Vegan Drinks at Peet’s Coffee – How To Know What’s Vegan


Vegan Drinks at Peet’s Coffee. Yes – Peet’s. That place you go to when you just need a really, really, strong cup of coffee. Okay, this may just be me but I literally have a strict “Peet’s Coffee Cut-Off Time” of 2 pm. Any later than that I will be going for hours. They make strong coffee. Don’t believe me just search “Peet’s strong” – Google will do the rest. The chain has a reputation for making strong coffee. Peet’s best-selling medium blend coffee is one of the strongest caffeine hits you can get. I should clarify that the strong coffee flavor comes from their roasting process. Dark roast coffees tend to contain less caffeine but more flavor. In any event, the placebo effect of a strong-tasting coffee clearly confuses my brain. Though having researched this more – Caffeine Informer lists Peet’s coffee caffeine content as “EXTREME” – so maybe not a placebo. Whatever you view on their coffee it’s time to break down all the vegan drinks at Peet’s. Oh, and a fun fact did you know Starbucks was originally started by the Peet’s founders – they eventually decided to sell in 1987 Starbucks to focus on Peet’s – mind-blowing, right?

What Peet’s Drinks Are Vegan?

As a general rule, almost all drinks at Peet’s can be made vegan if ordered:

  • with oat, soy, or almond milk;
  • without whip; and
  • without caramel, white chocolate, or honey syrup.

However, any flavored coffees at Peet’s will contain sugar which may be an issue for strict vegans. The sugar-free vanilla syrup at Peet’s is vegan.

Making Peet’s Vegan Coffee at Home

Before we dig in, do you love Peet’s extra strong coffee and want to replicate it from the comfort of your own home? Then you can thanks to Amazon! Peet’s ground dark roast Major Dickason’s blend is available to buy on Amazon here. Are you more of a coffee pod kinda person? Then there are Peet’s k-cup pods available on Amazon like these ones (compatible with a machine like this one on Amazon), as well as Peet’s Nespresso pods like these on Amazon (compatible with a Nespresso machine). That will knock your socks off in the morning!

Vegan Drinks at Peet's - Coffee packaging

Vegan Drinks at Peet’s – Peet’s Official Response

To write this post, I decided to email Peet’s customer service asking for a list of all their vegan drinks. I was finding it hard to break down from their menu alone as the ingredients are not listed. I didn’t receive a hugely helpful response. The jest of it went like this:

“Hi Peet’s, I love your coffee. Would you be able to send me a breakdown of what is vegan and what isn’t at Peets?”

Peet’s response (in a nutshell) – “Ask you barista”.

This was slightly frustrating because the ingredients for each drink are not available on the online menu. That means I would have to go to a Peet’s and ask for a breakdown of every item on the menu (oh, those people waiting in line who love strong coffee but haven’t had one yet, are going to love me). To help I did find the following statement on Peet’s website – it was updated three months ago – and helps sum up the vegan drink situation at Peet’s:

“The vast majority of our beverages can be modified to a non-dairy friendly version by choosing a milk alternative, excluding whipped cream and caramel sauce.

Any of our beverages that contain sweeteners (syrups and sauces) will NOT be vegan due to white sugar being an ingredient that is not certified vegan.  Vegan beverages include our “unflavored” regular lattes and cappuccinos.

In a nutshell, most drinks can be made vegan at Peet’s so long as you order with plant-based milk (soy, oat, or almond), hold the whip, and avoid caramel and white chocolate sauce.”

For Peet’s sake, that is super helpful internet Peet, why couldn’t email Peet just send me that? Oh, Peet.

Peet’s Nutshell summary pretty much summarizes it. But I want to dig in deeper. Let’s start by answering some popular questions about vegan drinks at Peet’s followed by breaking down the vegan and non-vegan drinks at Peet’s.


Want to learn more about Coffee?

Do you love coffee or tea? Do you think they are even vegan? SPOILER ALERT they are not always vegan. If you want to find out why then check out some of my other articles below:


What Plant Based Milks do Peet’s Offer?

You can substitute dairy milk for oat, almond, or soy (all Pacifica Barista brands) at all Peet’s locations. Peet’s used to also offer coconut milk but no longer does.

As is the case at most coffee shops, plant-based milk comes at an additional charge. That said, Peet’s does offer a few menu items with oat milk in them already such as:

  • Pumpkin Oat Foam Cold Brew;
  • Chocolate Cold Brew Oat Latte; and
  • Horchata Cold Brew Oat Latte.

Fun fact, if you would like to learn how much free plant-based milk substitutions could actually save you check out my blog: Vegan Drinks at Panera – How To Order Vegan (yes, Panera Bread doesn’t charge extra for Almond Milk).

Is Peet’s Whipped Cream Vegan?

This is a popular search term for a reason. A few years ago, Peet’s introduced a vegan house-made coconut-based whipped cream. Sadly, this was discontinued a few years ago and is no longer available. Even though it is no longer available, we applaud Peet’s for introducing it in the first place.

So, no the whipped cream is not vegan because the vegan version no longer exists.

Is Peet’s Caramel Sauce Vegan?

The caramel sauce at Peet’s contains dairy and is not vegan. This is also the case for the white chocolate sauce at Peet’s which is also not vegan. The chocolate sauce (which is house-made) in comparison, is dairy-free. The chocolate sauce does, however, contain sugar which may be an issue for strict vegans (due to the potential for the sugar to have been processed with bone char).

Are Peet’s Syrups Vegan?

Peet’s offers a variety of flavored syrups, all of which are dairy-free. The honey syrup, however, contains honey and so is not vegan. Even though Peet’s syrups are dairy-free they do contain sugar which could be an issue for strict vegans.

Monin Syrups

I found out that the syrups that Peet’s uses are Monin. I then did some investigating and looked at the labels of the Monin syrups that Peet’s carries and none of them were labeled as vegan (due to the presence of cane sugar presumably) apart from the sugar-free vanilla which is labeled on the Monin bottle as vegan.

That means if you are a vegan who will not eat sugar then you can still have a vegan vanilla sugar-free flavored coffee at Peet’s. It’s a WIN – take it.

If you are not a vanilla fan, Peet’s also has raw sugar available for sweetening your drink. This sugar is labeled as “RAW” which means it will have not been processed with bone char.

In terms of Peet’s sauces, the white chocolate and caramel sauces contain dairy and so are not vegan. The chocolate sauce is dairy-free but does contain sugar.

For ease of reference, I have summarized Peet’s vegan and non-vegan syrup and sauce situation in the below table:


Peet’s Vegan SyrupPeet’s Dairy-Free Syrups and Sauces (But Contain Sugar)Non-Vegan Sauces at Peet’s
Sugar-Free Vanilla SyrupChocolate SauceWhite Chocolate Sauce (dairy)
Vanilla SyrupCaramel Sauce (dairy)
Maple SyrupHoney Syrup (honey)
Coconut Syrup
Chicory Syrup
Pumpkin Syrup
Simple Syrup
French Hazelnut Syrup

Vegan Drinks at Peet's - Pumpkin Spice

Is the Pumpkin Latte at Peet’s Vegan?

The pumpkin latte at Peet’s is dairy-free – so long as it is ordered with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream. Unlike most coffee chains the pumpkin base at Peet’s does not contain dairy, making it one of the rare Pumpkin Spiced Lattes that is vegan. It does still contain sugar though. If you want to learn more and know why the Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte isn’t vegan then check out my post: Is Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte Vegan – The Amazing Truth.

Are Peet’s Blended Drinks Vegan?

Peet’s blended drinks are known as Frappes. The caramel frappe, chocolate & caramel swirl frappes, and coffee-free caramel frappes are not vegan as the caramel sauce contains vegan.

The mocha frappe, coffee frappe, coffee-free vanilla frappe, coffee-free chocolate frappe, matcha frappe, and chai frappe can be made dairy-free if ordered with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream.

These frappes are all listed on the Peet’s website as being sweetened (presumably with sugar) which could be an issue for some vegans. The Espresso frappe appears to just be made of milk, espresso and ice so should be truly vegan if ordered with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream. Always double-check with your barista though. I have summarized the vegan, dairy-free, and non-vegan Peet’s frappes in the table below because the above is a bit confusing just to read:


Vegan Peet’s FrappePeet’s Dairy-Free Frappes (BUT contain sugar)Peet’s Non-Vegan Frappes (contains Dairy Caramel Sauce)
Espresso frappe (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream)Mocha frappe (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream) Caramel frappe
Coffee frappe (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream) Chocolate & Caramel Swirl frappe
Coffee Free Vanilla frappe (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream) Coffee Free Caramel frappe
Coffee Free Chocolate Frappe ( (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream)
Matcha frappe (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream)
Chai frappe (with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream)

Vegan Drinks at Peet's - Coffee Cup

Vegan Drinks at Peet’s – Summary of Vegan Drinks

Below is a summary of the vegan drinks available at Peet’s. I have divided them into three buckets:

  • Vegan Drinks at Peet’s as is;
  • Dairy free drinks at Peet’s which contain sugar (could be an issue for some vegans); and
  • Non-vegan drinks at Peet’s.

Vegan Peet’s DrinksDairy-Free Peet’s Drinks BUT contain sugarNon-Vegan Peet’s Drinks
All drip coffee (dark, medium, light, and decaf)Pumpkin Oat Foam Cold BrewCafe Con Panna (espresso with whipped cream on top)
Cafe Au Lait (decaf, dark, and medium roasts) with plant-based milkPumpkin Latte with plant-based milk (hot or iced)Caramel Latte (hot or iced)
Espresso (hot or iced)Maple Latte with plant-based milk (hot or iced)Havana Cappuccino (hot or iced) – sweetened with condensed milk
Americano (hot or iced)Vanilla Latte with plant-based milk (hot or iced)White Chocolate Mocha (hot or iced)
Cafe MacchiatoCaffe Mocha with plant-based milk and minus whipped cream (hot or iced)Caramel Macchiato (hot or iced)
Cafe Cortado with plant-based milkDark Chocolate Mocha with plant-based milk minus whipped cream (hot or iced)The Black Tie – contains condensed milk
Cappuccino with plant-based milk (hot or iced)Chocolate Cold Brew Oat LatteChocolate Black Tie – contains condensed milk
Latte Macchiato with plant-based milk (hot or iced)Horchata Cold Brew Oat LatteHoney Cold Brew Oat Latte
Original Cold Brew Oat LatteMocha frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped creamCaramel frappe
Caffe Latte (hot or iced)Coffee frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped creamCoffee free caramel frappe
Matcha Latte with plant-based milkCoffee Free Vanilla frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream
All bagged teasMatcha frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream
All loosed teasCoffee Free Chocolate frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream
Iced Black TeaIced Green Tea Lemonade
Iced Green Tea TropicalIced Black Tea Lemonade
Iced Herbal TeaHot Cocoa with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream
Unsweetened Iced Matcha Latte with plant-based milkVanilla Steamed Milk (plant-based milk)
Steamed Plant-Based MilkChai frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped cream
Espresso frappe with plant-based milk and minus the whipped creamChai Latte with plant-based milk (hot or iced)
Decaf Iced Coffee
Baridi Cold Brew

Please remember that menus and ingredients constantly change so ALWAYS double-check with your barista before ordering.

In Summary

  1. The truly vegan drinks at Peet’s are the unsweetened and unflavored drinks (with plant-based milk substituted for dairy milk if necessary) as well as any sugar-free vanilla coffees.
  • The drinks that cannot be made vegan are any containing caramel, white chocolate, or honey. The Havana cappuccino, black tie, and coconut black ties contain sweetened condensed milk – of course, you technically could order these minus the condensed milk but then they would just be regular cappuccinos and cold brews. Same with the café con panna – you could order minus the whipped cream but then it would just be an espresso.
  • The remaining flavored and sweetened drinks (e.g., any chocolate, pumpkin, chai, and vanilla) are dairy free but do contain sugar which may be an issue for strict vegans.

Vegan Drinks at Peet's - Frappe

Vegan Drinks at Peet’s – The Final Sip

For Peet’s Sake! Although Peet’s has the usual potential non-vegan sugar issues with their drinks, we should applaud them for several reasons:

  1. They have oat milk-based drinks on the menu such as pumpkin oat foam cold brew, chocolate cold brew oat latte, and their horchata cold brew oat latte. No substitutions or extra charges for an oat milk-based coffee- love it;

It is just a “Peet-y” they no longer do their vegan coconut whipped cream (see what I did there). Please bring that back Peet’s. Please.

Vegan Drinks at Peet's

…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

Want to learn more about what is Vegan and what isn’t at your favorite coffee shops or restaurants then check out some of my other posts below:

Editorial Team

The Vegan Bev HQ Editorial Team - helping you find the best vegan drink out there!

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