Are Lattes Vegan? 

Last updated on July 24th, 2022 at 04:48 am

Vegans tend to get the short end of the stick when going out for a bite to eat or for a drink. Veganism is a noble cause, restraining from any use of animal products can seem almost impossible. 

However, in recent years, more and more people are stepping up and realizing that you can still enjoy your food and drinks and not harm animals in the process. 

Coffee is already vegan since it is made from beans. But ordering just a plain black coffee every day is no fun. There are plenty of other cool drinks out there, but unfortunately, a lot of the fun coffee drinks are made with milk, foam, or other ingredients that aren’t vegan friendly. 

If you are vegan, are you doomed to never try a latte? Are there replacements that can be made? 

Lattes are not necessarily vegan, but they can be made vegan. When you go to order a latte, be sure to ask for plant-based milk instead of regular milk. For example, you can ask for an iced latte with almond milk and that would make it vegan friendly. 

Most coffee houses have multiple vegan friendly options so all you need to do is ask and they should be able to help you. They will also be able to point out exactly which substitutions you need to make to have your drink stay vegan. 

What Coffee Drinks Are Vegan At Starbucks?

Starbucks is many people’s go-to for a caffeine pick-me-up. Starbucks’ menu is continually changing and they are adding more and more options that are friendly to all lifestyles.

If you are following a keto diet, there are options for you. If you are following a vegan lifestyle, you can still enjoy some of Starbucks’ coffees.

Here are a few different menu items that you can order if you are following a vegan lifestyle.

• Regular Coffee and Tea: All coffee by itself is vegan. If you like strong coffee, then you can order a regular cup of coffee and still stay true to your veganism. If you are a tea person instead of coffee, you can choose from their black, green, chai, and herbal teas. If you feel that these drinks are a little too strong, you can ask for non-dairy milk to be added. Most Starbucks locations offer soy, oat, coconut, or almond milk. There are a few syrup flavors that you can add to your drink as well: vanilla, hazelnut, and Irish créme. Most of the clear syrups at Starbucks are vegan. 

• Matcha Green Tea Latte: Though this creamy drink may not start off being vegan, you can make a few changes and it will be. When you order, ask for a Match Green Tea Latte made with soy milk. If you are not a fan of soy, you can also use any of the other non-dairy milk options. 

• Iced London Fog Tea Latte: This tea latte is made with vanilla syrup, milk, ice, and Earl Gray. Substitute the milk for a non-dairy option and you can drink this delicious Iced London Fog Tea Latte. 

• Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage: This blend of mocha sauce, coffee, milk, and ice is usually topped with whipped cream. Be sure to ask for no whipped cream and replace the milk with some sort of non-dairy option. 

• Nitro Cold Brew: Most people enjoy drinking the Nitro Cold Brew since it’s plain coffee made sweet by infusion with nitrogen. There is no need for any cream or sugar since the nitrogen takes care of that for you. You can order the Nitro Cold Brew as is and still follow your vegan lifestyle. 

• Pink Drink: This drink gets its name from its color. It is made of strawberries and uses coconut milk. There is no need to make any substitutions. 

What Coffee Drinks Are Vegan At Dunkin Donuts?  

Much like its competitors, Dunkin Donuts makes sure to take care of all its customers. There are several drink options that you can choose from and also several substitutions that can be made to ensure that your healthy lifestyle isn’t compromised. 

Dunkin has even taken veganism one step further and has included several food items that are vegan as well. 

Here are a few different drinks and substitutions that you can make next time you are at Dunkin. You can drink their coolattas, refreshers, lemonades, and teas without making any substitutions. 

• Drinks
  • Coffee: You can have any of their coffee drinks. If you plan on adding milk to make it creamier, you can ask for non-dairy milk to be added. 

• Hot or Iced Lattes: You can make any of their iced or hot lattes vegan by simply swapping out regular milk for a non-dairy option. 

• Cold Brews: When ordering a cold brew, be sure to ask for non-dairy milk and plant-based syrup shot.

• Vegan Flavor Shots: You can use any of these shots to add some extra flavor to any vegan drink options: vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry, and coconut. 

• Food: 
  • Beyond Sausage Sandwich: The only substitution that you will need to make here is to ask for no egg or cheese.

• Bagels: You can enjoy cinnamon raisin, plain, everything, and sesame seed bagels at Dunkin. Though you can’t put cream cheese on the bagel, you can ask for peanut butter or avocado spread.

• Hash Browns: Dunkin Donuts hash browns are delicious. They are the perfect blend of garlic and potato. You can enjoy their hash browns as is.  

• Avocado Spread: If you are looking for something to add to your breakfast sandwich that you took out the egg and cheese from, this is it. You can enjoy the avocado spread on bagels or as a substitute on your breakfast sandwich. 

What Milk Is Vegan? 

Milk is a nutritious part of everyone’s diet. However, not everyone can enjoy milk. If you are lactose intolerant, milk is not nutritious to your body. If you are vegan, then you don’t want milk to play any part in your nutrition. 

Whatever your reason is for avoiding milk, are there substitutes that you can use? Eating cereal plain can get very boring rather quickly. What milk substitutes can you use that are vegan? 

• Soy Milk: Soy milk is made from soybeans or soy protein. It has a mild, creamy flavor, and taste can vary based on brand. You can use this to top off your morning coffee or as milk in your cereal. As far as nutrition is concerned, soy milk is a great alternative as it contains the same amount of protein as cow’s milk. It is also one of the few plant-based options that have high-quality complete proteins that provide you with the essential amino acids. 

• Almond Milk: Almond milk is light and has a nutty taste to it. Some almond milk is even flavored to help mask a bit of the nuttiness. You can use almond milk in recipes, coffee, and cereals. When compared to cow’s milk, it contains a lot fewer calories and about half the fat. Almond milk is a great source of vitamin E and also has some of the other nutrients found in almonds such as protein, fiber, and healthy fats. 

• Coconut Milk: Coconut milk is rather watery and may not taste great with your morning cereal. It does have a creamy texture, but you can still taste a bit of the coconut. It contains about ⅓ of the calories that cow’s milk has and half the fat. Coconut milk has lower protein and carbohydrates than non-dairy milk. If you are looking for something to replace protein in your diet, coconut milk may not be your go-to. 

Final Thoughts

If you are out and about and wanting a latte, you may need to make a few substitutions to ensure that your drink is vegan. You can swap out the milk for a non-dairy option and your latte will be vegan. 

Whether you are going to Starbucks or Dunkin, they both have you covered and will make sure that you are served a vegan drink.