Answer: It depends.
Bagels are made up of wheat flour without bran or germ. In the same old traditional way, bagels contain yeast leavening, water, salt, sweetening, and sometimes shortening vegetables. All of these ingredients are not animal-driven. Thus we can say that bagels are vegan.
Some bagels are not vegan because they contain ingredients like eggs, honey, milk, L cysteine, or cheese. You have to watch out for what kind of bagel you are having. As long as you have bagels containing no animal-driven product, they are considered vegan.
There are so many brands and stores that provide people with 100% vegan bagels. Talking about Starbucks, one of the most famous coffee house chains out there, asks whether or not they have vegan bagels. And the answer is YES. Starbucks has vegan bagels on its menu in different locations worldwide.
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Vegan Bagels at Starbucks
Do you want to have 100% vegan bagels without being stressed about whether they contain animal-driven products? We got you. Here’s a short list of all the certified vegan bagels available at Starbucks.
Sprouted Grain
The list of vegan bagels at Starbucks includes sprouted grain bagels. These bagels follow the traditional texture of bagels. The aged dough bagel contains wholesome sprouted rye and wheat. Moreover, it is garnished with golden and brown flax, sunflower seeds, and oats to give it a more beautiful look and taste. Here are all the ingredients it is made up of:
Ingredients: wheat flour, rye flour, sugar, yeast, water, salt, vegetable oil (can be any either canola or soya bean), calcium propionate
Plain Bagels
Another vegan bagel Starbucks has in store are plain bagels. If you are looking for classic soft vegan bagels, you should go for these since they are soft, thick, and chewy. It’s a New York-style bagel. And it depends on how you want to have it – either toasted or not. Here’s a list of its ingredients:
Ingredients: enriched wheat flour, salt, sugar, rye flour, water, vegetable oil (canola or soya bean), yeast, preservative (calcium propionate)
Cinnamon Raisins
Cinnamon raisin bagels are another kind of vegan bagel that Starbucks has on its menu. These are boiled bagels in New York style. They are made with raisins and cinnamon mixed in the dough. Here’s a list of ingredients they are made up of:
Ingredients: niacin, malted barley flour, reduced iron, wheat flour, riboflavin, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, raisins, water, sugar, salt, wheat gluten, cinnamon, yeast, guar gum, vinegar, ascorbic acid, sunflower oil, monoglycerides, and enzymes.
Everything Bagels
There’s been a new subtraction to make these vegan bagels possible. The removal of cheese Starbucks has made its ‘Everything Bagels’ vegan-friendly, which were earlier non-vegan because of the added cheese.
Other Vegan Food Options at Starbucks
We’re sure many vegans often wonder about the different vegan options at Starbucks. To answer your queries and lighten your burden, we did our research. Here is the list of all the vegan options available at Starbucks. These options are either plant-based or certified vegan.
Vegan Drinks
As claimed by Starbucks, it does not provide certified vegan drinks.
Although, they do have quite a variety of plant-based beverages. Some of them are listed below:
- Hot brewed coffee
- Cold brew
- Iced coffee
- Cappuccino beverages are made with almond, soy, or coconut milk (ask them not to add whipped cream on the top as it is not vegan-friendly).
- Unflavoured latte
Ingredients for most of the beverages and food served at Starbucks are available on their official website.
A year or two ago, Starbucks revealed that they were planning to remove dairy cheese from their ‘Everything Bagels’ to make them vegan-friendly. They kept their promise, and this change was made recently. They removed the cheese from their ‘Everything Bagels,’ and now it’s completely vegan-friendly. They also revealed that blueberries with dairy-free parfaits are just on the way and will soon be added to the menu of major locations worldwide.
Limited Edition
- Protein blended cold brew – cacao
- Protein blended cold brew – almond
Each of them is less than 270 calories, and they are strictly plant-based. They can be easily customized since they provide many options to make the protein blended cold brew to your demands. The option could be adding a banana or some other preferred fruit. You can also add a decaf shot of espresso instead of a cold brew.
- Pink drink
The creamy coconut milk is combined with the goodness of strawberry acai refresher. It’s a perfect beverage for summer and spring. Plus, it’s a very fruity drink.
- Violet drink
This drink is a holy grail for summer. It is made with tart hibiscus, blackberries, creamy coconut ice, and milk.
- Ombre pink drink
The ombre pink drink combines Starbucks’ refresher, light cool lime, a splash of Teavana Shaken iced passion tango tea, and creamy coconut milk.
- Matcha lemonade
The Teavana matcha green tea (finely ground) is combined with lemonade crisp and then shaken up with ice.
Certified Vegan Snacks
Here’s the list of all the certified vegan snacks options served at Starbucks:
1. Macadamia oat cookie
2. That’s it bar Apple and mango
3. That’s it bar Apple and blueberry
Veggie Protein Bowl and Certified Vegan Lentils
Starbucks also provides its consumers with fresh veggies, a protein bowl, and certified vegan lentils.
Roasted tomatoes, butternut squash, and hearty lentils are served with lemon tahini dressing over brown rice. The dish is then topped with sunflower seeds (crunchy, making it certified vegan with no animal-driven products involved.
Non-vegan Ingredients to Look Out for in Bagels
Can vegans eat bagels and bread? Yes, for sure. Since most bread and bagel products are made with just water, flour, salt, and yeast, it makes these products are safe for vegans.
Sometimes you may also see ingredients like ascorbic acid or guar gum which are added to help with adding nutrients and thickening, as well as some of the other processed ingredients that anyway are still vegan (but not always necessarily healthy)
But before you get your hands on bagels or bread, make sure to look out for the non-vegan ingredients given below:
1. Lard or butter
2. Egg whites, egg, or egg wash
3. Milk powder or milk
4. Casein
5. Honey
6. Sodium caseinate
7. Whey
8. Caseinate
9. Diglycerides and mono-glycerides
10. DATEM (diacetyl tartaric ester of mono-glyceride)
11. Lecithin
All of the above mentioned ingredients can be plant-based, but they are not necessarily animal-derived. So, if possible, it’s best to avoid them. You can also avoid flours that are bleached with bone char (charred animal bones)
To Sum Up
There was a time when Starbucks was a tough spot for vegans, but now Starbucks is continuously introducing new varieties of vegan options. They have upgraded their menu and added many new vegan varieties. Their bagels are mostly vegan. You can have them if they are made with a traditional recipe and do not include animal-derived products.
But obviously, you still have to look out for all the ingredients. Apart from bagels, Starbucks has many other certified vegan food options that you can have without fear. So, if you don’t want to doubt, make sure to always buy bagels from stores that provide certified vegan bagels.
If you are craving some yummy vegan bagels, you know where to go and what exactly to buy. Also, keep in mind to look out for the non-vegan ingredients that are sometimes in bagels.
