Milk Alternatives: Soy Milk, Rice Milk, Oat Milk, Almond Milk, Cashew Milk, Coconut Milk

Cow’s milk has great nutritional value- protein, amino acids, calcium, and much more. Some people do not tolerate cow’s milk and are interested in alternatives to provide the nutrition of milk. Some people are interested in health benefits from other types of milk or simply want to try something new. Alternatives to cow's milk include other types of animal milk and milk made from plants such as grain milks and nut milks.

Cow’s milk is available in several varieties with different butterfat content. Butterfat is the fatty portion of milk. Varieties of milk are known as skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, and whole milk. I always wondered if I get 1% milk, what is the other 99%? The percent indicates the percent of butterfat content. Skim milk contains almost no butterfat, 1% milk contains about 1% butterfat, 2% milk contains about 2% butterfat, and whole milk contains 4% butterfat .

• Skim milk contains less than 0.5% butter fat
• 1%: about 1% butterfat
• 2%: about 2% butterfat
• Whole milk: about 4% butterfat

Milk varieties with more fat tend to cost a bit more that those with less fat content.

source: California Department of Agriculture

Organic milk is produced without growth hormones and is from cows that are allowed to graze. Organic milk has more milk flavor than regular milk. Some organic food experts say that if you have to pick only one organic food to eat, milk is a great one to start with. Organic milk sells for about $5-6 per gallon depending on the brand.

Powdered milk or dried milk is made by evaporating the liquid from milk to produce a powder that can be stored for a long time without refrigeration. Water is added to the powdered milk to reconstitute the milk. The main advantage of powdered milk is that unlike fresh milk it can be stored for long periods of time. I could see how it would be handy to have powdered milk in the pantry and be able to mix up some more milk rather than running to the store to buy a gallon.

Evaporated milk has about 60% of the water removed and can be canned for long term storage. Water is added to produce milk.

Condensed milk, also known as sweetened condensed milk, typically consists of evaporated milk with sugar added and is used for baking.

Other animal milks have distinctive flavors are becoming more popular. These include:

• Sheep milk
• Goat milk
• Buffalo milk

These milks cost about twice or more as much as cow’s milk. These milks may have more fat than cow's milk.

Plant milks are high in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and are lactose free.

Grain milks and nut milks may not require refrigeration until opening, depending on the packaging.

If you have allergies or issues with cow’s milk, there are a number of milk alternatives to choose from.

Typical cost for plant milk: about $1.50 to $3.00 per 32 oz container (that’s $6 to $12 per gallon).

Soy milk and rice milk can now be found in many local grocery stores. This milk is made from soy beans or rice. Does it taste like cow’s milk? Not really. But it is healthy- especially soy milk- and actually tastes pretty good. Some plant milks come in flavors such as vanilla and chocolate. You can use plant milks on cereal or drink it straight just like cow’s milk. I actually like the flavor of soy milk better than cow’s milk. A newer entry to milk alternatives is oat milk. Eating oats can lower your cholesterol- studies have shown that drinking oat milk provides similar benefits.

• Soy milk (actually considered a legume rather than a grain)
• Rice milk
• Oat milk

Milk alternatives can also be produced by combining oils and liquids from nuts with water. These milks have similar health benefits to the grain milks and are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

• Coconut milk
• Almond milk
• Cashew milk

You can make oat milk, almond milk, and cashew milk at home using a blender.

• Buy fresh cow’s milk at a local grocery store
• Buy powdered milk or evaporated milk at local grocery stores or on the internet
• Buy fresh goat, sheep, or buffalo milk at local health food or organic food stores
• Buy milk alternatives at local grocery or organic food stores or on the internet

• Organic milk has great flavor and no growth hormones- but costs about twice as much as regular milk
• Milk with less butterfat costs less- for example skim milk costs about 50 cents per gallon less than whole milk
• Regular milk is a good value- a gallon of milk weighs about 8 pounds. At $3.50 per gallon, you are paying only 45 cents per pound.
• Milk alternatives are interesting to try, but are more expensive than regular milk. Regular milk is a good deal if you are able to drink it.
• Some milk alternatives may be stored at room temperature until opened (depending on packaging), so you can buy in bulk and keep a supply in your pantry and avoid extra trips to the store

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