Starbucks Makes Big Announcement That Will Have Oat Milk Lovers Rejoicing

This news is for you, it's for us, it's for the nearly 50% of Starbucks customers who regularly pay extra for a non-dairy milk. Beginning on November 7, the worldwide coffee chain will no longer charge extra for swapping out the standard milk for a non-dairy option in any beverage at company-owned and operated stores throughout the United States and Canada. 

A press release from the company about the change noted that substituting for non-dairy milk is the second most requested customization from Starbucks customers. Currently, customizing your beverage with any of the available non-dairy substitutes — soy, almond, coconut, or oat milk — costs around 70 cents extra. This switch is timed to coincide with the end of this year's pumpkin spice latte sales and the return of Starbucks' annual holiday menu, making the date that you'll no longer need to shell out more cash for the privilege of drinking the milk of your choice easy to remember.

Starbucks first introduced non-dairy milks in 2004 with the addition of soy milk, before adding coconut milk in 2015, almond milk in 2016, and oat milk in 2021. The company even expanded to non-dairy ready-to-drink canned coffees earlier this year. In addition to addressing a common request from Starbucks customers, the dropped milk charge is also likely a response to a lawsuit and PETA campaign directed against the company alleging discrimination toward lactose-intolerant customers earlier this year. It may also be driven by a shift toward simplicity for baristas inputting complex drink orders, as part of new Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol's plan for employees to be less slammed and customers to have more positive ordering interactions as a result.

Non-dairy milks are typically a higher expense for coffee shops than dairy milks are, with a study published in 2023 finding that the unit price of plant milks is on average 20% higher than dairy milk. However, this latest move from Starbucks has the company shouldering any additional costs. As a result, Starbucks customers who currently pay extra to customize their milk selection will benefit from cheaper handcrafted drinks.