Best Milk Substitutes: Which One Is Right For You?

by Arpi Gasparyan | Last updated on August 03, 2023

Medically reviewed by Victoria Mazmanyan

Summary

Thus, the choice of a milk alternative depends wholly on the consumer's taste and nutrition preference, as well as the reason for switching milk.

All of the mentioned milk substitutes below are appropriate for vegan diets and for people with lactose intolerance.

For people looking for low-calorie milk alternatives, cashew, almond, macadamia, or chia milk may be the right choice.

If you’re looking for a high-protein milk substitute, pea or soy milk can be good options. These two types of milk, along with barley milk, are also excellent sources of calcium.

Some of these milk alternatives are even better sources of vitamin D than cow milk, for example, pea milk, almond milk, rice milk, barley milk, and macadamia milk.

Similarly, there are milk substitutes richer in vitamin B12, such as oat milk and pea milk.

Milk Substitutes or Milk Alternatives

Milk substitute or milk alternative or mylk resembles milk and is meant to be used similarly to animal milk. Milk substitutes can be made from grains, pseudo-grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and starchy vegetables.

There are many reasons to choose milk substitutes, including diet preferences, lactose intolerance, allergic reaction to milk proteins, acne, or other ethical and personal reasons.

This article aims to look into the nutritional values of various milk substitutes and compare them. However, some brands may fortify their products with vitamins and minerals labeled on the packaging. Flavored milk will also have more calories than unsweetened or original milk. The fat content of milk can also naturally vary based on the processing method.

The nutritional value of 100ml of cow’s milk (low-fat, 1% milkfat with added vitamin D and calcium) will be demonstrated below before comparing milk alternatives.

• Calories: 42
• Protein: 3.37g
• Fats: 0.97g
• Carbs: 4.99g
• Calcium: 125mg
• Phosphorus: 95mg
• Vitamin B12: 0.47mcg
• Vitamin D: 1.2mcg

The nutritional values for 100ml of whole milk (3.25% milkfat, without added vitamin A and vitamin D) are presented below (1).

• Calories: 61
• Protein: 3.15g
• Fats: 3.27g
• Carbs: 4.78g
• Calcium: 113mg
• Phosphorus: 84mg
• Vitamin B12: 0.45mcg
• Vitamin D: 0.1mcg

The nutritional values of the beverages below are presented for a few of the popular brands of milk alternatives. Other varieties of these milk substitutes will somewhat differ in their values.

You can find the comparisons of generic versions of milk on our website, on pages such as “Milk vs. Rice Milk,” “Milk vs. Coconut Milk,” and “Milk vs. Soy Milk.” 

Grain milk

Legume Milk

Nut Milk

Seed Milk

Fruit and Starchy Vegetable Milk

References

1. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/172217/nutrients
2. Rice DREAM™‌ Enriched Original Rice Drink | Dream Plant Based
3. Oatly Original Oatmilk
4. Original - Take Two Foods
5. Original Dairy-Free Plant-Based Milk | Ripple Foods
6. Original Soymilk | Silk®
7. Vanilla Soymilk | Silk®
8. Almondmilk Original | Milk Alternative | Almond Breeze® | Blue Diamond
9. Unsweet Cashewmilk | Silk®
10. Unsweetened Hazelnut Milk
11. milkadamia Milk Unsweetened 32 oz | Macadamia milk I dairy free, vegan
12. Original Pecan Milk | THIS PKN
13. Unsweetened Milked Walnuts™ - Walnut Milk, 32oz | Elmhurst 1925
14. Patch Organics Original Pumpkin SeedMilk
15. Hemp Plant-Based Beverage – Original
16. Sweetened Original Chia Milk | SOW Seeds of Wellness
17. Thai Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk
18. Original Bananamilk - Products | Dairy-Free & Organic - Mooala
19. DUG Unsweetened | DUG | Rooted in genius

Author name: Arpi Gasparyan

Education: General Medicine at YSMU

Last updated: August 03, 2023

Medically reviewed by Victoria Mazmanyan