9 BEST VEGAN MILKS FOR COFFEES, COOKING AND POURING OVER CEREAL
From silky lattes to the creamiest mac and cheese, milk is practically everywhere. A ubiquitous and admittedly handy addition to sauces, coffees, cakes and cuppas – you get the idea.
But what if you’re lactose intolerant? Or dabbling in veganism? Or perhaps you’ve just gone off the stuff. Luckily, the once niche vegan milk market is now brimming with choice. From oat and pistachio to pea and potato (yes, milk made from spuds), you’ll find an ever-expanding smorgasbord of substitutes to try.
A third of people in Britain are now opting for the vegan white stuff. Why? Well, for one thing, it’s more sustainable. The diabolical environmental impact of the dairy industry isn’t exactly a trade secret, but plant-based milk produces a third of the greenhouse emissions that dairy does and uses far less land too – 10 times less to be exact. And, from an animal welfare perspective without the cruelty of the dairy farming industry, it shows more compassion to our cow friends too.
This being said, the association between vegan milks being healthier and more environmentally friendly, has led to many milks going under the microscope of public scrutiny. Oat milk in particular has been involved in recent internet controversy over its sugar content and manufacturing. Some were found to have very high levels of glucose that can cause spiking and inflammation in the body, as well as some farms being accused of using harmful pesticides in their crops. Oat milk sales have dipped in recent years. While not all brands are affected, it does make us want to take a closer look at what we are pouring into our coffee.
Whether you’re dipping your toe in the plant-based pool or planning to cut out dairy completely, we’ve been hunting for the best vegan milks that are well worth the fridge space.
How we tested the best vegan milks
We selected vegan milk from both industry leaders and newer brands on the block, testing for taste, consistency and versatility. We were on the hunt for both dairy dupes and plant-based drinks that were delicious but in a lane of their own – think coconut and pistachio.
We looked for a tasty milk alternative for a stellar cup of tea, as well as a cracking cuppa joe. And all were tested using our favourite milk frother to see which had the silkiest of froths for our coffees.
The best vegan milks for 2024 are:
- Best vegan milk overall – Califia Farms unsweetened almond: £2.10, Sainsburys.co.uk
- Best for cooking – Sproud plant-based milk unsweetened: £1.50, Waitrose.com
- Best for coffee – Oatly oat drink barista edition: £2.10, Ocado.com
- Best fresh taste – Innocent coconut: £1.75, Sainsburys.co.uk
- Best for minimal ingredients – Plenish cashew m*lk: £2.25, Ocado.com
Califia Farms unsweetened almond
We’re not usually big fans of almond milk, but this one from Californian brand, Califia Farms, won our affections for its subtlety. Don’t get us wrong, it does taste like almonds. But it’s smooth and creamy and balanced out with a hint of sweetness – and it’s gluten-free. Its foam isn’t the silkiest, but we’d really recommend adding a few glugs to iced coffee.
The subtle flavour also added creaminess to our berry smoothies without making them too nutty. And with 50 per cent more calcium than milk, it’s a good swap if you’re worried about missing out on calcium after ditching dairy. For velvety chocolate deliciousness, we thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate, coconut and almond blend (£2.10, Asda.com).
Buy now £2.10, Sainsburys.co.uk
Sproud plant-based milk unsweetened
Made from the humble pea, this one took us way back to our green-bottle-topped days. It’s sugar-free so the flavour is a little more neutral than milk, but the creaminess and milk-esque colouring might just have you fooled.
Splash this into coffee and it’s velvety smooth with no curdling at all, with a foam that’s silky smooth. Oh, and it blessed us with one of the thickest, creamiest bowls of porridge we’ve ever eaten – honestly, it was so lush we’d happily have it for dessert. As savoury dishes go, it did well, adding creaminess to a cracking batch of butternut squash soup too.
These little peas have a lot going for them sustainability-wise, using far less land and water to produce than dairy, as well as soy, nut and oat milks. They’re also packed with three times the amount of protein you’ll get from oat milk, and five times that in almond milk.
Buy now £1.50, Waitrose.com
Oatly oat drink barista edition
For creaminess and foamability, this is where it’s at. The OG of oat milk since the early Nineties, Oatly’s offbeat marketing has somehow made oat milk synonymous with cool, but beneath all that there’s a very, very good taste.
What makes a “barista” milk is essentially a higher fat content, and extra ingredients to help it foam up when it’s steamed or frothed. While frothers are best for airier foams, you might want to use a steamer to create silkier foams for lattes. We opted for the former and used Oatly’s barista milk with IndyBest’s best frother, which worked a treat – think a seriously luxe mouthfeel that plonks you on a stool at your local coffee haunt.
On to taste, it is buttery and not too oaty – you know what we mean – with a hint of sweetness that smooths any bitterness without masking the taste of the coffee. We were equally thrilled to find it’s not too heavy when sipped straight or added to cereal, so you won’t need milk “for coffee” and milk “for everything else”.
Buy now £2.10, Ocado.com
Innocent coconut
As the kid who used to eat all the Bountys at Christmas, we’re a sucker for coconut milk, but this one is next level. It’s naturally sweet but still tastes fresh, and we love that it’s got the odd fleck of coconut in there. And other than being fortified with a natural source of calcium, the ingredients list is short but sweet (no additives here, thank you very much). We enjoyed it straight from the fridge and over cereal – though it’s so more-ish that our milk to cereal ratio was way off.
Innocent is also a B corp, which is obviously a big plus – for the uninitiated, these are companies that have hit the highest standards across everything from the way its workers are treated to its environmental impact. The brand uses only sustainably sourced coconuts from Fairtrade suppliers, funds projects helping the world’s hungry, and raises money for Age UK (which has a lot to do with those dinky knitted hats you’ve probably seen before on its smoothie bottles).
Buy now £1.75, Sainsburys.co.uk
Plenish cashew m*lk
As far as nuts go, cashews are premium, so we were expecting big things here. Especially given that this cashew milk – which is made of organic cashews, water and sea salt – is a 2017 Great Taste Award winner with no nasties lurking on the ingredients list.
Instead, Plenish packs copious amounts of cashews into each carton – three times the amount in the average nut milk apparently – which are blended to a nut butter before reaching their final form which is, of course, delicious, and partially why it’s so pricey. High in protein, it’s creamy and pretty neutral to taste, which was perfect for our overnight oats, and quite the game-changer in our strawberry and banana smoothie.
Tea and coffee drinkers should take note, though, as it does separate slightly in hot drinks. However, we found that leaving the drink to cool a little before adding it, per Plenish’s suggestion, did seem to help stop this from happening. And, having gained a B corp accreditation, we rate that its cartons are 100 per cent recyclable too.
Buy now £2.25, Ocado.com
Jord oat and hemp drink
Hemp milk was a new one for us – we were expecting it to have a small amount of CBD, but there actually isn’t any in the seeds used to make the milk. It’s also not straight up hemp either as there are oats in there too (both of which are organic), along with water and a pinch of salt. Personally, we love a short ingredients list, as it keeps things simple and au naturel, which definitely pays off in the taste. Fresh, clean and slightly sweet, the oats bring a creaminess to the malty, nuttiness of the hemp, and we thoroughly enjoyed it straight, splashed over cereal and in our overnight oats.
Buy now £1.90, Sainsburys.co.uk
Rude Health roasted almond and oat drink
Despite having just four ingredients – organic roasted almonds, oats, salt and water – we were happily surprised by the depth of flavours going on here. As it turns out, roasting almonds is quite the game changer. We expected a simple oats and almonds blend but instead got a sweet, toasty and very more-ish milk. Unsurprisingly, the London-based brand has clocked up 23 Great Taste Awards over the years so, naturally, it was a well-balanced treat for the taste buds, and we were hooked after the very first sip.
We sipped (read: glugged) it straight from the carton, but found it made a cracking froth for our coffee too – with no curdling whatsoever – and gleefully added it to our morning cereal. We can see this being a go-to for comforting lattes on frosty winter days. Also certified as a B Corp, Rude Health’s milk is palm oil free, and we really rate that it donates to food waste and poverty charity FareShare too.
Buy now £1.84, Ocado.com
Borna lightly sweetened pistachio drink, two pack
Aromatic and sweet but not at all cloying, the pistachio flavour here is a little addictive – we had to stop ourselves friom scurrying back to the fridge to finish the lot. It is a little pricey, but as the first 100 per cent natural pistachio milk alternative, the south-east London based-brand is something of a trailblazer, and totally free of gums, artificial flavours and additives – a big tick for plant-drink purists.
We loved the dinky 500ml cartons too, which is something you don’t really see with vegan milks, and would make them handy for taking on the go, say, if you wanted to take milk into the office (just remember to put your name on it). This one did separate in our hot coffee a little, but it’s glorious splashed over muesli for an indulgent breakfast.
Buy now £21.90, Navesu.co.uk
Alpro soya no sugars
We don’t know about you, but soya milks can be too sweet and cloying, and can split in hot drinks, but not Alpro. Hailing all the way back to 1980, this is a brand that’s been around for yonks, and was actually the first and only brand we used for dairy-free products for a long while, from its dairy-free milks to its chocolate desserts (we heavily recommend).
What we really love about this unsweetened soya milk, though, is it’s perfect for a cuppa, with a rounded, neutral flavour that’s pretty indistinguishable from the real thing (if that’s what you’re after), while it’s also lovely chilled over cereal. As for coffee, the foam was quite honestly ludicrous, and possibly even taller and silkier than some of the barista milks we tried.
Plus, despite being low in saturated fat, it’s creamy and smooth, high in protein and serves up a good dose of calcium. If you’re wholly committed to your cuppas though, we also loved the Alpro My Cuppa soya milk, which has been specifically created for the perfect brew (£1.85, Sainsburys.co.uk).
Buy now £2.10, Sainsburys.co.uk
The verdict: Vegan milk
We loved Califia Farms unsweetened almond milk for its subtle flavour which is lovely in an iced coffee, while Alpro’s soya milk was lovely in tea. If you’re looking for something to swig straight out of the fridge then it’s got to be the creamy but oh-so-fresh coconut drink from Innocent, while for cooking, Sproud’s pea milk was a good one to have knocking about. As for what to splash into hot coffee, Oatly’s barista oat milk is a great choice.
If you need more inspiration for plant-based cooking, have a look at the best vegan cookbooks
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2024-04-12T13:46:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd