I Tried Vegan Butterbeer At Universal Studios’ Wizarding World

Calling all wizards and muggles — there’s a buzzy new menu item available at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The Three Broomsticks in Universal Studios is now serving up vegan Butterbeer, allowing more Potterheads to get in on the iconic treat. While the actual beverage comes with a dairy froth on the top, you can now Accio a Butterbeer with a non-dairy topping at both Universal Studios Orlando and Hollywood.

Before the non-dairy version was available, vegans had to order the Butterbeer drink sans topping. While the drink is still delicious, you’re missing half the experience without the froth, IMO. After all, the froth is what gives the Butterbeer its beer-like appearance and makes the drink more Insta-worthy. It also adds to the taste by providing a creamy butterscotch flavor to mix in with the carbonated cream soda. Personally, I think the Butterbeer topping is my favorite part of the drink, so it’s exciting my vegan friends can finally try it as well.

As a Butterbeer fan, I had to try and see what the vegan Butterbeer from Universal Studios was like compared to the OG drink, and if it’s worth spending your galleons on.

Vegan Butterbeer At Universal Studios Hollywood Review

The vegan Butterbeer is currently available in both the cold and frozen versions. The cold is just the original Butterbeer, while the frozen is a slushy version with the same froth on top. To properly taste test the non-dairy Butterbeer, I had to try both along with a dairy version to see how it compared.

Other than the “V” sticker on the bottom to let me know which drinks were vegan and which were not, I really saw no difference at all. Since the froth was the only thing that made each drink different, I tried that first from both the OG Butterbeer and the new new non-dairy version. It was almost a perfect match. The only slight difference visually was that I found the vegan version to be a bit thicker than the dairy version.

When I took a sip of drink, that’s when I noticed more of a difference in the flavor. The cold vegan Butterbeer was a little less sweet than the original Butterbeer, which might be a good thing if you’re someone who thinks that the Potter-inspired sip is too sweet. If you’re looking for a slightly less sweet version — that’s still like a dessert drink — you may want to try the cold non-dairy Butterbeer, even if you aren’t vegan.

For the frozen version, I thought the froth tasted just the same as the dairy version. In the summertime, I like to get the frozen Butterbeer to keep cool, but keep in mind that it is much sweeter than the regular version. If sweetness is your Voldemort, I would avoid ordering this one.

Where To Order The Vegan Butterbeer At Universal Studios

The non-dairy Butterbeer is now available at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort for $8 each. While in Hogsmeade, you’ll need to order from the Three Broomsticks restaurant, and in Diagon Alley, the vegan Butterbeer is only available at the Leaky Cauldron. You won’t find the non-dairy topping at the carts outside.

According to Universal Studios, you can also order the vegan versions at the Hog’s Head pub in Universal Studios Hollywood. If there’s a long line at the Three Broomsticks, I would try Hog’s Head first if you’re just ordering drinks because there’s usually a shorter wait time over there. Once you get your drinks, don’t forget to snap a pic first with Hogwarts or Gringotts in the background — and enjoy.