Starbucks hot chocolate isn’t vegan by default, but you can make it vegan-friendly by replacing dairy ingredients with plant-based milk.
Starbucks Hot Chocolate Ingredients
Starbucks hot chocolate is one of the coffee shop’s most popular offerings. Starbucks’ website lists the following ingredients in hot chocolate.
- Milk
- Mocha Sauce (water, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, natural flavor)
- Whipped Cream (cream. mono and diglycerides, carrageenan)
- Vanilla Syrup (sugar, water, natural flavors, potassium sorbate, citric acid)
How can you make Starbucks Hot Chocolate Vegan?
You can easily convert the standard hot chocolate to vegan by removing milk and whipped cream. All you have to do is ask the barista to make your drink vegan by adding plant-based milk, and they’ll know what to do.
Please note that there is a cross-contamination risk because vegan drinks are prepared in the same area and on the same equipment that processes non-vegan and dairy items.
Vegan Options at Starbucks
Vegans are in luck at Starbucks. There are so many vegan options available at Starbucks that you’ll feel at home. However, you must always check the ingredients, as the ingredients may change from time to time. Please note that your nearest location may not have the drinks listed on the Starbucks website. So, it is always better to check before visiting.
Vegan-Friendly Drinks at Starbucks
- Blended Strawberry Lemonade
- Caramel Macchiato
- Coconut Milk Latte
- Golden Ginger Drink
- London Fog Tea Latte
- Mocha Frappuccino
- Pink Drink
- Cool Lime Refresh
- Violet Drink
- Chocolate Smoothie
- Shaken Sweet Tea Lemonade
- CaffèMisto
- Caramel Frappuccino
- Americano
- Caffè Latte
- Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino
- Flat White
- Iced Pineapple Matcha
- Mango Dragonfruit Refresher
- Nitro Cold Brew
- Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher
- Teavana
- Cold Brew
- Strawberries and Crème Frappuccino
- Green Tea Crème Frappuccino
- Strawberry Smoothie
Vegan Snacks at Starbucks
Isn’t it great if you could top up a vegan drink with a vegan snack? Yes. Sounds tasty and fulfilling; here are the vegan snack options available at Starbucks.
- Falafel & Slaw Wrap with Tomato Salsa
- Moist Choco Cake
- Raspberry Cake
- Coconut and Lime Cake
- Falafel, Quinoa, and Lentil Salad with Pomegranate Kernels
- Fresh Mango with Lime
- Pecan & Caramel Brownie
- Carrot Cake
- Chocolate & Caramel Muffin
- No Meatball Marinara Wrap
- Five Grain Oatmeal
- Peach and Raspberry Overnight Oats
- Cherry and Linseed
- Peanut Butter Cups
Please note that you may have to remove some non-vegan ingredients from the above items. Moreover, all listed items may not be available at all branches. Don’t forget to check the ingredients before ordering.
Vegan Syrups at Starbucks
Starbucks has plenty of syrup options for vegans. You can use them for flavoring or add them to your vegan drinks.
- Sugar-Free Vanilla
- Vanilla Syrup
- Caramel Syrup
- Sugar-Free Caramel
- Almond Syrup
- Mocha Drizzle
- Hazelnut Syrup
- Sugar-Free Hazelnut
- Gingerbread (seasonal)
- Pumpkin Spice (seasonal)
Vegan Hot Chocolate Substitutes
There are plenty of vegan hot chocolate powder substitutes that you can enjoy with plant-based milk or water. Let’s check out some of the best ones.
Coconut Cloud: Dairy-Free Instant Hot Cocoa Mix
The dairy-free instant cocoa mix is gluten and soy-free. It is made with 100% organic ingredients and is available in many different flavors.
Castle Kitchen Double Dutch Dark Chocolate Premium Hot Cocoa Mix
Are you looking for a strong hot cocoa mix? Castle Kitchen’s double Dutch dark chocolate is your best bet. It is made with organic cane sugar, cocoa, guar gum, natural flavors, and sea salt. It provides a premium chocolate kick in every slip.
Double Donut Dairy Free Hot Chocolate Mix
Nothing beats the double donut dairy-free hot chocolate mix when it comes to a cup of creamy hot chocolate. It has only one ingredient: dairy-free cocoa. So, you can imagine how pure and tasty it is.
Real Mushrooms Unsweetened Organic Hot Chocolate Mix
The vegan hot chocolate mix is a blend of original cocoa and mushrooms. It is a bit costly, but every sip is worth it.
Is Starbucks White Hot Chocolate Vegan?
It is not vegan by default because it contains milk. However, you can make it vegan by removing animal-based milk and adding plant-based milk. Please note that there is a cross-contamination warning even if you remove dairy items from the drink.
Is Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate vegan?
It is not vegan, but you can make it vegan by excluding dairy ingredients and using plant-based milk. Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate is similar to hot chocolate, except for a few drops of peppermint.
Is Starbucks Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa Vegan?
The ingredients are sugar, cocoa (processed with alkali), dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate mass, cocoa butter, soy lecithin), and vanilla powder. The powder is vegan as it is dairy-free, but it has a cross-contamination warning because it is prepared on the same plant that processes dairy items. You can check it out here.
On the contrary, the double chocolate hot cocoa drink at Starbucks is not vegan by default, but you can make it vegan by replacing animal milk with plant-based milk.
Is Starbucks Fudge Brownie Hot Chocolate Vegan?
No. It is not vegan by default, as it is made with dairy. However, you can make it vegan by requesting plant-based milk. On the contrary, the dark chocolate fudge brownie is 100% vegan as it is made with soy milk. Please note that this brownie comes with a soy and wheat allergen warning.
Is Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolate Powder Vegan?
Yes. It is vegan because it is dairy-free. However, there are many variations of its signature hot chocolate powder. So, you must check the ingredients before buying.
Is Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Vegan?
No. It is not vegan in the drink form as it contains cow milk. You can, however, make it vegan by removing dairy milk and adding plant-based milk. The good news is that its powder (tin) is vegan as it is free from dairy but contains soy.
Is Dark Chocolate Vegan?
Many dark chocolates are vegan, but you must check the ingredients and labels before buying.
Is Milk Chocolate Vegan?
Most store-bought milk chocolate is not vegan unless it is made with organic sugar and plant-based milk. Many brands make vegan milk chocolate. You can also make it at home with our vegan milk chocolate recipe.
Is White Chocolate Vegan?
White chocolate is mostly not vegan. Some brands make vegan white chocolate, but it is not as common as non-vegan white chocolate.
Is Costa Hot Chocolate Vegan?
Yes. Costa hot chocolate is vegan but with a cross-contamination warning for milk. Costa gives this warning because all Costa items (dairy & dairy-free) are prepared with the same equipment.
Is Cadbury’s Hot Chocolate Vegan?
Some variants are vegan but with a cross-contamination warning for milk. The reason is that dairy-free variants are prepared on the same plant that processes non-vegan (dairy) variants.
Is Bournville Chocolate Vegan?
There are a total of 7 Bournville variants. Of the 7, 2 are vegan but have a “may contain milk” warning.
Is Lindt Dark Chocolate Vegan?
Some varieties are vegan, while some are not. For example, the Lindtoat milk salted caramel recipe bar and Lindt oat milk classic recipe chocolate bar are vegan in the US.
