Rating Vegan Non-Dairy Milks
Ranking 8 non-dairy milks, this is your vegan dairy guide to making the switch from milk to “malk”
Depending on what state you are in, or even what country you are in, there are a multitude of different vegan milk products now storming the shelves.
It is hard to decipher between the ones that will actually resemble that smooth milk taste, but also carry actual health benefits real dairy, does not provide.
Understanding dairy as a potential for causing a long list of diseases and ailments has been a battle fought by vegans for decades.
In 1977 the US Committee for Nutrition and Human Needs tried to pass a bill explaining how meat, dairy, and eggs contribute to a poor diet. Under industry pressure, not only was the goal to “ decrease meat and dairy consumption ” removed from the report but the entire Senate nutrition committee was disbanded.
Science is finally prevailing with that theory and despite the dairy industries continuously trying to keep the FDA in their chokehold, studies are showing the consumption of dairy as being a leading causes of: skin-related problems including acne, eczema, psoriasis, gut-related problems including IBS, chronic fatigue, celiac disease, asthma in children, and type 2 diabetes along with a host of others.
This is primarily due to the added hormones in dairy products, high saturated fats, and antibiotics pumped into the cows that destroy our gut lining and weaken our immune systems. However, as vegans would put it, it’s as simple as we are not baby cows, so we should not be consuming baby cow milk. And I could go on and on about the dangers of the dairy industry but I’ll save that for a later post.
I will overview some of the more popular non-dairy milks, discuss their pros and cons, and of course go over my personal go-to’s and favorites.
8. Planet Oat Unsweetened Original:
This oat milk is available at most grocery stores and has been around for some time. Oat milks are popular because of their creaminess, making them a great milk to use in coffees and smoothies. Oats are also high in fiber and a good source of vitamins.
Pro’s: This milk is fortified with calcium and vitamin B12.
Con’s: It has two types of gums (preservatives) that are best to avoid and contains Vitamin A palmitate which is a kind of saturated fat found mostly in meat, dairy, and eggs that causes insulin resistance. So if you suffer from type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes this is not the milk for you, and it is best to avoid for most of the population as well. Clearly, vegans should not consume this product to be safe since we do not know where it is sourced.
7. Not Milk 2% Reduced Fat
This milk has been hailed one of the first choices of new plant-based milk drinkers. They claim it replicates the dairy milk taste best which makes them easier to cut out dairy from their lives. This milk can be found at most local grocery stores and Target.
Pro’s: significantly lower saturated fat amount than dairy milk. High in vitamin B12 and calcium.
Con’s: The ingredients contain a significant amount of additives and preservatives. Not to mention the 4th ingredient happens to be sugar, although it is in a low amount. Therefore, although it is a better alternative, this is not a milk you want to consume everyday. It will be good for your occasional cereal bowl.
Note: most long-time vegans do not find this milk appetizing because it mimics cow’s milk too accurately, I found it made me feel a little sick but. there’s no harm in trying it as an alternative if you really cannot find a nut milk that you like.
6. Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original
This milk has a more bland taste to me, but for others it tastes perfectly fine. I find it is great to use in smoothies, but not so great in my coffee. Almond Breeze has been around for forever as one of the first pioneers of nut milks.
Pro’s: fortified with calcium and Vitamin E, no sugar or saturated fats.
Con’s: Gums used as preservatives and natural flavors. Two things you want to avoid when buying processed products. This milk also has vitamin A palmitate which as I described before is an animal product and can be toxic to the liver in high volumes.
5. Good Karma Flaxmilk Unsweetened + Protein
This is definitely a great milk to use in your smoothies if you feel like you constantly forget to buy flax meal. Flax is one of the greatest superfoods so putting it in the convenience of a non-dairy milk is a win win. This milk does not have a strange taste but actually has a decent flavor that will mesh well with your baking, breakfast, or coffee.
Pro’s: contains the superfoods flax, no sugar, no saturated fats. Very high in Vitamin B12.
Con’s: Unnecessary preservatives, additives, and natural flavor.
4. Califia Farms Oat Milk
One of the more popular oat milks out there because of it’s creamy texture and smooth taste. This oat milk is made in California and it used to be one of my go-to oat milk. The problems with oat milks is they have to have a lot of additives and preservatives to keep it fresh, which is why people have been calling oat milks the next “coca cola.” Although that is entirely too dramatic, it is important to be a conscious consumer of processed foods with a lot of preservatives.
Pro’s: tastes great, contains no gums and a very little amount of sodium.
Cons: This oat milk contains sunflower oil, sugar, and a tiny bit of saturated fat. Far less calcium, and other vitamins compared to other non dairy milks.
3. Oatly The Original
Probably the most popular oat milk on the market. This non-dairy milk has the best creamy taste that resembles a creamer but hold the calories. This used to be my favorite milk before I discovered the next two, but it is a little more accessible at more local grocery stores.
Pro’s: High amounts of Vitamin A, D, Riboflavin, and Vitamin B12 which you cannot always find across the board in other non-dairy milks. Tastes amazing in smoothies, coffee, and any other ways you use milk without any sweetener added. Contains mostly clean ingredients compared to other oat milks. No gums!
Con’s: Higher calories per serving. Contains a little bit of added sugars, oils, and saturated fat.
2. Oat Malk/ Almond Malk
One of very few completely clean non-dairy milks on the market, I present you with: Malk. I fell in love with malk when someone bought it for me by accident. It was my first time drinking completely clean, 3-ingredient non-dairy milk and it blew my mind how good it tasted.
Pro’s: Tastes incredible. No oils, gums, fillers, preservatives, or sweeteners (if you buy the original almond or oat malk). Only three, clean ingredients: oats or almonds, water, and a little bit of Himalayan Pink Salt.
Con’s: This milk is not as easily available. So far in Florida, I can only find it at Whole Foods, which is incredibly unfortunate. The other way you can buy this milk is of course online through their website. The only other con is it’s pricey and the bottles are small so you really need to stock up on this milk.
Note: To manufacture almonds it requires a lot of water which is not ideal for the environment. For that reason, I switched to purchasing the number one non-dairy milk.
Elmhurst Milked Cashews
The hands-down best non-dairy milk there is. Elmhurst has all the pro’s of the other products, with almost no cons. You can find Elmhurst at most grocery stores, and it is completely clean ingredients. The Milked Cashews is my favorite however, I have yet to try the Milked Hazelnuts that I am sure, tastes amazing. I truly believe everyone should give this product a try. Most of America does not consume enough nuts in their daily diet so switching to nut-based milks who’s main ingredient is the NUT is a fantastic way to get all the vitamins and minerals these Earthly snacks provide.
Pro’s: Accessibility, nutrients, and taste. My go-to milk. Recyclable box.
Con’s: Smaller box for the price.