Updated for 2025 & 2026! Some of you may try to argue me (read on for the reasons why), but yes, by ingredients there are dairy-free Girl Scout cookies. In fact, these gems are labeled as egg-free and vegan, too. I know what you are thinking, “Sure, they have one measly tasteless wafer cookie, right?” Au contraire. This infamous cookie collection now has several cookie varieties that are made without milk or egg ingredients. And that includes a gluten-free one, too! Each year I update with the latest flavors, ingredients, and information. You can jump ahead to the different sections in this post with these links:
- The Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookies Line-Up
- Two Very Different Cookie Manufacturers
- Ingredients & Allergen Labeling for Each Cookie
- Notes on Cross-Contamination Potential
- Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookie Recipes
The Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookies Line-Up
My curiosity was initially piqued when I received an email from my sister soliciting buyers for her oldest daughter’s girl scout troupe. I had assumed that all Girl Scout Cookies were off limits, but decided to do some research. I posted my initial findings, which were positively surprising. Now that niece is in her twenties, and the dairy-free Girl Scout Cookie options are still going strong. This season, the following Girl Scout cookie varieties were made without milk and egg ingredients, and are also vegan by ingredients. Please see the next section for full ingredient lists, allergen notes, and more.
- Adventurefuls (ABC Bakers NEW recipe ONLY – which started in 2024. Check the ingredients to ensure you don’t have an old recipe or the Little Brownie Bakers version.) – “A brownie-inspired cookie with caramel flavored crème and a hint of sea salt.”
- Caramel Chocolate Chip – “Chewy gluten-free cookies with rich caramel, semisweet chocolate chips, and a hint of sea salt.”
- Lemonades – “Savory slices of shortbread with a refreshingly tangy lemon icing.”
- Peanut Butter Patties – “Crispy vanilla cookies layered with real peanut butter and blanketed with a chocolaty coating.”
- Thin Mints – “The Girl Scout Cookie Sale’s number one seller. Crisp, chocolate cookies dipped in a delicious mint chocolaty coating.”
- Toast-Yay! (Discontinuing after the 2025 season!) – “French toast–inspired cookie dipped in delicious icing and full of flavor in every bite.”
Notes from our Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookies Annual Updates
- 2026 – The Toast-Yay! is gone, and the new rocky road-inspired Exploremores from both bakers do contain milk.
- 2025 – This is sadly the last season for Toast-Yay! Get them while you can as they will phase out when the girl scout cookie season wraps up in April. And, there are no new girl scout cookie varieties this year, let alone new dairy-free options.
- 2024 – This year they’re sending Raspberry Rally out with a cheer. It was the first online only cookie, and caused quite a frenzy. There isn’t a brand new cookie taking its place, but ABC Bakers decided to reformulate their Adventurefuls to make them dairy-free and vegan!
- 2023 – Time to rejoice! The dairy-free cookies from last year are returning, and this year, the vegan-friendly Raspberry Rally is joining the mix. It’s the Girl Scout’s first foray into an online only cookie. And as of this year, all cookies will be available for nationwide shipping. But wait, there’s more. Their Caramel Chocolate Chip gluten-free cookie has also gone dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan!
- 2022 – This is a somber year for fans of dairy-free Girl Scout cookies. ABC Bakers discontinued their S’mores cookies (the version from Little Brownie Bakers has always contained dairy), and they finished the phase out of their Thanks-a-Lot cookies. This year’s new cookie, Adventurefuls, is also dairy-ful.
- 2021 – This year we have all of last year’s cookies, plus they added dairy-free Toast-Yays!
- 2020 – Same cookies. The new Lemon-Ups are not dairy-free. But, ABC Bakers has made their milk allergen warning more clear. See the notes below. Rumor has it that the Thanks-a-Lot are retiring after this year, so stock up if they’re your favorite!
- 2019 – Same cookies, no major updates. ABC Bakers added a gluten-free Caramel Chocolate Chip cookie, but it isn’t dairy-free.
- 2018 – Same cookies, but we added ingredients and allergen notes here and the ABC corporate name and website changed.
- 2017 – The Cranberry Citrus Crisps were discontinued, but vegan Girl Scout S’mores were introduced by ABC Bakers.
- 2016 – All of the dairy-free Girl Scout Cookie options remained unchanged.
- 2015 – The Little Brownie Bakers manufacturer changed their Thin Mint formula to be kosher pareve. This makes Thin Mints the first nationwide dairy-free Girl Scout Cookie offering. The Girl Scouts added a new gluten-free cookie too, but alas, it isn’t dairy-free.
- 2014 – To make room for new Cranberry Citrus Crisps in the dairy-free Girl Scout cookies 2014 line-up, the Mango Crèmes were discontinued.
- 2013 – The Mango Crèmes replaced the short-lived Belgian-style Shout Outs!
Very Important Notes on the Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookies
Different Cookie Manufacturers!!!
There are two Girl Scout cookie manufacturers, both of which list the cookie ingredients on their websites. The above mentioned cookies are all produced by ABC Bakers. Interestingly enough, the core corporation behind ABC Bakers also runs a company called Norse Dairy Systems, but that is another story.
The other manufacturer, Little Brownie Bakers, changed the formula of their Thin Mints for 2015, so that they are now dairy-free! But Little Brownie Bakers’ Adventurefuls are dairyful (only the NEW ones produced by ABC Bakers are dairy-free). And do not mistake their Tagalongs and Lemon Ups, which do contain dairy, for the dairy-free Peanut Butter Patties and Lemonades made by ABC Bakers.
Since my sister’s list of cookies available included all of the Little Brownie Bakers selection and none from ABC, this leads me to believe that the two companies split up who they supply to either by region or troupe. Sadly, this means your local troupe may not have ABC’s dairy-free Girl Scout cookies selection. If you’re craving more than Thin Mints, check online. I did spot a few troupes selling them on Ebay (is that in the rules?). Also, I’ve heard rumor that troupes may be able to request who the cookies are ordered from.
Ingredients & Allergen Labeling
In 2020, ABC Bakers added a “may contain” statement to all of their cookies. Previously, some had a “warning” label and others didn’t. This shouldn’t be news to dairy-free consumers, since I’ve always noted here that their cookies are certified OU-D, which means shared equipment with product containing dairy.
ABC Bakers has confirmed that nothing changed in their processes – the potential cross-contamination risk is no more or no less than in years passed. But they have now opted to add a “may contain” statement for top allergens on all of their cookies. This statement is very vague. See my notes below on cross-contamination potential.
Adventurefuls (by ABC Bakers)
Heads Up! This is a new recipe in 2024 for ABC Bakers ONLY. Old boxes with the prior recipe could still be in inventories and in people’s cupboards! (ABC Bakers NEW recipe ONLY – starting in 2024. The old recipe should have expired out in 2024, but be sure to check the ingredients before consumption.) And, as noted above, the Adventurefuls made by Little Brownie Bakers still contain milk. Be sure to verify that you have the NEW Recipe from ABC Bakers only.
Ingredients: sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil shortening (palm kernel oil and palm oil), cocoa (processed with alkali), cornstarch, caramel color, molasses, corn syrup, salt, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor, leavening (baking soda), sea salt, paprika (color).- Contains: Wheat, soy
- Allergen Information: As always, it is “Manufactured in a shared facility with: milk, peanuts, coconut” and certified kosher OU-D.
Caramel Chocolate Chip (by ABC Bakers)
Heads Up! This is a new recipe in 2023. Boxes produced in prior years do contain milk. Verify which box you are purchasing as old inventory could still be in circulation.
Ingredients: oat flour, brown sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor), canola oil, water, tapioca starch, coconut oil, invert sugar, egg replacer, molasses, natural flavor, sea salt, leavening (baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), xanthan gum, cream of tartar, sunflower lecithin.- Contains: No top allergens
- Allergen Information: From the company: “Our Gluten Free Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies are certified gluten free under Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). While allergens are present in the overall bakery, our gluten free cookies are produced in a dedicated allergen free room. In reference to production of these delicious cookies, we have a compliant allergen management policy, which includes verified and validated allergen cleaning methods employed prior to each production run of these delicious cookies. Verification of cleaning is done by swabbing using 3M Clean Trace swabs to detect even trace amounts of any protein. The cookies are 100% free of any allergen.” However, please note the company still has a kosher OU-D certification shown online for this cookie. We are waiting to find out if this will be changed to parve, or if the kosher certifier thinks a “D” for dairy equipment is still warranted.
Thin Mints (by Little Brownie Bakers)
Ingredients: Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), sugar, vegetable oil (palm kernel, palm and soybean oil), cocoa, caramel color, contains 2% or less of cocoa processed with alkali, invert sugar, leavening (baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), cornstarch, salt, sorbitan tristearate, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors, oil of peppermint.- Contains: Wheat, soy
- Allergen Information: No cross-contamination warning shown online and certified kosher parve.
Thin Mints (by ABC Bakers)
Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, vegetable oil shortening (palm and palm kernel oils), cocoa (processed with alkali), caramel color, high fructose corn syrup, salt, baking soda, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavor.- Contains: Wheat, soy
- Allergen Information: As always, it is “Manufactured in a shared facility with: milk, peanuts, coconut” and certified kosher OU-D.
Toast-Yay! (by ABC Bakers)
Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, palm oil, vegetable oil shortening (palm kernel and palm oils), cornstarch, invert sugar, cinnamon, salt, food starch-modified, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, monocalcium phosphate), soy lecithin, maple syrup, annatto extract (color), natural flavor, caramel color.- Contains: Wheat, soy
- Allergen Information: It is “Manufactured in a shared facility with: milk, peanuts, coconut.” and certified kosher OU-D.
Lemonades (by ABC Bakers)
Ingredients: Enriched wheat flour (flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, vegetable oil shortening (palm and palm kernel oils), cornstarch, corn syrup, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda), salt, natural and artificial flavor, soy lecithin, annatto extract (color), citric acid, malic acid.- Contains: Wheat, soy
- Allergen Information: As always, it is “Manufactured in a shared facility with: milk, peanuts, coconut” and certified kosher OU-D.
Peanut Butter Patties (by ABC Bakers)
Ingredients: Sugar, peanut butter (peanuts, palm oil, corn syrup solids, salt), enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), vegetable oil shortening (palm and palm kernel oils), cocoa (processed with alkali), high fructose corn syrup, leavening (baking soda, monocalcium phosphate), soy lecithin, salt, natural and artificial flavor.- Contains: Wheat, soy, peanuts
- Allergen Information: As always, it is “Manufactured in a shared facility with: milk, peanuts, coconut” and certified kosher OU-D.
Cross-Contamination Potential
The above mentioned cookies produced by ABC Bakers are all certified kosher OU-D. They are made without milk ingredients, but the “D” likely means that they are processed on shared equipment with other milk-containing cookies. If you are dealing with a severe milk allergy or intolerance (or if you are concerned about cross-contamination of ingredients during the manufacturing process for any reason), then you must double check with the company to see if their processes are “safe” for your needs. Milk Allergy Mom weighed in on her own experience several years ago, but every person could be different and processes can change.
The Thin Mints made by Little Brownie Bakers are certified kosher pareve, but that still doesn’t guarantee safety if potential cross-contamination with dairy is a concern for you. Always contact the company.
Dairy-Free Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Healthy
Remember, these boxes of “American tradition” are treats. They have improved their recipes over the years, but they are still sugary indulgences. While I hesitate to actually recommend them from a health perspective, I do recognize the importance and symbolism of Girl Scout cookies for millions of people. So please, hold off on the food policing and let the dairy-free community enjoy a classic cookie or two!
Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookie Recipes!
As another option, you can bake your own Dairy-Free Girl Scout Cookies! Here are two delicious recipes from my kitchen.
Dairy-Free Samoa (or Caramel DeLites) Girl Scout Cookies Recipe (also vegan)
Dairy-Free Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies Recipe (optionally vegan)
101 Comments
For 2022 you should clarify that lemonades or lemon-ups by little brownie bakers does contain milk
Yes, that is in the information above.
Whey is a dairy product.
Yes, it is. I’m not sure what you are referring to as containing whey though Nick.
The Lemonades from Little Brownie Bakers are NOT dairy free, FYI.
Hi Katie, this is indeed a confusing topic. We’ve done our best to cover all details above, so please do enjoy the content. Little Brownie Bakers does not make Lemonades. They make Lemon-Ups. Those do indeed contain milk, which is why they are not on our no dairy list. As noted, there is only one cookie from LBB made without milk. Both companies make some similar cookies, but aside from the Thin Mints, the dairy-free options from ABC are uniquely named.
Having a child with EOE the top 8 allergens she can only have wheat, peanuts, and cashews. So yes chocolate itself has not milk but the SOY is the biggest problem with ingredients that I find. It’s a very cheap and unhealthy oil and Canola has no allergy and is just as inexpensive. If the manufacturers could just make some simple adjustments in the ingredients it would open the door for people with food allergies. But when they do make it allergy free they label and then jack up the price and cut down on the number of products. Kids want to fit in with simple things as cookies but the parents can’t always afford what the labels are costing. The cookies are great just not for us because we as a family have changed what we eat so she can be as normal as possible.
Shame on you ABC Bakers for throwing the “may contain” label on ALL of your cookies this year. In my opinion, when companies do that, it’s a CYA measure and they are not thinking about (or simply dont care about) the thousands of people it will affect. My son has a nut allergy and we are not going to risk it. You have lost our business moving forward!
We’re not affiliated with either of the bakers, or any other company, but the “may contain” label is just a new label. According to the company, they have not changed their ingredients or processes at all. So the cookies of last year in theory carry the same cross-contamination risk level as this year.
They share machinery that comes into contact with allergens. They wouldn’t not disclose that or someone could die if they have a severe allergy, they don’t make exceptions based on preference.
I usually try to avoid the cookies because I have no self control but I’ve gotta pick up a few boxes this year! The PB Patties sound amazing. My faves are Thin Mints… I love putting them in the freezer for a chilled treat
I was just talking about this with a friend. I’m happy to hear that there are dairy free, vegan options, but The Girl Scouts needs to get with the times and step up some of these other ingredients. They really can do better than high fructose corn syrup. All the girls deserve better!
I love how these cookies are evolving with food trends. If only they would sell them in Germany!
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I have a milk allergy and had a bad reaction to the lemonades. I don’t see anything else in the ingredient list that would affect me, and so I assume that it’s cross contamination with milk. The label says ABC in Virginia was the manufacturer.
Hi Bobette, see all of the information I have provided in this post above – including allergen info.
That’s awesome they’re dairy free. Bummer, looks like they all still contain soy. I’ll still keep making homemade cookies!
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On the little brownie baker website it says the s’mores cookies contain nonfat milk…
Yes, as mentioned, Little Brownie Bakers only has Thin Mints made without dairy. Shown above and explained are the ABC S’mores Cookies, which are made without dairy.
On our order form, it says thin mints contain milk products. But no mention of milk in any of the other cookies. So confused!
That is weird. Sounds like old order forms or cleaning out old Thin Mint inventory from the ones that used to be made with milk.
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Thanks for posting about these. My hubby has a dairy allergy, so it will be fun to get him something yummy that he can enjoy with the rest of us.
So can we get any of these products in England ?
Ooh, I’m not sure!
Hello! So are the peanut butter parties just like tagalongs? Or the tagalongs different? Do you know is savannah smiles are dairy free, I’m assuming the lemonaides are different? I see that it depends on where the cookie is manufactured. Are the s’mores dairy free regardless where they’re manufactured, like thin mints?
Please read the post thoroughly Meggan, and see the links for ingredient information.
They still have corn syrup and other fake foods so just pay for them and have the girls shop them to our troops. You’re supporting worthy causes and sparing your health. The cookies aren’t as tasty and addictive as they used to be before switching to cheaper ingredients anyway.
There are two bakeries licensed to produce GS cookies. Each Council chooses which bakery they want to use. In CT we use Little Brownie Bakers, next door in RI they use ABC Bakers. Here’s a link to a map of what Councils use which bakery – http://mentalfloss.com/article/75103/alert-girl-scout-cookies-differ-depending-where-you-live
Still contain soy. Soy is the second food allergy behind wheat. I love thin mints but will not be buying any. I’m allergic to soy.
You can make your own Tracy! This is my favorite recipe – dairy-free & soy-free: https://godairyfree.org/recipes/dairy-free-girl-scout-thin-mint-cookies
You mentioned that the Thin Mints and other ABC cookies have an OU D on the box. No, the Thin Mints do not. I am looking at a box right now that I just bought, they only have an OU on them which means that they have no dairy in them. OU D means that there is dairy in the cookies. OU DE means that the cookies share the same equipment that other cookies with dairy were made on or in. I am an orthodox Jew so I think I know what the Kashut symbols (OU/OU D/OU DE) means. Sometimes, the manufactures do make mistakes so its a great idea especially for observant Jews to read the ingredients and anyone else who is worried about cross-contamination.
Thanks ME – actually, “D” can simply be shared equipment, it doesn’t necessarily mean there are dairy ingredients inside. It depends. Good to know they are going pareve with the ones you found – I will need to verify this with the manufacturer though. I appreciate your comment!
Was it truly necessary for your point to be made so rudely?
As someone with a major dairy allergy and who keeps strictly kosher, I have learned over the years that OU-D does not always mean there is dairy in the product. OU does not use the DE designation, so sometimes you have to read ingredients to determine if there is actual dairy contained in the product (oreos are one example, and girl scout cookies are another). Little Brownie Bakers have changed their boxes to be just OU, but ABC bakers, despite the OU-D, are not actually dairy, it is just equiptment
Hi Lila, yes agreed.
The thing most people seem to be missing is that when some cookies say vegan, it’s really vegan version AVAILABLE. You have to be sure your local girl scout has the ones you want. This year I hear the girls will be using websites, so hopefully that will make clear which ones have which ingredients.
They should come up with a specific line in certified facilities so they’re safe for everyone with allergies-not just some.
They should leave the old cookies alone. This helped me figure out why the thin mints in our area got thrown away last year? Definitely don’t taste the same!
I wish they would consider a line of gluten free and vegan girl scout cookies.
Me too! I have never been able to have girl scout cookies because of this 🙁
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So online it says the tagalongs are vegan and when I record the box today it says contains:wheat soy and milk! So what the heck! Totally disappointed
Hi Brenda, I’m not sure where you read that online, but they need to correct their facts! Read my post above for a full explanation of the cookies available that are dairy-free by ingredients, allergen concerns, etc. The Tagalongs are make by Little Brownie Bakers and do contain milk like almost all of their cookies.
Mmmm the vegan ”tagalong’s” have a new name they are called peanut butter patties …… Just to it cleared up …… If the box peanut butter patties yes they are vegan but if it says tagalong’s they are not
Hi Kimberly – see the post above – Tagalongs are still Tagaongs, but they are made by Little Brownie Bakers and contain dairy. As noted in the information above, Peanut Butter Patties are made by ABC Smart Cookies and are vegan. Use caution with the two different producers as I’ve written!