On August 31, summer will officially come to a close—meteorologically speaking, anyway. While the heat will probably linger long into at least September, grocery store shelves and coffee shop menus will have a decidedly more autumnal feel. At Starbucks, orders for the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte will undoubtedly be piling up. But sadly, not everyone can enjoy this quintessential fall drink at the coffee giant.
For more than 20 years, Starbucks has failed to deliver a vegan version of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, and we’re sorry to say that 2026 is no different. But it’s not all bad news. Some of the chain’s fall drinks are vegan-friendly with a few simple customizations. Here’s what you need to know.
Are any of Starbucks’ new pumpkin drinks vegan?
In addition to the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Starbucks has launched a whole range of pumpkin-flavored drinks for fall. There’s the returning Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and three new drinks: Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha, and Pumpkin Spice Chai.
Unfortunately, none of these drinks are suitable for vegans. Ingredients include Pumpkin Spice Cold Foam, which features vanilla sweet cream; Pumpkin Spice Sauce, made with condensed skim milk; and Chai Tea Concentrate, made with honey.
The new Iced Chaider, described as a “cider-like beverage” with strawberry açaí, and the Iced Banana Bread Chai are also unsuitable for vegans due to the Chai Tea Concentrate.
Starbucks’ new menu features multiple vegan-friendly pecan-flavored drinks. | Starbucks
Vegan-friendly drinks on Starbucks’ new fall menu
It’s not all bad news. Starbucks is also bringing back the Pecan Cortado, the Iced Pecan Crunch Latte, and the Pecan Crunch Latte for fall. Both the Pecan Syrup and Pecan Crunch Topping are vegan-friendly, so all of these drinks can be ordered vegan by requesting a dairy-free milk and a non-dairy cold foam for the iced version.
And just a reminder: Swapping to your go-to dairy-free milk at Starbucks is free, since the coffee giant ditched its surcharges in 2024.
Swap in dairy-free milk and cold foam to make the Iced Banana Bread Latte vegan | Starbucks
While the Iced Banana Bread Chai isn’t vegan, the new Iced Banana Bread Latte can be made vegan by swapping in your dairy-free milk of choice and requesting a non-dairy cold foam.
Of course, there are also the year-round classics that are always dairy-free, including cold brew, Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, Caffè Americano, and matcha with dairy-free milk—you know the drill.
The VegNews quick guide to Starbucks’ 2026 fall menu
Need to know how to order at a glance? We’ve got you.
- Pecan Cortado (ask to be made with non-dairy milk)
- Pecan Crunch Latte (ask to be made with non-dairy milk)
- Iced Pecan Crunch Latte (ask to be made with non-dairy milk and non-dairy cold foam)
- Iced Banana Bread Latte (ask to be made with non-dairy milk and non-dairy cold foam)
For tips on how to elevate your Starbucks order with non-dairy cold foams, vegan sweet creams, flavored syrups, and other toppings and mix-ins, check out our ultimate guide to ordering vegan at Starbucks here.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
