Healthy Vegan Drinks. That’s right – in this post, I am going to be sharing some “healthier” drink options if you are vegan. In my previous posts I have covered everything you need to know about Soda (see my post Is Soda Vegan?), Coca-Cola Drinks (see my post Is Coca-Cola Vegan? Secrets To Know About Coca-Cola), and Pepsi Drinks (see my post Is Pepsi Vegan? Secrets To Know About Pepsi Drinks). In fact, I have covered a lot of soft drinks including Coffee, Tea, Kombucha, Ginger Ale, Cream Soda, Orange Juice, Energy Drinks, Vitamin Water, and even Gatorade. Whilst most of these drinks can be vegan, they are not always the healthiest option. For example, a can of coke has 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. A can of Orange Soda – 12 teaspoons of sugar.

So, what exactly are the “healthier” drink options available for vegans? In this post, I am going to share nine “healthier” vegan drink options you can choose from.

What Are Some Healthy Vegan Drinks?

As a general rule, there are many healthy drinks for vegans to choose from. From fresh juices to teas to vegan coffee, to vegan milk, kombucha, vegan kefir, mocktails, and smoothies. Healthier vegan drink options are available if you know what to look for.

Whilst there are plenty of accidentally vegan drinks out there (like Cocoa-Cola) what are some healthy vegan drinks you can feel great about drinking?

Green Tea

Green tea is a great healthy vegan drink option that is full of antioxidants. Fun fact, all tea comes from the same plant (Camellia Sinensis). What makes different varieties of tea, such as Green Tea is the extent to which are processed.

In the case of Green Tea, tea leaves are the second least processed and undergo no oxidation. The plant leaves are picked, dried, and then treated with heat to prevent them from being oxidized. Green tea is not normally drunk with milk, so a cup of green tea is vegan.

Matcha is also a form of Green Tea – it is a powdered form of Green Tea leaves which is completely soluble in your tea drink. It is also my choice of afternoon pick-me-up when I no longer want coffee.

You can either opt for a green tea that has been simply steeped in hot water or even a matcha latte made with powdered green tea with vegan milk. If you are looking for a lower sugar variety, make sure to have your Matcha with unsweetened Almond or equivalent plant-based milk.

You can buy green tea bags from Amazon here and matcha powder from Amazon here.

I have also covered everything you need to know about Tea and whether it is vegan in my post – Is Tea Vegan? Time To Know The Complete Facts.

100% Orange Juice

100% orange juice is a delicious healthy vegan drink packed full of vitamin C.

When choosing an orange juice just be sure not to pick one labeled as heart-healthy – these can often contain fish oils and gelatin (the Omega 3 makes it heart healthy) which makes them not vegan.

Also, make sure not to choose an orange juice that is fortified with vitamin D3 as vitamin D3 often comes from Lanolin (which comes from sheep’s wool).

A good choice of vegan orange juice is the 100% orange juice from 365 which you can buy on Amazon here. Just remember, don’t go too crazy on juice. Whilst orange juice is a great source of Vitamin C, it is still high in natural sugars (around 30g for an 8-ounce serving).

If you would like to read more about whether orange juice is always vegan, you can here – Is Orange Juice Vegan? Revealing What You Need To Know.

Virgin Vegan Non-Alcoholic Bloody Mary

Did you know that a traditional Bloody Mary contains fish? That’s correct – a traditional Bloody Mary contains Worcestershire sauce which is made from anchovies.

That means if you want to make a vegan Bloody Mary then you need to buy vegan Worcestershire sauce. Luckily, vegan versions of Worcestershire sauce are easily available, for example, this one from Amazon here.

Alternatively, you can buy a vegan pre-made Bloody Mary mix like this LAVA one on Amazon. It is vegan, has no added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, no added preservatives, and is all-natural

A glass of it goes great with a shot of non-alcoholic vodka (which can be bought from Amazon here). You can read more about vegan non-alcoholic cocktails here – 10 Vegan Non-Alcoholic Cocktails You Need To Know About and Try.

100% Apple Juice

100% apple juice is another delicious healthy drink. However, did you know that apple juice isn’t always vegan!

Yes, you read that correctly – apple juice often isn’t vegan!

Fish bladders (isinglass) are often used to clarify apple juice. Isinglass is used to clarify apple juice the same way it is used to clarify wine, by clumping molecules together so they can be removed easily, resulting in a clear appearance.

The best way to avoid any non-vegan issues which result from clarification processes is to always pick cloudy apple juice. For example, this vegan organic apple juice on Amazon.

Pure Fruit Smoothies

A smoothie made from 100% fruit, including pulp, and which doesn’t contain concentrates is a great healthy vegan drink. The key is to make sure the pulp and fibrous parts are included in the smoothie.

Make sure not to choose one with added sugar and make sure to check the ingredients of any red-hued smoothies. Often the “red color” comes from crushed bugs (labeled as carmine or cochineal here in the US).

The main smoothie brands available tend to come from Tropicana and Naked smoothies. You can find out which of these brands’ smoothies are not vegan in my post here – Is Pepsi Vegan? Secrets To Know About Pepsi Drinks.

Fruit smoothies are so easy to whip up in the morning in your blender at home – I love incorporating smoothies into my breakfast routine (adding chia or flax seed for Omega 3).

If you are looking for some vegan fruit smoothie pouches for when on the go, then these vegan fruit smoothie pouches on Amazon are perfect.

Vegan Latte

Coffee is almost always vegan.

However, it is what is added to coffee that can often make it not vegan – such as milk, cream, whip, toppings, or sauces. You can read more about whether coffee is always vegan and how to order vegan in a coffee shop here – How To Order Vegan Coffee When Out – The Fail Proof Guide.

A great simple vegan drink is a latte made with vegan milk such as almond or oat. To try and make sure your latte is as healthy as possible make your latte with sugar-free vegan milk. Oat milk, such as this Califa one on Amazon often has no sugar added.

If you would like to read more about vegan kinds of milk that are great at frothing, make sure to read the post I wrote on it here where I tested a whole bunch of vegan milk’s “frothing” abilities – What Is The Best Vegan Milk For Frothing?.

If you don’t fancy the caffeine, you can make your vegan latte decaf.

Vegan Milk

A great vegan drink is a glass of vegan milk. Whilst oat, soy, coconut, and almond are super common nowadays, how about trying a glass of a more unusual vegan milk.

Hemp, flax, cashew, and macadamia are all vegan kinds of milk with a host of health benefits. You can read more about them here, as well as links to buy some on Amazon in my table below.

Vegan Milk	Post	Amazon Link
Hemp	How To Find The Best Hemp Milk Available	Pacific Foods Unsweetened Hemp Milk on Amazon
Flax	Best Flax Milk Brands You Need To Know About	Malibu Mylk Unsweetened Flax Milk on Amazon
Cashew	What Is The Best Cashew Milk Out There	Pacific Foods Unsweetened Cashew Milk on Amazon
Macadamia	How To Pick The Best Macadamia Milk	Milkadamia Unsweetened Macadamia Milk on Amazon

Kombucha

As a general rule, Kombucha is usually vegan. Kombucha is a healthy drink made from fermenting tea, with yeast, bacteria, and sugar.

Occasionally kombucha can contain honey or sugar processed with bone char but this is rare. The fermentation process creates a whole bunch of probiotics which is why some people swear by drinking Kombucha.

Below are some of my favorite vegan kombucha brands, as well as the links to buy them on Amazon:

Health-Aid

Humm

Vegan Kefir

Vegan Kefir is made by fermenting water or vegan milk with bacteria, yeast, and sugar. Traditional kefir is made by fermenting dairy milk. It is like the production of Kombucha but the main difference is that it is made from plant-based milk.

Kefir is super high in probiotics which is great for gut health and aiding digestion. Below are some of my favorite Vegan Kafir brands. You can also read more about Vegan Kefir in my post: Best Vegan Kefir Drinks – Including One You Can Make At Home.

Best Water Kefir – Kevita
Best Coconut Kefir – Siggis
Best Cashew Milk Kefir – Forager

Healthy Vegan Drinks – The Final Sip

Healthy Vegan Drinks – when it comes to drinks it can be particularly elusive to find a “healthy” drink. That is because so many drinks contain a whole bunch of added sugar which you just don’t notice unless you stop and really read any nutritional information. The above list tries to give a balanced list of “healthier” and vegan drinks that isn’t limited to just Water. It is not entirely possible to always stay clear of sugar. For example, things such as juice can be high in sugar. I personally like to do everything in moderation. A little bit of juice is not going to be bad – but treating it as your go-to vegan healthier drink is probably not the best idea. In the interim, things like Green Tea or some unsweetened plant-based milk can be a great alternative option for a “healthier” vegan drink. Failing that…there is always water. And yes, water is vegan.

…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? It’s time to find out. Check out some of my other non-alcoholic vegan articles:

General

Vegan Kinds of Milk

How To Pick The Best Vegan Half & Half Milks

The Best Healthy Vegan Drinks