Is Costa Hot Chocolate Vegan?

 

The offending drink in all its glory ☕️

I genuinely think one of the most widely asked questions in the world is “Is costa hot chocolate vegan?”. It’s a question I see daily in vegan facebook groups and the like, and every time someone confirms it it only takes another couple of hours for someone to claim their best friend’s cousin’s mate who manages a costa says it’s not vegan and the whole discussion starts again. So today, let’s finally put this debate to rest, shall we? So:

Is Costa Hot Chocolate Vegan?

Yes! If ordered with vegan milk alternatives, Costa’s hot chocolate is perfectly suitable for vegans. You can see this in their allergen matrix; the ‘C’ in the ‘milk’ column means there is a risk of cross contamination but unless you have an allergy it is fine 😊 It is not listed as vegan due to cross contamination.

Here you can see that the hot chocolate from Costa “may contain milk”,  the same cross-contamination risk as most food not made in an inclusively-vegan environment, therefore it is suitable for vegans.

Key for the allergen menu (a yellow box with a ‘C’ means “may contain”)

People will often say that “someone who WORKS AT COSTA told me it WASN’T vegan!!!”. This is due to confusion about the allergen matrix having a ‘C’ for cross contamination rather than a simple ‘Y’ for yes., and the fact they won’t label it vegan because of this. I promise you, it’s vegan!

But are the toppings vegan?

So, the standard cream that the hot chocolate comes with is not vegan. However, great news! Most branches will now do vegan cream! 🎉(I believe it’s called “light whip” in their allergen menu). Interestingly, their marshmallows are now listed as vegan in the allergen menu too! So you can enjoy the classic hot chocolate with ‘cream’ and marshmallows like your non-vegan friends.

Does Costa Hot Chocolate contain wheat or gluten?

According to their allergen menu, Costa Hot Chocolate powder does not contain wheat or gluten. Just be aware that all plant milks other than coconut may contain wheat. If you’re unsure or worried about cross contamination, please speak to your barista when ordering. 

Does Costa Hot Chocolate contain soya?

No, the Costa Hot Chocolate powder does not contain soya. However, both the soya milk and the coconut milk contain soya, so you would need to order it with oat milk or the “Plant alternative ultimate blend”.