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: June 2017. 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. Unlike Costa Coffee, there are actually options but I’d say it’s not quite as good as Starbucks at the moment. That said, you can still safely nip in for a quick breakfast or easy lunch and get Caffe Nero vegan food like:

• Soy Porridge
• Sweet Potato Falafel & Beetroot Houmous Wrap
• Fresh Fruit Salad
• Mince Pies (seasonal)
• Apple & Blackcurrant Crumble
• Bear Yo-Yo’s

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 last 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, with sugar-free caramel syrup.  I also like to venture into the regular hot chocolate and mocha territories when craving something chocolaty.

What’s yours? Comment below!