August 22 is World Plant Milk Day, a day to celebrate and promote dairy alternatives and expose the alleged cruelty of the dairy industry.
The day was founded by Robbie Lockie, co-founder of Plant Based News, in 2017, and it was established as a partnership with ProVeg in 2018.
The campaign has grown and acquired the attention of millions of people around the world, accelerating the transition from dairy milk to plant-based alternatives.
Plant-based milk has surged in popularity in recent years. While alternative milk, such as almond, soy, and coconut, has been readily available for some time, it is other non-dairy options that have been making a splash, with oat and rice increasing in popularity.
Whether your priority is nutritional value, animal welfare, environmental impact, lactose or dairy milk allergens, or it is simply a matter of taste, you are spoilt for choice.
In this article, we will take you through five of the best plant-based milk you need to try.
Coconut milk
Before you reach for coconut milk, it is important to understand that there are two kinds – the beverage that comes in a carton or bottle and the concentrated liquid that comes in a can.
For smoothies, coffee drinks, cereal, and such, it is advisable you reach for the carton or bottle as it is light, refreshing, and offers just a hint of coconut flavour.
Canned coconut milk is super thick (almost spoonable) and packs a bold coconut taste.
Soy milk
This is one of the most established and popular milk alternatives on the market. Despite many new and different milk alternatives coming onto the market in recent years, soy milk remains a firm favourite.
Soy milk has a creamy quality, which means it works well in hot drinks, cooking, baking, or just on its own.
On top of this, soy milk is fortified with vitamins and has a similar protein content to dairy milk, which means that you will not be forfeiting the nutritional benefits of traditional milk when making the switch.
Oat milk
Naturally sweet and mild in flavour, it tastes great with cereals and in smoothies. It has double the amount of carbohydrates and half the amount of protein in cow’s milk. Oat milk has one of the highest amounts of fibre out of all the milk alternatives.
Rice milk
Another great plant-based milk option is rice milk. Brown rice and its syrup are commonly used to make rice milk. Rice milk has the lowest allergy risk of any plant-based milk, making it an excellent soy, almond or dairy milk substitute.
Almond milk
Almond milk is made by blending almonds with water and then straining the mixture to remove the solids. You can also make it by adding water to almond butter. It has a pleasant, nutty flavour and a creamy texture similar to that of regular milk.
For this reason, it is a popular choice for people following a vegan diet and those who are allergic or intolerant to dairy.
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