20 Vegan Starbucks Drinks (Updated Menu Options In 2022)

1. Plain Brewed Coffee 

If you order your (hot or iced) coffee black, you are guaranteed a vegan drink. Starbucks has a variety of blends: Veranda Blend®, Starbucks Dark Roast, Pike Place Roast, as well as Clover® Brewed Coffees. Also, if you need to go caffeine-free, Starbucks generally offers all of the same blends and preparations in decaf.

Trying different coffee blends is a great way to add variety without additives: This is especially great for vegans (or those on other special diets) who worry that their coffee experience might become unexciting.  

2. Iced Cold Brew 

You can easily get a great vegan iced coffee at Starbucks. Just do not order preparations with sweet cream and malt powder as definitive ingredients, as they are not vegan. True, you could ask to have the drink made without them, but in some cases, that would largely defeat the purpose of ordering the particular drink.

Usually, it is best to order a Cold Brew Coffee with non-dairy milk and apply the vegan flavorings and add-ons you want. 

3. Nitro Cold Brew 

This is a relatively new coffee innovation that is truly great for vegans and those with other dietary sensitivities. Nitro brewing has a number of benefits over normal brewing: The process naturally makes coffee sweeter and creamier. Still, Starbucks gives the option to add vegan-friendly sweeteners, such as Stevia, sugar, or Classic Syrup to its Nitro Cold Brew or Starbucks Reserve® Nitro Cold Brew.  

4. Iced Shaken Espresso 

You can just get iced espresso (10 calories for Grande size), but for a little more of a treat, the vegan has a choice of four shaken preparations at a minimum of 100 calories—plain Iced Shaken, Iced Toasted Vanilla Oat Milk, Brown Sugar Oat Milk, and Chocolate Almond Milk (the last three add 10-50 calories, depending on exactly which you choose).

The Chocolate Almond Milk might sound suspect, but it turns out that the key ingredient, Starbucks Chocolate Malt Powder, is actually vegan.  

5. Latte (Iced Or Hot) 

It is 150 calories for the Grande size, but probably less when you swap the 2% milk for a non-dairy alternative. You can select different shot numbers, espresso roast options, and shot types.

As always, beware of toppings, which tend not to be vegan—Cinnamon Dolce being a prominent example. Instead, try the Starbucks Reserve® or the Blonde Vanilla Latte (both about 200 calories) with common sense vegan adjustments. 

6. Flat White (Iced Or Hot) 

The Starbucks menu indicates their espresso flat whites have 150-170 calories for the Tall size, but the vegan version would likely be lighter. You can subtly alter the caffeine strength and flavor by changing the number of shots, choosing Signature, Blonde, or Decaf espressos, or selecting Ristretto or long shot.

You could get Mocha Sauce and/or Cinnamon Powder as toppings since they are vegan. Another great espresso-and-milk preparation that tends to be slightly less caloric than the flat white or latte is the Caffè Misto (100 calories for Grande size). 

7. Macchiato (Iced Or Hot) 

The Macchiato is perfect for people who want just a bit of creaminess to dilute their espresso shots. Since vegans should avoid drizzles and toppings, the best bet is to get the hot Espresso Macchiato (15 calories for Doppio size) and make common-sense adjustments and additions.  

8. Mocha (Iced Or Hot) 

Mocha might not sound vegan since it commonly refers to a coffee-chocolate-and-milk preparation. However, at Starbucks, it works out to be an indulgent (usually around 300 calories) vegan drink, mostly because Starbucks Mocha Sauce is actually vegan. Still, a vegan should ask for non-dairy milk and no whip, foam, or drizzle.  

9. Americano (Iced Or Hot) 

In its original form, this is about as pure as it gets—espresso and water (about 15 calories). However, you can always add Chai tea for extra zest or vegan sweeteners and syrups if you want a different or milder taste. Of course, if you really just want the caffeine fast, you can always just get hot espresso shots, too. 

10. Frappuccino Blended Beverages 

Frappuccino is Starbucks' trademark hybrid beverage, a cappuccino made as a frappe. If you are vegan, most of these are fine, as long as you stick to common-sense substitutions and flavorings. Frappuccino orders that work well for this are Starbucks Espresso Blended and Coffee Blended (both around 200 calories); and Caffè Vanilla, Caramel, and Mocha Blended (all-around 400 calories—but probably less for the vegan version).

If you just want a cold, creamy beverage that is not necessarily so caffeinated, consider a Starbucks Crème Frappuccino (usually around 350 calories): Good ones for vegans are Strawberry, Chai, Matcha, and Vanilla Bean Crèmes.

Keep in mind the general rule that Starbucks syrups are vegan, but sauces are not (except Mocha), and avoid whip, foam, drizzles, and toppings. (Use similar rules of thumb when ordering the hot Starbucks Cappuccino, around 140 calories.) 

11. Hot Teas 

While most Starbucks tea orders can be in either hot or iced form, Earl Grey is a uniquely hot tea item on their menu—Earl Grey is black tea mixed with bergamot orange rind oil. Switching between black/Royal English Breakfast tea, Earl Grey, green, chai, and matcha teas is a great way to switch up the flavors without adding calories or threatening the vegan diet.

You can get many of these teas as vegan tea lattes, as long as you follow the same common-sense rules as for coffee drinks. Furthermore, you can even get espresso shots as an add-in for a novel flavor and more caffeine. If you like mild, milky tea, consider the Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte (150 calories) with a milk replacement; you could even have shots of espresso as an add-on to create the equivalent of a sort of tea-flavored café latte. 

12. London Fog Tea Latte 

At 180 calories, this is a great winter or summer drink for those who like milky tea and vanilla—you can get it either hot or iced at Starbucks. Of course, vegans should always leave off the foam, whipped cream, and toppings, but may certainly add other syrups and sweeteners if desired. 

13. Iced Teas 

The majority of Starbucks iced teas are vegan by nature, but as always, watch what you add. Of course, you can get Iced Black Tea or Iced Black Tea Lemonade (50 calories), both of which give you a choice of added sweeteners, juices (such as apple or peach), syrups, and matcha powder.

For something easy to take on the go, consider Starbucks bottled Teavana Teas: Sparkling Unsweetened Peach Nectarine Green Tea (0 calories) and Mango Black Tea (100 calories). At basic inspection, these seem to be vegan, but note that it is difficult to confirm absolutely. 

14. Green Teas 

An especially antioxidant-rich green tea, matcha is a common optional add-on for many Starbucks tea orders. The Matcha Tea Latte (200 calories)—hot or iced—is a great option for tea-loving vegans who want a treat that will get them through the morning; you can even get chai or espresso shots added for more flavor and caffeine.

Emperor’s Clouds & Mist Tea (0 calories) is essentially a cup of hot green tea with the option to add lemonade or other sweeteners. Jade Citrus Mint Brewed Tea (0 calories) is similar in concept but with citrus and mint mixed with the green tea.

Starbucks also has an excellent selection of iced green teas very suitable for vegans, including the Iced Peach Green Tea (60 calories), Iced Peach Green Tea Lemonade (80 calories), and Iced Matcha Lemonade (120 calories). 

15. Herbal Tea 

By nature, these beverages are low- or zero-calorie, caffeine-free, and naturally vegan. The Peach Tranquility Tea is a peachy herbal tea; Mint Majesty Tea is a hot mint tea: To both you could add a sweetener, non-dairy milk, or vegan syrup of your choice.

Starbucks even has a couple of iced herbal tea options: Iced Passion Tango Tea and Iced Passion Tango Tea Lemonade (50 calories), to which you could add matcha powder, peach and/or apple juice, as well as sweeteners and syrups of your choice.  

16. Chai Tea 

Chai is often offered as a flavor add-in for other Starbucks teas. However, you can just get a cup of hot chai tea, which, if you wish, can be further flavored with lemonade, sweeteners, and your choice of non-dairy milk. While Starbucks Chai tea is reliably vegan, it turns out the Chai tea pump is not, so, unfortunately, Chai Tea Lattes (hot or iced) are not vegan.

17. Hot Drinks 

Steamed Apple Juice (220 calories) is the perfect warm, caffeine-free beverage that the vegan can order just as is. As long as you go with milk substitutes and eliminate the whipped cream and toppings, Starbucks steamers (about 200 calories) are also great wintertime, caffeine-free option for vegans.

Lastly, as long as you make common-sense replacements and eliminations, Starbucks hot chocolate (about 350 calories) is vegan. (The caveat, according to multiple web sources, is that the chocolate mixture itself is not intended to be, nor labeled as, vegan. Therefore, you need to be wary of possible changes to it over time.) 

18. Cold Drinks 

This section of the Starbucks menu really pampers vegans—there are so many vegan customizations (options to add in teas, fruit juices, and lemonade) to give endless flavor combinations for each beverage.

Starbucks Lemonade is a beverage itself (120 calories), and vegans can also get the Blended Strawberry Lemonade (190 calories) variation. The following naturally vegan beverages come with coconut milk as the default and have about 130 calories: The Pink Drink, flavored and adorned with strawberry slices; the Dragon Drink, featuring dragon fruit; and the Star Drink, featuring kiwi.

Lastly, the Starbucks Refreshers' line of cold beverages are like light smoothies, usually around 90 calories: Great examples are the Strawberry Acai and the Mango Dragonfruit Refreshers.

19. Juices 

Starbucks offers a variety of bottled juices, almost all of which certainly seem vegan, based on the labeled ingredients. For example, the Starbucks BAYA line of energy drinks (90 calories) gives about as much caffeine as coffee but in a cold drink with fresh-fruit flavor.

The Evolution Fresh line (around 150 calories) supplies vitamin C and other metabolism-and immune-support ingredients. However, it is difficult to confirm that they truly have no animal components involved in processing and production. In this way, they might not be the best bet for strict vegans.  

20. Water 

Yes, this might seem just too obvious—but Starbucks has a variety of water options. In addition to Dasani—they also have Ethos Bottled Water, a Starbucks subsidiary brand that has a mission of helping those with limited access to clean water, and Hawai’i Volcanic Water, a sustainably sourced artesian alkaline water. They also offer two brands of sparkling water—Galvanina and Spindrift.