Jen and I had breakfast at a large, very popular breakfast chain the other day. We both ordered coffee and then I asked what non-dairy milk they offered. To my surprise, I was informed that they didn’t carry any vegan-friendly milk. No oat, no almond, not even soy.
I assumed that we were at a point where any place that served coffee carried at least one non-dairy milk (even if they charged you extra for it). Was I being naive?
I decided to go through every fast-food chain that I could think of that served coffee (26 altogether) to find out what (if any) vegan-friendly milk they offered with their coffee.
Let’s start off with this handy-dandy chart listing each fast-food company and then I’ll discuss each one in a bit more detail. Details like, ‘do they charge extra for non-dairy milk?’ and a recommendation on the best menu item to pair with your coffee.
Here we go!
| Fast Food Companies That Offer Non-Dairy Milk For Coffee | |
| BIGGBY Coffee | Almond, Coconut, Oat, Soy |
| Blue Bottle Coffee | Almond, Oat |
| Bob Evans | None |
| Bruegger’s | Almond |
| Burger King | None |
| Caribou Coffee | Almond, Coconut, Oat |
| Chick-fil-A | None |
| Corner Bakery | Non-Dairy Milk |
| Cracker Barrel | None |
| Denny’s | None |
| Dunkin’ | Almond, Coconut, Oat, Soy |
| Dutch Bros Coffee | Almond, Coconut, Oat |
| Einstein Bros Bagels | Almond |
| First Watch | Almond |
| Great Harvest Bread Co | Varies |
| Hardee’s | None |
| IHOP | None |
| Krispy Kreme | None |
| McDonald’s | None |
| Panera Bread | Almond |
| Peet’s Coffee | Almond, Oat, Soy |
| Starbucks | Almond, Coconut, Oat, Soy |
| Taco Bell | None |
| The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf | Almond, Almond-Coconut, Coconut, Oat, Soy |
| Tim Horton’s | Almond, Coconut, Oat |
| Waffle House | None |
| Wendy’s | None |
Now, let’s take a little closer look at each chain.
BIGGBY Coffee
BIGGBY Coffee is one of the chains on the list that specialize in coffee so it’s no surprise that they have non-dairy milk on the menu. They offer all four of the most popular milk alternatives – Almond, Coconut, Oat and Soy.
BIGGBY does charge extra if you opt for Oat Milk (50 cents), however to our knowledge they do not charge extra for the other varieties.
If you want something to eat to go with your coffee, some BIGGBY locations offer a vegan sausage and vegan cheese that can be combined with either their Plain or Everything bagel to make a vegan bagel sandwich. Check with your location.
Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle is very unique (and awesome) due to the fact that they are the only chain that we are aware of that uses Oat Milk as the default milk on their menu. Yes, you read that right. They serve all their drinks with Oat Milk unless you request otherwise. How cool is that?
As you might expect, they do not charge extra for Oat Milk (or Almond Milk if you prefer).
Blue Bottle has tons of great options to pair with your coffee and it depends heavily on geographic location. Just check the menu, I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed.
Bob Evans
Bob Evans does not offer non-dairy milk.
Bruegger’s Bagels
Bruegger’s offers one dairy-free milk option, Almond Milk. However, they have one of the highest surcharges for choosing to add Almond Milk to your coffee. We were told the extra charge is 90 cents!
They do have quite the selection of vegan-friendly bagels to go with your coffee. Traditional favorites like Blueberry and Everything as well as more unique varieties like Cinnamon Sugar and Pumpernickel are all available.
Burger King
Burger King does not offer non-dairy milk.
Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee carries 3 of the 4 most popular non-dairy milk options – Almond, Coconut and Oat.
They do NOT charge extra for choosing any of those options either. (The way it should be!)
They are also one of the few chains that serve a fully plant-based food item as well! The Just Egg Roasted Tomato & Pesto Flatbread is folded flatbread that includes a Just Egg folded egg patty, roasted tomatoes, vegan pesto cream cheese spread and vegan smoked provolone.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A only offers its own Chick-fil-A coffee creamer and International Delight French Vanilla coffee creamer. Neither vegan-friendly.
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel does not offer non-dairy milk.
Denny’s
Denny’s does not offer non-dairy milk.
Dunkin’
Dunkin’ has added Oat and Coconut milk to their menu over the past couple of years to go along with Almond.
Dunkin’ upcharges for using non-dairy milk. The amount can vary based upon the type and size of drink you order.
Once upon a time, Dunkin’ had a Beyond Sausage on the menu, but that disappeared a while back. At the moment, Dunkin’ has a Hummus & Roasted Tomato Toast that is legit amazing that I would highly recommend.
Dutch Bros Coffee
You can expect to find Almond, Coconut and Oat milk at Dutch Bros locations.
They do charge extra for non-dairy milk – 50 cents across the board.
There aren’t a lot of food options in general at this drive-thru coffee chain and none of them are vegan.
Einstein Bros Bagels
Einstein Bros Bagels offers only Almond Milk as a non-dairy option. This makes sense considering Einstein is owned by Panera Brands which also owns Panera Bread which also only carries Almond Milk. The difference is I was charged 80 cents extra for using Almond Milk in my Latte where Panera Bread has removed all non-dairy milk surcharges.
As for food, it’s hard to go to Einstein and not get a bagel (maybe that’s just me). I generally go for the Power Protein Bagel, but if I’m feeling indulgent then the French Toast Bagel is absolutely amazing.
First Watch
First Watch carries Almond Milk as a dairy-free option and they do not charge extra for requesting Almond Milk with your coffee.
First Watch does have vegan food options on their menu, but maybe not to the level you might expect. To pair with your coffee I would recommend getting the A.M. Superfoods Bowl which includes Toast with Almond Butter and Granola.
Great Harvest
Great Harvest is an interesting one. It seems that some locations have a coffee shop/cafe included with the location while some locations are more focused on the bread/bakery side.
The locations we called varied quite a bit regarding what (if any) milk alternatives they offered. Some locations offered no options at all whereas other locations carried multiple options like Almond, Coconut and Oat. Our only recommendation is to contact your nearest location and ask.
For something to pair with your coffee, try the Chocolate Brownie Teacake (it tastes as good as it sounds). Make sure to confirm with your location that they do not use an egg wash on any items you’re thinking of ordering.
Hardee’s
Hardee’s does not carry any non-dairy milk options.
IHOP
IHOP does not carry any non-dairy milk options.
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme does not carry any non-dairy milk options.
McDonald’s
No dairy-free milk options are available at McDonald’s. Only Coffee Creamer.
Panera Bread
The only non-dairy milk that Panera offers is Almond Milk which is definitely fewer options than all the other major coffee chains.
However, in early 2020 Panera announced that they would no longer charge extra for non-dairy milk. So, while your options may be limited, at least you won’t be charged extra for it.
Panera makes some of my favorite bagels and I would highly recommend the Blueberry.
Peet’s Coffee
Peet’s Coffee offers Almond, Oat and Soy milk.
What separates Peet’s from some of the other big coffee chains is that they do NOT charge extra for choosing non-dairy milk with your coffee!
What also separates Peet’s is that they have a completely vegan breakfast sandwich that you can order ‘as-is’ straight off the menu. The Everything Plant Based Sandwich is made with Beyond Breakfast Sausage, JUST Egg and melty vegan cheddar on a toasted everything bagel.
Starbucks
It’s probably not a surprise that Starbucks carries multiple options of non-dairy milk – almond, coconut, oat and soy. What is surprising (at least to us) is that Starbucks is still charging extra if you choose non-dairy milk. Exact amounts vary by location but can be as much as 80 cents.
It also may come as a surprise that they don’t have a lot of great vegan food options for breakfast time. Your best bet is to grab one of their vegan-friendly bagels (Plain, Cinnamon Raisin or Everything) and pair it with Guacamole, Justin’s Hazelnut Butter or Classic Almond Butter. Or, ask for their Strawberry Overnight Oats. These are vegan as-is!
Taco Bell
No dairy-free milk options at Taco Bell as part of their new breakfast menu. Of course, we do not have any breakfast items as being vegan-friendly on their vegan guide. FYI the Cinnabon Delights Coffee is not vegan either.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
The Coffee Bean was one of the first coffee chains to start serving Oat Milk way back in 2019. In addition to Oat Milk, they also serve Almond, Oat, Soy and an Almond-Coconut blend.
There is no charge for choosing vegan-friendly milk. (Note: There is an 85 cent charge for steamed milk regardless of what type of milk that is)
The only real vegan food option to pair with your coffee is their Banana Nut Loaf.
Tim Horton’s
Tim Horton’s carries Almond, Coconut and Oat – 3 of the 4 most popular choices.
They do charge extra for non-dairy milk, but on the bright side, it’s only 25 cents. That’s the lowest upcharge out of the chains that charge extra.
I would recommend going with a bagel to go with your coffee. They have 7 varieties of vegan-friendly bagels including a Pretzel-Style Bagel which is quite good.
Waffle House
Waffle House carries 2% and Whole Milk but no dairy-free options.
Wendy’s
Wendy’s only gives the option of adding Coffee Creamer to their Coffee. No vegan-friendly options.
Final Thoughts
While doing the research for this guide I couldn’t help but be more than a little surprised at how many breakfast chains still do not offer ANY non-dairy milk options. Many more people, other than just vegans, do not consume dairy and I would assume alternatives to dairy milk for coffee is something that is asked for DAILY.
My ranting aside, I hope that this guide was helpful in trying to navigate which fast food companies you can find vegan-friendly milk for your coffee in 2022.
If you’ve found something different than what we have, please reach out and let us know so that we may be able to improve this guide.
