• STARBUCKS VEGAN FRAPPUCCINOS!

    104
    April 19th, 2010quarrygirlLA restaurants, starbucks

    after years of offering popular ice blended beverages filled with dairy products, starbucks is finally adding soy-based vegan-friendly frappuccinos to their menu, and they are already available in los angeles.

    grande vegan mocha frappuccino from starbucks

    check out this email i got from a manager at starbucks:

    “you can now get soymilk based vegan versions of most frappuccinos at starbucks. It isn’t being nationally announced til may 5, but most LA starbucks had to swap over to the new way of making frappuccinos because our distribution center ran out of the old base.

    The old method to make them used a base that contained dairy, but the new way you basically add a thickening syrup to base of milk/ flavour syrups/ coffee depending on the drink, so as long as the drink is made with soy it’s vegan. The coffee and creme frappuccino bases are vegan, however, the light one is not— and all the other inclusions and toppings are vegan except for whip (duh) and caramel drizzle.

    If you go in a store and just ask whoever working if they’ve switched to the “new” way of making frappuccino or if you can have a soy frappuccino and the answer is yes, you’re good to go.”

    super excited about this news, i headed over to the starubucks on york blvd. in eagle rock, and sure enough they had the new vegan frappuccinos…

    i ordered a soy-based mocha frapp with no whip cream and was immediately transported to my pre-vegan coffee drinking days. i used to love frappuccinos, and this one was just as tasty as i remembered—it was rich, creamy, and packed with chocolatey flavor. i couldn’t be more happy that this huge national chain is adding more and more vegan options; first lucy’s cookies, and now soy-based frappucinos….what’s next, vegan pastries?! i sure hope so.

    head on over to your local starbucks and see if they have these new vegan frappuccinos. you won’t regret it!

    right now, i know the starbucks in eagle rock, the one at hollywood and western, and the santa monica/fairfax location all have these new soy frapp base. lemme know in the comments section where else you’ve seen it available!

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94 responses to “STARBUCKS VEGAN FRAPPUCCINOS!” RSS icon

  • I just called my local Starbucks in Hollywood, and sure enough they have the vegan frap. Leaving to get one right now.

  • Never had a frappucino but always wanted to try one….this is great news! Actually, it could turn out to be a really bad thing…

  • I can’t wait to try one! I’ll be sure to ask next time I’m at a Starbucks- thanks!

  • No freakin way! I bet it’s still a kagillion calories and full of sugar 🙁 But this is huge! A major chain like that making this option available! That means enough people asked for it and asking for what you want (more vegan options) really works 🙂

  • FINALLY!

  • This is awesome! However, I’m with Christy…would love to see the nutritional info for the new recipe 🙂

  • They have them at the Starbucks in the plaza with Veggie Grill on Sunset and Cresent Heights. =^_^=

  • Quarrygirl’s mission in life – To make me more fat …fuck. I used to love Frappucino’s in my pre-vegan days.

  • @Greg C – I HEAR YAH. Thanks to QG i discovered, daiya and gardein, then the QG pizza. I blame her for my additional 9 lbs.

  • I’ve spoken to many people who have worked at Starbucks who say the employees don’t rinse off the equipment between making non-vegan and vegan drinks so there’s definate cross-contamination. 🙁 Maybe if you ask nicely and watch them closely you’ll get a pure product. 😉

  • I work at Starbucks and we always wipe down or rinse equipment in between use. Same goes for the milk steamer.

  • stoked!

    also, i’ve never seen a coffee shop – period – not steam and wipe down their steamers between use, not clean blenders between use, and now all have separate stainless steel for soy vs. dairy – if you’re coffee shop isn’t doing this stuff, find a new shop!

    🙂

  • My Starbucks has a separate blender container for soymilk (it’s pink), so there’s no cross-contamination. And I love the new fraps! It’s been five years since I’ve had one. The girl at my SBs even gave me my first one free. 🙂

  • Damnit, more yumminess to make me fat. I’m happy yet dreading this option at the same time.

  • A note: I worked at Starbucks a few years ago, and i’m almost POSITIVE the mocha syrup they use to make the frappachinos has dairy in it.

  • I currently work at Starbucks and the mocha syrup is vegan. The caramel syrup is not vegan though, nor is the white mocha.

  • so so so much happy. question- is it just the caramel drizzle that goes on top that isn’t vegan? what about the syrup used to make a caramel frapp (caramel frapps were my daily breakfast in high school. ahh, I miss my insanely high metabolism)

  • This has to be one of the four signs of the apocalypse…

  • This is very exciting news! I was in a Starbucks a couple weeks ago and they had 2 Moms in the Raw granola bars! I was WAY more excited about that than about the Lucy’s cookies. Sadly, they were $3.95 each, so I didn’t buy any, but I thought it was awesome, nonetheless.

  • Yay! I love Starbucks even more.

  • oooh I wonder if UK Starbucks will be doing this!

  • Jynx (Vegan in Dairyland) April 19th, 2010 at 10:17

    Whoot! Thrilled beyond words!

  • I am a fan of Peet’s, and few weeks ago they told me their frappucino is vegan if you order it with soy.

    I also get real espresso instead of whatever they’d normally use…called a ‘booster’ or something.

    Anyway, good to know this is at Starbucks, too! Thanks QG!

  • Bone char sugar

  • This is such great news, thank you for posting!

  • Fuck Starbucks. I’d prefer to support my neighborhood coffee shop. That said, it’s good to see that we’re creating enough of a demand that the large corporate chains are catching on.

  • I think more vegan options everywhere is a good thing, so it’s cool to see they’re doing this.

  • Awesomeness! I have been begrudgingly drinking iced soy latte’s for the last several years – cannot WAIT to try a frap. It’s been so long 🙂

  • Gnaaahhh!! Neeed in Europe/Germany!

  • Peet’s ice blended drinks SUCK! Go to Starbucks.

  • That would be cool if Starbucks was the first major coffee joint to go fully vegan. And even one step further – make it a legal place to sell and smoke m.j…

    It could happen. The younger crowd would go for it. Could u imagine cafe’s becoming the new bars. A lot less belligerent drunks in the world.

  • YES!

  • STFU!!!!

  • Are they substituting for vegan chocolate in their powder? If not, that eliminates most of the drinks. Sounds too good to be true… I would like to see them publish the ingredients on their website.

  • I am vegan and work at Starbucks and just wanted to clarify:
    Today, April 19th, was the soft-launch, so not all stores will have it yet. We have the opportunity to use up the rest of the previous product, but just ask and they will let you know if they are using the new method. May 4th is the official launch date and everyone in the U.S. will be switched over to the new method by then.

    The e-mail you received did not completely clarify what is vegan/non-vegan for the inclusions:
    Like the other comments said:
    There is a new SOY blender pitcher and it is pink and used only for soy milk, the barista should be using it to make your drink, but it never hurts to ask.

    White Mocha and Carmel SAUCE are not vegan (the caramel SYRUP is vegan, just make sure to request, no caramel SAUCE on your soy, no whip, caramel frap)
    I am fairly certain that the Java Chips are not vegan, I believe they have non-fat milk powder in them. I will double check at work tonight, and if something has changed I will re-post on here.

    As the e-mail from the store manager said the regular frap base and the creme base are vegan, but not the light base. Also, the regular frap base and creme base are gluten free (but not the light base)! I am not sure about all the inclusions but if you are a gluten-intolerate vegan you can also enjoy a coffee or mocha frap!

    So whether you like Starbucks or not, you have to be excited that they are taking a step in the right direction! So besides what I listed above, go give the new beverages a try, and customize to your hearts content!

  • Awesome! So glad! I’m going to call up my local starbucks to ask them if they have it!!! Did PETA request this??

  • sweet and sweet

  • Starbucks is very pro-Israel. Every time you patronize Starbucks, you are contributing to the oppression and murder of Palestinean children, women, and men. Do your own research.
    http://archives.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=78731&d=4&m=8&y=2006

  • YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @ C. SPARKS
    Israel is actually all about peace… take your bias arab news link somewhere else.. this is a group of educated people who care about the world so much they alter their diet and lifestyle for it.. we aren’t ignorant idiots who believe anything you tell us..

    on another note: im glad starbucks is catching on with the snacks and now the fraps, although i dont particularly like starbucks, i might have to go now and try one.

  • Oh no. If they come to NYC, I’m going to end up spending waaay too much on coffee this summer. I can already see it coming.

  • My weakness is pastries, I love to have a latte with a pastry. So I hope they start offering vegan brownies and vegan cake slices soon also.

    A latte by itself or a pastry by itself is not so amazing. However when you combine them, you really have an awesome snack. (Yes I have thought about this way too much–I am constantly planning the perfect vegan snacks for myself.)

    Last couple times I wandered into Starbucks for coffee, I smuggled in vegan cupcakes from Meet Market and that place on Magnolia in Burbank. Hehe.

  • Amazing news! Thanks for the heads up, quarrygirl 🙂

  • Does anyone know if the sugar they use is vegan? (Suddenly can not stand the thought of consuming any bone char sugar, after years of not paying much attention) Also, is Brita water filter vegan? Manwich sloppy Joe sauce sugar? sweet chili dipping sauce suger(imported from Thailand) Anybody know?
    So awesome. After a lifetime of dairy allergies, I will be trying my first frap soon<3

  • Samantha Ashley April 19th, 2010 at 17:47

    i work at the Starbucks on eagle rock and york.
    thanks for the plug!
    its pretty awesome that our company is developing new options for customers.
    the soy frappucinos are just as good as the regular ones.
    but our store hasnt seen a high demand in the soy option.
    im pretty sure its because not a lot of people know about it yet.
    so start telling your friends about the new frappucinos!

  • I work at Starbucks and we use a separate “soy” blender pitcher and lid so no cross contamination occurs. And they taste AWESOME.

  • Ahhhhhh! This needs to come to australia!!

  • That’s kinda cool! So are any of the non-coffee flavors of fraps able to be veganized? Like the chocolate, vanilla creme, strawberry creme, or green tea? I assume the chai isn’t if they are using the usual chai mix with honey.

  • Oh my freakin goodness!!! I was shocked and excited to read this! I don’t drink coffee but the fact of knowing that Starbucks is having vegan fraps makes me all excited! I must tell my Starbucks loving friends and if the strawberry creme happens to be vegan than I might just get me one ;P

  • I will only go and get this because I get free Starbucks off of an endless supply of giftcards from my dad’s work. Why would I NOT use them and let them keep their 25 dollars without ever giving me coffee?

    Other than that, my REAL American dollars go to a local barista.

  • Hopefully my barista will start making something similar though.

  • I worked at starbucks while I was in college and the mocha syrup is vegan, we made it in the store and used water

  • must say, i tried the mocha frapp today as a break between study sessions.. AWESOME. totally undid the hard work i did in ballet/yoga this morning, but oh well.

  • looks tasty (:
    I must try… Lol

  • I am so excited because they actually switched to the new recipe here in Washington, D.C. @Union Station!

    Thank you so much for the head’s up.

    The chocolate syrup is also vegan? WoW!

  • I have a dairy allergy…will this new method be safe for that? I’m very concerned about cross-contam, since I can’t have the equipment used if it’s just wiped/rinsed off. We tried that at a friend’s house and I had a big reaction. I want to try these, because ti’s been several years, but I’m quite nervous!

  • Too bad for those of us that have soy allergies…couldn’t they do one with almond or rice milk, etc?

  • i don’t drink coffee, but i think i’ll have to go get one of these just because.

  • I just got 2 soy caramel frappuccinos at the Starbucks on Mariposa/Sepulveda in El Segundo!! YES!! Waiting for my soy Berkeley pizzas from Z Pizza. Am squealing like a freak in the car. Thanks for the heads up!!!

  • ahh, if only we didn’t lose all our starbucks!

  • MeAt iS MuRdEr!!!!!! April 20th, 2010 at 22:37

    “this is a group of educated people who care about the world so much they alter their diet and lifestyle for it.. we aren’t ignorant idiots”

    this is what i read:
    “i care about our world and the ecosystem so much that… i’m eating THESE cookies instead of THOSE cookies.”

    you people are all so full of shit/yourselves. getting so worked up over some fucking cookies. AMAZING NEWS!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!! you thought you’d “never see the day” that some “corporate mofos” decided to follow a popular trend in an effort to make money? you really never thought that would happen?

  • I can’t wait to try it out and hope they already have it on the east cost!

  • Vegans are all abuzz about this; you’d think Starbucks would do a better job of labeling their vegan products in store so that it’s not a secret.

  • “I have a dairy allergy…will this new method be safe for that? I’m very concerned about cross-contam, since I can’t have the equipment used if it’s just wiped/rinsed off. We tried that at a friend’s house and I had a big reaction. I want to try these, because ti’s been several years, but I’m quite nervous!”

    i’m (another) vegan starbucks barista, and i know that i would have no problem running back to the back room and sticking the pitcher and lid in sanitizer water for a minute or two, especially if i knew you had a severe allergy and cross-contamination could result in a bad reaction. honestly, the less incident reports i have to file in my life, the better 🙂 it may make your wait time a little longer, but i’m sure anyone would be willing to do the same if you asked nicely.

    also, to the question about the creme-based drinks…
    strawberry sauce is vegan, and they’re actually going to be highlighting the soy strawberries and creme once the promo actually kicks in. matcha and vanilla bean powder are vegan, so green tea and vanilla bean frappuccinos are cool. chai concentrate has honey, and the java chips do have dairy, so chai and double chocolate chip frappuccinos are out.

    but really, there so much customization to play around with here that you could pretty much build any drink! i had my first one last week and i’m kind of in love.

    i doubt vegan pastries are coming anytime real soon, but we do have dried fruit, those delish lucy’s cookies, and the “food should taste good” chips. and that’s quite enough for my summer waistline 🙂

  • This is awesome! I’ll have to buy one of these to support the mainstream vegan cause.

  • I went to my local Pasadena Starbucks and asked for a vegan one of these, and they didn’t have it yet. The guys behind the counter didn’t even know it was available at other Starbucks locations in Los Angeles. They offered to make other vegan coffee drinks and were really nice about the whole thing in general, but I hope they have it available next time I walk in.

  • does anyone know the nutrition label on this new Frapachino with soy?

  • Just took a break and went to Starbucks down the street. Soy coffee frapp, and I even saw the pretty pink blender. My diet is officially ruined. 🙂

  • Just an fyi on the other non-vegan stuff that isn’t obvious…
    The chai latte has honey, not all the syrups are vegan, usaully the seasonal ones aren’t like pumpkin spice.

  • YESSSSSS. Seriously, I lived on coffee frappachinos back in the day.

  • sydney alexander April 23rd, 2010 at 19:39

    so, THIS is why they have ruined my favorite drink, to please all the vegans out there!!!??? REALLY, not all of us wanna drink the crap that you all drink, when we go get a frappuccino, I know its not really healthy, its not SUPPOSED to be! The new drink SUCKS, maybe it tastes good to you vegans b/c you all eat shit that tastes nasty anyway! I have always been someone who supports ppl if they wanna choose something for THEMSELVES, thats great, but now you have fucked up something I LOVE and have for years, I just cant believe it, I dont tell you all what to drink, and because you couldnt drink it the way it was they changed it for the very small % of ppl like you all? ARE YOU KIDDING ME! WELL, you can all have starbucks now, cuz the OTHER 95% of ppl will no longer go there, all u gotta do is look on the web, NO ONE LIKES THE NEW DRINK—NO ONE! There are thousands of facebook sites dedicated to the hatred of how they have treated their LOYAL customers, and we are all gonna go to mcd’s and get their crappy frappe, that is until you all fuck that up too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • get the fuck off a vegan website you dumb ass and go suck a cow

  • andddddd PS im very excited

  • Sydney, there are quite a huge number of people with dairy allergies. Just so you know.

  • sydney alexander = 14 years of age

  • Haha, some people get SO testy when you come between them and their coffee. Hilarious.

  • Hey Sydney, you can still get a frap cow pus laden if you want. GTFO.

  • Oh hell no, bitch! FIRST OFF, none of us even asked for them to change it, they just fucking did it so go bitch at them and not us! I guess you weren’t their best customer, cuz they didn’t give a fuck about your opinion!

    Second off, it’s not your RIGHT to use and ABUSE animals. If you think that’s a right, then it’s my right to fucking abuse YOU with a VENTI frappuchino! It’ll go right up your ass, bitch!

    Now don’t you dare come on this website and start talking shit about vegans, Starbucks or anyone else! Or else I’ll hunt you down and bitch-slap you!

  • Oh Sydney, you’re so adorable.

    Can we be besties now? Please?

    All I ask in return is a soy green tea Frappucino.

  • I’d really be surprised if Starbucks’s goal was to cater to vegans in the first place. I’m sure it was a cost-cutting measure, and/or a continued response to make their products less calorie ridden. Dairy prices are on the rise I believe (correct me if I’m wrong) and Vegans are <1% of the population, so any argument that says that Starbucks changed anything for that niche is just fails. Bottom line is that dairy prices are climbing, soy is one of the largest subsidized crops in the country, people want to consume less calories, it is a popular belief that Vegans in general are skinnier than omnivores, so it just makes good business sense that Starbucks would do this. Besides, if you omni's were buying more frappuccinos, Starbucks wouldn't have thought about doing this =)

  • The new coffee light base for the frappuccinos is NOT vegan. It contains natural flavors derived from milk. The regular base also has natural flavors but doesn’t say contains milk on the bottle like the light base does. So you may wanna contact that company on the legitness of it. The cream base interestingly enough looks to be vegan and contains no natural flavors, only artificial. Needless to say these drinks are still quite unhealthy.

    Just though you’d like to know.

  • This guy is an idiot. The only reason a giant company like starbucks would make a change like this is to save money. The same reason dairy giant cargil is trying to make cheese with synthetic dairy, to save money. Blaming us vegans is ridiculous. What a fool.

  • Another vegan Starbucks barista… I knew it was trouble when I heard about these. I’m going to be making myself soy caramel frappuccinos allllll summer long.

    To clarify, once again:
    Vegan–Coffee base, Creme base, Mocha, vanilla bean powder, matcha (green tea) powder, all of our syrups
    Not Vegan–Light base, chocolate chips, white mocha, and the majority of our seasonal flavors we get since they are *sauces* (like pumpkin spice, caramel brulee, etc.)

    Some stores have started a “soft launch” of the new frapps because they are out of the old materials. Just ask your store if they have begun the new fraps yet. If they have, I’m sure they will be happy to make you a soy frap. Also, they should be making it in the pretty pink blender pitcher that proudly proclaims “SOY.” I haven’t tried any of the other flavors yet, because my store (in St. Paul, MN) hasn’t started them yet. We still have a bunch of the old materials… But I’ve heard that the Soy Strawberries and Creme (which will be a feature drink) and Soy Dark Cherry Mocha fraps are great.

    Also, one more thing. If you, like me, would love to see vegan pastries at Starbucks, go on the My Starbucks Idea web site. You can visit it here: http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/

  • All the baristas who have posted here about the ingredients in the various drinks, thanks for explaining what is vegan and what isn’t. Very helpful.

  • Just to let Valley people know — the drive-thru Starbucks on Saticoy in Van Nuys (the one near the Ralphs and Rite Aid) is serving the soy-based creme! It was heavenly to taste the strawberries and creme. Yummay.

    I didn’t realize that the chocolate syrup for the mochas was vegan — I’ve asked for mocha lattes before, and they’ve told me that the syrup had dairy. Glad to know that it doesn’t!

    Thanks so much for the info, everyone. (:

  • I just had a vegan frapp over the weekend! It was so good, I even blogged about it. So glad there is another option for the vegans out there. 🙂

  • Okay, some of you people are getting too crazy here. This is sooo much misinformation. Starbucks did not change anything because of vegans or any specific group. They did try to make it a healthier OPTION to people. You can get it with any type of milk- cream, whole, 2%,nonfat, soy. Starbucks wanted to give more options as well make them fresh and customizable. The old stuff was sugar and milk in cartons added to a powdered coffee and sat for days. I’m sure many still like the old stuff better and for good reason. Starbucks has used the same recipes for over 10 years!!! This will be a flavor adjustment for everyone. In the end it will be fresher and healthier. Other misconception- frappuccinos are terribly unhealthy. Not so much, the unhealthy part is mostly the whipped cream. For example, the old javachip frap (tall) was only about 250 calories with no whip. The new one is closer to 200 and if you customize it with 2% or nonfat (not even the light version you are looking at even less!!!) They were never THAT bad and now they are even better. It really bothers me when people make assumption without really checking in to it. The only thing not vegan in fraps is the light base, java chips, and chai. Starbucks did not do this to be vegan but to offer customers sooooo many diff options for their fraps. I admit there may be an adjustment period. I mean if you drink the same thing everyday for 10 years you are gonna notice a change whether you like it for the better or not. If you have a question ask it but don’t assume and get all bent out of shape over nothing

  • The one on Wilson & Glendale Ave in Glendale, CA has it! I called the one on Burchett near Pacific and they said May 3rd. Anyway, got one yesterday and MMMMMM. So good!

  • today in NYC, my soy frapp was blended in a “dairy” labeled blender… my pics and review: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/05/starbucks-soy-frapp-however-you-want-it.html

  • i was soooo excited to read about the frap base change. i went down to starbucks the next day. i really wanted a frap, its been 7yrs, and i wanted to how my support for their choice. when i double checked with the barista he happily went in the back in a checked. as i was waiting the manager came up to me and asked me was i was talking about. i told her that i read online about the frap base change. she had no idea what i was talking about. i told her that i new it had started in california so i was wondering when she thought it might get here (canton, ct.) she pulled her face and said ” yeah thats because they ask for all kinds of weird things out there.”she didnt know i am from california 🙂 the biggest joke… when i left i walked past the sign advertising the new frap.
    i emailed starbucks and there response was to ask the manager at my local store. hahaha… i did and she was clueless. so just a warning… dont trust the advertisements!

  • Just wanted to know if the double chocolate chip is veagan? If not, can the make it vegan? Thanks!

  • Was so excited to hear about the vegan fraps I ran down to the closest starbucks on Olympic and Doheny only to find that the barista had no idea what I was talking about. She gave me a puzzled look and told me there was no such thing. When I asked if it was available at another location nearby she insisted,”No, Starbucks doesn’t make any vegan frappucinos, at all” when I told her about the changes I heard they had made she insisted they “haven’t changed any of the ingredients” Is she completely oblivious or have we been duped?
    Oh well…
    Anyone know of any Starbucks on the Westside/Bev Hills/Cen City/Westwood that certifiably serves a vegan frap??

  • I hate soy milk but I don’t do regular dairy. I wonder if I made a special request with the manager, would they be able to order a coconut milk beverage or almond milk dairy alternative? Hmmm… I think Starbucks locations in LA would benefit from having a variety of dairy alternatives.

  • If only this could exist in the OC area as well… 🙁


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