An espresso, a tea or a latte with dairy milk contains no gluten by recipe. At Starbucks, gluten comes in three ways: pieces (cookies, java chips, crumble), the oat drink, and the shared counter. Here is what Starbucks publishes itself, checked in September 2026 on its UK, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German and Argentine websites, and what that data does not tell you. We did not check the United States.

Basic drinks: coffee, tea, milk

In the allergen tables we could read drink by drink — those for Italy, Spain and Portugal — espresso-based coffees (espresso, americano, cappuccino, latte, flat white, macchiato), filter coffee and cold brew, teas, hot chocolates and Refresha fruit drinks are declared gluten free.

An important detail for Spain and Portugal: these drinks are listed “with your choice of milk or plant drink”, and the milk’s allergens are counted separately. A drink declared gluten free can therefore contain gluten if you have it with oat drink (see below).

An Italian oddity: the “caffè d’orzo”, a barley coffee, is declared only with traces of gluten. Barley is a gluten cereal: treat it as a drink that contains gluten.

Syrups, sauces, toppings and Frappuccinos

The classic syrups and sauces — caramel, vanilla, caramel sauce, drizzle — are declared gluten free in the Spanish table. Gluten comes from pieces:

  • Java Chip Frappuccino (the java chips contain wheat according to the Spanish table): with gluten in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
  • Cookies & Cream Frappuccino and the Choco Chip Crème Frappuccino: with gluten.
  • Caramel Cookie Latte (Spain, Portugal) and Apple Crumble Iced Matcha Latte (Italy, Spain, Portugal): with gluten, from the biscuit or crumble.
  • The extras “Java Chips” and “Cookies & Cream”: with gluten.

Frappuccinos without pieces (caramel, mocha, vanilla, strawberry, matcha) are declared gluten free. But nothing suggests the blender is kept for them, and Starbucks writes that “equipment and utensils are used for multiple menu items, including those containing allergens”. It is a textbook case of cross-contamination: gluten free by recipe, not necessarily in the cup.

Declared gluten free

Italy, Spain, Portugal

  • Espresso, americano, latte, cappuccino, filter coffee
  • Teas, chai, matcha latte
  • Caramel and vanilla syrups and sauces
  • Soya drink, dairy milk

With gluten

Italy, Spain, Portugal

  • Java Chip and Cookies & Cream Frappuccino
  • Caramel Cookie Latte, Apple Crumble Matcha
  • Oat drink (Spain, Portugal)
  • Barley coffee (Italy, traces declared)

Oat milk, the trap

The answer surprises many: Starbucks’ oat drink is not gluten free in Spain or Portugal. The allergen table declares it with gluten (oats), and with possible traces of barley, rye, wheat, spelt and khorasan. In Italy, the Iced Brown Sugar Oat Shaken Espresso, made with oat drink, is declared with gluten.

It makes sense: an oat drink is gluten free only if made with certified oats, grown and processed away from wheat. And even then, some coeliacs react to avenin, the oat protein — see our article on oats.

Watch out for “oat” drinks and recipes that use it by default. In Spain and Portugal, the Blonde Iced Brown Sugar Oat Shaken is listed as gluten free because the milk is counted separately — but its standard recipe uses oat drink. In Portugal, an “Iced Oat Milk Chai Latte” also appears as gluten free for the same reason. Ask explicitly for soya or dairy milk. In the UK, France and Germany, we found no published information on the oat drink’s gluten status: ask to see the carton.

Gluten-free food, country by country

This is where countries differ most.

Country What Starbucks presents as gluten free (September 2026)
United Kingdom Gluten Free Fruit & Nut Bar (flapjack made with gluten-free oats), shown as out of stock on 25 September 2026
Italy “Snack e senza glutine” section: apricot and hazelnut filled biscuits, chocolate and orange mini muffins, apricot rings, Ticchia lentil snack, gluten-free ham and mayonnaise sandwich
Spain Chocolate cookie, vanilla muffin, palmiers, cinnamon bites, banana bread, no-added-sugar brownie
Portugal Vanilla muffin, chocolate cookie
Argentina Ham and cheese sandwich on artisan bread, “Gluten Free”
France No product presented as gluten free on the online menu
Germany No product presented as gluten free on the online menu

Three remarks. Wrapped or not: a gluten-free muffin sitting in the display among ordinary muffins does not offer the same assurance as a sealed product — and Starbucks UK states that its “bakery case is shared with products that contain loose nuts”, which says a lot about how items sit side by side. Warmed or not: ask for it to stay in its wrapper rather than go into the shared oven. Oats or not: the UK bar is made with gluten-free oats, which does not suit everyone.

In the UK, the Egg Bites (sous vide egg with three cheeses and ham, or egg whites with red pepper) are declared with egg and milk only. That is not a gluten-free claim, and the general warning about shared equipment applies. Porridge, overnight oats and the granola yoghurt all contain oats.

At the counter: what Starbucks says itself

Starbucks’ European websites carry the same warning: “we cannot guarantee that they are free from any allergens”, because food and drinks “are prepared where allergens are handled by our partners, and where equipment and utensils are used for multiple menu items”. The Spanish site adds that the information “may vary depending on your store”.

The data itself is imperfect. On the French site, a pistachio brownie lists fish, molluscs and crustaceans among its allergens, and a scrambled egg and bacon item shows no allergen at all. The Italian listings for pastries and cakes show no allergen icons at all. Missing data does not mean gluten free.

Fully gluten-free cafés nearby

If you want real coffee and real cake without the questions, our database lists 349 cafés, 300 of them fully gluten free. A few, in the UK and in cities where Starbucks operates:

  • United Kingdom — Against the Grain Coffee House, Cardiff’s first fully gluten-free café, with a dedicated kitchen; Ivy Wood Coffee on the Llangollen Canal, rated 4.9.
  • Paris — Noglu, one of the first gluten-free places in Paris, and Copains Le Studio. Both are wheat-free, but our listings flag oats in some recipes (certified at Copains).
  • Berlin and Munich — AERA, a bakery-café founded by a coeliac, Pretty Hill, where staff may not even bring gluten on site, and Palmtreeclub in central Munich.
  • Porto and Barcelona — 100 Culpa, in a garden in central Porto; Glutery in Gràcia.

The difference between these places and a chain is explained in our article on dedicated venues.

Summary

  • Coffee, tea, syrups and caramel sauces: declared gluten free in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
  • With gluten: Java Chip, Cookies & Cream, Caramel Cookie Latte, Apple Crumble Matcha, chunky extras.
  • The oat drink is declared with gluten in Spain and Portugal; choose soya or dairy milk.
  • UK: one gluten-free bar (out of stock when checked); more gluten-free food in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
  • Blenders, display case and oven are shared: Starbucks guarantees nothing, and says so.
  • 300 fully gluten-free cafés on the Nutrixe map.

A gluten-free café near you? Find it on the map, or suggest it if it is missing: we check it by hand before publishing.