
Vegan Protein Box and Oatly Oat Milk Launch at Starbucks
Customers asked, and Starbucks listened! This month, Starbucks debuted its very first vegan protein box. Available at most locations nationwide, the Chickpea Bites & Avocado Protein Box is packed with chickpea nuggets, snap peas, mini carrots, dried cranberries and nuts, and an avocado spread.
In more good news, Starbucks has also added Oatly oat milk to its menu! The international coffee chain has long offered soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk. Starbucks will spotlight this plant-based milk addition in the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso—blonde espresso topped with brown sugar, cinnamon, and oat milk.
Starbucks has been vocal about its intention to add more plant-based options. In fact, last year, CEO Kevin Johnson announced the company’s new commitment to sustainability, which includes increasing plant-based options to create a more environment-friendly menu. A Starbucks spokesperson explained:
Expanding Starbucks plant-based menu is one of the ways we are pursuing our goal to reduce our carbon footprint by 50 percent. Our aim is to provide our customers with a variety of choices as part of their Starbucks experience, and we look forward to hearing feedback from our partners, employees, and customers.
Starbucks has even been testing a vegan sandwich in Washington and Texas! The Plant Powered Breakfast Sandwich features vegan sausage, plant-based egg, and dairy-free cheese. While we don’t know when the sandwich will be available nationwide, we’re crossing our fingers that it’s soon.
Need some tips on ordering vegan drinks at Starbucks? Just follow this handy guide:
Milk Options
- Soy milk
- Almond milk
- Coconut milk
- Oat milk
Things to Skip
Many, many drinks on the Starbucks menu can be made vegan. Simply ask your barista to skip these non-vegan ingredients:
- Whipped cream
- Caramel drizzle
- Cinnamon Dolce sprinkles
- Java chips
- Non-vegan protein powder (Ask that it be swapped for plant-based protein powder!)
Sadly, a few drinks cannot be made vegan (yet!) because they contain either cow’s milk or honey. Make sure you avoid any drinks made with pumpkin spice, caramel brulée, and white mocha, as well as chai lattes that are not brewed with Teavana chai tea.
Pro tip: Clear syrups, which are the vast majority of the syrups, are usually vegan. Sauces, such as caramel sauce or white chocolate sauce, are usually not (but try the delicious vegan mocha sauce!).
Want even more vegan options at Starbucks? A little praise and encouragement never hurts, so please take a moment to thank Starbucks and ask for even more dairy-free and meat-free options! You can leave a Facebook message here.