Starbucks vs. Dunkin’: Which is Better for Vegans?

It’s an epic, long-running rivalry between two of America’s favorite coffee chains – and you know them both well. Each popular morning-stop shop serves up fast service, baked goods, on-the-go meals, and of course that much-needed cup of joe. Maybe you feel strongly about whose coffee is better, or maybe your loyalty has something to do with what part of the country you grew up in; but when it comes down to it, you’re either a Starbucks person or a Dunkin’ person. 

Dunkin’ Donuts is particularly a fan favorite throughout New England – the first shop opened in Massachusetts, after all. With over 50 varieties of donuts and its signature flavored coffee drinks, Dunkin’ has gained popularity across the nation (touting big endorsements from celeb Dunkin’-lovers like Charli D’Amelio and Ben Affleck). Starbucks, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to need endorsing – this Seattle-born cafe quickly became a household name, and you can pretty much find a store on every corner these days. It’s known not just for being convenient and accessible, but also for its high-quality roasted coffee and endless array of menu options.

The rivalry is strong, but we’re here to settle the score on one specific point: which is better for vegans, Starbucks or Dunkin’? Does one offer more vegan-friendly options, better milk alternatives, or easier-to-modify menu items? If you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just dying to know the answer…here’s the ultimate verdict – along with a complete, exhaustive list of all the vegan options available at each chain.

Starbucks vs. Dunkin’: vegan food options

Let’s start with the food category. Dunkin’ is obviously known for its many types of donuts, including the famous MUNCHKINS®, and Starbucks has its own slew of signature pastries and sweets, from scones to cake pops. We’ll break the bad news to you first: none of the donuts, pastries, or sweet baked goods are vegan-friendly at either chain. 

That said, both stores do offer up a variety of breakfast, lunch, and snack foods that make great options for vegans. Bagels, oatmeal, and avocado spread are among the list at both chains, but as far as overall vegan food options, Starbucks has Dunkin’ beat with more choices on the menu – specifically when it comes to packaged snacks that they carry in-store. So when it comes to vegan food items, Starbucks wins.

Here are all the vegan food options available at each chain, based on the current 2023 menus.

STARBUCKS	DUNKIN’
Vegan Breakfast Items	Vegan Breakfast Items
Bagels [Plain, Sprouted Grain, Everything, Cinnamon Raisin] Rolled & Steel Cut Oatmeal [Classic, Hearty Blueberry] Strawberry Overnight Grains	Bagels [Cinnamon Raisin, Plain, Sesame, Everything, Multigrain] English Muffin Oatmeal*
Vegan Lunch Items	Vegan Lunch Items
Avocado Spread
Vegan Snacks	Vegan Snacks
That’s It Fruit Bars Hippeas White Cheddar Chickpea Puffs Kettle Potato Chips Starbucks Potato Chips Pop! Sunflower Oil & Sea Salt Popcorn Peter Rabbit Organic Fruit Pouches Squirrel Brand Mixed Nuts Justin’s Nut Butters Justin’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups	Hash Browns Avocado Toast* Avocado Spread

Starbucks vs. Dunkin: vegan drink options

And now, the big one: drinks. Whether you’re a coffee person, a tea person, or a specialty-drink person, both Starbucks and Dunkin’ offer plenty of options that are vegan when ordered as is, with no modifications necessary. Brewed coffee, espresso, americano, cold brew, iced tea, and fruit drinks are all fair game at both chains. 

More good news – both stores have select specialty drinks on the menu that happen to be vegan-friendly as crafted. Think sweetened, flavored latte creations and refreshing signature drinks like Starbucks Refreshers™ and Dunkin’ Coolatta® (we know what you’re thinking, but unfortunately neither chain’s seasonal pumpkin coffees are vegan). Still, there are some fun options to choose from at both stores that don’t require swaps and substitutions to make them vegan-friendly.

While both coffee shops naturally have a plethora of drinks available, when all is said and done Starbucks simply has more drinks on the menu, and more of those options are specifically vegan. Starbucks wins again.

Here’s a definitive list of hot, cold, and specialty drinks that you’ll regularly find on each chain’s menu, all of which are vegan when ordered as is.

STARBUCKS	DUNKIN’
Vegan Hot Drinks	Vegan Hot Drinks
Brewed Coffee [Veranda, Featured Blonde Roast, Medium-Roast Pike Place, Decaf Pike Place, Featured Dark Roast, Sumatra]	Hot Coffee Blends [Original Blend, Dark Roast (Dunkin’ Midnight), Dunkin’ Decaf]
Caffè Americano	Americano
Espresso	Espresso
Chai Tea	Hot Tea [Bold Breakfast Black Tea, Chamomile Fields Herbal Infusion, Cool Mint Herbal Infusion, Harmony Leaf Green Tea, Hibiscus Kiss Herbal Infusion, Decaf Breakfast Black Tea]
Black Tea [Earl Grey, Royal English Breakfast]
Green Tea [Emperor’s Clouds & Mist]
Herbal Tea [Mint Majesty, Peach Tranquility]
Steamed Apple Juice
Vegan Cold Drinks	Vegan Cold Drinks
Iced Coffee	Iced Coffee
Cold Brew + Nitro Cold Brew	Cold Brew
Iced Caffè Americano	Iced Americano
Iced Espresso	Iced Tea [Black Tea, Green Tea, Blueberry Flavored, Raspberry Flavored]
Lemonade
Iced Black Tea [Black Tea, Black Tea Lemonade]
Iced Green Tea [Green Tea, Green Tea Lemonade, Peach Green Tea, Peach Green Tea Lemonade, Matcha Lemonade]
Iced Herbal Tea [Passion Tango, Passion Tango Lemonade]
Vegan Specialty Drinks	Vegan Specialty Drinks
Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte* (Hot or Iced)	Mocha Swirl (Hot or Iced)
Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Frappuccino* [Order with no whipped cream]	Vanilla Almondmilk Latte* (Hot or Iced)
Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Creme Frappuccino*  [Order with no whipped cream]	Almondmilk Iced Matcha Latte
Oleato Caffe Latte with Oatmilk*	Coolatta® [Strawberry, Blue Raspberry]
Blended Strawberry Lemonade	Dunkin’ Energy Punch* [Strawberry, Blue Raspberry]
Starbucks Refreshers™ [Dragon Drink, Mango Dragonfruit, Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade, Paradise Drink, Strawberry Acai, Strawberry Acai Lemonade, Pineapple Passionfruit, Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade, Pink Drink]	Dunkin’ Refreshers [Mango Pineapple*, Peach Passionfruit, Peach Passionfruit Lemonade, Strawberry Dragonfruit, Strawberry Dragonfruit Lemonade]
Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso
Iced Hazelnut Oatmilk Shaken Espresso*

Starbucks vs. Dunkin’: vegan modifications

It’s time for the slightly complicated part, but also the fun part! The beauty of coffee chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’, which offer so many choices and modifications, is that you’re usually able to customize any drink any which way, mixing and matching ingredients to your liking and creating the perfect drink that’s crafted specifically to your dietary needs and personal preferences. 

For vegans, one of the major obstacles at either store is that so many drinks are made with dairy, be it cow’s milk, sweet cream, cold foam, or whipped cream. So modifications usually start by swapping out that dairy for a non-dairy alternative. Luckily, it’s very easy to do this at both chains, and for many menu items – things like unflavored lattes, mochas and cappuccinos – it’s the only step needed to make the drink fully vegan. Starbucks can even do an oat milk cold foam to replace the dairy cold foam on cold brews.

When it comes to alternative milks, Starbucks offers four non-dairy choices while Dunkin’ offers two:

Starbucks

• Soy milk
• Coconut milk
• Almond milk 
• Oat milk

Dunkin’

• Almond milk 
• Oat milk

The next layer in drink modification involves the more complicated orders: specialty or flavored drinks that contain various syrups, sauces, add-ins, or toppings. These orders require more knowledge about what ingredients they’re made with and which options are safe to swap in – but both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have plenty of sweeteners and flavors that act as vegan-friendly substitutes. It’s just important to be aware of the small nuances between what’s vegan and what’s not (like how Starbucks caramel caramel syrup is vegan while their caramel sauce is not, and how Dunkin’ flavor shots are vegan while their flavor swirls are not).

Again, Starbucks takes the lead in this category with more flavored syrups, sweeteners, and add-ins available to customize your drinks into vegan creations.

Here’s a cheat sheet of all of the vegan-friendly syrups, sweeteners, and add-ins at both Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts, so you can customize any drink to be vegan.

STARBUCKS	DUNKIN’
Vegan Syrups	Vegan Flavor Shots
Almond Vanilla (Regular + Sugar-Free) Brown Sugar Caramel (Regular + Sugar-Free) Cinnamon Dolce Hazelnut Peppermint Raspberry Sugar Cookie* Toasted Vanilla Toffee Nut Gingerbread* Macadamia Mocha Peach Coffee Frappuccino Crème Frappuccino	Vanilla Caramel  Caramel Chocolate* Chai Tea Hazelnut Toasted Almond Blueberry Raspberry Coconut Brown Sugar Cookie* Brown Sugar Cinnamon*
Vegan Sauces	Vegan Flavor Swirls
Mocha Sauce Strawberry Purée Sauce	Mocha Swirl
Vegan Bases, Add-Ins, or Toppings	Vegan Bases, Add-Ins, or Toppings
Vanilla Powder Chocolate Malt Powder Matcha Tea Blend Cocoa Powder Caramel Sugar Cookie Crumble Freeze-Dried Fruit Praline Pieces*	Matcha Blend Chai Base Cocoa Caramel Sprinkles
Vegan Sweeteners	Vegan Sweeteners
Sugar Sugar In The Raw Splenda Stevia In The Raw Classic Syrup Liquid Cane Sugar	Sugar Splenda Liquid Cane Sugar

Starbucks vs. Dunkin’: The ultimate verdict

If you’ve made it this far, you know now that it’s basically a complete shut-out: Starbucks is the better option for vegans. While both chains offer many vegan-friendly choices and ways to customize their menu items with additional vegan ingredients and flavors, Starbucks simply has a more extensive menu overall – and when compared to Dunkin’, more of the items that they offer are vegan.

If you’re vegan, you can enjoy a variety of food and snacks at Starbucks, from bagels and overnight oats to protein boxes and popcorn. And aside from the usual vegan-safe black coffees, teas, and fruit drinks, you can also order many of Starbucks’ specialty drinks that are vegan-friendly as crafted, like the popular Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso or the seasonal Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte. 

But what really seals the deal is the list of vegan-friendly milk alternatives, flavors, sweeteners, and syrups that Starbucks offers, and the sheer amount of customization options that these ingredients allow for. You may have to do a little homework to determine your options as a vegan, but you’ll find that they are many; and that means that at Starbucks, you can swap, modify, add, and customize to your heart’s content – transforming virtually any menu item into a vegan delight.

Links on this page may be affiliate links, for which the site earns a small commission, but the price for you is the same