Veganism is gaining ground. And there can be no doubt about that when Starbuck’s starts offering vegan baked goods!
I found this post today, talking about how Starbuck’s has been modifying their menu to appeal to a more health-conscious consumer. They are offering low-fat versions of some of their beverages, and vegan baked goods, all in an effort to regain some of their waning market share.
GreenChefs (Jana) writes:
But what about the high calorie cakes and brownies that are so tempting to go with your Skinny Soy Mocha on an afternoon Starbucks run. Now, to keep up with the virtuous “skinny” theme, Starbucks has added 1.5 g fat, low sugar, dairy and egg free brownies to their menu for $1.95. I’m not a Starbucks fan or a coffee fan for that matter, so I haven’t tried these. According to some reviewers they are pretty good and they say the chocolate icing tastes like any other rich icing, yet the cake part is a bit on the chewier side. They are not organic, but are obviously a healthier option.
In looking at the Starbuck’s website, I couldn’t find anything listed about the brownies, at least not in our immediate area. Which is shocking, since we live in Los Angeles, one of those places you’d expect to be considered vegan-friendly (see our post Best Places to Live –If You’re a Vegan).
In an interesting side note, Starbuck’s was closed tonight. Yes, you read that correctly. Every Starbuck’s in the entire United States was closed for three hours this evening to re-train their staff (see this article in the San Francisco Gate). Dunkin Donuts took advantage of this opportunity to offer FREE lattes (see Dunkin Donuts Press Release). It’s days like this that I wish I drank coffee, Now, when are they going to offer vegan donuts? Mmmm, donuts… It can’t be long now, it seems like everyone is going vegan!
I am glad its spreading.. I live in a pretty big city and there are TWO places that offer anything close to vegetarian options, let alone vegan.
Well I simply must tell you, I’ve heard that quite a few varieties of Dunkin Donuts donuts ARE vegan. Not good for you, but dairy and egg-free. All of their donuts are apparently milk-free, but some have egg, but regular glazed i heard is vegan.
Now, to FIND a dunkin donuts… isn’t there like, ONE, in SoCal?
After reading this, I called Starbucks. NYC is currently the test market for the vegan brownie, which I guess is why you can’t find it in LA. I’ve heard they also have it in Canada and that it’s not great, but good enough if you’re really craving something. Their cranberry flax muffins are supposed to be vegan too.
“Now, to FIND a dunkin donuts… isn’t there like, ONE, in SoCal?”
At least as of last year, there are no Dunkin’ Donuts anywhere in all of California. I’ve read there aren’t any in Oregon or Washington, either, although I haven’t confirmed that.
Voodoo Doughnuts here in Portland (land of the happy vegan) makes a tasty little selection of vegan donuts. Mighty-O Donuts in Seattle makes the best vegan donuts ever, they are all vegan and organic, and maybe the best donuts I’ve ever had, vegan or not. Chocolate raspberry… so good. When you visit you can watch the mini donut machine squirt the donuts into the fryer! When I was there last summer one of the worker bees told me they were thinking about opening a Mighty-O in California somewhere, but I never heard anymore about that. I think you can order online :o)
Chrissy, We’re glad it’s spreading too, for us and the environment.
Thanks Emily, I had no idea that Dunkin offered vegan donuts. I skimmed their list of donuts and clicked on about 10 for nutritional info and none were vegan. It’s irrelevant though, as Watts points out there are not DDs here in CA.
Seitan Said – Looks like we should tell all our friends in NYC to buy vegan brownies! If a national chain like Starbuck’s is going to be carrying vegan products, think how much that will further the cause! Oh, and if I’m having such a strong craving, I’ll go visit Annabell in Oregon… at least it’s in the same country! ;-)
Watts, thanks for the info. Obviously, I’m not a coffeeshop type of person. Or maybe I’m just oblivious, like Jane is always saying.
Thanks Annabell! And I’m not sure if that should be sarcastic or not. I lost 20 pounds going vegan… I don’t want to gain it all back! Mmmm, donuts….
Wow – fun tip on the Dunkin’ Donuts, never would have even thought to look for anything vegan there… I hope the Starbuck’s brownies make it to Tucson.
Hey Charles,
I never would have thought to look there either, but then I don’t really tend to frequent those types of establishments regardless.
If you’re serious about wanting the brownies in Tucson, you should call your local Starbucks and ask to speak to the manager. I understand they’re looking for feedback from their customers. (The test market for the brownies is NY.)
Oh MY!!!! I want a vegan brownie… and wow… vegan doughnuts, there are amazing ones in the Bay Area in CA where I’m from… but keeping healthy! Once in a while though, yum!!!
Hi Michele,
Sorry to make you crave a brownie! I know what you mean about keeping healthy. It seems like it’s not as easy to be a healthy vegan as you might expect. There are lots of really tasty vegan things out there now that aren’t all that good for you!!! And all these vegan dessert cookbooks…
No donuts at Dunkin Donuts are vegan.
They ALL have milk– not the other way around as the previous posted stated.
You can confirm this by going to their website. They list the ingredients for all their donuts.
Hi No DDs,
Thanks for the info.
As I responded to Emily (#6), I didn’t find any vegan donuts on my brief review of their list. However, as there are no DDs here, I’ve had no other “reason” to read further.
I have checked their site, and while all donuts contain milk and eggs, the yeast-raised donuts contain only residual amounts; milk and eggs are not used as *ingredients* in the yeast-raised donuts, but most donuts are fried together and made on the same lines; there is some migration of ingredients.
Hi Ralph,
Thanks for the DD info.