Summer is here and it is hot hot hot! Starbucks is great for refreshing Iced, Shaken or Frappuccino style vegan drinks.
After going through the entire Starbucks menu, we see they have added 3 new drinks. Technically, the second and third drink is the same as the first but with an additional ingredient added.
The rest of our guide is our suggested summer options, your favorites, as well as, a few food options.
But first, let’s go through your Starbucks size and non-dairy milk options.
Some of you may be like me where you feel a little pressure going through the drive-thru or at the counter and forget what your options are or what the sizes are called.
It feels so silly at the time but I have ordered the wrong size more times than I would like to admit.
(yes, I shake my head at myself)
Drink Sizes
- Tall (12oz)
- Grande (16oz)
- Venti (24oz)
- Trenta (30oz
Non-Dairy Milk Options
- Almond
- Coconut
- Oatmilk
- Soy
In the summer of 2022, non-dairy milk still cost extra at Starbucks… unless, you order one of the drinks that automatically has it included; aka, the ones that are vegan as-is.
Starbucks Vegan Summer Drinks Guide
‘NEW DRINKS’
Pineapple Passionfruit Starbucks Refresher
This drink feels like the summer sun. It’s bright, slightly sweet and crisp with the flavors of pineapple and passionfruit with bits of freeze dried pineapple. Yum!
Ingredients:
ICE, PINEAPPLE PASSIONFRUIT REFRESHERS BASE [WATER, SUGARS (SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, GREEN COFFEE EXTRACT (FOR FLAVOR), BETA CAROTENE (FOR COLOR), REBAUDIOSIDE A], FREEZE DRIED PINEAPPLE.
You can order the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher as-is or choose one of its other combinations.
Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Refresher
If you love the punchiness of tart lemonade with the sweetness of pineapple and passionfruit, this combination of the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher is for you!
Paradise Drink
However, if your taste buds like a creamy sweetness, we suggest the Paradise Drink.
The Paradise Drink is a combo of the Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher with Coconut Milk. Creamy summer goodness that really feels like you are on a beach.
‘OUR SUGGESTIONS AND YOUR SUMMER FAVORITES!’
(You can find a complete list of everything vegan in our Starbucks Vegan Guide.)
Strawberry Acai Refresher
A fan favorite! The Strawberry Acai Refresher is a sweet mix of strawberry, passionfruit and acai flavors with bits of freeze dried strawberries.
Ingredients:
Ice, Strawberry Acai Base [Water, Sugar, White Grape Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Natural Green Coffee Flavor, Fruit And Vegetable Juice, Rebaudioside-a], Freeze-dried Strawberries.
You can order the Strawberry Acai Refresher as-is or choose one of its other combinations.
The Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher includes ice, the Strawberry Acai refresher base and Lemonade. If you prefer a creamy drink, choose the Pink Drink. It includes the Strawberry Acai base and Coconut Milk.
Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refresher
Starbucks describes the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher as a tropical pick-me-up with freeze-dried pieces of dragonfruit. From the reviews I’ve read on this drink, it is less sweet tasting than the Strawberry Acai Refresher or new Pineapple Passionfruit Refresher.
Ingredients:
ICE, MANGO DRAGONFRUIT REFRESHERS BASE [WATER, SUGARS (SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL GREEN COFFEE FLAVOR, REBAUDISIDE-A], FREEZE DRIED DRAGONFRUIT PIECES.
As with the other 2 refreshers, you can order the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher as-is or choose one of its other combinations.
The Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher includes ice, the Mango Dragonfruit refresher base and Lemonade. If you prefer a creamy drink, choose the Dragon Drink. It includes the Mango Dragonfruit base and Coconut Milk.
Iced Coffee or Latte
Iced Coffee or Latte seems pretty obvious but I want to give them a mention because it’s generally what we go with on a hot day. We’re also pretty basic when it comes to Starbucks drinks and rarely venture outside of what we like.
My order is typically an Iced Blonde Latte with Soy Milk and Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup.
Ryan’s is an Iced Coffee with Oatmilk and Mocha Sauce.
The syrups are optional but you do have a few vegan flavors you can choose from for the summer of 2022:
- Brown Sugar Syrup
- Caramel Syrup
- Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
- Hazelnut Syrup
- Peppermint Syrup
- Raspberry Syrup
- Toasted Vanilla Syrup
- Toffee Nut Syrup
- Vanilla Syrup
- Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup
- Mocha Sauce
Iced Shaken Espresso’s
Having debuted in the Spring of 2021, Starbucks now offers 4 Iced Shaken Espressos. The Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk Shaken Espresso was the newest addition in the Spring of 2022.
They still offer the original 3: The Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso and the plain Iced Shaken Espresso.
Which Shaken Espressos are vegan as-is?
The Iced Toasted Vanilla Oatmilk, Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk and Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espressos are vegan as-is.
The plain one automatically comes with dairy milk so you will need to specify which non-dairy milk you want.
Frappuccinos
Coffee-Based Frappuccinos
While I generally order an Iced Latte on a hot summer day, a couple of weeks ago it was one of those days that was just extra hot. Ryan and I had gone to a cabin in the Georgia mountains to celebrate our anniversary. On one of the days, we went putt-putting and then stopped at a Starbucks on our way back to the cabin.
The only thing that sounded good was a really cold drink. I ordered the Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino with Soy Milk and NO whip. Ryan ordered the Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino with Oatmilk, NO whip and NO frappuccino chips.
Hit. The. Spot.
We would recommend either of these drinks again. Other options could be just ordering a Coffee or Espresso Frappuccino with your choice of non-dairy milk as-is or add a flavored syrup (listed above).
Or if you want to create your own off-menu frappuccino, order the Vegan Nutella Frappuccino. Here’s how: Order a Mocha Frappuccino with Soy or Oat Milk and NO whip. Add 1-3 pumps of Hazelnut Syrup (this depends on the size of drink you get).
Creme-Based Frappuccinos
The creme-based frappuccinos use a creme frappuccino syrup whereas the coffee-based use a coffee frappuccino syrup.
Our picks would be the Strawberry Creme Frappuccino with your choice of non-dairy milk and NO whip. Choosing Coconut Milk would give this drink a more tropical taste. Soy or Oat Milk would keep the taste the same but add creaminess.
If you like matcha, the Matcha Creme Frappuccino with Soy or Oat Milk is really good! Also, be sure to order with NO whip.
Iced Teas
I like that Starbucks plays with their iced teas and does little twists.
You can order your typical Iced Tea or choose to play and make it an Iced Black Tea Lemonade. You may have also heard it called an Arnold Palmer. This is in reference to the legendary golfer who made this combo famous in the 1960’s.
The Iced Green Tea and Iced Peach Green Tea can be ordered as-is or with Lemonade as well.
The ones that I’m most curious about are the Iced Royal English Breakfast Tea Latte or the Iced London Fog Tea Latte. These each have their tea as named in the title plus cane syrup and your choice of non-dairy milk.
And we cannot forget the drink that resembles a Starbucks Refresher but is considered an Iced Tea… the Iced Passion Tango Tea. It is a blend of hibiscus, lemongrass and apple shaken with ice. Like the others, you can also order the Iced Passion Tango Tea with Lemonade.
Food
Since we’re talking hot summer days, I’m only going to list the vegan food items that are not temperature hot at Starbucks. You do have a few decent options:
- Strawberry Overnight Grains … comes with steel-cut oats, quinoa, chia seeds, coconut milk, and fresh strawberries. Topped with shaved coconut and toasted almonds.
- Chickpea Bites & Avocado Protein Box … comes with falafel-inspired chickpea bites (these are cold), snap peas, mini carrots, avocado spread and a mix of dried cranberries, almonds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and sunflower seeds.
- Bagels … Plain, Cinnamon Raisin or Everything. Avocado is a spread option.
- Starbucks also offers various chips and snack bars. Check their ingredients.
Curious About What Has Been Taken Off The Menu?
All Peppermint Mocha drinks have been removed from the Starbucks menu. This includes the Peppermint Hot Chocolate, Peppermint Mocha Latte and the Peppermint Mocha Iced Coffee.
The Peppermint Syrup is still available to add to drinks so if you like that flavor combo, you can create it on your own and essentially still make these drinks by adding Peppermint Syrup and Mocha Sauce.
The Kiwi Starfruit Refresher drinks were removed as well. This includes the Star Drink which consisted of the Kiwi Starfruit base plus coconut milk.
In Conclusion…
You should have no problem finding a cold vegan drink during the summer of 2022 at Starbucks.
Hope you all have a great one!
