Vegans and dairy-free folks are getting a couple of exciting wins at Starbucks for the holidays. Chestnuts are roasting, sugar cookies are baking and peppermint chocolates are melting.
…just kidding. We do get those flavors in our coffee though. 🙂
But the most exciting win for us is Starbucks decision to no longer charge extra for non-dairy milk options!
You can now walk into a Starbucks and order oat milk, soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk and they will not charge you extra. Woohoo!
In our vegan holiday guide, we will share every menu item being highlighted for the holidays, along with what is vegan, what can be modified and which items cannot be.
What is on Starbucks 2024 Holiday Menu?
According to Starbucks stories
, the following food and drink items are on the 2024 holiday menu.
Food
- Turkey Sage Danish
- Dark Toffee Bundt
- Penguin Cookie
- Snowman Cake Pop
- Sugar Plum Danish
- Cranberry Bliss Bar
Drinks
- Cran-Merry Orange Refreshers (NEW)
- Peppermint Mocha
- Caramel Brulée Latte
- Chestnut Praline Latte
- Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
- Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai
Cold Foams
- Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam
- Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
- Sugar Cookie Cream Cold Foam
- Chestnut Praline Cream Cold Foam
- Caramel Brulee Cream Cold Foam
What is NOT Vegan?
Let’s get the non-vegan items out of the way. Here is a list of which holiday menu items are NOT vegan-friendly and cannot be modified.
- Turkey Sage Danish (obvious)
- Dark Toffee Bundt (contains egg & dairy)
- Penguin Cookie (contains egg & dairy)
- Snowman Cake Pop (contains egg & dairy)
- Sugar Plum Cheese Danish (contains egg & dairy)
- Cranberry Bliss Bar (contains egg & dairy)
- Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai Latte (contains honey; can be modified, sort of)
- Caramel Brulée Latte (contains dairy)
Yes, you read that correctly. Not one food item is vegan-friendly.
I do want to expand more on the Caramel Brulée Latte though.
The Caramel Brulee Latte contains brewed espresso, milk, caramel brulée sauce, whipped cream and a caramel brulee topping. The caramel brulee sauce is the main flavor component of the drink which contains dairy so that in itself makes this drink not possible.
However, the Caramel Brulee Topping is accidentally vegan. If you want to try this topping on another drink, go for it! We think it could be fun on Starbucks’ Blonde Vanilla Latte.
If you try it, let us know! Here are the ingredients according to Starbucks:
CARAMEL BRULEE TOPPING [SUGAR, CORN SYRUP, NATURAL FLAVOR, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE COLORS (APPLE, PURPLE CARROT, HIBISCUS)]
Vegan-Friendly Drinks at Starbucks for the 2024 Holiday Season
…or can be modified.
First, let me give you a cheat sheet for ordering at Starbucks.
You have 4 non-dairy milks you can choose from (and NOT get charged extra!):
- Oat
- Soy
- Almond
- Coconut
And 3 cup sizes:
- Tall
- Grande
- Venti
Now, on to the holiday drinks…
Are Starbucks Cran-Merry Orange Refreshers Vegan?
Starbucks’ new drink for the 2024 holiday season is an iced refresher that can be consumed as-is or in combination with other flavors. Cran-Merry Orange Refreshers, “contain flavors of sweet orange, tart cranberry and warm spices, including notes of cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg, shaken with ice, water and real cranberries.”
The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher is the base drink while the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher includes lemonade, and the Cran-Merry Drink is the base + coconutmilk.
Yum!!
The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher includes the following ingredients:
CRANBERRY ORANGE BASE [WATER, SUGARS (SUGAR, WHITE GRAPE JUICE CONCENTRATE), NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, GREEN COFFEE EXTRACT (FOR FLAVOR), CRANBERRY JUICE CONCENTRATE, BLOOD ORANGE JUICE CONCENTRATE, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE (FOR COLOR), STEVIA EXTRACT (REBAUDIOSIDE-A)], ICE, FREEZE DRIED CRANBERRIES.
Is Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Vegan?
The Peppermint Mocha is NOT vegan as-is. In its original form, it has whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. Both of these contain dairy. But the good news is, you can make it dairy-free!
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order an iced or hot Peppermint Mocha with your choice of non-dairy milk (oat, soy, almond or coconut), NO whip and NO chocolate curls.
The ingredients list will look like this… Non-Dairy Milk of your choice +
MOCHA SAUCE [WATER, SUGAR, COCOA PROCESSED WITH ALKALI, NATURAL FLAVOR], BREWED ESPRESSO, PEPPERMINT SYRUP [SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, SODIUM BENZOATE, CITRIC ACID]
Is Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte Vegan?
The Chestnut Praline is a favorite of mine but it is NOT vegan as-is. In its original form, it has dairy milk and whipped cream.
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order an iced or hot Chestnut Praline Latte with your choice of non-dairy milk (oat, soy, almond or coconut) and NO whip.
The ingredients list will look like this… Non-Dairy Milk of your choice +
BREWED ESPRESSO, CHESTNUT PRALINE SYRUP [SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, PRESERVATIVE: POTASSIUM SORBATE], VANILLA SYRUP (SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVORS, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CITRIC ACID)], CHESTNUT PRALINE TOPPING [SPICED SUGAR (SUGAR, CINNAMON, GINGER, CLOVE), TOFFEE SUGAR (SUGAR, VEGETABLE COLORS (PUMPKIN, APPLE, PURPLE CARROT, HIBISCUS), NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT, ANNATTO, BAKING SODA)]
Is Starbucks Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte Vegan?
The Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte made its debut in 2021, as Starbucks’ ONLY dairy-free as-is drink on the holiday menu. It made its reappearance in 2022, 2023 and now 2024.
The ingredients are:
ALMONDMILK [FILTERED WATER, ALMONDS, SUGAR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, SUNFLOWER LECITHIN, SEA SALT, XANTHAN GUM, GUAR GUM, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D2 (ERGOCALCIFEROL)], WATER, BREWED ESPRESSO, SUGAR COOKIE FLAVORED SYRUP [SUGAR, WATER, NATURAL FLAVOR, PRESERVATIVE: POTASSIUM SORBATE, SALT, CITRIC ACID], RED & GREEN SPRINKLES TOPPING [SUGARS (SUGAR, POWDERED SUGAR (SUGAR, CORN STARCH)), CORN STARCH, NATURAL FLAVOR, VEGETABLE JUICE FOR COLOR (PURPLE SWEET POTATO, SPIRULINA), CARNAUBA WAX, RIBOFLAVIN FOR COLOR, TURMERIC AND BETA CAROTENE FOR COLOR, PALM OIL]
–> In our 2021 holiday guide, I shared with you a recipe I created. It was the cookie this drink was inspired from, a German Christmas cookie called Spritz (or Spritzgebåck). You can reference our Starbucks 2021 Holiday Guide for the recipe if you’re interested in making them.
They are so good! And perfect with a cup of coffee. Tell us in the comments if you have made them and what you think.
Is Starbucks Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai Vegan?
Be sure to read this if you do not remember from when the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai debuted in 2023. Up until that point, every oatmilk titled drink, at Starbucks, just so happened to be accidentally vegan. This one is NOT due to one ingredient that we consider to not be vegan but some may let slide. It is considered dairy-free though.
Honey.
That’s the one ingredient. You choose what you are comfortable with.
Here is the full list of ingredients for Starbucks’ Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai.
OATMILK [OATMILK (WATER, OATS), CANOLA OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SEA SALT, DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, RIBOFLAVIN, VITAMIN A, VITAMIN D2, VITAMIN B12], ICE, CHAI TEA CONCENTRATE [AN INFUSION OF (WATER, BLACK TEA, CARDAMOM, BLACK PEPPER, GINGER, CINNAMON, CLOVES, NATURAL FLAVORS, STAR ANISE), SUGAR, HONEY, GINGER JUICE, NATURAL FLAVORS, VANILLA, CITRIC ACID], GINGERBREAD FLAVORED SYRUP [WATER, SUGAR, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE)], PUMPKIN SPICE TOPPING [CINNAMON, GINGER, NUTMEG, AND CLOVES]
–> Make sure you notice though, this special is NOT a coffee drink. It is considered a tea drink.
Here’s another version you could order of the Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai but is vegan and contains coffee beans.
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order a Gingerbread Latte with your choice of non-dairy milk and NO whip.
Simple as that.
Are Starbucks Holiday Cold Foams Vegan?
Starbucks has debuted holiday cold foams for 2024. Are they vegan? They can be! As long as you order the non-dairy version, you have so many fun flavors you can add to your drink. The nondairy sweet cream base they use contains soy and oat milk.
- Nondairy Apple Crisp Cream Cold Foam
- Nondairy Chestnut Praline Cream Cold Foam
- Nondairy Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
- Nondairy Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam
- Nondairy Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam
- Nondairy Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam
Other Holiday Drink Options
The following drinks are other options that we feel have that holiday spice and could be another option if the ones they brought back do not tickle your fancy.
Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, Iced or Hot
Starbucks’ Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte made it debut this past fall. This drink is delightfully smooth. It has Starbucks Blonde espresso, which is my favorite, with a nutty pecan flavor and spices.
As mentioned in our complete Starbucks Vegan Guide, VegNews had shared that the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte contains “traces of honey,” however, honey is NOT listed in the ingredients. We have reached out to Starbucks to ask for clarification. Until then, it’s up to you if you want to try it knowing the information we have thus far.
Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato, Iced or Hot
This debuted in the fall of 2022 and returned on Starbucks’ 2023 & 2024 fall menu. Thankfully for those of us who love it, it’s still available. The Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato is creamy with a sweet apple pie taste.
It is vegan as-is and requires no changes to be made.
Side note, we both prefer the hot version of this one.
Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Starbucks’ shaken espresso’s always have a little more of that coffee punch so if you like that combined with delicious apple crisp flavors, this one is for you.
Cinnamon Dolce Latte, Iced or Hot
Not sure why this one is not highlighted on their holiday menu… It’s cinnamon! In its original form, the Cinnamon Dolce Latte is NOT vegan as-is. It contains whipped cream and a cinnamon dolce topping. Both contain dairy.
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order a latte with cinnamon dolce syrup and your choice of non-dairy milk.
Starbucks Blonde Vanilla Latte, Iced or Hot
This is a favorite of mine! I love Starbucks’ Blonde Roast. It’s so smooth. And then you pair it with vanilla. It’s like you’re on a cloud. 😉
In its original form, Starbuck Blonde Vanilla Latte is NOT vegan-as is.
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order a Blonde Vanilla Latte with your choice of non-dairy milk.
Hot Chocolate
Who doesn’t love warm hot chocolate on a cold snowy day?
We have never ordered a hot chocolate from Starbucks but I want to mention for those who like what they like, Starbucks does not use hot chocolate powder. Your drink is a mix of milk and their mocha sauce. I have discovered that to some this matters.
It is NOT vegan as-is though. It automatically comes with dairy milk and whipped cream. Both contain dairy.
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order a Hot Chocolate with your choice of non-dairy milk and NO whip.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate with a hint of peppermint. Yum! This one also needs modifications. In its original form, it contains dairy milk, whipped cream and dark chocolate curls. All 3 contain dairy.
HOW TO ORDER VEGAN: Order a Peppermint Hot Chocolate with your choice of non-dairy milk and NO whip or dark chocolate curls.
Vegan Food Options
Since Starbucks has not brought us any new vegan-friendly food options this holiday season, we can choose from what we are already familiar with:
- Plain or Everything Bagel (be aware there is also an everything & cheddar bagel that is not vegan). Look for packaged Organic Avocado Spread to spread on. Justin’s Hazelnut Butter or Classic Almond Butter may also be an option–check with your location for availability.
- Rolled & Steel Cut Oatmeal (not labeled vegan but no animal-derived ingredients) … comes with whole grain oatmeal, brown sugar, dried fruit and a nut medley. It is optional to add in a splash of non-dairy milk.
In Conclusion…
While it would have been nice to have a new vegan-friendly/dairy-free drink or food item this holiday season, the biggest win for all of us is that Starbucks is no longer charging extra for non-dairy milk. This is huge!! This makes the many drinks you can choose from for the holidays a little cheaper.
Visit our Starbucks Vegan Guide for a complete list of drinks and food you can order. Share with us in the comments what your favorite drink is this time of year.
Happy Holidays!
