Vegan Butterbeer Topping Introduced at Universal Studios

3/3/2023

March 2nd, 2023 marked a special day as Universal Parks and Resorts surprised fans of the Wizarding World with a huge reason to celebrate: Vegan Butterbeer topping was introduced for both the cold and frozen versions of the drink at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood! The creation of a vegan topping for Butterbeer has been a long-term goal for The Protego Foundation ever since we created our first “Accio Vegan Butterbeer” campaign petition in 2018.

After Universal opted to allow Butterbeer to be served without the original dairy topping in July of 2022, speculation arose about a potential vegan topping being tested. On March 1st, 2023, a member of the Universal Orlando Vegans group received a message that appeared to be from a correspondent at Universal Parks & Resorts. The message contained information that a “new non-dairy vegan friendly Butterbeer” would be arriving at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter beginning on March 2nd.

We are absolutely thrilled at this news, and we have all the details on how this vegan version of Butterbeer compares to the original, where exactly you can get the new offering, and what questions still remain regarding this magical news.

Where to Find Vegan Butterbeer Topping

New vegan topping dispensers have been installed at select locations within Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure (located in Florida), and Universal Studios Hollywood. The vegan topping for Butterbeer is only available within the restaurants inside of Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and is not currently available at the additional Butterbeer carts and serving locations.

The vegan topping dispensers are entirely separate from the regular ones and feature a large vegan leaf symbol on them. And at the Hog’s Head Pub in Universal Studios Hollywood, the topping is kept in a refrigerated bottle.

Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood announced the new vegan Butterbeer on March 2nd, 2023

Vegan Butterbeer topping can be found at the following locations:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade
Universal’s Islands of Adventure (Universal Orlando Resort)

The Three Broomsticks

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley
Universal Studios Florida (Universal Orlando Resort)

The Leaky Cauldron

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Hogsmeade
Universal Studios Hollywood

The Three Broomsticks
The Hog's Head Pub

At Universal Orlando Resort, vegan Butterbeer topping is not currently available at the Butterbeer carts, The Hog’s Head, The Hopping Pot, or The Fountain of Fair Fortune.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, vegan Butterbeer topping is not currently available at the Butterbeer carts.

When ordering Butterbeer from the Universal app, you can select the Non-Dairy Butterbeer option. Universal will even place a sticker with a vegan symbol on your cup, although we have heard reports of not receiving a sticker – this could be due to the fact that some cups of Butterbeer are prepared in advance and placed into a refrigerator, with the topping added later when an order is placed.

Note that hot Butterbeer still contains dairy in the base, so at the moment it can not be ordered vegan.

The price of the Non-Dairy Butterbeer is the same as the regular Butterbeer, which is a welcome surprise, as some establishments tend to upcharge for dairy alternatives.

Universal Orlando Resort's website indicates that you should select the Non-Dairy option when ordering

The Non-Dairy Butterbeer is listed on the mobile app menus, costing the same as the regular Butterbeer

How Does the Taste of the Vegan Butterbeer Topping Compare?

If you’ve never had Butterbeer at one of the Universal theme parks, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London, or Harry Potter New York, the drink is described as being reminiscent of butterscotch and shortbread cookies. It is a very sweet drink and does not contain any alcohol.

According to our original correspondent’s message, “Both the vegan and non-vegan offerings deliver on the iconic and delicious flavor of Butterbeer.”

In addition, the message further explains what makes the non-dairy Butterbeer vegan: “Although the look and taste will be identical to the existing Butterbeer, this version of the beverage can be enjoyed by guests who may be following a vegan or non-dairy diet as it does not contain any conflicting ingredients, including dairy.”

The message from the correspondent claims that both the original and non-dairy versions of Butterbeer taste the same. But is this true?

On the day of the new topping’s release, Tylor Starr (creator of The Protego Foundation) and Shelby Castle (creator of Universal Orlando Vegans) were the first non-employees to try both the cold and frozen non-dairy Butterbeer offerings. Shelby had tried the original Butterbeer before going vegan and stated that the new topping seemed approximately 90% the same as the dairy version.

The texture of the new topping appears to be very similar to the dairy topping, with an airy, yet thick, consistency.

Tylor, creator of The Protego Foundation, and Shelby, creator of Universal Orlando Vegans, enjoy a fully vegan Butterbeer for the first time

Vegan Butterbeer topping dispenser located at the Three Broomsticks

What is Vegan Butterbeer Topping Made Of?

The ingredients list for all Butterbeer versions are unknown, but the original dairy topping contains traces of whey, which is a dairy byproduct. In addition to the new topping being vegan, Universal has confirmed that it is free of the top 9 allergens, including gluten, soy, and nuts!

Regarding the difference between the traditional recipe and the non-dairy recipe, our correspondent stated, “While we can’t reveal the specific recipe, we can share that the non-dairy option allows guests to still enjoy the beloved Butterbeer taste while accommodating vegan dietary needs.”

Where Do We Go From Here?

We’ve petitioned, we’ve rallied, and we’ve celebrated. Our presence and persistence have paid off, and The Wizarding World is now a more inclusive space because of it. Universal listened and actually put the effort into concocting a new product, installing new machinery, and blasting their dairy-free topping reveal on social media. But is this enough?

Kathryn Henzler, Executive Director of The Protego Foundation, put it well:

It’s surreal yet gratifying to know that our hard work campaigning for fully vegan butterbeer for 5 years has finally made our dream a reality. Whether you are vegan for the environment, vegan for the animals, vegan for health, or have a dairy allergy, we can now all indulge in the most iconic Wizarding World treat without contributing to the cruelty that mother cows and their calves face in the dairy industry. Thank you, Universal, for this compassionate decision!”

We are absolutely ecstatic about this progress and can’t express our gratitude to Universal enough. However, there is always more to be done!

Vegan Butterbeer topping is currently only available in the Universal parks in the US, Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also exists at Universal Studios Japan and Universal Beijing Resort. We hope that steps are being taken to introduce the new topping in these locations, too. After all, people who choose not to consume dairy due to allergies, intolerances, and moral preferences do not only reside in the US.

Harry Potter New York and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London serve the same Butterbeer on tap as Universal. They allow visitors to order Butterbeer without the topping, so we hope that these locations are also in the process of installing the new dispensers and offering the vegan topping.

Beyond that, our dreams are filled with the idea of one day seeing the original Butterbeer topping being entirely replaced with the non-dairy version. We urge anyone who is able to visit the Universal theme parks to support this new vegan option and show that there is a substantial demand for it. Ask your friends and family to try the vegan version and explain to them that it is a kinder option for their health, the environment, and mother cows and their calves who suffer in the dairy production industry.

We will be keeping our eyes and ears open for more news regarding the introduction of new vegan options at all of these locations, so be sure to follow The Protego Foundation on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about future developments.