Are Starbucks bagels vegan? (What are the ingredients of Starbucks bagels + more FAQs)

Bagels are a perfect morning snack alongside a well-brewed cup of coffee at Starbucks. However, what if you are on a healthy diet and are looking for vegan-friendly snacks? Are Starbucks bagels vegan?

Yes, Starbucks offers some bagels that are vegan friendly, like the Cinnamon Raisin, plain bagels, sprouted grain, and everything bagels. However, not all Starbucks bagels are vegan, as some contain animal ingredients. If you are looking for vegan-friendly snacks, you know that it is hard to find snacks that are not made of any animal ingredients completely. A few months ago, when I started my animal and dairy-free journey, it was hard to adapt to the lifestyle as I had to examine everything I ate and the ingredients used to make it. Thanks to Starbucks because since I discovered its bagels, I have never looked back.

What are the ingredients of bagels?

It is no secret that vegans have limited options when it comes to snacks. However, this does not mean that vegan snacks do not completely exist, as some restaurants actively work to expand their menu and include more vegan-friendly options. This is no different from Starbucks, as it offers some bagels that are vegan-friendly.

When looking for vegan bagels, you should stick to bagels having ingredients that are not sourced from animals and have those made of sugar, yeast, water, flour, and salt. That said, you should stay away from bagels that have ingredients like cream cheese, eggs, L-cysteine, milk, and even honey. Therefore, the following Starbucks bagels can suit you best if you are a vegan;

Sprouted grain

If you are looking for a delicious vegan-friendly bagel, then I would advise you to taste the sprouted grain bagel offered at Starbucks. This snack is free from any animal-source products despite it having a traditional texture like most non-vegan bagels.

The sprouted grain bagel is made from wheat flour, vegetable oil, either soya bean or canola, yeast, wholesome rye flour, salt, water, and calcium propionate. Starbucks also offers its consumers golden flax, sunflower seeds, and oats as toppings for this snack.

Plain bagels

A plain bagel is a vegan-friendly thick and soft bagel offered at Starbucks. This New-York style bagel is popular and comes in two variations, the toasted plain bagel or the untoasted. The plain bagel is made of wheat flour that is enriched, sugar, rye flour, vegetable oil, salt, water, and mixed with calcium propionate to act as a preservative.

Cinnamon raisins

Another vegan-friendly bagel offered at Starbucks is the unique cinnamon raisins. These New-Yoke style bagels are made of a mixture of dough with cinnamon and raisins. Other ingredients used to make this boiled bagel include folic acid, enzymes, ascorbic acid, sugar, guar gum, malted barley flour, sunflower oil, reduced iron, and cinnamon.

Everything bagels

The original version of everything bagels had a cheese making it unfriendly to vegans. However, Starbucks discontinued adding this ingredient to ‘everything bagels’ making, adding it to its vegan options. This bagel is among the most consumed and loved bagels at Starbucks; hence you should make your order at the beginning of the week to avoid missing it. Ingredients used to make the ‘everything’ bagel include vinegar, flour, garlic, sesame seeds, niacin, poppy seeds, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, and guar gum.

Are Starbucks vegan bagels healthy?

Unfortunately, not all of them are healthy. Despite the bagels mentioned above being vegan-friendly, they offer you different nutritional values depending on the ingredients used to make them. A healthy version of bagels should have healthy grains and seeds as its ingredients. These bagels include but are not limited to barley, millet, or oats.

Seeds have a higher nutritional value as they contain high levels of fiber. Fiber helps in improving the functions of both the digestive system and the heart. The main reason why most Starbucks vegan bagels are not healthy is that they are made of a high content of refined carbohydrates like wheat flour. Averagely, most Starbucks bagels have over 50g of carbohydrates, making them less nutritious.

Apart from that, Starbucks uses sugar to improve the texture and taste of its bagels. This makes these bagels less nutritious as more sugar can contribute to gaining weight. That said, the sprouted grain bagel is rated among the healthiest vegan bagels at Starbucks.

Final thoughts

You can be sure to get a wide and more inclusive menu when you visit Starbucks. Its menu has incorporated vegan drinks and snacks to meet the needs of all its consumers. However, though Starbucks offers vegan bagels, not all these snacks are nutritious as they have high levels of sugar and carbohydrates and can lead to weight gain. Therefore, if you are looking for a healthy, vegan bagel, you should buy one that contains seeds and healthy grains like oats and millet.

FAQ Section

What spreads or toppings are available to put on your bagel at Starbucks?

Starbucks has a variety of toppings available that you can put on your bagel according to the type of bagel you have ordered. For everything, Starbucks has sesame and poppy seeds, asiago cheese, and garlic and onion toppings available for you to put on your ‘everything’ bagel. You can spread your bagel with butter, kraft cream cheese, and plain cream cheese.

Do Starbucks bagels have eggs?

Starbucks cannot guarantee that their bagels are egg free since they use shared equipment to prepare, serve, and store the bagels.

Is a bagel considered a bakery item at Starbucks?

Yes, bagels are considered bakery items at Starbucks.

What kind of bagels does Starbucks use?

Starbucks uses Bantam bagels.

Why did Starbucks discontinue everything bagels?

Starbucks discontinued everything bagels because of quality issues, as the coffee chain noted that the bagel did not meet its required quality standards.