What To Know About If Starbucks' Oat And Almond Milk Shaken Espressos Are Vegan
It depends on your preferences.
It’s still winter, but you can already look forward to iced sips because Starbucks is highlighting its fan-favorite plant-based drink that first launched in March 2021. Although the espresso-based beverages have remained on the menu since their launch, they’re ideal to help you through your winter blues and mid-day slumps. However, if you’re trying to avoid animal products, you might be wondering if Starbucks’ Shaken Espresso is vegan, especially since there are oat milk and almond milk versions. Here’s what to know about the non-dairy sips.
The energizing Iced Shaken Espresso is getting a big feature on the Starbucks menu in early January 2022, as it’s a perfect winter pick-me-up. For a quick refresher, the sip was inspired by Starbucks' Doubleshot on Ice, a beverage that debuted in 2015. There are three versions of the creamy, new iteration known as the Shaken Espresso, which debuted in March 2021: the classic Iced Shaken Espresso, the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, and the Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso. At first glance, the ingredients in the plant-based Iced Shaken Espresso options appear to be vegan-friendly. The non-dairy versions contain either oat milk or almond milk in place of the 2% milk and Starbucks Blonde Espresso. While the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso contains brown sugar, cinnamon, oat milk, espresso, and ice, the Iced Chocolate Almondmilk Shaken Espresso combines the espresso, cocoa, almond milk, and ice.
The classic version contains a blend of Starbucks Espresso and 2% milk hand-shaken together for a frothy, lightly sweet iced coffee, so that version isn’t vegan.
Starbucks’ Shaken Espresso sips with oat milk and almond milk don’t contain animal-derived ingredients, but they aren’t officially certified as vegan. Elite Daily previously reached out to Starbucks regarding vegan items, and according to a Starbucks spokesperson, the company doesn’t certify any of its drinks as vegan due to a risk of cross-contamination and the way Starbucks stores operate.
If you’re OK with sipping on the espresso pick-me-ups without vegan certification, then you can partake in the non-dairy oat and almond milk drinks. You can also choose to swap out the classic Shaken Espresso’s 2% milk for a plant-based option if you’d like.
When heading to Starbucks to order a Shaken Espresso, remember to check the CDC guidelines for the most updated health rules.
