Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – what are they? Okay, before I even begin writing this, we need to cover one thing. It is now just “Dunkin’”. Yes, that’s right in January 2019 Dunkin’ Donuts officially decided to remove the “Donut” from its name and just become “Dunkin’”. Now, that we have covered that we can continue. According to their website, you can order a different drink every day for almost 70 years. That’s 25,000 different ways to order your coffee – now that’s a lot of Java. But what exactly is vegan at Dunkin’ Donuts, sorry…Dunkin’. And, if you didn’t realize, Dunkin’ is the biggest rival to Starbucks in the US holding the solid number two position in the coffee chain market. Like I did for the number one coffee chain, it’s time to break down the Dunkin’ Donuts…ah sorry, I meant Dunkin’, drinks menu. Full disclaimer this is Vegan Bev HQ, not Vegan Donut HQ so we will only be covering the drink items at Dunkin’.
What Drinks Are Vegan At Dunkin’?
There are vegan drinks available at Dunkin’ Donuts. Many of Dunkin’s hot and iced coffees are vegan as is and a lot of Dunkin’s drinks can be made vegan with the substitution of dairy milk for coconut, oat, or almond milk. Dunkin’s chai tea latte is vegan as it does not contain honey. All of Dunkin’s flavor shots are vegan and their mocha sauce is also vegan.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Dunkin’ Drink Breakdown
Extremely helpful, Dunkin’ has a blog post on their website from June 2019 entitled “Vegan Menu Items at Dunkin’” (this includes both food and beverage items).
Looking through this list the one drink menu item that surprised me was the chai tea latte as most chai tea lattes contain honey. In comparison, the Starbucks chai tea latte does contain honey (see my blog post How to Actually Order Vegan Starbucks Drinks for a breakdown of Starbucks).
Dunkin’ Drink Breakdown – An Update
The above Dunkin’s guide is helpful, but it is now a few years old (it was published in June 2019). To make sure this post is as relevant as possible I went through Dunkin’s online drinks menu and compiled a table dividing their drinks into the following:
- Dunkin’s drinks which are vegan as-is (no alterations need to be made);
- Dunkin’s drinks which are vegan with a substitution (usually subbing dairy milk for oat, almond or coconut milk – which comes at an additional charge); and
- Dunkin’s drinks that are not vegan and cannot be made vegan.
One thing to note is that Dunkin’s definition of a vegan menu item in the above blog post was defined as follows:
“A beverage whose formula contains no animal sources: no meat, fish, shellfish, milk, egg or honey products, and no enzymes and rennet from animal sources. All of Dunkin’s menu items (vegan and non-vegan) are prepared in the same area. Dunkin’ cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contact between products or ingredients.”
A few points to note on this, depending on how strict a vegan you are:
- There is always the potential for cross-contamination (this is obviously the case at all non-exclusively vegan food and drinks establishments); and
- Dunkin’ includes drinks containing sugar as vegan. In their definition of what they define as vegan they do not mention animal sources being used in the processing of an ingredient. As such, it is unclear if the sugar used is processed with bone char or not. I will leave this to your discretion as to whether this is a deal-breaker for you or not – if it is then avoiding the sweet drinks listed below is recommended. The good news is that all of Dunkin’s flavor shots are sugar free – the flavor shots come in toasted almond, hazelnut, coconut, vanilla, blueberry, and raspberry. Dunkin’s coconut and milk are also sugar free (the almond milk in comparison contains sugar). So hazelnut oat milk lattes and toasted almond coconut milk iced coffees, for example, are both vegan and sugar-free! Knowing that the flavor shots and the oat and coconut milk do not contain sugar really opens up the doors for sugar-free vegan drinks at Dunkin’.
If you would like to read more about whether coffee or tea is vegan generally then you can read more in the posts I wrote here: Is Coffee Vegan? How To Find Out The Truth and Is Tea Vegan? Time To Know The Complete Facts.
Fancy Making Vegan Dunkin Coffee At Home?
Before we dig in, what if you can’t get to a Dunkin in person but still fancy a vegan Dunkin coffee at home? You are in luck – you can make Dunkin cold brew at home using these Dunkin cold brew packs from Amazon here. If hot vegan Dunkin coffee is your thing then check out Dunkin’s original medium roast ground coffee on Amazon here. You can even buy Dunkin K-cup pods on Amazon here (compatible with this machine). For recommendations on which vegan creamer or milk to add to your at-home Dunkin brew check out this post – Is Coffee Vegan – How To Find Out The Truth.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Table Breakdown
| Vegan Dunkin’ Drinks | Vegan Dunkin’ Drinks with Substitution | Non-Vegan Dunkin’ Drinks (Contain Dairy) |
|---|---|---|
| Hot / Iced Coffee | Hot / Iced Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | All Hot / Iced Signature Lattes. |
| Hot / Iced Americano | Hot / Iced Macchiato with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | Hot Chocolate. |
| Cold Brew Coffee | Hot / Ice Cappuccino with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | Dunkaccino. |
| All Tea* | Hot / Iced Matcha Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | Vanilla Spice. |
| All Iced Teas | Hot / Iced Chai Tea Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | Coolatta Vanilla Bean. |
| Espresso | Frozen Matcha Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | All Frozen Chocolate Varieties. |
| All Refreshers | Frozen Coffee in Coffee or Mocha Flavor with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. Hold the Whipped Cream. | Frozen Coffee – Peanut Butter Cup Swirl, Pumpkin, Butter Pecan, Caramel, French Vanilla, and Hazelnut Flavors. |
| Coolatta Strawberry and Blue Raspberry Flavors |
Please note – do not confuse the vanilla spice (which contains a vanilla chai powder that contains both dairy and honey – not vegan) with the vegan chai tea latte.
I also noticed when researching that there are four popular search terms on Google in relation to vegan Dunkin’ drinks. To help you out as much as possible I answered the following popular questions below:
- Are Dunkin’ Frozen Drinks Vegan?
- Are Iced Drinks at Dunkin Vegan?
- Are the Dunkin Refreshers Vegan?
- Is The Caramel Swirl at Dunkin’ Vegan?
- Is Dunkin’ French Vanilla Swirl Vegan?
- Are The Flavor Shots At Dunkin’ Donuts Vegan?
- Is Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spice Vegan?
- Is Dunkin’ Chai Vegan?
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Are Dunkin’ Frozen Drinks Vegan?
| Vegan Dunkin’ Frozen Drinks | Non-Vegan Dunkin’ Frozen Drinks |
|---|---|
| Strawberry Coolatta | Vanilla Bean Coolatta |
| Blue Raspberry Coolatta* | Frozen Coffee – Peanut Butter Cup Swirl, Pumpkin, Butter Pecan, Caramel, French Vanilla, and Hazelnut Flavors. |
| Frozen Coffee with Almond, Oat, or Coconut Milk | All Frozen Chocolates. |
| Frozen Coffee – Mocha Swirl Flavor – with Almond, Oat, or Coconut Milk and without whipped cream. | |
| Frozen Matcha Latte with Almond, Oat, or Coconut Milk. |
The blue raspberry Coolatta contains Blue 1 artificial color (some vegans avoid artificial colors as they are routinely tested on animals) – so this one depends on your stance as a vegan.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Are Iced Drinks At Dunkin’ Vegan?
| Vegan Iced Drinks at Dunkin’ | Vegan Iced Drinks at Dunkin’ With Substitutions | Non-Vegan Iced Drinks at Dunkin’ |
|---|---|---|
| Iced Coffee | Iced Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | Iced Signature Lattes |
| Iced Americano | Iced Macchiato with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | |
| All Iced Teas | Iced Cappuccino with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | |
| | Iced Matcha Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | |
| | Iced Chai Tea Latte with Coconut, Oat, or Almond Milk instead of Dairy Milk. | |
Are The Dunkin’ Refreshers Vegan?
Dunkin’ Refreshers come in Apple Cranberry, Peach Passion Fruit, and Dragonfruit and all three flavors are vegan.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Is The Caramel Swirl at Dunkin’ Vegan?
The Caramel Swirl at Dunkin’ is not vegan as it contains dairy.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Is Dunkin’ French Vanilla Swirl Vegan?
The French Vanilla Swirl at Dunkin’ is not vegan as it contains dairy. The only Dunkin’ swirl that does not contain dairy and is vegan is the mocha swirl.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Are The Flavor Shots At Dunkin’ Donuts Vegan?
All flavor shots at Dunkin’ Donuts are vegan and sugar-free. Dunkin’ Donuts has vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry, and coconut flavor shots which can be added to your coffee. They are all vegan. In comparison, out of their swirls, only the mocha swirl is vegan. The Peanut Butter Cup Swirl, Pumpkin Swirl, Caramel Swirl, French Vanilla Swirl, Hazelnut Swirl, and Butter Pecan Swirls contain dairy and are not vegan.
| Vegan Flavors Shots/Syrups at Dunkin’ | Non-Vegan Flavor Shots/Syrups at Dunkin’ | Vegan Swirls at Dunkin’ | Non-Vegan Swirls at Dunkin’ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | None | Mocha | Peanut Butter Cup |
| Hazelnut | Pumpkin | ||
| Toasted Almond | Caramel | ||
| Blueberry | French Vanilla | ||
| Raspberry | Hazelnut | ||
| Coconut | Butter Pecan |
Interestingly, it is the same situation at Starbucks – Starbucks syrups are vegan and their mocha sauce is vegan but the rest of their sauces are not vegan as they contain dairy. If you want to read more about what drinks are vegan at Starbucks, you can here – How to Actually Order Vegan Starbucks Drinks.
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Is Dunkin’ Pumpkin Spice Vegan?
Dunkin’ pumpkin spice is not vegan, and cannot be made vegan, as the pumpkin spice swirl has dairy in it.
The same is true also for the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte which I broke down in detail in my post – Is Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Vegan? The Amazing Truth (and yes, there is a chain that makes a vegan pumpkin spice latte, but you will have to read my article to find out).
Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – Is Dunkin’ Chai Vegan?
The chai at Dunkin’ is vegan – Dunkin’s chai does not contain honey as is the case at a number of other coffee chains including Starbucks. If you order your chai tea latte with vegan milk at Dunkin’ it will be vegan.
Vegan Drinks At Dunkin’ Donuts – Best Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’
These are five of the best vegan drinks at Dunkin’ –
- Frozen Matcha Latte with coconut milk;
- Frozen Coffee – Mocha Flavor – with coconut milk and without whipped cream;
- Hot Latte with oat milk and a hazelnut shot;
- Strawberry Coolatta; and
- Chai Tea Latte with oat milk.
Vegan Drinks At Dunkin’ Donuts – The Final Sip
Who is more vegan-friendly Starbucks or Dunkin’? To be honest, both brands are similar. They both offer a decent amount of vegan-friendly options. Whilst you may not be able to get 25,000 different coffee combinations if you are vegan, you probably can at least get 10,000 (maybe, I haven’t done the math) – and, hey, that is still more than enough Joe. Plus, if you love a Chai Tea Latte (and who doesn’t) then Dunkin’ Donuts…. wait, sorry Dunkin’, is your place to go.
…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 what you are reading? Did you want to find out more? Want to know if your favorite coffee or tea is vegan? Or, just if coffee is vegan? How about your breakfast orange juice – think that is vegan? Or maybe you just want to know if your favorite sodas are vegan? If you do then check out my other blog posts below:
- Is Soda Vegan? Revealing What You Need To Know
- Is Coca-Cola Vegan? Secrets To Know About Coca-Cola Drinks
- Is Pepsi Vegan? Secrets To Know About Pepsi Drinks
- Is Orange Juice Vegan? Revealing Why You Need To Know
- Is Vitamin Water Vegan? How To Know The Difference
- Are Energy Drinks Vegan? Complete Guide To Finding Out
- Is Tea Vegan? Time To Know The Complete Facts
- Is Coffee Vegan? How To Find Out The Truth
- Is Kombucha Vegan? The Complete Facts You Need To Know
- How To Find Out – Is Boba Vegan?
