Ok…so I know that this article on vegan drinks at Starbucks is NOT my usual newsletter. But please bear with me on this one 🙂 It’s a passion project. I love coffee and wish to find multiple options to choose from, especially on trips. If we can find them at the most popular cafe, then every vegan’s every trip becomes good, right? Hence, Starbucks!
World’s largest coffee house chain, Starbucks is pretty well entrenched in India. Knowing how to order vegan drinks at Starbucks India can be a boon especially on road trips and international trips.
There are many articles explaining how to order plant-based drinks at Starbucks, wasn’t sure how many were applicable for India. This article is specifically written for India.
I used to think that ordering dairy-free beverages at Starbucks meant choosing from black tea, black coffee or green tea. But research shocked me into finding that Starbucks India is in fact very vegan friendly. (Wonder why the brand doesn’t highlight such a strong USP)
A lot of the drinks are accidentally vegan. And for many, we can customize them. I like to call those “veganizable”.
The infograph below lists out all the vegan/ veganizable options, as per categories on Starbucks India website.
What’s vegan at Starbucks India?
*Disclaimer: This is as on September 2023. Starbucks keeps introducing new beverages. Please check before ordering those.
How to read the guide
Why were certain drinks listed as ‘not veganizable’?
As you can see in the infograph, certain menu items are listed as “Not veganizable”. Why? Certain core ingredients are not dairy-free and hence, the respective drink cannot be veganized.
Non-vegan ingredients at Starbucks India
Syrups and Sauces: Pumpkin sauce, caramel sauce, white mocha sauce, pistachio sauce are not vegan.
Toppings: Frappucino chips are not vegan
Masala Tea premix: The tea powder used to make Masala Chai contains milk powder. Hence, Masala Chai is not veganizable.
Milkshake premix: Their milkshake premix contains milk powder. Hence, even if we choose plant-based milk, the premix will still have dairy component.
Vegan Ingredients at Starbucks India:
Syrups: Most syrups here are vegan. E.g. All clear syrups like caramel syrup, mocha syrup, chocolate syrup, peppermint syrup, vanilla syrup, strawberry syrup, etc.
Sauces: Select sauces are vegan like the Mocha sauce, chocolate sauce
Toppings: Mocha chips, chocolate chips, mocha drizzle, caramel drizzle, etc.
For detailed ingredient list on vegan and non-vegan ingredients at Starbucks, you can check out the following resources. Though these articles cover Starbucks global, they apply to most ingredients in India as well.
How to order vegan at Starbucks
Cool down with these 10 Vegan Frappucinos at Starbucks
Consider this as your guide to order their year-round items. For each new item launched, you need to do the due diligence by asking the Store Manager. I will keep updating this article as and when I come across new information.
Question to think about: 💡
If your products or services are unintentionally or accidentally inclusive, would you highlight that fact and grab the low hanging fruit i.e. that respective niche segment or should you continue focusing only on the TG you’ve defined for yourself?
Should you want to talk, I am just an email away. You know that, right?