How to Order Vegan Coffee

Avoiding Non-Vegan Ingredients

Ask for a plant-based milk in your flavored coffee drink. If you’re ordering a drink that normally contains regular milk, this will need to be substituted. Instead, opt for a plant-based milk like soy, almond, or coconut milk, depending on which milks the coffee shop offers. For example, you might say, “Can I please have an iced latte with almond milk?” Other options might include macadamia nut, pistachio, or oat milk. Some coffee shops may charge extra for plant-based milks.

Skip the whipped cream if your drink normally contains it. Whipped cream often comes on drinks like frappuccinos. Tell the barista that you’d like your drink without whipped cream if it normally comes with it so your order is vegan. Whipped cream contains milk. You might say, "I'd like a frappuccino with soy milk and hold the whipped cream, please."

Opt for water-based syrups when you’re customizing your coffee. Most syrups are vegan, such as almond, caramel, hazelnut, and simple syrup. Avoid white mocha and pumpkin spice coffee drinks because their syrups and ingredients aren't vegan and can't be substituted. If you’re not sure whether a syrup is vegan or not, you might ask your barista, "Is the strawberry syrup vegan?" While caramel syrup is vegan, caramel drizzle is not.

Avoid sweeteners like honey or chocolate. Some lattes or cappuccinos might normally contain honey or chocolate (like java chips). Check the ingredients to make sure this isn’t the case, or ask your barista to hold the honey or chocolate sweetener, just in case. For instance, you might ask, "Can I please have a java chip frappuccino with coconut milk and no java chips?" Cinnamon dolce is another sweetener to avoid.

Trying Different Vegan Coffee Drinks

Order a hot or cold brew black without any additives for a simple vegan drink. Since regular coffee is already vegan, it’s safe to order a coffee in its pure form. Pick out a hot coffee to warm yourself up or opt for an iced or cold brew as a refreshing drink.

Enjoy an espresso or americano for a stronger coffee taste. Both an espresso, which is a more concentrated form of coffee, and an americano, which is a diluted form of espresso, are already vegan. There’s no need to make any substitutions—just ask your barista for an espresso or americano, and you’re good to go! Both of these drinks tend to be stronger in flavor and caffeine content.

Ask for a latte with a plant-based milk substitute if you want something creamy. Whether a normal latte is hot or iced, it normally contains cow’s milk. If you’re ordering a latte, specify that you’d like a different type of milk to be used, like almond, oat, or soy. You might ask, “Can I have a hot latte with soy milk, please?”

Select a hot or iced macchiato to enjoy a steamed plant-based milk. Similar to lattes, macchiatos normally contain regular steamed milk. Clarify in your order that you’d like a plant-based milk substitute like almond, soy, or coconut milk. You might ask your barista, "Could I have an iced macchiato with almond milk, please?"

Order a frappuccino without whipped cream and with a different milk for a sweeter drink. Even though a normal frappuccino isn’t vegan, there are some changes you can make to it so that it is. Substitute the cow’s milk for a plant-based alternative and make sure you ask for your drink without whipped cream. For example, you can still order an espresso frappuccino or vanilla frappuccino as long as you make the appropriate substitutions. You might say, "I'd like an espresso frappuccino with coconut milk, please." If your frappuccino normally contains caramel sauce, substitute this for caramel syrup instead.