Obvious choices for vegan drinks include pure water, as well as tea and water flavored with fruit juice. Vegan drinks, such as natural sodas, smoothies and shakes, can be made at home. There are many types of alcoholic vegan drinks which do not contain animal products or byproducts, such as brandy, gin and vodka. Some products, such as Almond Breeze® almond milk and Silk PureCoconut® milk, are manufactured as vegan drinks.
The process of clarifying some alcoholic drinks, such as cider and beer, often involves animal-derived substances, such as gelatin. Other alcoholic drinks are typically fine for vegans, such as Scotch whiskey, gin and vodka. Many wines, with the exception of those specialty wines specifically made to be vegan drinks, are off-limits. Some alcoholic drinks and drink mixes have honey and cream listed as ingredients on their labels, which signifies they are not vegan drinks.
While pure water is a suitable beverage choice for vegans, seltzer water and pure water with fruit juice are also acceptable. Water with a few drops of lime or lemon juice is also acceptable for vegan consumption. Fruit juices, as long as they are 100-percent juice, are also suitable vegan drinks.
Many types of teas, including green, black and herbal, are vegan drinks. While most diet sodas are fine, some sodas contain red food coloring that is made from beetles, or they contain honey. Soda made with high-fructose corn syrup rather than sugar is often vegan. Some sugar is processed with bone char, so not all soda with sugar is vegan. Also, some orange-colored sodas contain gelatin.
Many vegan drinks can be made at home. Almond milk can also be made at home by blending with slivered almonds, warm water and almond extract. Natural soda can be made at home by filling a glass more than half full with 100-percent fruit juice concentrate and topping it off with sparkling water. Optional spices and herbs can also be added.
Fruit smoothies can be made with all-vegan ingredients. Orange strawberry tofu smoothie is a blend of tofu, orange juice and frozen strawberries. Pineapple tofu smoothies feature pineapple chunks, tofu and juice, while strawberry tofu smoothies features strawberries, tofu and juice. Tropical tofu smoothie features pineapple juice, strawberries and coconut flavoring.
A variety of smoothies can be made vegan-friendly. Banana breakfast smoothies are made with vegan ice cream, vegan soy milk and bananas. Maple apple walnut smoothies are made with tofu, maple flavoring and frozen bananas. The ingredients are blended along with vegan soy milk, vegan maple syrup and apples.