Starbucks is testing its first fully vegan breakfast sandwiches at one store near Seattle

Advertisement
Starbucks is testing its first fully vegan breakfast sandwiches at one store near Seattle
Starbucks
  • Starbucks is testing a vegan breakfast sandwich at one store near Seattle, and there is no word if it will be rolling out the product at other locations.
  • Earlier this year, the chain added vegan beverages to its menu as part of an initiative to have more inclusive offerings.
  • In 2018, Starbucks rolled out a vegan version of its iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte in Europe – but hasn't said whether this version will hit ever stores in the US.
Advertisement

Starbucks is now selling a vegan Impossible Foods sandwich at one store in Washington.

This marks the coffee chain's first fully vegan breakfast sandwich in the US, VegNews reported.

The Plant Powered Breakfast Sandwich, which is part of a larger initiative by the company to have more inclusive menu items, has an Impossible sausage, mung bean-based egg patty, and plant-based cheddar slice, toasted on a whole wheat English muffin.

The sandwich is currently being trialed at one site in Issaquah, Wash., which is about 17 miles west of Seattle.

The chain already has a breakfast sandwich with the Impossible Sausage, but the item isn't vegan because it includes dairy, with egg and cheese. In July, Starbucks Singapore launched a limited edition egg and vegetable pie that contained the Impossible Burger.

Advertisement

The Issaquah branch is also testing other vegan items, including Plant Powered Potato Bake bites, chickpea bites, and vegan cashew milk cream cheese, according to VegNews. The sandwich is retailing at $5.45, and the Potato Bake bites retail for $4.75.

"Testing is a way of life at Starbucks and we are always looking for new ways to bring a variety of food and beverage experiences to our customers," a company spokesperson said in an email statement. There is no word if the sandwich will roll out in other locations.

This isn't the first launch of vegan friendly options by the coffee giant this year. In the spring, Starbucks US launched coconut milk-based drinks. It also sells other plant-based drinks, oatmeal, and certified vegan bagels.

In 2018, Starbucks launched a vegan version of its iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte in select European countries, which is not available in the US because of milk used in the pumpkin syrup. It expanded on this in 2020, offering a dairy-free whipped cream topping and a matching Pumpkin Spice Cookie — but both are only available in the UK.

When asked why Starbucks hasn't rolled out the vegan Pumpkin Spiced Latte in the US, and whether it will in the future, a spokesperson told Business Insider: "We are proud to offer the latte as a vegan-friendly beverage exclusively to customers in the UK and other select European countries. As a global company, we have many products that are unique to our various markets in which we operate."

Advertisement

Other coffee chains have also begun to include meat alternatives in their menu. In 2019, Dunkin' released its Beyond Meat breakfast sandwich. Fast food chains are launching vegan alternatives too: In September Domino's introduced two vegan pizzas to its UK menu.

{{}}