer or wine is vegan? How about your favorite Vodka, Tequila, or Gin – think those are vegan? Time to find out – check out some of my other articles:

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