Sep
06
How Vegan is the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Everything is nice, except the milk that's in it.
Fall is quickly approaching. The leaves are falling, the air is starting to get cooler, kids are going back to school, and pumpkins come into season. And with that comes Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.
I’ve written about the latte in 2009 before in Fall ushers in some hidden dairy products, which has consistently been one of our most-read posts- particularly this time of year. So I thought I’d update it.
In 2009 the ingredients for the Pumpkin Spice Latte were as follows:
Sugar, condensed nonfat milk, sweet condensed nonfat milk, annatto (a colorant), natural and artificial flavors (which she couldn’t give me), and caramel coloring.
I called Starbucks customer service today and got the ingredients for the 2011 version of the beverage, which is:
Sugar, condensed nonfat milk, sweet condensed nonfat milk, anotta (a colorant), natural and artificial flavors (which she couldn’t give me), and caramel coloring. The customer service rep also gave me the basic spice flavor profile: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
So, the 2011 Pumpkin Spice Latte made with soymilk and no whip is not vegan.
I said it before but it bears repeating:
It is a valuable lesson in what I like to call, “veganomics”. Always check the ingredients, never assume, and don’t be afraid to express disappointment that the offerings aren’t vegan. The more we speak up on the issue of hidden animal products in our foods and beverages, the more people will hear. The more people that hear, the more people think. And the thinking leads to education, which finally leads to self morals and ethics. So in a round about way, telling Starbucks you love the Pumpkin Spice Latte – but won’t buy it because of it’s hidden dairy products – can lead to others discovery of animal cruelty.
So listen up Starbucks, vegans would like to drink your Pumpkin Spice Latte. Quit adding the crap like condensed milk and please start serving up some vegan lattes. You’ve made great strides already by offering up vegan fare. Let’s keep the momentum going and get a full menu that vegans and non-vegans can enjoy, and let’s leave the animals (alone) off of it.
PS Starbucks: Your customer service representative was super nice on the phone. I appreciate how she went the extra mile to help me get an ingredient list. Bravo! I only wish she had told me her name.
@Lolapineapple No, it isn’t.
The pumpkin spice latte is totally vegan if you order it with soy milk and no whip cream.
it’s that time of year again where i find my self mysteriously drawn to squash-flavored beverage offerings. grabbed a starbucks americano with pumpkin spice syrup while shopping at target today and had to wonder at the milky shade it turned. having gone dairy free just after thanksgiving last year it never occurred to me that the stuff might be lurking in a seemingly innocent syrup but the shade immediately brought to mind condensed milk. thanks for doing all the leg work into verifying this one for me!
Jackie, you’re not vegan are you? Please don’t tell vegans that “A little bit of non-fat milk isn’t going to kill you”. We all have our reasons for avoiding animal products in all forms and statements like that usually aren’t appreciated. I’m not vegan because I don’t want to eat dead animals, I’m boycotting anything that was produced at the cost of an animal’s freedom and welfare. Have you SEEN videos of milk factories? Not pretty. Just sayin’
A little bit of non-fat milk isn’t going to kill you, especially if you enjoy it. It’s not like they slaughtered the cow for milk. It’s like breast feeding your baby. I didn’t die when my son sucked milk from my tits.
Thanks for this, close call! I appreciate all the info on here, it is really helping me out as a start my newly vegan diet. :)
Thank you for the time you put into this and the update so I didn’t have to.
SO DISAPPOINTED!! I’ve been looking forward to this coffee all day hoping to get it this evening :( So lame.
Check out http://www.peasandthankyou.com She has a vegan pumpkin spice latte that I think is better than SB.
Also is there a way that Starbucks can offer something other than soy milk? Soy is not even the best of the choices for vegan milks..what about almond, or better yet coconut…hmmmm….now coconut milk I could start visiting Starbucks again for…
I read this earlier this week and was shocked! I assumed the drink was just made of syrups and milk, so subbing soy and leaving off the would make it vegan. (I wouldn’t drink it because of the sugar/calories, but still, c’mon SB!)Guess we know what happens when you ASS-U-ME…*sigh*
This is all interesting given an incident I had at Starbucks a couple months ago. I asked my barrista if a drink could be made vegan, and he replied, “Actually, nothing here is vegan. Sorry, a girl came in earlier asking what was vegan here and we had to tell her nothing is.” When I suggested that he didn’t know what vegan was, since there are actually many items (black coffee for starters) that are vegan, he insisted that he had “called corporate” and confirmed that Starbucks doesn’t have anything vegan at all. I was aghast by this response, since I’ve checked with Starbucks’ corporate offices myself several times to check the veganness of items and felt like there were several decent products to choose from. I wrote an e-mail to Starbucks to ask them to provide better training to their employees, and I received this very lame reply from “Melissa E” in Starbucks Customer Relations: “I do apologize, due to cross contamination we can not guarantee anything to be Vegan. I sincerely appreciate your comments and hope you will continue to enjoy Starbucks coffee.”
Net, I hope they develop more vegan options… but I think they still need some improvements to the way they are currently treating their vegan customers.
I bought about $100 worth of this stuff last year, foolishly assuming that because other syrups at Starbucks were vegan, the pumpkin spice one would be as well. This year, Starbucks and I both lose. Get better.
Thank you so much for posting this! I’m a new vegan who works for Starbucks and I’m always trying to compile a list for any Vegans who might be stopping by. I have similar problems about the time it takes to reach headquarters, but E-mail seems to be the best way. I actually JUST had this conversation with one of my co-workers and I’m glad you’re bringing attention to it! Thanks for keeping us updated with information on some of the most popular treats! Keep up the good work.
Indeed it is. Corrected. Thanks!
Thanks for the info.
Isn’t that “annatto” rather than “anota”?
Thankfully im an employee at Peets coffee and tea and am happy to report that our pumpkin spice latte is vegan.
Thanks for looking into this. Once again, something potentially delicious is ruined by milk. For no reason!!!
I emailed Starbucks about the pumpkin spice latte last week and this was the reply I got:
Hello Laura,
Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.
Unfortunately, the Pumpkin Spice Latte syrup is still not vegan at this time. I’m sorry for that inconvenience this year.
However, a complete vegan option is in the works at our company and in the near future will be available at Starbucks locations around the world.
There is more information about it on this link:
http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2008/07/01/nutritious-food-choices-including-vegan-options.aspx
I’m sorry again that the Pumpkin Spice syrup is still currently not vegan, but I hope that does not stop you from having other great experiences at our stores!
Sincerely,
Douglas U.
Customer Relations
Starbucks Coffee Company
So fingers crossed that there soon will be a vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Every year I wish the pumpkin spice latte were vegan… sigh.