Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – what are they? Okay, complete disclaimer alert – before writing this article I had never even come across a Dutch Bros Coffee in my life. In fact, to write this blog, I drove for over three hours to go to their nearest location to try them (it was worth the 6 hours of driving there and back – to be served by a “Broista”). However, if you click on this article then you have heard of Dutch Bros and you want to know what is exactly vegan at the 4th largest coffee chain in America (they have 471 locations in 11 States, mostly in the Western USA) and a full breakdown of their drinks menu (and…yes, if you were wondering, it was started by two Dutch Brothers). This article only covers the drinks items at Dutch Bros and not any food items.
Which Dutch Bros Drinks Are Vegan?
As a general rule, most drinks at Dutch Bros contain sugar and natural flavors and so cannot be labeled as truly vegan. There are, however, plenty of dairy-free drinks to enjoy at Dutch Bros so long as you order as follows:
- Replace any dairy base with oat, almond, or coconut milk;
- Avoid any caramel, white chocolate, almond roca, eggnog, or pumpkin sauces; and
- Hold any whipped cream or soft top topping.
What about other Coffee joints?
Do you also drink at Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf – want to know what is vegan there? While we are on it do you want to know if coffee is even vegan? (SPOILER – believe it or not, not all coffee is vegan, and I am not talking about the stuff which has dairy milk poured into it). If you do, then check out my other articles:
- Is Coffee Vegan? How to Find Out the Truth
- Is Tea Vegan? Time to Know the Compete Facts
- How to Actually Order Vegan Starbucks Drinks
- Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – How to Actually Order Vegan
- Vegan Drinks at Coffee Bean – How to Order Vegan
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – How I put Together This Article
Being vegan is not always easy. Something I learned even more writing this article. The Ingredients of Dutch Bros drinks are not available online or on their website. I had to put together this post based on Dutch Bros’ official statement about vegan menu options on their website combined with responses I directly received from Dutch Bros through email correspondence (thank you “Contact Us” page).
Want To Make Vegan Dutch Bros Coffee at Home?
Before we dig in, if you love Dutch Bros coffee and want to start replicating your vegan Dutch Bros coffee at home you can! You can buy Dutch Bros private reserve whole bean coffee from Amazon here. If grinding the beans seems like too much work to you, you can also buy their coffee pods on Amazon too (these work on the Keurig-style KCUP coffee machine like this one on Amazon here).
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Does Dutch Bros Have Dairy Free Drinks?
Let’s start with the most basic question “are there dairy free options at Dutch Bros?” This is the official statement on vegan drinks at Dutch Bros:
“Our drinks are great dairy-free! We can make them with any of our plant based milks, including oat, almond and coconut. If you’re vegan and your diet allows for cane sugar, most of our products will work for you.”
To be honest there is nothing shocking here. There are options to replace dairy milk with plant-based milk alternatives at Dutch Bros. Be warned there is an additional surcharge for oat, almond, or coconut milk, as is the case at almost all coffee shops.
Natural Flavors
When I emailed Dutch Bros asking about their vegan drinks, they told me that almost all their ingredients contain natural flavors and cannot be labeled vegan for this reason. I have discussed “natural flavors” before in some of my soda articles such as Is Cream Soda Vegan? Unlock All You Need To Know and Is Root Beer Vegan? Unlock the Hidden Root Cause. The main thing for you to know is that Natural Flavors can be derived from plants or animals so you cannot know if they are vegan or not i.e. they are potentially not vegan.
Cane Sugar and Natural Flavors – The Potential Issues for Vegans
If a product contains natural flavors and cane sugar it could be vegan (as the natural flavors could come from plant sources and the sugar may not have been processed with bone char). On the flip side, it may not be vegan as the natural flavors may have been derived from animal sources, and/or the cane sugar may have been processed with bone char.
Some vegans decide that they are making a huge difference by not eating meat, fish, dairy, and eggs and they do not worry about possible nonvegan ingredients such as cane sugar and natural flavors. Other vegans are stricter and avoid natural flavors and cane sugar (they will only have sugar labeled as organic, raw, or beet as this type of sugar will not have been processed with bone char).
The decision depends on how comfortable you are with cane sugar and natural flavors. If you are comfortable then there are plenty of drinks at Dutch Bros for you. If you are not, then your choices become limited. I have provided at the bottom of the article the truly vegan drinks at Dutch Bros (i.e. the ones with no cane sugar or natural flavor issues).
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Sauces, Milks, Bases, and Toppings that are NOT vegan
Let’s start with the sauces, milk, bases, and toppings at Dutch Bros that contain dairy and so are not vegan. All of these should be avoided if you are vegan. These are listed on Dutch Bros website as containing dairy.
For ease of reference, I have divided them into syrups, milk/bases, and toppings in the below table.
| Dutch Bros Syrups and Sauces That CONTAIN DAIRY | Dairy Milk/Bases to AVOID at Dutch Bros | Dutch Bros Dairy Toppings to HOLD |
| Almond Roca Syrup | Dutch Chocolate Blend Milk | Soft Top (a fluffy sweet marshmallow-like topping for a drink) |
| Caramel Sauce | 2% Milk | Whipped Cream |
| Pumpkin Pie Sauce (seasonal) | Non-Fat Milk | |
| Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce | Kick Me Mix (half-half) | |
| Sugar-Free White Chocolate Sauce | Ice Cream Mix | |
| White Chocolate Sauce | Freezer Mix (contains whole milk) | |
| Eggnog (Seasonal) |
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – How to Order
Based on the above table (if you are okay with natural flavors and cane sugar) if you do the below your drinks will be vegan:
- Replace dairy milk/base with oat, coconut, or almond milk; AND
- Avoid any white chocolate, caramel, almond rocha, eggnog, or pumpkin pie syrups; AND
- Hold on the whip cream and soft top
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Dutch Bros Vegan Syrups
What sauces and syrups can you add if you want a flavored coffee? If you read my post on vegan drinks at Coffee Bean (Vegan Drinks at Coffee Bean? How to Order Vegan) you may face disappointment to learn Coffee Bean had no dairy-free syrups or sauces. Not to name and shame or anything.
Luckily, this is not the case with Dutch Bros. They do have a number of dairy-free sauces and syrups which I put together in the below table. These items were not included on the Dutch Bros list of items that contain dairy so by my powers of deduction I am deducing them as dairy-free. However, always check with your “Broista” when ordering. Also please note some as per the above statement may contain cane sugar and natural flavors so may be unacceptable to strict vegans.
| Dairy-Free Dutch Bros Syrups & Sauces (but DO CONTAIN Sugar and Natural Flavors) | Dutch Bros Dairy CONTAINING Syrups & Sauces |
| Lime | Almond Roca Syrup |
| Blue Raspberry | Caramel Sauce |
| Strawberry | Pumpkin Pie Sauce (seasonal) |
| Blackberry | Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce |
| Raspberry | Sugar-Free White Chocolate Sauce |
| Coconut | White Chocolate Sauce |
| Pomegranate | Eggnog (seasonal) |
| Peach | |
| Almond | |
| Passion Fruit | |
| Watermelon | |
| Grapefruit | |
| Orange | |
| Kiwi | |
| Banana | |
| Creme de Menthe | |
| Chocolate | |
| Mocha | |
| Irish Cream | |
| Hazelnut | |
| Dark Chocolate | |
| Chocolate Macadamia Nut | |
| Cinnamon | |
| Salted Caramel | |
| Almond |
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Does Dutch Bros Carry Oat Milk
I wanted to specifically answer this question in a separate section – Google showed this as a popular search question for Dutch Bros. This is probably due to the increased popularity of oat milk in relation to coffee. Whilst alternatives and almond milk have been alternatives available at most coffee stores, not all coffee locations are yet to add oat milk to their menus.
Dutch Bros carries oat milk on their menu. You can easily substitute dairy for oat milk at any Dutch Bros location.
Are Dutch Bros Rebels Vegan?
Dutch Bros Rebels are essentially energy drinks that come in a variety of flavors.
All Dutch Bros Rebel flavors, apart from the ones that contain white chocolate sauce, are dairy-free. They do contain natural flavors and cane sugar which may make them unacceptable for strict vegans. For ease of reference, I have put together a table detailing the dairy-free vs the dairy containing rebel flavors.
| Dairy-Free Rebel Flavors (but DO CONTAIN Sugar and Natural Flavors) | Dairy Containing Rebel Flavors (contain White Chocolate Sauce) |
| Electric Berry | Unicorn Blood |
| Aftershock | Red, White & Blue |
| Shark Attack | Peach Ring |
| Double Rainbro | Pink Flamingo |
| Peach | Dinosaur Egg |
| Passion Water | Gummy Bear |
| Ray of Sunshine | |
| Astronaut | |
| Rocky Point | |
| Palm Beach | |
| Starry Night | |
| Stop Light | |
| Sweet Sunrise | |
| Tricky Tre | |
| Trixie | |
| Palm Tree | |
| OG Gummy Bear | |
| Orangesicle | |
| Galaxy Fish | |
| Dragon Slayer Dutch | |
| Eclipse | |
| Fire Lizard | |
| Freedom | |
| Gum Berry | |
| Bubblegum | |
| Hawaiian | |
| Hypercrhome | |
| Laser Cat | |
| Majestic Forest | |
| Marmalade | |
| Aquaberry | |
| Midnight | |
| Dutch Mojito |
Are Dutch Bros Frosts Vegan?
“Frosts” are the Dutch Bros take on a shake (they do not contain caffeine). When researching online I found conflicting information on whether Frosts can be made vegan. I found several resources that said frosts should be avoided by vegans.
Despite searching I couldn’t see the Frost mix on the list of dairy containing ingredients above. To get to the bottom I emailed Dutch Bros to clarify (their customer service is great btw – they respond to emails so quickly!).
Here is what Dutch Bros had to say – they use ice cream mix as the base for their Frost Drinks. The ice cream mix is not vegan. But, you can replace it with oat, almond, or coconut milk to make your Frost vegan.
Vegan Drinks At Dutch Bros – How To Order Frosts Vegan
Dutch Bros Frosts are vegan then if:
- You order oat, coconut, or almond milk in the place of ice cream mix; AND
- You hold the whipped cream; AND
- You avoid any of the Frost flavors that contain white chocolate, caramel, or almond mocha sauce (these sauces contain dairy).
Dutch Bros Frosts all contain cane sugar and natural flavors which may be unacceptable to strict vegans. You should also know that dairy-free Frost drinks without the ice cream mix may not be as thick and shake-like.
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Frost Drinks Summary
For ease of reference here is a table of the Frost drinks that cannot be made dairy-free vs the frosts that can be made dairy-free if ordered with oat, almond, or coconut milk and minus the whipped cream.
| Dutch Bros Frosts That CAN BE MADE DAIRY FREE (but do contain Sugar and Natural Flavors) | Dutch Bros Frosts That CANNOT be made Diary Free |
| Strawberry | Ninja (contains white chocolate) |
| Passion Water | White Chocolate |
| Ray of Sunshine | Cotton Candy (contains White Chocolate) |
| Palm Tree | Birthday Cake (contains White Chocolate and Almond Roca) |
| Orangesicle | Unicorn Blood (contains White Chocolate) |
| OG Gummy Bear | Red, White & Blue (contains White Chocolate) |
| Nutty Irishman | Pink Flamingo (contains White Chocolate) |
| Rocky Point | Peach Ring (contains White Chocolate) |
| Stop Light | Peach Cobbler (contains White Chocolate) |
| Starry Night | Almond Bar (contains White Chocolate) |
| Midnight | Snickerdoodle (contains White Chocolate) |
| Sweet Sunrise | Trifecta (contains White Chocolate & Caramel) |
| The Bob | Tuxedo (contains White Chocolate) |
| Toasted Mellow | Wallaby (contains Caramel) |
| Tricky Tre | White Angel (contains White Chocolate) |
| Trixie | White Zombie (contains White Chocolate) |
| Vanilla Bean | Banana Cream Pie (contains White Chocolate) |
| Molten Lava | Cake Batter (contains White Chocolate and Almond Roca) |
| Marmalade | Cookie (contain White Chocolate) |
| Aquaberry | Dinosaur Egg (contains White Chocolate) |
| Banana Bread | Dream Weaver (contains White Chocolate) |
| Bubblegum | Dutch Canyon (contains White Chocolate and Caramel) |
| Dragon Slayer | Flap Jack (contains White Chocolate) |
| Dutch Mojito | German Chocolate (contains Caramel) |
| Fire Lizard | Gummy Bear (contains White Chocolate) |
| Majestic Forest | |
| Freedom | |
| Funkey Monkey | |
| Galaxy Fish | |
| Gem Berry | |
| Coral Reef | |
| Grasshopper | |
| Hawaiian | |
| Hyperchrome | |
| Irie | |
| Islander | |
| Jelly Donut | |
| Laser Cat | |
| Banana Split |
Are Dutch Bros Freezes Vegan?
Dutch Bros Freezes are iced blended flavored drinks that contain espresso. Dutch Bros Freezes are not vegan as-is – this is because the Freeze base contains dairy milk (some flavors contain dairy sauces and whipped cream on top too). However, you can make them vegan if:
Vegan Drinks At Dutch Bros – How To Order Freezes Vegan
- you ask for oat, almond, or coconut in place of the Freeze mix; AND
- you avoid any dairy containing sauces; AND
- you hold on the whipped cream
Please note all freezes (even with the substitutions) still contain cane sugar and natural flavors which may be unacceptable to strict vegans.
| Dutch Bros Freezes That CAN BE MADE Dairy Free (but contain Sugar and Natural Flavors) | Dutch Bros Freezes That CANNOT Be Made Dairy Free |
| Cocomo | Caramelizer (contains Caramel) |
| Nutty Irish Man | Golden Eagle (contains Caramel) |
| Toasted Mellow | Picture Perfect (contains Caramel) |
| The Bob | White Chocolate Mocha (contains White Chocolate) |
| Banana Bread | White Zombie (contains White Chocolate) |
| Jelly Donut | White Angel (contains White Chocolate) |
| Islander | Wallaby (contains Caramel) |
| Irie | Tuxedo (contains White Chocolate) |
| Grasshopper | Trifecta (contains White Chocolate and Caramel) |
| Funky Monkey | Snickerdoodle (contains White Chocolate) |
| Double Chocolate Mocha | Almond Bar (contains White Chocolate) |
| Banana Split | German Chocolate (contains Caramel) |
| Molten Lava | Flap Jack (contains White Chocolate) |
| Dream Weaver (contains White Chocolate) | |
| Cookie (contains White Chocolate) | |
| Cake Batter (contains White Chocolate and Almond Roca) |
Are The Seasonal Drinks at Dutch Bros Vegan?
Any eggnog drinks at Dutch Bros are not vegan as the eggnog sauce contains dairy.
Any pumpkin drinks at Dutch Bros are not vegan as the pumpkin pie sauce contains dairy.
If you would like to read more about whether the pumpkin spice latte is vegan at the other main coffee chains, then read my post – Is Starbuck Pumpkin Spice Latte Vegan? The Amazing Truth.
Is Dutch Bros Chai Vegan?
I had a look at whether Dutch Bros Chai contains honey. This can vary from coffee chain to chain. For example, Starbucks chai tea lattes contain honey (see How To Actually Order Vegan Starbucks Drinks) but Dunkin’ chai tea latte does not contain honey (Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – How to Actually Order Vegan) – it’s complicated.
In the case of Dutch Bros, I could not find the answer online. However, this may irrelevant. This is because all varieties of Dutch Bros chai drinks contain white chocolate, caramel, or vanilla sauce. All of these contain dairy and so are not vegan regardless of the honey situation.
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Best Dairy-Free Dutch Bros Drink Options
The Dutch Bros menu is big so if you just want to know something dairy-free to order then here are my top five vegan drinks at Dutch Bros.
1. The Oat Milk Kicker which launched in 2021 is vegan – it consists of oat milk and espresso. Simple but delicious!
2. Nutty Irish Man Cold Brew. The Nutty Irish Man is an amazing combination of Irish cream and hazelnut syrup – wow what a flavor combination. Add a dash of oat milk to make it super creamy!
3. Passion Water Rebel. Passion fruit and watermelon flavored. Tropical and refreshing.
4. Green Apple smoothie. Sour and sweet. Hold the whipped cream.
5. Annihilator. Chocolate macadamia nut breve. Replace the half-half with your plant-based milk of choice.
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – Truly Vegan Drinks
When I did receive an email back from Dutch Bros they got back to me with a list of “truly” vegan drinks. These drinks are the ones that have no cane sugar or natural flavors. Dutch Bros listed these as the following (and yes, Soda Water made the list):
| Truly Vegan Dutch Bros Drinks |
| Plain Black Tea |
| Soda Water |
| Oat Milk |
| Apple Juice |
| Espresso |
| Private Reserve |
| White Coffee |
| Cold Brew |
On the topic of tea and juice – if you would like to read more about whether tea is vegan I wrote about it here –Is Tea Vegan? Time To Know The Complete Facts as well as whether juice is vegan here – Is Orange Juice Vegan? Revealing Why You Need to Know?
As is always the case always double-check with your “Broista” before ordering as menu items and ingredients change.
Vegan Drinks at Dutch Bros – The Final Sip
Wow, Dutch Bros – out of all the coffee chains I have come to review this is by far the biggest menu I have come across. The place has everything you could dream about and more. As for whether it is vegan-friendly? Their list of “truly” vegan drinks they got back to me with included, amongst other things “Soda Water”, “Apple Juice”, “Oat Milk”, “Plain Black Tea” and “Espresso”, which seems a bit basic. However, if you are comfortable with natural flavors and sugar then there are plenty of dairy-free options for you. Whilst there are flavored drinks available such as the Nutty Irish Man Cold Brew which I listed above if you are a strict vegan with concerns about “cane sugar” and “natural flavors”- then you are just literally going for the coffee (although a lot of blind tests put Dutch Bros coffee ahead of other chains).
…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
Wow – there is a lot to know about drinks at Dutch Bros. Want to know what drinks are vegan at your other favorite coffee chains like Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and The Coffee Bean? I mean do you even want to know if that coffee you are drinking is vegan? SPOILER ALTER – not all coffee is vegan. If you do then check out some of my other articles below:
- Vegan Drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts – How to Actually Order Vegan
- Vegan Drinks at Coffee Bean – How to Order Vegan
- How To Actually Order Vegan Starbucks Drinks
- Is Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte Vegan? The Amazing Truth
- Is Coffee Vegan? How to Find Out The Truth
- Is Tea Vegan? Time to Know The Complete Truth
- Is Orange Juice Vegan? Revealing Why You Need To Know
- Is Soda Vegan? Revealing What You Need To Know
- How to Find Out – Is Boba Vegan?
- Is Coca-Cola Vegan? Secrets To Know About Coca-Cola Drinks
- Is Pepsi Vegan? Secrets To Know About Pepsi Drinks
- Are Energy Drinks Vegan? Complete Guide To Finding Out
- Is Vitamin Water Vegan? How To Know The Difference