Starbucks is making room for another round of holiday menu favorites, but customers looking for a meatless breakfast may find one familiar option missing. The coffee giant is quietly retiring a sandwich that gave plant-based sausage a place on its national breakfast menu, and there’s no direct replacement waiting in the wings.
The Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, which arrived in 2020 as Starbucks’ first nationally launched plant-based meat breakfast sandwich, is being phased out across the U.S. this month. The decision leaves the chain without an advertised U.S. menu item featuring plant-based meat, even as it continues to offer vegetarian alternatives.
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Bloomberg reported the decision on November 3, citing Starbucks’ confirmation that the sandwich is being discontinued. The company told Bloomberg, “While we no longer offer the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, our baristas would be happy to recommend an alternative sandwich.”
Starbucks also said it regularly reviews its menu using “various criteria to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers and our business.” No replacement featuring plant-based meat has been announced.
A six-year partnership comes to an end
The Impossible Breakfast Sandwich paired an Impossible Sausage patty with a cage-free fried egg and aged cheddar cheese on a sesame ciabatta bun. According to Starbucks’ nutrition information, the sandwich contained 420 calories and 21 grams of protein.
Despite its plant-based sausage, the sandwich was never vegan. Both the egg and cheddar contained animal products, making it a vegetarian option rather than a fully plant-based meal.
Impossible Foods said it was proud of its more-than-six-year partnership with Starbucks and remained committed to making plant-based meat more accessible.
The departure is notable because the sandwich gave customers a familiar national coffeehouse option that replaced traditional breakfast sausage with a meat alternative. Its removal eliminates that particular choice from Starbucks’ advertised U.S. lineup.
Starbucks keeps trimming its menu under Brian Niccol
The decision also fits into CEO Brian Niccol’s broader effort to simplify Starbucks’ offerings through the company’s Back to Starbucks strategy.
In January 2025, Niccol outlined plans to reduce food and beverage menu items by roughly 30% by the end of fiscal 2025. The company said the changes would focus on less popular products, simplify preparation and help reduce customer wait times.
Starbucks has continued rotating seasonal offerings and introducing new food and beverages. Its 2026 holiday menu launches November 5, bringing back familiar drinks such as the Peppermint Mocha while introducing the Tiramisu Velvet Latte and Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew.
More Restaurants:
- 52-year-old international restaurant chain closing all locations
- 46-year-old casual dining chain closes underperforming locations
- Classic burger chain has closed down all its restaurants
The food lineup includes a new Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese and Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich, alongside returning seasonal treats such as the Cranberry Bliss Bar and Snowman Cookie.
There is plenty of new food arriving, but none of the announced holiday additions replaces the plant-based sausage sandwich. Plant-based meat sales show signs of strain
Plant-based meat sales show signs of strain
Starbucks’ decision comes as the plant-based meat category faces declining sales in both grocery stores and restaurants.
According to the Good Food Institute’s analysis of 2025 market data, U.S. retail sales of plant-based meat and seafood fell 10%, while unit sales dropped 11%. Foodservice sales also declined 7% to $291 million.
Price remains another challenge. The institute found that many plant-based meat products still cost one to three times more than their conventional meat counterparts, making it harder for the category to compete on everyday value.
The numbers help explain why restaurant chains have faced pressure to reconsider their meat-alternative offerings. For companies such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, restaurant partnerships have been an important way to introduce products to mainstream customers.
Starbucks’ exit removes another high-profile restaurant placement for plant-based meat at a time when the industry is working to regain sales momentum.
The company still offers vegetarian breakfast choices, including its Egg, Pesto and Mozzarella Sandwich. But customers looking for a sausage substitute will have to find another option.
