5 Clever Tips And Hacks For Ordering Vegan At Dunkin'

Vegan options from the drive thru are notoriously limited, often restricting customers to one of two options: French fries or an Impossible burger (or both, of course). But, with the help of an endless plethora of plant-based milk options, America's biggest coffee shops seem to be leading the way in fast casual, vegan dining — Dunkin' especially. Not only will you find more vegan food options at Dunkin' than you will at Starbucks, but you'll also get the freedom of crafting your own secret menu drink recipes with its long list of potential dairy-free flavor combinations and alternative milks.

All of that being said, having more options doesn't necessarily equate to ease. In fact, in many cases, it can have the opposite effect. Dunkin' doesn't clearly label any of its drink or food items as vegan, and with as many different flavor shots and swirls as there are to choose from, it can be easy to get them confused or forget which ones contain dairy and which ones do not. 

Never mind the fact that the seasonal options change every few months, or that some vegan options aren't obvious — sometimes, you just need a list of rules to follow. Enjoying something you think is vegan only to find out it never was in the first place is a different kind of food guilt. But below, you'll find a list of five clever tips and hacks for ordering vegan at Dunkin' to save you from any confusion.

Whether it's a nut, a seed, a fruit, or a grain, you can bet it's been blended and strained and called milk. Just visit the milk fridge at your go-to grocery store — or take a look at the menu of your local Dunkin' — and see for yourself. Dunkin' offers its vegan and dairy-free patrons the choice between almond or oat milk as substitution for the usual dairy milk used in its drink recipes. Ordered in the form of a regular latte, cappuccino, or in place of creamer in your iced or hot coffee, you can practically make any drink on the menu vegan with one simple swap.

Now, while it does get a bit more complicated when it comes to the other, more extravagant drinks on the Dunkin' menu (particularly those that include flavor swirls, but we'll get into that more later), the addition of Planet Oat oat milk and Blue Diamond almond milk to the Dunkin' menu of every cafe location has been a real game changer for it's vegan and dairy-free fans — even if they do come with an extra charge. 

But there are times where you might prefer one over the other. Aside from the obvious instance of having a nut allergy (in which case you'll always want to opt for oat milk), hot drinks will benefit from the inherent creaminess and frothability of the oat milk. Almond milk, on the other hand, will work better in iced applications.

As mentioned before, most of the classic coffee drinks on the Dunkin' menu (including lattes, cappuccinos, and iced or hot coffees) only require the swap of a plant-based milk alternative in order to be completely vegan friendly. But everybody knows that Dunkin' is the place to go for a sweet coffee drink. With a long list of added flavor shots and swirls, Dunkin' customers have the ability to create completely customizable drinks or order their choice of one of the numerous dessert-flavored coffee drinks from the Dunkin' menu. 

It's not quite as simple for the vegans who run on Dunkin', however, because most of the regular and seasonal flavor swirls that the chain offers contain dairy. Knowing that, vegans are going to want to opt for flavor shots over swirls when ordering from Dunkin' whenever possible. While that might sound like a sacrifice, it's really not because they have just as many dairy-free flavor shots on the menu that, when paired with a dairy-free milk alternative, can be used to recreate both the flavor and texture of non-vegan drink recipes. 

The main difference between Dunkin's flavor shots and swirls is the consistency, with the swirls having a creamier, thicker dairy base. But with options like vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry, and coconut flavor shots on the Dunkin' menu, vegan customers can create just as many delicious coffee dessert-like drinks, without any of the dairy necessary.

Dunkin' has a few different flavors of swirls on its regular menu, including caramel, French vanilla, hazelnut, and mocha. It also regularly brings in different, limited time, seasonal drink flavors that are usually made using swirls, including pumpkin spice, butter pecan, cookie dough, peanut butter, and banana split, among many, many others that have come and gone. But vegans at Dunkin' really only need to worry about one, and that's the mocha swirl — because it's the only dairy-free swirl that the coffee chain offers. 

Knowing that the mocha swirl is your only dairy-free swirl option, it shouldn't be difficult to remember which drinks are vegan-friendly and which are not. All you need to do is look for the mocha swirl, opt for oat or almond milk, and you're all set. You will, of course, need to remove any other swirls that might be included in the drink recipe. You can also add a mocha swirl to any other iced or hot coffee drink that doesn't already have it, such as a latte or cold brew. 

Since all of the flavor shots are dairy-free, the bright side is that you can combine it with shots of vanilla, hazelnut, toasted almond, blueberry, raspberry, or coconut flavor to create something entirely your own. It also means that, when paired with a dairy-free milk, you can enjoy an even more controversial Dunkin' hot cocoa in the wintertime, too.

While better known for its coffee and donuts, Dunkin' also offers a variety of non-coffee beverages for its customers. Vegan options include the Chai Latte and the Matcha Latte, both of which can be made with dairy-free milk and paired with any of the dairy-free flavor shots or the mocha swirl. Being water and tea based, all of Dunkin's Refreshers are also vegan-friendly — including the Mango Pineapple, the Strawberry Dragonfruit, and any seasonal flavor that it brings to the menu. Even though the Coconut Refreshers were discontinued, you can add either dairy-free milk alternative to them along with the coconut flavor shot, if you're craving something tropical, creamy, and dairy-free.

Because they're also water based, all of the Dunkin' Energy drinks along with the majority of Dunkin's iced and hot tea options are also vegan-friendly. Where you'll want to be careful, however, is when you're ordering Dunkin' Coolattas. While our taste tester's favorite caffeine-free drink from Dunkin', the Strawberry Coolatta, along with the one we wish we never ordered, the Blue Raspberry Coolatta, are totally dairy-free, the Vanilla Bean contains dairy. 

The same thing goes for some of the other frozen drinks on the menu, including the Frozen Chocolate, the Frozen Coffee, and the Frozen Matcha Latte. However, some customers have said that they've been able to get theirs blended with almond or oat milk, it just depends on the kind of machine your Dunkin' location uses because they need to be properly cleaned for allergens between each use.

Vegans at Dunkin' might be surprised to learn how many food options they actually have to choose from. While the chain has yet to make a vegan donut, you can choose from a variety of bagels — including cinnamon raisin, plain, everything, or sesame — and English muffins to pair with your coffee. There might not be any vegan cream cheese on the menu, either, but since adding avocado toast to the menu in 2021, vegan customers can ask for a spread of guacamole instead. That is, if they don't want the avocado toast — served on a slice of sourdough bread and topped with everything bagel seasoning — itself. To make things even better, vegans can also enjoy a side of Dunkin's warm hash browns along with their breakfast order. 

Some Dunkin' locations also offer vegan oatmeal on the menu, too, which comes in both a plain and maple brown sugar flavor and is topped with dried fruits. Paired with any vegan drink order you like, any one of these food options can be paired together or ordered on its own in the morning to create a filling breakfast on the go. You certainly can't say as much for Starbucks, which despite serving a pretty disappointing Impossible Breakfast Sandwich that came in 11th place in our ranking of 12 hot breakfast items at Starbucks, doesn't have many vegan breakfast options aside from oatmeal and bagels — and the new Spicy Falafel Pocket that launched with the Starbucks 2025 winter menu.