Lactose-intolerant girlies, rejoice! Starbucks has announced that starting on Nov. 7 (the same day their holiday drinks are released!), they will stop charging extra for milk replacements. Every morning I wake up and thank the universe that I can still consume dairy without getting a stomach ache, but sadly, that’s not the case for many. Starbucks is doing what they can to support all of their lactose-intolerant customers by making their milk replacements — soy, coconut, almond, and oat — free to add to all your favorite beverages. Milk switches are the second-most common customization requests Starbucks gets, meaning many of us are about to see a price reduction in our drinks!
Even if you aren’t lactose intolerant, this is good news for you, too! As a former Starbucks barista, I can attest that some drinks are just better with milk replacements. Take this as an opportunity to try out some new drink recipes and experiment with your palette, free of charge. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your new favorite combo.
The first milk alternative I’d recommend you try out is soy milk. This is perfect for someone who doesn’t want to go too wild. Made from soybeans, soy milk has a very delicate and mild flavor, so you don’t need to stress about it making your favorite drinks taste much different. Starbucks recommends ordering a chai tea latte with soy milk or swapping out regular milk with soy in your iced cafe latte. If you’re trying out a new beverage with lots of flavor and aren’t sure what milk substitute to use, soy milk is a great option because it will most likely blend with any drink.
Next up is coconut milk — for the more adventurous of us. Coconut milk has a tinge of coconut (obviously), which means you need to be a bit more careful with what drinks you’re putting it in. But this isn’t a bad thing, it’s the perfect chance to come up with new flavors! It’s recommended to be put in matcha lattes and iced drinks, giving your fave drinks a tropical twist. Popular Starbucks drinks like the Pink Drink and Dragon Drink are already made with coconut milk and are absolutely delicious.
And then of course, there’s almond milk. This has a nutty flavor, perfect for chocolate-y drinks and, in my opinion, any special holiday drink. Almond milk would be perfect in anything mocha-related, so try it and thank me later. You can also add this slight nutty flavor to any classic drink to add a bit more complexity to the taste.
Finally, last but definitely not least, oat milk. I am an oat milk girl forever. With a very subtle hint of oat, this milk substitute adds a nice thick, creamy consistency to any drink. I mean, who doesn’t love the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso? I have yet to find a drink that doesn’t taste amazing with oat milk, but if you’re looking for suggestions, try it out in your favorite iced drink and pay attention not just to the flavor, but to the consistency — you won’t be disappointed.
With this new change in Starbucks policy, we can all try out new milk alternatives and flavors, making our go-to drinks even better!