Forget the oat-milk latte for a moment. Istanbul has a drinking culture of its own: tiny glasses of strong tea, Turkish coffee after a meal, thick winter boza, steaming salep and colourful fruit and spice sherbets whose history stretches back centuries.
Many traditional drinks are naturally plant-based. Others, especially salep, ayran and some modern cafe drinks need a little checking. Here are the drinks worth knowing before you order.
🏛️ Start With the Old Istanbul Drinks
🥣 Boza
🌱 Traditionally plant-based
One of Istanbul's great winter traditions.
Boza is a thick, sweet and tangy fermented grain drink traditionally served cold with cinnamon and roasted chickpeas (leblebi). It has a long history in Istanbul, where boza sellers once walked the streets calling out to customers.
For the classic experience, Vefa Bozacısı has been serving boza in Vefa since 1876 and is listed by VeganIstanbul.
📍 Try it: Vefa Bozacısı, Fatih ❄️ Best season: Autumn and winter
Vegan note: Traditional boza is grain-based, but recipes can vary. Fermentation may also result in trace amounts of alcohol.
🍷 Şıra
🌱 Traditionally plant-based
One tourists rarely know to look for.
Şıra is grape juice in the early stages of fermentation. It has a long history alongside boza and was traditionally associated with the warmer part of the year.
It's sweet, fruity and much less common than tea or coffee today, which makes finding it more interesting.
Vegan note: Usually plant-based. Because it is fermented, people avoiding alcohol completely may wish to ask about the product.
🌺 Ottoman-Style Şerbet
🌱 Often vegan but ask about honey
Before bottled soft drinks, there was şerbet.
These chilled drinks can be made from fruits, flowers, herbs and spices. Ottoman culinary culture developed a remarkable range of them, and versions survive in Istanbul today.
Look out for:
🍒 Vişne şerbeti / Sour cherry 🌹 Gül şerbeti / Rose 🌺 Hibiskus şerbeti / Hibiskus 🍎 Elma şerbeti / Apple ❤️ Nar şerbeti / Pomegranate 🌿 Demirhindi şerbeti / Tamarind 🌶️ Spiced Ottoman sherbets / Often made with cinnamon, cloves and other aromatics
⚠️ Vegan check: Traditional recipes can be sweetened with either sugar or honey.
Ask:
“İçinde bal var mı?”
Does it contain honey?
🌿 Demirhindi Şerbeti
🌱 Vegan if made without honey
This deserves its own mention.
Demirhindi means tamarind. The tart fruit entered Ottoman culinary culture through long-distance trade and became the basis of a dark, aromatic sherbet often prepared with spices.
It's one of the more unusual historic drinks to seek out if you'd rather taste something local than order another soft drink.
🍈 Sübye
🌱 Traditionally plant-based
Here's one even many visitors who know Turkish food have never heard of.
Sübye is traditionally made from melon seeds, water and sugar. Türkiye's Culture Portal compares it with almond-based somata.
It is much harder to find than Turkish coffee or boza, but that's precisely why it belongs on a list of drinks worth discovering.
☕ The Classics You'll See Everywhere
🫖 Turkish Tea — Çay
🌱 Vegan
Probably the easiest vegan drink in Istanbul.
Tea arrives in a small tulip-shaped glass, usually with sugar on the side.
Want it weaker?
“Açık çay, lütfen.”
Light tea, please.
💡 Istanbul experience: Have one on a ferry rather than rushing through it in a café.
☕ Türk Kahvesi / Turkish Coffee
🌱 Traditionally vegan
Coffee, water and optional sugar. No milk required.
Order it:
Sade / No sugar
Az şekerli / Lightly sweetened
Orta / Medium
Şekerli / Sweet
Don't drink the grounds at the bottom.
🌸 Salep
🚫 Traditionally NOT vegan
A winter classic and an easy mistake for vegan visitors.
Salep is traditionally prepared with cow's milk, sugar and salep powder and finished with cinnamon.
A plant-based version can be excellent, but you must specifically request it.
“Bitkisel sütle salep yapabilir misiniz?”
Can you make salep with plant-based milk?
🧊 Don't Overlook These Everyday Drinks
🌶️ Şalgam
🌱 Usually vegan
Sour, salty, fermented and sometimes fiery.
Şalgam is associated especially with southern Türkiye rather than Istanbul, but it's widely available in the city's restaurants.
Choose acılı for spicy or acısız for mild.
🥒 Turşu Suyu
🌱 Usually vegan
Yes, Istanbul drinks pickle juice.
The salty, acidic liquid from fermented pickles is served by specialist pickle shops and alongside some traditional street foods.
Not everyone will love it. But it's considerably more memorable than a cola.
🍊 Fresh Orange & Pomegranate Juice
🌱 Vegan
Fresh portakal suyu and seasonal nar suyu are among the easiest vegan drinks to find while walking around Istanbul.
No translation required. Just point at the fruit.
🍋 Limonata
🌱 Usually vegan
Homemade Turkish lemonade can contain lemon peel as well as juice, giving it a stronger aroma than many bottled versions.
Usually vegan, but recipes vary.
🌍 A Drink From Istanbul's Wider Region
🍇 Hardaliye
🌱 Usually plant-based
Not strictly an Istanbul drink, but worth knowing.
Hardaliye comes from Thrace, Istanbul's European hinterland, and is traditionally made from grapes with mustard seeds and other flavourings.
If you spot it in a specialist shop or restaurant, consider it a regional discovery rather than an Istanbul classic.
🌱 And Then There Is Modern Vegan Istanbul
Istanbul's contemporary cafe culture adds another layer.
You'll now find:
☕ Oat, almond and soy lattes
🍵 Matcha lattes
🌿 Chai and turmeric lattes
🍫 Vegan hot chocolate
🍓 Plant-based smoothies
🧃 Cold-pressed juices and shots
🫧 Kombucha
🥛 Vegan ayran
But the word “vegan” still matters when ordering.
A smoothie can contain yogurt or honey. Matcha can arrive with dairy milk. Hot-chocolate powder can contain milk even when the drink itself is prepared with oat milk.
📱 Save These Two Questions
“Bitkisel süt var mı?”
Do you have plant-based milk?
“Tamamen vegan mı? Süt, yoğurt veya bal var mı?”
Is it completely vegan? Does it contain milk, yogurt or honey?
📍 Where to Try Them
For more venue recommendations, check VeganIstanbul.com database.
🥣 Vefa Bozacısı / Vefa Go for the historic boza experience. (https://www.veganistanbul.com/en/venue/vefa-bozacisi-cafe)
🌱 Roots & Shots / Caddebostan A fully vegan option for modern drinks, juices and kombucha. (https://www.veganistanbul.com/en/venue/roots-shots-caddebostan)
🥐 Ethique Patisserie & Boulangerie / Kadıköy Pair your coffee with completely plant-based bakery options. 'https://www.veganistanbul.com/en/venue/ethique-patisserie-boulangerie)
⭐ If You Only Try Five...
Visiting Istanbul for a few days? Make them:
🥣 Boza / old Istanbul in a glass
☕ Turkish coffee / the essential classic
🫖 Çay / preferably aboard a ferry
🌺 Şerbet / look for demirhindi or vişne
🍈 Sübye / if you're lucky enough to find it
Plant milk is useful. But Istanbul has much more interesting things to drink.
⚠️ VeganIstanbul tip: Menus, recipes and plant-milk availability change. At mixed-menu cafés, always confirm ingredients when ordering, particularly for salep, hot chocolate, smoothies, chai mixes and flavoured drinks.
📌 Save this guide for your Istanbul trip and send it to a vegan or vegetarian traveler who orders the same latte in every city.
Last reviewed: September 1, 2026