A go-to place for an early morning breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack is Dunkin Donuts, but if you are a vegan, it may be challenging to know which items on the menu are plant-based.
As a large chain of stores that provide breakfast foods and on-the-go coffees, Dunkin Donuts caters to everyone, including vegans, with their plant-based food that may is easily accessible when you are looking for a quick snack.
With that in mind, it would be great if there could be something available to eat without compromising a vegan lifestyle.
As doughnuts are one of the vices that not everyone can turn down, it would help to know that there are options while ordering in Dunkin Doughnuts.
Coffee has evolved from simple hot coffee to more complex orders such as caramel mocha frappe topped with whip cream.
Various types of sweets or caffeinated drinks will surely be up to your palate and will be hard to resist.
Good thing that there are alternative options on their menu.
The Vegan Lifestyle
One of the most well-known healthy alternatives is a plant-based diet known as veganism, vegan for short.
It is a lifestyle where one gives up consuming every animal product such as meat, eggs, and dairy.
This diet promotes health as you feed mainly on plants which significantly reduces the development of chronic diseases such as cancer, lipid disorder, and diabetes.
Additionally, being vegan is a movement to stop the unethical control of livestock, creating warehouses and farms that inflict suffering on animals to produce and reach the demanded quota.
This ongoing system has affected not only the animals but also the environment. Keeping heavy numbers of livestock increased greenhouse gas emissions and pollution of water resources.
It is therefore imperative to not only be aware of the repercussions of our luxurious lifestyle but also to help lessen the pain and death we deliver to those innocent animals.
Being a vegan does not deprive you of the excitement of eating.
As the world progresses, so does how we make and prepare our food. Grains, fruits, and vegetables may be the primary source of our nourishment, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be creative with them.
Vegan Diet
In a vegan diet, a person consumes only plant-based foods. With the exclusion of meat and dairy, you need to increase the portion of your meals to reach the caloric base your body needs, which varies from person to person.
The minimum can be five portions of fruit and vegetable to provide the energy needed by the body. Additionally, you must be mindful of the foods you eat as your body will require protein and fats, which different vegetables contain.
Carbohydrates can be obtained from bread, rice, pasta, or other starchy foods. For proteins, beans, chickpeas, and lentils will do. Nuts and seeds can provide you with fats as they are rich in omega-3.
For other vitamins, usually available in meat and dairy products, supplements rich in nutrients and multivitamins can help.
Also, remember to take plenty of fluids every day. If you have doubts, it’s always good to consult a health professional to proceed with a vegan diet without compromising your health effectively. With proper care and knowledge, you can be assured of having a proper lifestyle while enjoying the available foods around you.
Are Dunkin Doughnuts Vegan?
There are many Dunkin Doughnuts vegan options to consider; sadly, their signature doughnuts are not one of them, as their doughnut recipes contain animal-based ingredients.
Their typical plain doughnut has these ingredients:
Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Palm Oil, Sugar, Cake Donut Mix [Enriched Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Nonfat Dry Milk, Egg Yolk, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate), Sugar, Soy Flour, Soybean Oil, Wheat Starch, Salt, Contains 2% or less of Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Enzyme, Konjac Flour, Carrageenan, Locust Bean Gum, Cellulose Gum, Wheat Germ, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Beta Carotene (Color)], Soybean Oil.
At first glance, it may seem vegan friendly, but there are nonfat dry milk and egg yolks in their doughnuts. However, don’t be disheartened, as there are still many vegan options on their menu.
Dunkin Doughnuts Vegan Food Options 2022
Bagels
Whenever someone says “Dunkin,” the first thing that pops into everyone’s mind is doughnuts. Being vegan entails avoiding establishments with typical ingredients of eggs and dairy. That might not be the case, as Dunkin also serves vegan-friendly bagels that does not contain any milk.
Their bagels come in plain and have some twists, which can be a cinnamon raisin, everything, and sesame bagels. They also have a multigrain bagel, but this is not strictly vegan as it contains honey which some may consider an animal product.
When ordering their bagels, it most likely will have a complementary spread to go with, and a popular one will be cream cheese which isn’t strictly vegan. You may opt for an alternative like jams or plant-based peanut butter.
Beyond Sausage Sandwich
Dunkin is also known for their breakfast menu, which typically has a variety of sandwiches. You may order their recently added plant-based sandwich, The Beyond Sausage Sandwich. The sausage is plant-based, made of peas, mung beans, rice, sunflower, and coconut oil.
Although it is a plant-based sandwich, the sandwich still has processed cheese and eggs that are not considered vegan. A way to make it vegan-friendly is to order the sandwich with just the Beyond Sausage patty on an English Muffin or you can omit the eggs and cheese when ordering.
English Muffin
Another option is their English muffin. Fortunately, their muffin is vegan friendly as it does not contain eggs or milk. It is often paired with butter as a spread, but you can change it for a plant-based spread, as mentioned previously.
This can be the alternative bread when you order their Beyond Sausage Patty, which can be a filling sandwich.
Hash Browns
Another staple food available on their breakfast menu is hash brown. Some restaurants cook it using different varieties of lard or animal shortening to give it an extra flavor boost and some eggs to make the potatoes stick together.
Dunkin’s hashbrowns are vegan friendly as they are made from potatoes without other preservatives or animal flavorings. They use vegetable oil for cooking their hash browns, just be sure to double-check in your local store.
Oatmeal
Dunkin also has oatmeal available, albeit this menu option is unavailable in all stores. Their oatmeal is served with a dried fruit topping and brown sugar. It is vegan-friendly as it only needs warm water to be cooked, but check your local store as sometimes they prepare it with milk.
Avocado Toast
Dunkin’ also has avocado toast. Its made with a sourdough bread slice and avocado with everything bagel seasoning topping, so it is considered vegan.
Some stores have another option called the Avocado & Roasted Tomato Toast. The base is the same: sourdough bread slice with avocado spread, roasted tomatoes, and bagel seasoning topping.
Dunkin Doughnuts Vegan Drink Options 2022
Coffees
Besides doughnuts, Dunkin’ also serves coffee on their menu; they have plain or flavored coffee options. Traditionally, they add cow’s milk or creamer, but they said an opportunity to opt for an alternative milk like almond milk, oat milk, and even coconut milk.
As of now, you can add non-dairy milk to these options:
- Espresso
- Hot/Iced Black Coffee
- Hot/Iced Coffee with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Hot/Iced Lattes with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Hot/Iced Macchiato with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Hot/Iced Americano
- Cold Brew (served black or with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk and a flavor shot)
- Vanilla, Hazelnut, Toasted Almond, Blueberry, Raspberry, Coconut Flavor Shots
- Hot/Iced Mocha Swirl Latte
- Dunkin Brown Sugar Cold Brew with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Chai Latte, hot, iced, or frozen with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Vanilla Almond Cold Brew with no sweet foam
- Blueberry Oat Cold Brew
- Frozen Coffee with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Mocha Swirl Frozen Coffee with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
As it’s usually made of grounded beans, coffee is a vegan-friendly drink. But as their demand rises, so does their shift from their conventional preparation. Milk is sometimes added, followed by whip cream.
You don’t have to be disheartened by the change of their coffee-making style as there can also be alternatives that we can order to avoid consuming dairy-fitted coffees and still enjoy our aromatic drink.
You can order the usual espresso on their drink menu, a robust and concentrated coffee usually made in shots. Espresso can be diluted with water if the concentration is too much for you, which is called Americano. They also have black coffee, made of ground Arabica beans that are brewed and can be served hot or cold, depending on your choice.
You can also turn your ordered espresso into lattes with the addition of milk alternatives such as almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk. The same can be done with their macchiato, a trendy coffee drink.
They also have the cold brew, and their flavor shots as the syrups are made of sugar and the essence of the plants such as vanilla, hazelnut, blueberry, raspberry, and many more. When ordering, let them know not to add whip cream as it is a dairy product.
Other Drinks
Dunkin’ also serves drinks other than the usual coffee as iced refreshers or flavored drinks.
As of now, here are the options:
- Matcha Latte, hot, iced, or frozen with almond milk, oat milk, or coconut milk
- Iced Teas with blueberry or raspberry flavoring
- Iced Green Tea with blueberry or raspberry flavoring
- Breakfast Black Tea
- Decaf Breakfast Black Tea
- Chamomile Fields Herbal Infusion
- Cool Mint Herbal Infusion
- Hibiscus Kiss Herbal Infusion
- Harmony Leaf Green Tea
- Peach Passion Fruit Coconut Refresher
- Peach Passion Fruit Refresher
- Peach Passion Fruit Lemonade Refresher
- Strawberry Dragonfruit Refresher
- Strawberry Dragonfruit Coconut Refresher
- Strawberry Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher
- Blueberry Frozen Coolatta
- Strawberry Frozen Coolatta
Their menu has Chai latte and chai infused with milk alternatives. They have a wide array of teas ranging from the usual black and green tea to their seasonal mango pineapple and blackberry tea, which can be served iced or hot.
Dunkin’ also serves cold refreshers, which are the Coolata frozen beverages that come in various twists such as grape, strawberry, kiwi, lemonade, mango passion, and more.
Surprisingly, they collaborated with Monster Energy, a famous energy drink brand that provides an extra kick for athletes and workers, to create the Dunkin’ Energy punch. For now, the available flavors for their punches are blue raspberry and strawberry flavors and are served on selected branches only. Monster energy uses plant-sourced ingredients to manufacture its products which is a plus for our fellow vegans.
Another original drink they have is the Dunkin’ Refreshers, which are made of green tea, flavored fruit concentrate, and added vitamins. They come in strawberry dragon fruit and peach passion fruit flavors. Their Dunkin’ Refreshers also has coconut milk variants that replace the green tea for the coconut milk and come in pink strawberry, golden peach, and purple pomegranate flavors.
For matcha lovers, their menu also serves matcha latte with the request of changing the milk base to the alternatives mentioned above.
Closing
Dunkin doughnuts vegan options may be available all day or just breakfast food, so be sure to ask your local store about the availability of the items when ordering. Living the vegan lifestyle does not need to be dull as others make it seem to be.
With the changing times, veganism has expanded, and not all stores or restaurants carry plant-based foods. Dunkin Donuts provides us with the plant-based option that helps in promoting inclusivity as they provide food that continuously adapts to what their customers prefer and cater to their needs.
As the world moves forward, perspectives change, and steps are made for those willing to fight for it. We can always take it slow in reforming our ways, which helps us and those around us.