Caffe Nero Vegan Drinks

While I was a student at the University of Lincoln I had two favourite coffee haunts: one was a local, independent place and the other? Caffè Nero! My favourite order then was a Skinny Mocha, to which I was known to add a sachet or two of brown sugar. To really confuse the baristas, sometimes I would still have the whipped cream. Yes, you read that right: a skinny mocha, with whipped cream!

These days, I stick to my plant-based diet so a skinny mocha (whipped cream or no) is out of the picture. However, now that the allergen menu is available I can confirm a mocha is still okay.

Last updated: January 2019. There’s a public allergen menu available to download from the Caffé Nero website: drinks allergen menu.

Honey: there’s no mention of honey in allergen menu (since it’s not an allergen) and no ingredients list,  so, please use your judgement. For things like the syrups, milkshakes and fruit blends, I asked them to confirm that the drinks would be suitable for vegans, and their Head of Food and Beverage confirmed they were.

Vegan-friendly drinks

Essentially, it’s “the usual” that appear on the list. Caffe Nero vegan drinks just require a soy milk substitution – and skipping the whipped cream, where applicable.

Hot drinks

Coffee

• Caffè Americano (with soy milk if not black)
• Espresso (with soy milk if not black)
• Soy Mocha (no cream/sprinkles)
• Soy Cappuccino

Teas and Other

• All fruit and herbal teas
• If ordering a tea with milk, ask for Soy milk (tends to be for full leaf/British tea)
• Soy Regular Hot Chocolate (no cream/sprinkles)

Vegan syrups at Caffe Nero

They’re all vegan! Have fun.

• Amaretto (no alcohol)
• Caramel
• Cinnamon
• Gingerbread
• Green mint
• Hazelnut
• Salted Caramel
• Tiramisu (no alcohol)
• Triple Sec
• Vanilla
• Caramel – sugar free
• Hazelnut – sugar free
• Vanilla – sugar free

 

Cold drinks

Iced Teas

• Green Tea & Lemon
• Black Tea & Peach

Frappe & Milkshakes

Don’t forget to tell the barista to skip the whipped cream.

• Soy Frappe Latte
• Soy Strawberry Milkshake
• Soy Vanilla Milkshake

Other cold drinks

• Sicilian Lemonade
• Crushed Raspberry Lemonade
• Alphonso Mango & Passion Fruit
• Raspberry & Blood Orange

Is there any vegan food at Caffe Nero?

Actually, yes. And in my opinion, theirSundried Tomato & Pesto cheese toastie is so fantastic it edges Caffe Nero above Starbucks in the lunch department. Controversial, I know. They’ve been a bit of a dark horse, Nero, but they’ve snuck right up there!

Breakfast

• Coconut, Mango & Passionfruit Granola Pot
• (Soy, Oat or Coconut Milk) Porridge (with the fruit mix topper or seeds & fruit mix topper)
• Fresh Fruit Salad

Lunch

• Sweet Potato Falafel & Houmous Flatbread
• Sundried Tomato & Pesto Tostati (aka a toasted sandwich)

Sweets, snacks and other bits

• Apple & Blackcurrant Crumble Slice
• Mango Chunks
• Crudites & Red Pepper Houmous Pot
• Christmas Vegan Minced Pie (when available)

My main draw to the Caffe Nero vegan food is that the items produced by Nero tend to be marked as vegan. I didn’t realise this until one Christmas when I discovered it with the mince pies. It was a very happy surprise!

Things to avoid

• Belgian Mocha Frappe Latte
• Milano Hot Chocolate
• Chai Latte
• Chocolate sprinkles
• Marshmallows

What’s my order?

My favourite vegan drink to order at Caffe Nero is the same as pretty much everywhere else: small soy cappuccino. I also like to venture into the regular hot chocolate and mocha territories when craving something chocolaty, but always go for a cappuccino at Nero for some reason.

What’s yours? Comment below!