What’s your perfect vegan milk?

Are you switching to a vegan diet and aren’t sure what you should drink instead of regular dairy milk? As we all know, dairy foods and milk are a good source of calcium for non vegans, and can help keep bones strong and healthy.¹ If you’re vegan, then it’s possible to get calcium from other food and drink sources, including different types of fortified non-dairy drinks.¹ Finding these vegan milk substitutes can seem like a bit of quandary initially. But when you take a minute to lift the lid on the non-dairy milk options that are out there, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. What’s more, we know how busy most people are these days, so we’ve done all of the lid-lifting for you. That’s right, we’ve done our research and created a list of dairy-free milk, right here in this article. All you need to do is keep reading and take note of the collection of vegan milk alternatives (you can thank us later!)

7 vegan milk swaps:

1. Almond milk

Is made from a combination of ground almonds and water. Once filtered, this mixture then becomes almond milk. Look out for sweetened and unsweetened versions of almond milk on the shelves. Nutritional profile: One 240ml cup of unsweetened almond milk contains around 30 to 50 calories. Most almond milk varieties tend to be fortified with extra nutrients, such as calcium, riboflavin, vitamin E and Vitamin D.²

2. Oat milk

As the name suggests, oat milk is made from oats that have been blended with water. As with almond milk, the water’s strained from the mixture to produce oat milk. Nutritional profile: One cup of unsweetened oat milk, such as Oatly milk, contains around 90 to 120 calories. Interestingly, shop-bought oat milk often contains a similar amount of vitamins and minerals as traditional cow's milk because it’s been fortified by the manufacturer with additional vitamins and minerals.³

3. Coconut milk

Isn’t the same as coconut water and there are two varieties too – thick or thin. Coconut milk is made by boiling coconut flesh in water and then straining the mixture to produce thick coconut milk. Meanwhile, thin coconut milk’s made by double straining the mixture. Nutritional profile: One 240g cup of coconut milk contains around 552 calories (93% are from saturated fats) and vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, iron, potassium, copper, selenium, carbs, protein and fibre.⁴

4. Soy milk

An Asian cooking staple, soy milk is the product of soaking soya beans overnight, stripping them of their skins and then blending them with water before straining them. The liquid’s then heated and cooled; it’s at this point that it’s ready to drink/cook with. Nutritional profile: 100ml of soy milk usually contains around 2.4g of protein, 1.6g of fat and 0.5g in carbohydrates and 0.2 in sugar. Many shop-bought varieties are also fortified with added nutrients, including calcium and Vitamins D and B12.⁵

5. Pea milk

You may not have heard of this before, but pea milk is actually a thing. While it’s not made from the green garden peas we’re used to serving up on our dinner plates, it’s still made from peas – yellow ones. These peas are turned into a powder and then transformed into milk through a process that involves applying heat and pressure to the mixture.⁶ Nutritional profile: 1 240ml cup of unsweetened, original Ripple milk contains 70 calories, 8g of protein, 0g carbohydrate (that’s right, zero carbs) and 4.5g of fat, as well as potassium, calcium, iron and Vitamins A and D. (For more information read, ‘What is pea milk?’)

6. Hemp milk

Is usually made from a combination of hemp seeds and water to provide a plant-based alternative to cow’s milk that tastes earthy and creamy. Nutritional profile: 1 cup of hemp milk contains 60 calories, 3g of protein, 4.5g of fat, 233mg of calcium and 1.9mg of iron. It’s also a good source of phosphorous, potassium and zinc.⁷

7. Rice milk

A lot like the alternatives we’ve mentioned up above, rice milk’s made with just two main key ingredients – milled rice and water. The process of producing it involves boiling the rice in water, blending it and then straining the mixture.⁸ Rice milk actually happens to be the one milk that most people can tolerate; it’s lactose-free milk and obviously doesn’t contain any nuts or soy.⁹ Nutritional profile: 1 cup of rice milk contains 120 calories, 22g of carbohydrates, 2g of fat and 1g of protein. It can also be fortified with calcium and Vitamin D.¹⁰ Feeling ready to make the switch to non-dairy milk now? If you are, there are plenty of different options for you to work your way through and decide which one you prefer the most. For more insight, check out, ‘What’s your perfect plant milk?’ Shop vegan milk alternatives Last Updated: 23rd September 2020 Sources: 1 https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-vegan-diet/ 2 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/almond-milk-health-benefits#section1 3 https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a27079365/oat-milk-nutrition/ 4 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-milk#nutrition 5 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/soy-milk-good-you 6 https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/health-products-recipes-pea-based-milk/ 7 https://www.livestrong.com/article/512124-what-are-the-benefits-of-hemp-milk/ 8 https://happyherbivore.com/2011/08/what-is-rice-milk-rice-milk-recipe/ 9 https://www.healthline.com/health/milk-almond-cow-soy-rice#rice-milk 10 https://www.healthline.com/health/milk-almond-cow-soy-rice#rice-milk