10 Best Vegan Milks | UK Dietitian Reviewed
Dairy-free milk is an everyday staple for vegans and it's used in everything - cups of tea, bowls of cereal, cooking, baking cakes, you name it! Nowadays, there's a huge range of milk alternatives available to buy, so it can be hard to determine which one is best for pouring into your pancakes or frothing up in your coffee cup.
To help you to narrow down your options, we've compiled a buying guide and a list of our favourite brands and products from Amazon, eBay, Tesco, Asda, and Waitrose. Whether you're after a chocolate soy beverage, a nutritious almond drink, or a calcium-rich formula designed for toddlers, we've got recommendations for all kinds of vegan milks!
Quick List - Top Vegan Milks
Author of The Bone Strength Plan and a professional, evidenced-based nutritionist in London. Jo has carried out over 1500 hours of one-to-one consultations with more than 600 clients, as well as the additional hours of workshops, research, and media work with the BBC, Channel 4, The Islam channel and more.
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Table of Contents
- With Specialist Consultation From Dietitian Jo Travers
- How to Choose a Vegan Milk in the UK - Buying Guide
- Consider Which Type of Non-Dairy Alternative You'd Prefer1
- When Deciding Between Sweetened or Unsweetened, Think About What You Plan to Use Your Milk For2
- Most Plant-Based Milks Contain Added Calcium3
- Select a Container Size That'll Suit Your Household's Needs4
- Searching for More Vegan-Friendly Products?
- Summary
With Specialist Consultation From Dietitian Jo Travers
Jo Travers, author of The Bone Strength Plan is a professional, evidenced-based nutritionist in London. She has carried out over 1500 hours of one-to-one consultations with more than 600 clients, as well as the additional hours of workshops, research, and media work with the BBC, Channel 4, The Islam Channel, and more.
You can find her comprehensive catalogue of courses and guides for everything nutrition-related on her website, as well as absolutely delicious recipe ideas on her Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
How to Choose a Vegan Milk in the UK - Buying Guide
When shopping for a vegan milk, there are a few factors you should think about: the type of milk you like best, whether you'd prefer a sweetened or unsweetened product, how much calcium the drink contains, and which size container you'll need.
Consider Which Type of Non-Dairy Alternative You'd Prefer
Vegan milks can be made from a variety of base ingredients, including nuts, legumes, grains, and even seeds! In this section, we'll run through the pros and cons of each type so you can choose the most suitable one for your needs.
Legume-Based Milks Like Soy and Pea Are Versatile and High in Protein
Soy milk is one of the most popular types of vegan milk out there, because it's very nutritionally similar to cow's milk. It contains all nine essential amino acids, has lots of protein, and is only around 70 calories a cup. Plus, it can be used for practically everything, from a quick cuppa to baking treats.
Although cheaper soy milks can have a bit of a chalky taste, luckily there are flavoured versions available (such as chocolate or banana) that may be more palatable to drink.
Pea-based milk is relatively new on the market, so it's not as easily found as soy. However, it contains a similar amount of protein and calories, and is a great source of omega 3 which helps your brain function and strengthens your immune system. Like soy milk, it can be used for pretty much anything you fancy!
Soy milk isn’t suitable for everybody, like babies or those with a soy allergy. But if you can drink it, it can be an important source of protein if you are following a plant-based diet. Because of this, it can also keep you satisfied for longer than some other kinds of milk.
Pea milk doesn’t contain all of the essential amino acids so it isn’t a complete protein, but by combining it with grains - having it with cereal for example – you will get the full range.
Want Something Low Calorie and Naturally Sweet? Go for Grain-Based Rice or Oat Milk
Rice milk is naturally sweet and low in calories, but it's also low in protein. It's a good choice if you or someone in your household has allergies, as it's free from both gluten and nuts. However, it does have a rather thin consistency, making it better suited to pouring over cereal than adding to a hot drink.
Oat milk is full of fibre, which helps to regulate digestion and control blood sugar levels. It too can be quite thin unless it's formulated especially for hot drinks, so look for a "barista" variety as this means it won't curdle in your coffee! As it hasn't got a strong flavour, oat milk also works perfectly in all kinds of recipes.
Rice milk shouldn’t be given as the main drink to children under 5 years old, because of the high levels of arsenic rice can contain. And even adults should limit their consumption, particularly if they are eating lots of rice-based products, so having rice milk as part of a variety of dairy alternatives is a good idea.
While oat milk has a naturally sweet flavour, but it doesn’t contain much in the way of protein like legume based milks do.
Nut-Based Milks Not Only Taste Delicious, They Also Contain Healthy Fats
Cashew milk is thick in consistency, making it a dream for coffee drinkers! Like almond milk, it has plenty of unsaturated fat and is low in carbohydrates, containing only two grams per cup. Unfortunately, it can be high in calories, so might not be the best option for everyone.
Lastly, hazelnut milk definitely has the strongest flavour out of the three types of nuts mentioned in this section. As a result, it tastes delicious in coffee and baked goods like cakes or muffins. It's also got a decent amount of fibre, which is always a bonus!
Almond milk is lower in calories than most other milk alternatives, but that is because it is lower in nutrients like protein, carbohydrates and fat. Hazelnut milk is a slightly better source of protein and also contains mono-unsaturated fats which are good for heart health.
Fibre can help feed the bacteria that live in your gut and can even help remove excess cholesterol from your body. Generally, we get much less fibre than we need so looking for a nut milk high in fibre will help your daily intake.
Creamy Coconut Milk Will Add a Tropical Taste to Your Cooking
Coconut milk is a popular choice for those who like the thick, creamy consistency of dairy milk. It's also generally safe for people with tree nut allergies because, despite its name, a coconut isn't actually classed as a nut!
Made with coconut cream and water, this type of milk has a delightfully tropical taste – perfect for putting a Caribbean twist on desserts like rice pudding! It's also rich in iron and potassium, which help with oxygen flow and regulating your blood pressure.
If you're looking for a low-calorie option, however, you should be aware that it's pretty high in both saturated fats and calories.
Too much saturated fat has been linked to an increase in cholesterol levels which in turn are a risk factor for heart disease. Saturated fat may also cause inflammation in the body because as it is being digested, it produces inflammatory metabolites. Coconut fat has around 90% saturated fats so it's best to have this on occasion rather than all the time.
Seed-Based Hemp Milk Is Low in Carbs and Full of Omega 3
Finally, hemp milk is a dairy alternative that's slowly become more popular in recent years. Made from hemp seeds, it's low in carbohydrates and full of Omega 3 fatty acids, so it's great for your brain!
It's fairly high in fat though and has quite an earthy flavour that might not be to everyone's taste. Still, we'd say it's worth trying at least once - otherwise you'll never know if you like it!
Omega 3 is an essential fat, which means that we can't make it in our bodies so we have to get it through the diet. The primary source in the Western diet is oily fish, so if you are following a vegetarian or vegan diet then it's important to include seeds like hemp, linseed and walnuts.
When Deciding Between Sweetened or Unsweetened, Think About What You Plan to Use Your Milk For
As we've mentioned, there's plenty of things that you can use vegan milk for - anything that you would use dairy milk for, basically! But did you know that many milks contain added sweeteners like sugar or fruit juice?
If you're planning to cook something savoury like a sauce, you're trying to cut down on sugar, or you just don't like your cup of tea to taste too sweet, you might prefer to opt for an unsweetened product.
For everything else, such as drinking, adding to cereal, or baking desserts, we'd say that a sweetened milk should be perfectly suitable.
Different milks contain different sugars. Rice has a higher glycaemic index (GI), but the highest GI will be from those with added sugar. Naturally sweeter-tasting milks like hazelnut milk are great for using in sweet recipes but without the added sugar.
Most Plant-Based Milks Contain Added Calcium
We should all be aiming to consume about 700mg of calcium a day, according to the NHS, and a lot of people get their intake of this essential nutrient from dairy products. If you're making the switch to a vegan diet, you might be wondering if you can still get the required amount of calcium from plant-based milks - well, the answer is yes!
Dairy-free milks are often fortified with added calcium, so you don't have to worry about having healthy teeth and bones. We'll include this valuable information in the specification table below each product review, to make it easy for you to check that a product has exactly what you need.
The exception to this is some of the organic milk alternatives. Most milks will say on the front of the carton if they contain calcium, but you can check to see if it is fortified by checking the ingredients list - most are fortified with the same amount of calcium you would get from dairy milk. Shaking the carton before drinking will help to disperse the minerals as they can sink to the bottom if left to stand for long periods.
Select a Container Size That'll Suit Your Household's Needs
Last, but certainly not least, let's think about container sizes. If you use milk for your cereal every day or you have a household full of tea drinkers, it makes sense to buy a larger carton or bottle - 1 litre of milk should last you a few days, and you can always buy a few to stock up.
Smaller cartons of around 250ml are ideal for popping into kids' lunchboxes or taking on picnics, so consider a multipack of these if you have little ones!
10 Best Vegan Milks in the UK
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Oatly Oat Drink - Barista Edition | | Delicious, Nutritious, and Sustainable | |
2 | Alpro Almond Original Long Life Milk | | Light and Refreshing in Flavour | |
3 | Rice Dream Original Rice Drink | | A UHT Rice Beverage With No Added Sugar | |
4 | Alpro Soya Longlife Chocolate Shakes | | Get Your Chocolate Fix With This Multipack | |
5 | Koko Original Coconut | | Coconut Freshness That's Perfect for Smoothies | |
6 | Good Hemp Creamy Seed Milk | | Creamy and Full of Good Fats | |
7 | Alpro Growing Up Soya Drink | | A Nutrient-Packed Formula for Kids | |
8 | Plenish Cashew Milk ｜Unsweetened | | Made With Simple, Sustainable Ingredients | |
9 | Innocent Unsweetened Hazelnut Drink | | A Nutty Mix That's Amazing in Hot Drinks | |
10 | Qwrkee Plant-Based Pea Milk ｜Sweetened | | Try Something Different With This Pea-Based Product |
Delicious, Nutritious, and Sustainable
Oatly's Barista Edition is every coffee lover's dream! Light and fully foamable, it's ideal for whipping up a frothy, Starbucks-style latte in the comfort of your own home. Plus, it tastes fab in porridge as well as anything you feel like baking - you really won't find a more versatile milk!
Packed with calcium and vitamins, and containing no added sweeteners, this is an incredibly healthy option. Best of all, Oatly is a company that's committed to sustainability, so you can feel good about purchasing a carton of this delicious and nutritious vegan milk as part of your weekly shop.
Light and Refreshing in Flavour
Alpro's lightly roasted Mediterranean almonds create a milk with a wonderfully nutty flavour. It tastes sweet and refreshing, making it yummy straight from the fridge in a bowl of cereal or alongside some vegan cookies if you're feeling naughty! It's also great in hot drinks and won't curdle.
Not only does this milk taste lovely, but it's full of calcium and vitamins B2, B12, and D too. So you can rest assured that you and your family are getting all of the nutrients you need to thrive on a plant-based diet!
A UHT Rice Beverage With No Added Sugar
This dairy-free alternative by Rice Dream contains 14% organic brown rice, filtered water, sunflower oil, vitamins D and B12, and just a pinch of salt - that's it! Absolutely no nasties or added sugars for you to worry about.
Low in fat and easy to digest, this milk is ideal for anyone with allergies or a sensitive stomach. Pour it onto your cornflakes or muesli in the morning for a naturally sweet start to the day!
Get Your Chocolate Fix With This Multipack
Craving a sweet drink? These chocolate flavour shakes from Alpro will certainly hit the spot! Made from sustainable, non-GMO soy beans and reduced-fat cocoa, they're an excellent source of protein.
If you fancy something different, these shakes also come in other yummy flavours like banana and strawberry. They're perfect for popping into a packed lunch or taking on a picnic. Plus, at under £2 for 3 cartons, we think this multipack is a total bargain!
Coconut Freshness That's Perfect for Smoothies
Sweetened with grape juice and made using only the finest Indonesian coconuts, Koko Original will help you bring a touch of sunshine into your kitchen. There's only a subtle hint of coconut flavour, but it's just enough to get your tastebuds tingling!
Mix this milk into a smoothie with fresh tropical fruit or splash it onto some crunchy granola and you won't be disappointed. And to top it all off, it doesn't curdle in hot drinks either - yay!
Creamy and Full of Good Fats
This amazingly creamy milk by Good Hemp contains just three main ingredients: water, hemp seeds, and sea salt (plus a few stabilisers). The hemp seeds provide omega 3 and 6, which are basically all the good fats that your body needs!
This product is perfect for stirring into porridge or making a decadent dessert and fares well in tea and coffee too. The only reasons it's not higher on our list are that there's no added calcium and it could end up being a little expensive if you get through a carton every couple of days.
A Nutrient-Packed Formula for Kids
Raising your little ones on a plant-based diet? This soy-based formula by Alpro is designed especially for kids aged 1-3 years. It contains all the necessary nutrients for healthy growth: calcium, iron, and iodine, as well as vitamins B2, B12, C, and D.
At the moment, this is one of the few vegan milks on the market that's targeted at children, so it's a real trail-blazer! We reckon that even little ones who love dairy won't be able to tell the difference either.
Made With Simple, Sustainable Ingredients
This creamy milk by Plenish won a Great Taste Award in 2017, so we just had to include it on our list! Sustainably sourced cashews, water, and sea salt make up the bulk of the ingredients list - simple yet scrumptious!
Since cashews are a source of copper, drinking this milk regularly can help to keep your immune system in tip-top condition. The only downside is that it's not widely available, so you'll have to head to Waitrose to get your fix!
A Nutty Mix That's Amazing in Hot Drinks
You're probably familiar with Innocent smoothies, but did you know that they make dairy-free milks too? This unsweetened hazelnut milk is full of vitamin E, which is great for your skin!
Surprisingly though, this product only contains 5.8% hazelnuts and the main ingredient is actually rice. You should also note that this is a fresh product rather than a long-life one, so you'll need to keep it in the fridge. Still, it tastes amazing, especially when used to make a big mug of hot chocolate!
Try Something Different With This Pea-Based Product
We love a brand that likes to do things differently, so we were excited to hear about Qwrkee's new pea-based milk. When it comes to nutrition, this product certainly hits the spot - it's got calcium, iodine, phosphorus, fibre, and a whole range of vitamins!
This product is a bit of an acquired taste and the price is pretty high too, which may put people off trying it out. If you're feeling adventurous though, we say go for it - what have you got to lose?
Searching for More Vegan-Friendly Products?
Now you've got your milk alternative sorted, why not check out more of our vegan-themed articles? Whether you're after a yummy plant-based yogurt, a block of butter for baking, or some dairy-free cheese for sprinkling on pasta, we've got some great recommendations!
Summary
We hope you've enjoyed browsing our list of the best vegan milks to buy in the UK, and we're sure you'll have no trouble choosing a dairy-free drink now! The only question is, which one of our recommendations will you want to try first?
Author: Nicola McClements
Top 5 Vegan Milks
No. 1: Oatly｜Oat Drink - Barista Edition
No. 2: Alpro｜Almond Original Long Life Milk
No. 3: Rice Dream｜Original Rice Drink
No. 4: Alpro｜Soya Longlife Chocolate Shakes
No. 5: Koko｜Original Coconut
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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