Dunkin’s Brown Sugar Oat Latte Is Vegan By The Chain’s Standards — Here’s What That Means

When Dunkin’ launched its winter menu on Jan. 5, iced coffee fans were thrilled to see a brand new iced sip, the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Latte, make the cut. Anyone following a vegan or non-dairy diet was also probably pretty excited to see it’s made with oat milk, but just because it uses non-dairy milk doesn’t mean it’s automatically fit for vegan customers. If you’re looking for answers about whether or not Dunkin’s new Iced Brown Sugar Oat Latte is vegan, here’s the non-dairy sip’s deal.

In case you didn’t know, oat milk is a dairy-free, vegan-friendly alternative to regular milk, which is why the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Latte has caught the attention of vegans, and has left some wondering if the rest of the recipe is vegan-friendly. The new sip, which is here just in time for the winter season, is [made with a blend of Dunkin’s Signature Espresso and oat milk, as well as a sweet Brown Sugar Cookie syrup for flavor. But does that make the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Latte a vegan drink, or does it just use vegan-friendly ingredients? Here’s how you can find out.

Dunkin’ explained in a 2019 blog post that its definition of a “vegan menu item is a food or beverage whose formula contains no animal sources: no meat, fish, shellfish, milk, egg or honey products, and no enzymes and rennet from animal sources.” The company also made sure to add the caveat that “all of Dunkin’s menu items (vegan and non-vegan) are prepared in the same area,” which means Dunkin’ can’t guarantee there won’t be “cross-contact between products or ingredients.”

With that said, if you scroll to the section labeled “To Drink,” you’ll see a bullet point that reads, “Hot/Iced Lattes with almondmilk, oatmilk, or coconutmilk,” which is the exact category this cozy season sip falls under. So, even though you won’t find it listed by name, the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Milk Latte is vegan per Dunkin’s standards. Though, it’s up to you to decide if that also meets your vegan standards.

Now that you know the deal with the newest non-dairy sip on the menu, you can try it or something else that suits your needs. No matter what you order, make sure to check the CDC guidelines for the most updated health rules before you make your Dunkin’ run.