In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my top 10 picks for vegan drinks to order at Starbucks for summer of 2023!
As some of you might know, I am a seasonal Starbucks barista working at a license store on campus. As a former Starbucks regular and coffee enthusiast, It has always been my dream to work at a café. I’m not going to lie. I definitely would not stick around for longer than my years at this university because the job is both physically and mentally demanding in ways that I could not have expected. Over the past few years I’ve started making drinks at home. However, one of the valuable experiences that I’ve gotten out of this job is the opportunity to play around with an unlimited supply of the espressos, sauces, syrups, powders, juices, and more!
During my 7 months of working at Starbucks (so far), I tested and tasted every possible vegan drink combo. I utilized every dairy-free ingredient we had and created a long growing list of vegan drinks that I can recommend to people, though some drinks I tested did not make the list (hello, strawberry coconut latte).
All of the drinks on this list have also been tried and approved by my (non vegan) friends and fellow baristas!
What’s Vegan at Starbucks
As a vegan myself, it’s always difficult to navigate ordering food and drinks at non-vegan stores. I thought it would be helpful to make a list of what drink ingredients are, and are not vegan at Starbucks.
Disclaimer- these are ingredients used in Canadian Starbucks’. Equivalent ingredients used in other countries may be different.
Vegan:
- All syrups (ie. chai, cane sugar, brown sugar, hazelnut)
- Mocha Sauce
- Matcha powder
- Vanilla bean powder
- Freeze-dried fruits (strawberry, dragonfruit, and pineapple)
- Strawberry purée
- Cookie crumble topping
- Ground cinnamon topping
- Cocoa powder topping
- All juices (strawberry açai, mango dragon fruit, pineapple passionfruit, and peach)
- Cold brews and iced coffees
- All teas (including tea bags)
- Non-dairy milks: soy, oat, almond, and coconut
NOT vegan:
- White mocha sauce
- Seasonal sauces (ie. pistachio, pumpkin spice), with exception to the Apple Crisp Syrup
- Whipped cream
- Vanilla sweet cream (cannot be made dairy-free)
- Cinnamon dolce topping
- Caramel crunch topping
Disclaimers
One more thing before we get to the meat of the post. 🙂
- This post is not sponsored or endorsed by Starbucks.
- I am not employed directly by Starbucks, as I work at a license store.
- All thoughts, ideas, and criticism in this post are my own, therefore are subjective as well.
- Not all drinks are available year-round, and I will indicate as such.
- Your drink might not look exactly as shown in the pictures, since some of these drinks are not ordered often so the barista might make them slightly differently.
- Again, these drinks are for sure available in Canada, but may or may not be in other countries.
01 Strawberry Peach Shake
This is one of my go-to low-caffeine drinks to make after a long shift at work! It’s fruity, creamy, and not too sweet. You can also get this drink not blended.
How to order:
- Grande strawberry coconut drink
- Substitute for soy milk
- Blended with a splash of peach juice
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 3/5
02 Iced Dirty Chai Latte
Get an extra boost of caffeine and flavour by adding chai syrup to your iced latte!
How to order:
- Grande iced latte with non-dairy milk of choice (I recommend oat)
- Add 2-4 pumps of chai syrup, depending on how sweet you’d like it
- Optional: pour espresso shot on top (for ombré look)
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 3-5/5
03 Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte
Strawberry and matcha together is the embodiment of spring/summer. The strawberry purée from Starbucks is infinitely better than their seasonal strawberry syrup in my opinion.
How to order:
- Grande iced matcha latte with soy milk
- Line the cup with strawberry purée
- Pour the soy milk the cup first then the matcha shot
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 4/5
04 Strawberry Açai Green Tea
This drink is sweet, tangy, and oh-so-refreshing!
How to order:
- Grande green tea
- No liquid cane syrup and no water
- Add strawberry açai juice
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 3/5
05 Cinnamon Caramel Almond Cold Brew
For my iced coffee enjoyers looking for a richer and slightly sweeter variation! The cinnamon caramel syrup is quite enjoyable, as a far as artificial flavours go.
How to order:
- Grande cold brew with a splash of almond milk
- Add 2-5 pumps of cinnamon caramel syrup
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 2-4/5
06 Lavender Drink
My barista friend and I had fun figuring out how to make a purple-ish drink. The Violet Drink from Starbucks was discontinued a while ago (RIP). Of course we dedicated this drink to our fellow Swifties, since Taylor Swift’s album “Midnights” came out around the same time we made this drink!
How to order:
- Grande passion tango tea shaken with soy milk
- Substitute the cane syrup for vanilla syrup (or sugar-free vanilla syrup)
- Optional: add 2 scoops of dragon fruit for a more “Speak Now” purple (iykyk)
Has caffeine: no
Sweetness level: 3/5
07 Iced Brown Sugar Black Tea Latte
Craving milk tea but don’t have access to a bubble tea store? I got you covered.
How to order:
- Grande iced black tea with no water
- Add a splash of oat milk
- Substitute the cane syrup for brown sugar syrup (2-4 pumps)
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 3-4/5
08 Strawberry Cookie Crumble Frappuccino
This list wouldn’t be complete without a fun and delicious frappuccino! The cookie crumble topping typically used for the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino is 100% dairy-free, and is quite underused. Why not add it to a Strawberry Crème Frappuccino for an extra sweet treat?
How to order:
- Grande Strawberry Crème Frappuccino
- Substitute the whole milk for coconut milk
- Add cookie crumble topping to the bottom of the cup (along with the strawberry purée)
- No whip cream, and top with more cookie crumble topping
Has caffeine: no
Sweetness level: 5/5
09 Macadamia Blonde Shaken Espresso
I remember my gears starting to turn when I saw the macadamia syrup at the back of our store before the summer drinks were announced. I quickly theorized this drink, and was not disappointed when I tried it out. Shaken espressos typically have a stronger espresso taste, but using blonde espresso lightens the taste to let the macadamia flavour shine through.
How to order:
- Grande shaken espresso with oat or almond milk
- Substitute for blonde espresso
- Substitute the classic syrup for macadamia syrup (seasonal syrup)
Has caffeine: yes
Sweetness level: 3/5
10 Vanilla Bean Matcha Frappuccino
Last but most definitely not least, this lovely frappuccino! Vanilla bean and matcha is truly a match made in heaven. Approved by my fellow baristas, though we agreed that this frappuccino is sweeter than your average matcha or vanilla bean frappuccino.
How to order:
- Grande vanilla bean frappuccino
- Substitute the milk for soy or coconut milk
- 2 scoops of matcha powder and 2 scoops of vanilla bean powder (instead of 4 scoops of matcha)
- Optional: reduce the amount of classic syrup from 4->2 pumps for less sweetness
- No whipped cream
Has caffeine: no
Sweetness level: 5/5
More of my go-to drink variations
Shaken espressos
Try substituting the classic syrup with any flavoured syrup you like and add a dash of cinnamon for more flavour and texture! During Christmas time, my go-to is a Chestnut Praline Shaken Espresso with oat milk and topped with the praline topping.
Refreshers
Sometimes I like to mix different refresher juices together along with tea, water, or lemonade. Strawberry açai and mango dragonfruit taste great together!
Matcha
Spice up your iced matcha latte with chai syrup, vanilla syrup, or a shot of espresso.
Frappuccinos
Some frappuccino mix-ins and toppings you might not have tried: freeze-dried dragonfruit, freeze-dried strawberries, cookie crumble, cinnamon, and chocolate powder. Experiment with different combos!
Which drink would you try first? Leave a comment and let me know! <3
