Non-Dairy Milk Alternatives
I’ve had a few of you ask for a review of all the milk options, and I figured it was about time to share my thoughts. I’ve tried basically all the non-dairy milk alternatives that are out there. I’ll highlight my three favorites, and why I like them. Since dairy and I aren’t always the best of friends and it sometimes upsets my stomach, I’ve been using these types of milk for years. So here we go.
First of all…
Disclaimer: I don’t drink any of these straight up. I’ve never liked milk (in a glass) and I don’t drink any of these on their own. However, I frequently use these milks in cereal, smoothies, and recipes. Just keep that in mind. None of these will *taste* just like dairy milk.
First up, Almond milk
My overall favorite! The unsweetened varieties have a great mild taste, (meaning they work well in recipes and smoothies) and they are super low in fat and calories. I love using almond milk in soups, smoothies, and baking. As long as you’re not allergic to almonds, I’d definitely give this one a try. Almond Breeze is a great brand, but Trader Joe’s version is great as well. I’ve even made my own (you can read about that here) but it’s a little easier to just grab it off the shelf.
Basic nutritional stats: Calories 30 Fat 1g Sugar 0g Protein 1g*
*Note: There are tons of varieties for almond/coconut/soymilk but I’ve included the stats for the flavors pictured.
Secondly, Coconut milk
There are lots of types of coconut milk. There are very, very, sweet varieties, which are generally more for recipes, not for actual drinking. However, So Delicious makes a great brand of coconut milk that I love. The taste is a little coconut-y, so it’s less versatile for recipes and smoothies, unless that’s the flavor you’re going for. It can be great for tropical smoothies or ice cream recipes! Do check the labels though, because the calories, sugar and fat can range from very low to very high!
Basic nutritional stats: Calories 50 Fat 5g Sugar 1g Protein 1g
And third… Soymilk
I like the taste of soymilk, and I used to use it a lot of smoothies. It has more protein than the others, and the unsweetened kind doesn’t have a lot of sugar. However, because I also eat tofu and other soy products, I’ve switched to almond milk. I’ve heard a few things about too much soy consumption, and I’d rather stay on the safe side. If you don’t eat a lot of soy otherwise, this could be a great way to get in some extra protein. I love Silk and 8th Continent brands. Again, check the labels, since the sweetened varieties can pack in a lot of sugar and calories.
Basic nutritional stats: Calories 70 Fat .51g Sugar 5g Protein 6g
Rice milk/Hemp milk/Cashew milk/Etc.
There are tons of other types of milk. I’ve tried almost all of them, and I don’t mind them, but many of them have a bit of a funky after taste. Some of them are a little gritty. If you have specific diet restrictions, you could try these, but overall, I can’t say I personally recommend them.
If you’re watching calories, make sure you look for unsweetened varieties! Some milk alternatives are loaded with sugar! Beware!
I love almond milk- Blue DIamond to be exact…I can tell a difference between that and silk, its weird. but I am the kind of person that drinks it straight up! Ill put it in cereal, smoothies etc, but I love it!
Almond milk all the way!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
I use Silk’s Pure Unsweetened Almond Milk for recipes and even for just drinking sometimes when I’m feeling like I need a calcium boost, but I LOVE hemp milk in cereal. I’m not a big cereal eater, so I seldom purchase it, but it really enhances cereal, especially muesli.
Im ALL about the almond milk, though I have tried flax milk before and it was pretty tasty!! Soy tastes like water to me, and I wasn’t too impressed with coconut either, but Ive only tried 1 brand. Im pretty loyal to my almond milk though 🙂
I started to try almond milk a couple of months ago and it is pretty good-I do agree. I don’t care for soymilk and coconut milk is good. I don’t have a dairy intolerance personally, so I tend to drink a lot of “normal” milk myself. Is it even normal? I don’t know LOL.
I love coconut and almond milk! I always use that blue diamond one, it’s my fav!
I agree about over “soy-in'” it! It’s bad for iron absorption and being anemic = no good! I’ve tried flax milk, which is really good! It’s my fav but its hard to find cheap.
Almond milk is my favorite! I love adding it to oatmeal because the flavor makes it so that I don’t have to add extra sweetners.
I’ve never tried the coconut milk, but, like you, I recently switched from a great deal of soy milk to the unsweetened vanilla almond milk to decrease my soy intake. It’s delicious!
I’m so happy that we can get the blue diamond almond milk in the UK now, so yummy!