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Vegan Tea - The Ultimate Guide

Being vegan can often be met with confusion and limitations over what you can’t have but we firmly believe that following a vegan diet and lifestyle should be more about focusing on what you can enjoy, and that includes tea!

And with that in mind, we have some very good news for vegans - nearly all of our teas and infusions are suitable for a vegan diet. In fact, we even have a special vegan tea and infusions shop for you to browse.

First of All, What Does Vegan Mean?

If you’re considering a vegan diet you’ll want to make sure you do your research first. In dietary terms, being vegan means no animal-based products in your food and drink.

This includes no meat, no animal fats of any kind, such as milk, butter, cheese or eggs, no fish, and for a strict vegan diet, no honey either. It also includes avoiding products, other than food, where animals have been harmed in the making.

This is why it's important to be conscious of your choices, where your products come from and select carefully - which also includes our teas! Because some of our infusions include honey and bee pollen or blended flavours like caramel which is of course made with dairy products, you’ll want to make sure you avoid these.

Just Add Milk

Being a vegan doesn’t mean you have to stick to just black tea either. Head down any dairy-free aisle at your local supermarket and you’ll find an array of dairy-free milk alternatives. So if the thought of tea without milk leaves you cold, don’t worry, you can still enjoy a delicious cuppa, with (dairy-free) milk. You can also find “Free From” sections in most shops to help manage dietary intolerances and allergies. There are so many different options of dairy-free milk that go really well with black teas, from almond milk, hazelnut milk, coconut milk, oat milk, rice milk, hemp milk and, of course, soya milk. Each one adding a different flavour and providing a variety of health benefits. It’s certainly worth experimenting with different types of milk to see which ones tickle your taste buds!

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too!

As with any part of a vegan lifestyle, there is always something to navigate when it comes to what’s on the menu. From animal-based foods and fats like dairy cream and butter, alternatives are the only way, so you can understand why tea, afternoon tea, and all the delights in between can appear hard to indulge and enjoy as a vegan. Traditional afternoon tea, complete with lashings of clotted cream on crumbly scones and butter slathered unsparingly on finger sandwiches, might look the part but is it off the vegan menu?

Vegan-Friendly Afternoon Tea

There’s nothing quite like a cup of tea and a slice of cake and we all want to be able to enjoy all the wonderful treats associated with a good and proper tea party. Being vegan shouldn’t mean missing out on anything, least of all the delicious and sumptuous delights of our favourite British tradition: Afternoon Tea!

Sandwiches and Scones and Cakes - Oh My!

Scones, an essential part of afternoon tea can be made vegan friendly and also served with vegan-friendly coconut clotted cream. We’re always looking for tasty recipes and Wallflower Kitchen is a definite go-to website for vegan-friendly recipes.

Rather than serve the traditional smoked salmon, beef and horseradish, egg mayonnaise, coronation chicken – there are loads of vegan-friendly options, including the classic cucumber sandwich. Use vegan butter and try out these delicious vegan fillings like sweet red onion and hummus, pesto and roasted peppers, aubergines - tasty and healthy. Read the Recipe.

Vegan And Free From Recipe Ideas

Being vegan doesn’t have to mean missing out on anything, least of all tea and cake. Why not try creating your own vegan tea party, complete with our vegan-friendly Twinings teas! We’ve come up with some mouth-watering vegan-friendly recipes, and some ideas to host the perfect vegan-friendly afternoon tea. For instance: these heavenly Strawberry and Raspberry Waffles are vegan and gluten-free – and make an indulgent breakfast or a colourful and impressive addition to your afternoon tea.

Check out our huge variety of delicious, healthy, and imaginative vegan recipes.

And For A More Decadent Vegan Afternoon Tea

It’s no secret that we Brits love to spend a day out at a beautiful hotel for a decadent afternoon tea. There’s good news here for vegans, too. All good London hotels from the Ritz to St Ermin’s provide vegan-friendly and impressive Afternoon Teas. Not a Londoner? Don’t worry. There are also some great establishments, restaurants and hotels up and down the country that now also offer vegan-friendly, beautifully presented afternoon teas: there’s no need to scrimp on taste. This fantastic website lists an array of places throughout the UK and London for a delicious and vegan-friendly afternoon tea.