With fall in season, and winter around the corner, it’s the prime time for coffee and tea drinks. Of course, Starbucks is one of the easiest options when it comes to these beverages. Luckily, almost every drink there can be ordered vegan—including the most popular ones for the fall season—so let’s break it down step-by-step, so there’s no concerns when the barista hits you with “Uhh, yeah, I think it’s vegan.”
With most Starbucks drinks, they’re all pretty much based on a syrup or sauce that they’re built off of. While several of these are vegan, there are a few that aren’t, so let’s start out with some fall favorite drinks to avoid: White Chocolate Mocha (the white chocolate sauce is made from sweetened condensed milk), Maple Pecan (this new sauce by Starbucks also contains sweetened condensed milk, along with butter and heavy cream), Chai (their chai concentrate is partially sweetened with honey), Caramel Macchiato (most of this drink is vegan—only its caramel drizzle contains butter and cream; so, ask the barista to hold the caramel drizzle and replace one of the pumps of vanilla syrup with caramel syrup—you’ll have an Instagram worthy macchiato without any of the dairy), and Pumpkin Spice (this fall staple is unfortunately based off of sweetened condensed milk).
The good news is that every other fall drink at Starbucks can be made vegan, as long as you swap out dairy milk with your favorite vegan alternative, and leave out the whipped cream. Starbucks currently offers coconut milk, almond milk, and vanilla soy milk.
Here’s those special vegan drinks that’ll hug you with that fall vibe:
Salted Caramel Mocha Latté
Combining toffee nut syrup and mocha sauce with large sea salt flakes makes this the richest and most indulgent drink of the fall—just don’t forget to ask them to leave off the caramel drizzle! Pro tip: you can actually order this drink year round.
Cinnamon Dolce Latté
Order this one with vanilla soy milk for a creamy and sweet treat that tastes like how a cinnamon broom smells in the most endearing way. Be sure to ask for it without the cinnamon dolce topping (it contains butter) and whipped cream.
Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
It’s just like a Salted Caramel Mocha Latté, just without the espresso! Pick one up late at night for comfort in a cup. Again, don’t forget to ask them to leave off the caramel drizzle!
Steamed Apple Juice
It may sound weird, but nothing beats hot cider on a cool night. Order as is or with a couple pumps of cinnamon dolce syrup to up the fall ante.
Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino
Because even October and November days in LA are hot. Just make sure to order it without whipped cream.
Cinnamon Dolce Hot Chocolate
This one is a soothing classic with a cinnamon twist. While it’s not an official drink, order a hot chocolate and ask the barista to replace the vanilla syrup with cinnamon dolce syrup. Again, be sure to ask for it without the cinnamon dolce topping and whipped cream.
Now you’ve got all the tools you need to hit the Starbucks menu this season without any angst.