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    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More

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    By on Food and Grocery, Popular Food Guides

    Updated in 2022! Clear syrups might seem free of everything but sugar, but those flavorings require additional ingredients. And in some cases, they do contain dairy. But the ones that are dairy-free can open up a whole world of flavors that are traditionally off limits (like Crème Caramel, Irish Cream, and Butter Rum). I want to make it easy for you to order a vegan latte at a coffee shop or a dairy-free cocktail at a restaurant, or to mix up your own drinks at home! So this guide includes quick lists and information on dairy-free syrups and sauces, and which ones to avoid.

    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More (includes Vegan Options) - with Torani, DaVinci, Big Train, Monin, and More

    Your Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Beverages

    Some coffeehouses make their own flavorings, but most purchase their syrups and sauces wholesale. The information below includes the most popular brands that are used by more baristas than any others. It also covers the brands most commonly used by bartenders.  But you can actually buy most of these dairy-free syrups yourself, and they make a great dairy-free gift basket addition. I know I would love a gift with dairy-free White Chocolate and Butter Rum syrups to experiment with in recipes … hint, hint.

    I’ve included links to information and to purchase throughout this dairy-free guide to help you find these dairy-free syrups and sauces. Some of these links do contain Amazon affiliate links. Any proceeds from these links help to keep Go Dairy Free active for you. We appreciate your support, and I hope that this guide to dairy-free syrups and sauces is immensely helpful! Believe me, it wasn’t quick to put together …

    Remember to always contact the company to discuss their manufacturing processes if potential cross-contamination is a concern for you. Ingredients and processes are subject to change at any time, and there are no guarantees, regardless of what the label says.

    Your Dairy-Free Guide to Torani Syrups & Sauces

    In the product world of flavors, things aren’t always black and white. You will note that similar flavors are on both the dairy list and the dairy-free list for Torani. For example, the “Hazelnut Syrup” contains dairy, but the “Classic Hazelnut Syrup” does not! Note the specific name, and don’t hesitate to ask your barista if you can see the bottle and read the label.

    Torani Syrups & Sauces that CONTAIN Dairy

    I’m starting with this list since it is much shorter! If you’re dairy-free or vegan, avoid ordering drinks that use these flavorings from Torani.

    • Almond Roca Syrup
    • Cookies & Cream Sauce
    • English Toffee Syrup
    • Puremade Caramel Sauce
    • Puremade Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce
    • Puremade Pumpkin Pie Sauce
    • Puremade Salted Chocolate Caramel Sauce
    • Puremade White Chocolate Sauce

    The following flavors have been reformulated to be dairy-free, but bottles containing milk/dairy might still be sold or used in coffee houses since these syrups do have a long shelf life:

    • Amaretto Syrup
    • Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup
    • Hazelnut Syrup
    • Macadamia Nut Syrup
    • Pumpkin Pie Syrup
    • Shortbread Syrup
    • Sugar Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup
    • Sugar Free Hazelnut Syrup
    • Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie Syrup
    • Tiramisu Syrup

    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More (includes Vegan Options) - with Torani, DaVinci, Big Train, Monin, and More

    Over 150 Dairy-Free Torani Syrups, Sauces & Sweeteners!

    These Torani syrups, sauces, and sweeteners are listed as containing no dairy on the Torani allergen chart. All of these products appear to be vegan-friendly, egg-free, wheat-free, fish-free, and shellfish-free too. The ones listed below are also soy-free, but a few of their dairy-containing sauces (listed above) do contain soy. I’ve included notes next to the products below that contain peanuts or tree nuts. And as usual, always make sure the product is safe for your needs.

    Note: Torani has changed the formula on the Amaretto, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Sugar-Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Hazelnut, Sugar-Free Hazelnut, Macadamia Nut, Pumpkin Pie, Sugar-Free Pumpkin Pie, Shortbread and Tiramisu Syrups. They previously contained milk, but no longer do. However, bottles of the varieties containing milk might still in circulation. Make sure you double check these flavors for milk.


    Monin Syrups, Sauces & Mixes

    As of 2022, Monin stated the following:

    Monin Syrups (including Premium, Organic, Sweeteners, Zero Calorie Natural Flavorings and Sugar Free Syrups), Fruit Purées , Beverage Concentrates and Fruit Smoothie Mixes do not contain dairy ingredients. Monin Dark Chocolate Sauce does not contain dairy ingredients, while all other Monin Gourmet Sauces do contain dairy ingredients. Natural Frappé Bases do contain dairy ingredients. 

    On their website, Monin actually labels their syrups as Allergen Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Halal, and Kosher. They all appear to be certified kosher parve, but check the label to verify. This includes fun “dairy-sounding” flavors like Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Bun, Irish Cream, Swiss Chocolate, Caramel Apple Butter, and more!

    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More (includes Vegan Options) - with Torani, DaVinci, Big Train, Monin, and More

    Holy Kakow

    This is a small brand that’s quickly becoming popular among coffee shops. Their organic latte syrups are made with full-bodied, organic Colombian sugar, and their entire product line appears to be dairy-free and vegan. This includes their Chocolate Sauce, and all of their syrups: Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, Almond, Simple (Sweetener), Cardamom, Lavender, Raspberry, Merry Mint, and Pumpkin Spice. All of the flavors are also available year round, including the Mint and Pumpkin.

    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More (includes Vegan Options) - with Torani, DaVinci, Big Train, Monin, and More

    Big Train Sauces and Mixes

    Big Train makes Frappe, Ice Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Chai Tea, and other Mixes that are frequently purchased in bulk by coffee shops. They are produced by Kerry Food Service, a major wholesale corporation that began as a dairy cooperative. Unfortunately, that means Big Train is also big on dairy.

    All Big Train mixes contain milk in some form, with the exception of their Shaken Drink Mixes. But those are just straight iced tea and lemonade mixes. If you barista is using Big Train to blend any coffee or tea drinks, look for another option.

    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More (includes Vegan Options) - with Torani, DaVinci, Big Train, Monin, and More

    DaVinci Syrups & Sauces

    DaVinci is another Kerry Food Service brand, so they aren’t shy on using dairy-based ingredients. Most of their syrups don’t contain dairy, but a few do, and several might be at higher risk for potential cross-contamination. Kerry doesn’t share all of their ingredients and allergen information online, but I am sharing what information we could find. As with every food, contact the manufacturer if you are dealing with a severe food allergy.

    Once again, I’m going to start with the syrups and sauces that contain dairy, because the list is shorter.

    DaVinci Syrups & Sauces that CONTAIN or May Contain Dairy

    All of the DaVinci Sauces appear to contain dairy. Most of their Blended Coffee Mixes also contain dairy. The following DaVinci Syrups are labeled as kosher dairy. A few might be made without dairy ingredients, but it was difficult to find the ingredients for some of them.

    • Cake Batter – we did find the ingredients, and there appears to be no milk.
    • Caramel, Natural – the old formula was parve, but the new one is kosher dairy
    • Caramel Pecan
    • Cinnamon Bun
    • Cinnamon Roll
    • English Toffee
    • Hawaiian Salted Caramel
    • Irish Cream – The old formula was parve, but the new one is kosher dairy.
    • Mocha (3:1)
    • Salted Caramel – some might be pareve and dairy-free. They have various private labels.
    • Sugar-Free English Toffee
    • Sugar-Free Irish Cream
    • Sugar Free Salted Caramel – some might be pareve and dairy-free. They have various private labels.

    Guide to Dairy-Free Syrups & Sauces for Coffee, Cocktails & More (includes Vegan Options) - with Torani, DaVinci, Big Train, Monin, and More

    Over 130 Dairy-Free DaVinci Syrups & Sweeteners!

    DaVinci lists all of these syrups as certified kosher pareve, and they do not appear to disclaim any milk in the ingredients. Since it’s more difficult to find ingredients for this brand, we weren’t able to easily identify other top allergens. Most do appear to be free of top allergens, but most of the “nut” flavors do contain peanuts or tree nuts.



    Ingredients are subject to change at any time, so always read the label! And as always, contact the manufacturer to discuss their production processes if a severe food allergy is a concern for you. There is always some degree of cross-contamination risk, and allergen labels (or lack of) should not be relied on exclusively. We cannot evaluate if a product is safe for your needs.

    If you find a new flavor that isn’t on our list of dairy-free syrups and sauces, or you see that a product has changed, kindly leave a comment!

    For More Dairy-Free Living Guidance, Get Go Dairy Free!

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    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

    6 Comments

    1. Destiny on

      It seems that you have the torani brown sugar cinnamon syrup down as containing dairy, but after looking at the torani official allergen chart, it says it does not contain dairy. So does it have dairy or not?

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on

        I would use caution. I’m waiting to hear back from the company, but their website / allergen chart is either incorrect, or they very recently changed the formula. If the latter, there is still a lot of the dairy-containing version still available. The labels on all that we are finding still contain dairy.

        Reply
        • Destiny on

          Thank you so much for the response! The label I had seen did not mention dairy, on sugar, some caramel coloring and natural flavors I believe. I will definitely err on the side of caution, definitely don’t want any mishaps!

          Reply
          • Alisa Fleming on

            Not a problem! I’m still researching. It looks like their natural flavor source could have changed, but I’m having trouble getting confirmation from the company. And there are still bottles of it on the market that contain dairy. If it doesn’t disclose “milk” with the ingredients, then it should be dairy-free, unless mislabeled.

            Reply

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