Vegan Starbucks Drinks – what are they? It is an important question. Why? Well, because Starbucks is the biggest coffee house company in the world. In 2020 they had 32,660 stores across the whole wide planet. And it is not just brick-and-mortar stores. You can find Starbucks on a train (in Geneva, Switzerland), in a Bank Vault (in Amsterdam), on a Farm (in Costa Rica), on a Cruise Boat in the middle of the Caribbean (on Cruise Ship Allure of the Seas), on the Slopes (at California’s Squaw Valley Resort), in a Shipping Container (in Seattle), and even at the most magical place on Earth – Disneyland (at the Magical Kingdom in Anaheim). So how do you order vegan drinks at Starbucks?
What Starbucks Drinks Are Vegan?
As a general rule, this is how to order vegan drinks at Starbucks:
- Completely avoid white chocolate, honey blends, and chai tea lattes;
- Hold all sauces (except mocha), cinnamon dolce topping, vanilla sweet cream, salted caramel cream, whipped cream, and java/frappuccino chips;
- Replace dairy milk with almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk and replace caramel and dark caramel sauce with caramel syrup; and
- Add any syrup or mocha sauce if desired.
Why Vegan Starbucks Drinks Are An Important Topic?
The point we are trying to make is that at some point in your everyday waking life you are going to come across a Starbucks. You just will. For some people getting a Starbucks is part of their daily lives. There are even articles on how much people spend on Starbucks per year – this CNBC article shows how one individual spent $2,300 per year at Starbucks and isn’t planning on stopping. And, if you are Vegan (which we are assuming you are if you are reading this article) then you are going to want to know what vegan Starbucks drinks are and how you can order them.
In this article, we are going to break down everything you need to know about the current Starbucks menu at the time of writing. At Vegan Bev HQ we focus on drinks, and to this extent, we will not be covering the food items on the menu. We will break the menu down into:
- Starbucks Drinks that are Vegan
- Starbucks Drinks that are not Vegan
- Starbucks Drinks you can make Vegan
Making Vegan Starbucks Coffee At Home
Before we dig into the post, do you ever fancy making vegan Starbucks coffee at home? Well, you can, thanks to Starbucks ground coffee available on Amazon. You can find Starbucks Pike Place roast, Veranda blend, Sumatra blend, Italian roast, House blend, Breakfast blend, Espresso roast, and French roast ground coffee bags all available on Amazon. Also if you prefer making your coffee from a machine like this one, then fear not Starbucks K-cup coffee pods are also available on Amazon.
Do you also love Coffee, Tea, Boba, or Kombucha?
Like what you are reading? Not just into coffee? How about Tea? Or maybe Kombucha or Boba Tea? We also have articles covering:
- Is Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Vegan? The Amazing Truth
- Is Coffee Vegan? How to Find Out The Truth
- Is Tea Vegan? Time to Know the Complete Facts
- Is Kombucha Vegan? The Complete Facts You Need To Know
- How To Find Out – Is Boba Vegan?
What about the coffee?
Before breaking down all Vegan Starbuck Drinks and the entire Starbucks menu, we should answer the most obvious question: are the coffee beans vegan? Pretty basic, but essential when you are considering what this article is about.
Well, are they? To answer this simply – YES. The coffee beans used are Vegan.
Seasonal Drinks and which Starbucks Menu
Starbucks has different menus for different countries. For this article, we focused on the US Starbucks menu (as this is where we are based). Seasonal and holiday drinks have also not been included. This is because the 2021 seasonal/holiday drinks haven’t been announced yet. Historically, some of the seasonal drinks such as the Caramel Brulee and the Pumpkin Spice Latte are not vegan. If you want to learn more about the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte I dedicated a whole blog to it you can read here – Is Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Vegan? The Amazing Truth. We also don’t cover “Secret Menu” items or ‘TikTok” creations.
Commonly Asked Questions About Vegan Starbucks Drinks
Ok, before we jump into each individual drink at Starbucks we are going to start by quickly answering some commonly asked questions and queries about vegan drinks at Starbucks.
Is Starbucks Chai Vegan?
Starbucks chai tea lattes are not vegan as the chai concentrate contains honey. However, the Starbucks Teavana chai tea does not contain honey and is vegan.
Is Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Syrup Vegan?
The Starbucks cinnamon dolce syrup is vegan. The cinnamon dolce topping, however, contains dairy and is not vegan. A cinnamon dolce latte with plant-based milk and minus the whip and cinnamon dolce topping is vegan.
Is Starbucks Vanilla Syrup Vegan?
The Starbucks Vanilla Syrup does not contain dairy and is vegan.
Is Starbucks Caramel Vegan?
Neither the Starbucks caramel sauce nor the Starbucks dark caramel sauce are vegan as they both contain dairy. The caramel syrup does not contain dairy and is vegan.
Vegan Syrups at Starbucks
All the clear syrups at Starbucks are vegan. It is the sauces and drizzles (except mocha) at Starbucks that are not vegan.
Does Starbucks Have Vegan Whip?
Starbucks does not currently have a vegan whipped cream.
Vegan Low Sugar Starbucks Drinks
Any of Starbucks’ unsweetened coffees or teas, with plant-based milk, are vegan and low sugar. Starbucks’ vegan sugar free syrups are a good option for ordering a vegan low sugar drink.
Vegan Iced Drinks at Starbucks
Most iced drinks at Starbucks can be made vegan with the substitution of dairy milk for plant-based milk and by holding the whip and any caramel sauce. The only iced drinks that cannot be made vegan are the ones that contain honey or white chocolate.
Vegan Espresso Drinks at Starbucks
Most of the espresso-based drinks at Starbucks can be made vegan with plant-based milk and by ordering without whip or caramel sauce. Any espresso-based drinks that contain white chocolate (eg white chocolate mocha) cannot be made vegan.
Vegan Decaf Drinks at Starbucks
Most coffee drinks at Starbucks can be ordered both decaf and vegan – the exceptions being any coffees that contain white chocolate or honey. Just make sure to ask for decaf coffee/espresso and to substitute dairy milk for plant-based milk and make sure to ask for your drink without whip, frappuccino chips, or caramel sauce.
Vegan Frappuccino Blended Drinks at Starbucks
Most Frappuccinos at Starbucks can be made vegan if you substitute the dairy milk for oat, soy, almond, or coconut milk and hold the whip, frappuccino chips, and caramel sauce. Any white chocolate or chai frappuccinos cannot be made vegan.
Vegan Starbucks Drinks / Starbucks Drinks That Are Vegan
This section breaks down all the Vegan Starbucks drinks as-is. This means these are all the drinks that are vegan AS THEY ARE on the Starbucks menu. No changes, no holds, and no amendments must be made when ordering these drinks to make them vegan. Just simply order, give your name, and wait for the barista.
The below drinks do not contain any animal-based ingredients such as dairy. It isn’t really clear what the sugar situation is at Starbucks (ie if bone char free sugar is used or not). This is a very polarizing subject in the vegan community. If you choose not to eat any sugar that could potentially have been processed using bone char then it is best to stick to only unsweetened drinks.
To help make the list as easy as possible to understand we break it down into categories of drinks based on the Starbucks menu.
But first, let me answer that burning question I know you have regarding an oh-so-pretty and Insta-famous Starbucks drink…
Is The Pink Drink Vegan?
The Starbucks pink drink is vegan as it is just made of a strawberry acai base, coconut milk, and freeze-dried strawberries. Therefore if you are vegan you can order the pink drink as-is with no adjustments.
Glad we cleared that up before we dive right in.
Hot Coffee
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Freshly Brewed Coffee | Yes, as is. |
| Caffè Americanos | Yes, as is. |
| Espresso | Yes, as is. |
Hot Drinks (Non-Coffee)
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Steamed Apple Juice | Yes, as is. |
Cold Coffee
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Cold Brew Coffee* | Yes, as is. *Can add almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk if desired. |
| Iced Caffè Americano | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Coffee* | Yes, as is. *Can add almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk if desired. |
| Iced Espresso | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Chocolate Almond Milk Shaken Espresso | Yes, as is. |
Cold Drinks
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Iced Guava Passion Fruit Drink | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Pineapple Matcha Drink | Yes, as is. |
| All Refresher Drinks (this includes the Pink Drink and the Violet Drink) | Yes, as is. |
| Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
| Blended Strawberry Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
Hot Tea
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Chai Tea (please note this is different from the Chai Tea Latte which is not vegan – see below) | Yes, as is. |
| Black Tea (Earl Grey, Royal English Breakfast) | Yes, as is. |
| Emperors Clouds & Mist Green Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Herbal Teas (Mint Majesty and Peach Tranquility) | Yes, as is. |
Iced Teas
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Iced Guava Black Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Guava Black Tea Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Black Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Peach Green Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Green Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Green Tea Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Matcha Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Passion Tango Tea | Yes, as is. |
| Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade | Yes, as is. |
Vegan Seasonal Drinks
Is Starbucks Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso Vegan?
The Starbucks Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso is made with oat milk, making it vegan as it is.
Vegan Starbucks Drinks That Are Not Vegan, and CANNOT Be Made Vegan
This section deals with those Starbucks drinks that are not vegan and cannot be made vegan. If you are vegan, you should avoid these drinks on the menu entirely. We were surprised when putting this list together to find out the Chai Tea Latte was not vegan (the chai tea concentrate contains honey).
To help make the list as easy as possible to understand we break it down into categories of drinks based on the Starbucks menu.
Hot Coffee
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| White Chocolate Mocha | No. |
| Espresso Con Panna* | No. *You could ask for it without the whipped cream, but then it essentially would just be an espresso. |
| Honey Almond Milk Flat White | No. |
Hot Drinks (Non-Coffee)
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| White Hot Chocolate | No. |
Cold Coffee
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Honey Almond Milk Cold Brew | No. |
| Iced Honey Almond Milk Flat White | No. |
| Iced White Chocolate Mocha | No. |
Hot Teas
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Chai Tea Latte | No. The Chai Tea concentrate contains honey. |
| Honey Citrus Mint Tea | No. |
Iced Tea
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Iced Chai Tea Latte | No. The Chai Tea concentrate contains honey. |
Frappucino
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino | No. |
| Chai Crème Frappuccino | No. |
| White Chocolate Crème Frappuccino | No. |
Starbucks Seasonal Drinks That Cannot Be Made Vegan –
Is Starbucks Pistachio Latte Vegan?
Starbucks Pistachio Latte is not vegan as the pistachio sauce contains dairy.
Can Starbucks Pistachio Latte Be Made Dairy Free?
Starbucks Pistachio Latte cannot be made dairy free, even if ordered with vegan milk, as the pistachio sauce contains dairy.
Vegan Starbucks Drinks That Can Be Made Vegan
This final section deals with those Vegan Starbucks Drinks that aren’t vegan but with a few ordering amendments you can make vegan. The breakdown for these drinks will be slightly different. The below table will break down the substitutions required to make the drink vegan. Most of the options simply involve substituting the dairy milk used for an alternative nut-based milk. This is not the case for all options, so make sure to double-check the list below before ordering.
The below drinks can be customized so they do not contain any animal-based ingredients such as dairy. It isn’t really clear what the sugar situation is at Starbucks (ie if bone char free sugar is used or not). This is a very dividing subject in the vegan community. If you choose not to eat any sugar that could potentially have been processed using bone char then it is best to stick to only the unsweetened drinks below.
Hot Coffee
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Caffè Misto | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Cappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Steamed Milk | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Caffè Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Starbucks Reserve Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Espresso Macchiato | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Caramel Macchiato | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without the caramel sauce. The caramel syrup is vegan so you could ask for caramel syrup instead of caramel sauce. |
| Flat Whites | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Caffè Mocha | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
Hot Drinks (Non-Coffee)
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Vanilla Crème | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
| Caramel Apple Spice | Ask for it without the caramel sauce. The caramel syrup is vegan so you could ask for caramel syrup instead of caramel sauce. |
| Cinnamon Dolce Crème | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without the cinnamon dolce topping. |
| Hot Chocolate | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
Cold Coffee
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew | Ask for it without the salted caramel cream*. *Note – there would be no salted caramel element – it would be more like a vanilla cold brew. Ask for some almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk to give it a creamy element and caramel syrup to give it a caramel flavor. |
| Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew | Ask for it without the vanilla sweet cream. You could ask for extra vanilla syrup to still get a strong vanilla flavor plus some almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk for the creamy element. |
| Iced Shaken Espresso | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Iced Flat White | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Starbucks Reserve Iced Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Iced Caffè Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without the cinnamon dolce topping. |
| Iced Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Iced Caramel Macchiato | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without caramel sauce. You could ask for caramel syrup in place of caramel sauce. |
| Iced Caffè Mocha | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
Hot Tea
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| London Fog Tea Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Matcha Tea Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
Iced Tea
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Iced Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Iced London Fog Tea Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Iced Matcha Tea Latte | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
Frappuccino
| Item | Is it Vegan? |
| Strawberry Funnel Cake Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
| Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without Frappuccino Chips (also known as Java Chips). |
| Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without the Caramel Sauce and the Dark Caramel Sauce – ask for Caramel Syrup instead. |
| Espresso Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Caffè Vanilla Frappucino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
| Caramel Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without the Caramel Sauce – ask for Caramel Syrup instead. |
| Coffee Frappucino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Mocha Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. |
| Java Chip Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without Frappuccino Chips (also known as Java Chips). |
| Strawberry Funnel Cake Crème Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
| Chocolate Cookie Crumble Crème Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without Frappuccino Chips (also known as Java Chips). |
| Caramel Ribbon Crunch Crème Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without the Caramel Sauce and the Dark Caramel Sauce – ask for Caramel Syrup instead. |
| Strawberry Crème Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
| Double Chocolatey Chip Crème Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. Ask for it without Frappuccino Chips (also known as Java Chips). |
| Matcha Crème Frappucino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
| Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino | Substitute dairy milk for almond, oat, soy, or coconut milk. Ask for it without whipped cream. |
Vegan Starbucks Drinks – Cheat Sheet
There are a lot of items on the Starbucks menu. To make things as easy as possible here are some rules of thumb / a cheat sheet on what to know when ordering your Vegan Starbucks Drink.
| Completely AVOID | Items to HOLD | Things to REPLACE | Things you can ADD |
| Honey Blends | Vanilla Sweet Cream | Dairy Milk with Almond, Oat, Soy, or Coconut Milk | Syrups |
| Chai Tea Lattes | Salted Caramel Cream | Caramel Sauce and Dark Caramel Sauce with Caramel Syrup | Mocha Sauce |
| White Chocolate | All Sauces (e.g. Caramel, Dark Caramel) except Mocha | ||
| Cinnamon Dolce Topping | |||
| Whipped Cream | |||
| Java Chips (also referred to as Frappuccino Chips) |
You can now go and order your Vegan Starbucks Drink
Starbucks sells around 4 million coffee drinks per day (USA Today). According to the Starbucks website, they serve 60 million customers each week (that is the equivalent of serving the population of Italy each week), and it is not stopping there. Insider has detailed reports from Trefis that show these numbers are increasing.
What does this mean for you – a vegan lover of hot and cold beverages alike? Well, it means that Starbucks has become more and more a part of your daily life. Whether you love Starbucks or loathe it, the fact remains you cannot escape it, so you might as well be ready for that moment when you do order something from the menu. At least now, you can make it vegan.
“We’ll take an Almond Milk Matcha Creme Frappuccino, hold the whipped cream”.
…now you know.
Beverage makers may change ingredients and/or manufacturing processes. Always double-check ingredients before purchasing any beverages.
Like what you are reading?
Like this article, want to find out more? Want to know if your favorite wine, or spirit, or even if your morning coffee (yes, your morning coffee) is vegan? Then check out some of our other articles and sign up for our newsletter below:
- Is Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Vegan? The Amazing Truth
- Is Coffee Vegan? How to Find Out The Truth
- Is Tea Vegan? Time to Know the Complete Facts
- Is Kombucha Vegan? The Complete Facts You Need To Know
- How To Find Out – Is Boba Vegan?
- Is Soda Vegan? Revealing What You Need To Know
- Is Alcohol Vegan? How To Know The Truth
- Is Cream Soda Vegan? Unlock All You Need To Know
- Is Root Beer Vegan? Unlock The Hidden Root Cause
- Vegan Beer – Is My Beer Vegan
- Vegan Wine – Why Is Wine Not Vegan
