The Best (and Worst) Coffee Chains for Vegans, Ranked
More coffee and bagel chains than ever are adding vegan milk and plant-based menu items—but a few are behind. PETA graded dozens of popular U.S. chains from A+ to F based on vegan milk availability, upcharges, and food options. Did your favorite coffee shop earn a passing grade?
Why Does It Matter If Coffee Shops Offer Vegan Milk?
Just like humans, cows only produce milk to feed their babies. On dairy farms, cows are repeatedly forcibly impregnated by workers. Workers tear newborn calves from their mothers shortly after birth so that humans can consume their milk instead. Some mother cows call for their calves for days after being traumatically separated.
Grade A+
These coffee shops are rated A for awesome. Not only do they not charge extra for choosing compassionate vegan milk, but in many instances, it’s the default milk. They also offer delicious vegan food options, so they’re a one-stop shop for the perfect coffee and breakfast run.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters
This specialty coffee chain, which has expanded from Portland, Oregon (aka “Stumptown”) to cities across the U.S., offers oat milk as the default option in all its milk-based drinks. Almond and soy milk options are also available at no extra cost. In winter months, you can enjoy a creamy, vegan-by-default eggnog. Stumptown Coffee Roasters also partners with local bakeries in each city to offer a variety of sweet and savory vegan pastries that vary based on location.
Blue Bottle Coffee
Blue Bottle offers rich and creamy oat milk as its default milk for all coffee beverages, at no additional charge, which fits its mission to provide delicious, sustainable menu options. Blue Bottle offers many vegan menu items, such as avocado or almond butter toast, various baked goods, protein bars, and many drink options. Check the website for seasonal vegan food options, and be sure to ask which items are vegan, as dishes can vary from store to store.
Grade A
These coffee shops offer cow-free milks with no upcharge and have solid vegan food options.
Caribou Coffee
As of January 2026, Caribou Coffee now offers oat, almond, and other dairy-free milks at no extra charge. The cow-friendly move follows Caribou’s 2023 decision to drop the vegan milk charge for rewards members who pre-ordered on the app—but following talks with PETA, vegan milk is now available with no extra fee.
In addition to making animal- and planet-friendly vegan milks more accessible, the popular Midwest chain—which has 800 locations in 11 countries— also serves a delicious breakfast sandwich, available all day. It’s made with a fluffy JUST Egg patty, roasted tomatoes, vegan pesto cream cheese spread, and smoked dairy-free provolone cheese on a folded flatbread. You can also order plain or everything bagels, and almond milk overnight oats.
Gregory’s Coffee
At Gregory’s Coffee, oat or almond milk is available at no extra charge and drinks such as the Fall Oat Boy and Hall and Oats are ready-to-order vegan. The East Coast chain gets it right with its food options, including a vegan breakfast sandwich. The Vegan Deluxe comes on a flaky chia seed croissant with Beyond Breakfast Sausage, vegan egg, and Daiya cheddar. And the vegan options don’t stop there—the chain also serves several other animal-friendly bites, including a Vegan Burrito, Spicy Avo toast, a brownie, and other pastries. We’re obsessed with these offerings!
Peet’s Coffee
Peet’s has long offered various vegan milk options—including oat, almond, soy, and coconut—available at no extra charge, thanks to PETA. This U.S. chain also offers its Everything Plant-Based Sandwich nationwide—a move PETA recommended. The breakfast sandwich features a plant-based egg, a seasoned Beyond Meat sausage patty, and a slice of Violife cheddar cheese on a thin “everything” bagel. The chain also serves a variety of vegan pastries, which are marked and vary by location.
Philz Coffee
Philz Coffee began as a Bay Area coffee chain but has since expanded to locations in multiple states. We love Philz for offering soy, oat, and almond milk at no additional charge, and its vegan Horchata cold brew oat latte is delicious. Vegan food options vary by location but include the Everything Plant-Based Sandwich, which features a Beyond Meat breakfast sausage patty with an egg-free egg and dairy-free cheese on an English muffin. Some Philz locations serve vegan baked goods, and you can also order bagels with hummus or avocado, oatmeal, trail mix, and vegan doughnuts. Check with your local shop to see what’s available.
Pret A Manger
This international coffee chain offers non-dairy milks, including almond and oat milk, in espresso drinks at no additional charge. Even better, oat milk is the default milk on the matcha menu. It has plenty of tasty vegan eats such as the Falafel & Hummus Wrap, Crunchy Miso Mushroom Wrap, Rainbow Veggie Sandwich, oat milk porridge, and hummus protein box. New seasonal vegan items are added regularly, including coconut bites and a pumpkin spice latte with real pumpkin purée. (Be sure to request vegan preparation.)
Starbucks
You can find a Starbucks pretty much anywhere these days. Thanks to a massively successful PETA campaign, the chain dropped its upcharge for vegan milk, so enjoy soy, almond, coconut, or Oatly oat milk at no extra charge. The coffee chain also offers a vegan falafel pocket, bagels, avocado spread, oatmeal, fruit salad, and packaged snacks.
Grade B
B-rated coffee chains either don’t charge for vegan milk but have limited food options, or still charge for vegan milk but have loads of delicious, animal-free foods.
Dunkin’
Vegan food options on this international doughnut chain’s menu include bagels (cinnamon raisin, everything, plain, and sesame), hash browns, an English muffin, and oatmeal (available at participating locations).
The Human Bean
The Human Bean coffee chain offers a variety of vegan milk options, including soy, almond, coconut, oat, and macadamia, at no additional charge. It doesn’t serve much food but does have small-bite items available, including bagels and vegan baked goods at some locations.
Intelligentsia
This U.S. coffee chain offers almond and oat milk at no extra charge and a vegan-as-is iced oat vanilla latte. Intelligentsia offers oatmeal, Nemi cactus sticks, peanut or almond butter dates, and some vegan pastries.
Noah’s New York Bagels
This California bagel chain offers a choice of almond or soy milk at no additional cost. Many of the bagels are vegan, but with no vegan cream cheese, you’ll have to top it with either hummus or peanut butter.
Panera
Panera offers oat and almond milk for a fee, and its vegan food menu is decent with a few modifications. Options include the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich (order without cheese and choose vegan bread), Mediterranean Greens and Grains Bowl (no cheese), Greek Salad (no feta), and Strawberry Poppyseed Salad (seasonal). You can also grab avocado toast, oatmeal, bagels, bread, chips, fruit cups, or apples. Smoothies vary—some are vegan, but double-check ingredients before ordering. Panera doesn’t currently offer vegan pastries or desserts.
Tim Hortons
This Canadian-founded chain stopped charging extra for oat, almond, and soy milks after hearing from PETA. The coffee chain also features a vegan drink on the menu, a vanilla almond iced coffee. The vegan food options are a little sparse but include avocado toast, bagels, or bread served with avocado spread or tomato jam.
Grade C+
These coffee chains are still good for vegans, but they’re far from the best. If all you want is a delicious vegan drink, these coffee chains are worth going to. Unfortunately, they have no animal-free food options, so make sure you can grab a snack elsewhere.
Dutch Bros Coffee
After PETA urged the top brass at Dutch Bros Coffee to end the unfair vegan milk upcharge that penalized consumers for making a health-, eco-, and cow-friendly choice, the coffee chain has stopped charging more for dairy-free milk! This drive-through coffee chain offers oat, soy, almond, and coconut milk. The chain doesn’t offer vegan food yet.
Scooter’s Coffee
Although Scooter’s Coffee does not offer vegan food options, it just dropped its vegan milk upcharge after hearing from PETA. Its fruit and ice smoothies are delicious and animal-free. Blenders can also be made vegan by swapping ice cream for dairy-free milk, opting for flavored syrups instead of sauces, and skipping the whipped cream.
Grade C
These coffee shops are very okay. They still charge extra for vegan milk, but offer vegan specialty drinks or food options.
Au Bon Pain
Au Bon Pain offers dairy-free milks at all of its locations, but has a vegan milk upcharge. Their food options are better than their coffee. You can order the Mediterranean wrap (no cheese), Mediterranean salad (also no cheese), avocado toast, bread and bagels, and a hummus box.
Black Rock Coffee Bar
For an additional 90 cents, this coffee bar offers a variety of vegan milk options—including almond, coconut, and soy. Some locations also have hemp milk. Contact your local Black Rock Coffee Bar to find out what vegan food options are offered. Black Rock’s vegan food options vary by location, but some offer donuts and banana bread.
Bluestone Lane
International coffee chain Bluestone Lane has a few vegan drink options, including the Laird Superfood Latte, animal-free protein smoothies, and oat milk smoothies. You can also order the beets and berry salad, just ask for it without the cheese.
DRNK Coffee + Tea
This Southern California coffee chain offers almond milk at an additional charge and has a few animal-free drink options, including yogurt-free smoothies. For food, some locations (those paired with a QWENCH Juice Bar) offer a vegan bowl with tofu, garbanzo beans, tahini, and quinoa, avocado quinoa salad, açai bowls (just make sure it’s honey-free), or a PB&J bagel.
Dunn Brothers Coffee
Dunn Brothers Coffee shops offer almond, coconut, and soy milk for an additional charge. Vegan food options are limited but include an açai bowl, oatmeal with fruit and nuts, and avocado on a plain or “everything” bagel.
Einstein Bros. Bagels
At Einstein Bros Bagels, you can almost always count on vegan milk. While almond milk is part of its menu, apparently not all locations carry it, and there is an additional fee. Food options are also limited, but there are at least a few options, such as the Avocado Toast and bagels with peanut butter and jelly.
Illy
You can get soy or almond milk at any Illy location for an additional charge. Food options vary by location. At larger cafés, you might find a delicious vegan doughnut, while at smaller shops—such as those in airports and hotels—your only choice may be a fruit cup.
Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee
Jack’s, a New York-based coffee chain, serves organic coffee and offers a variety of dairy-free milk options (including almond and oat). Food options change seasonally, but look out for clearly labeled vegan donuts and other pastries.
Grade D
D-rated coffee chains offer limited vegan food options that vary in availability. At least they have something, but they have a lot of room for improvement.
Aroma Espresso Bar
You’ll find almond, coconut, and soy milk at this East Coast coffee chain, but only for an added fee. Aroma also doesn’t offer animal-free entrees yet. A few snack options include oatmeal, a side salad, and a walnut brownie.
Biggby Coffee
Biggby Coffee offers oat and almond milks for an extra charge. The chain used to get high marks from us when it offered a vegan bagel breakfast sandwich, but we’ve had to drop it down for removing it from the menu.
Bruegger’s
This U.S. bagel chain doesn’t carry any vegan milk options. You can only order a simple meal at a Bruegger’s: hummus and a vegan bagel.
Gloria Jean’s Coffee
Gloria Jean’s offers vegan milks, but there’s an upcharge—usually between 75 and 99 cents. Most of the food menu is not vegan, though some locations carry a vegan cookie. Their fruit chillers are dairy-free, but smoothies aren’t, so check carefully before ordering.
Jittery Joe’s
This Georgia-based chain offers soy and almond milk for an extra fee, and a few bagels are vegan. Beyond that, options are sparse—no vegan spreads or toppings are available, though chips or the occasional vegan pastry might turn up at some locations.
PJ’s Coffee
This New Orleans–based coffee chain offers almond or soy milk for an extra 85 cents. Select locations offer only vegan-friendly chips, bars, hummus, and other quick bites.
Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea
Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea has a few vegan basics, like plain bagels and, at some locations, vegan cake slices. Vegan milks are available for drinks, but they come with a steep upcharge of over $1—something to keep in mind before you order. It’s not the most exciting stop for vegans, but you can usually find something to pair with your coffee.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
This international chain offers almond, coconut, and soy milk for an additional charge—it’s one of the last coffee chains still clinging to upcharging for compassionate milk choices. While larger vegan food items vary greatly by location, Coffee Bean stores offer a selection of vegan snacks, such as Coconut Maple Vanilla Superfood Cereal, avocado toast (skip the egg), and a vegan banana nut loaf. To ensure vegan options are available near you, contact your local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Grade F
These coffee chains charge extra for vegan milk, might not even offer it at all locations, and have few to no vegan food options—they need to do a LOT better.
Big Apple Bagels
This franchise bakery chain doesn’t offer any vegan milk options. People looking for vegan fare can order the Mediterranean Veg-Out bagel with hummus, and peanut butter or guacamole on one of its vegan bagels.
Coffee Beanery
This U.S. coffee chain offers soy milk, but its additional cost will increase as you order a larger beverage. Other than a garden salad, Coffee Beanery shops don’t offer any vegan options.
Krispy Kreme
This international chain doesn’t offer a vegan milk option or any vegan doughnuts.
Manhattan Bagel
This U.S. coffee chain doesn’t offer vegan milk options. The food options are also extremely limited—the only vegan items are a bagel with peanut butter, avocado toast, hashbrowns, and fruit salad.
Qamaria Coffee
This coffee shop at least has vegan milk—for a $1 fee—and a vegan Brown Sugar Oat Milk Shaken Espresso. None of the food or snacks served here are vegan.
Shipley Do-Nuts
Like Krispy Kreme, this U.S. doughnut chain doesn’t offer vegan milk options or donuts.
Urge Your Favorite Spots to Add Vegan Options
Has one of your favorite restaurants received a failing grade? PETA supporters successfully urged coffeehouses such as Starbucks, Dunkin’, Peet’s Coffee, Caribou Coffee, and other coffee giants to drop the vegan milk upcharge. Every coffee shop that offers vegan milk at no extra charge helps set the industry standard. We’re asking the few remaining holdouts, such as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, to join in and help mother cows from being separated from their beloved calves and reduce methane emissions.
If your favorite shop still charges extra for vegan milk, consider contacting them through their website, Facebook page, Instagram account, or other social media platforms to let management know that you’d like them to offer vegan options (or more of them)—and encourage your friends to do the same. Share this article on Facebook.
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