10 Plant Based Milk Options - Which One's Best? There's An Option For Everyone!

Which dairy free milk is the best? First, I think it’s important to say that there are so many different dairy free milks out there. There’s something for everyone... but which one should you choose? I think that depends on what you’re looking for, what you’re using it for and your dietary restrictions/food allergies. So which is the best? We'll get to that soon.

The most consumed dairy free milks right now seem to be almond, coconut and oat milk. Thankfully, most restaurants and coffee shops now have more than just SOY as an option for lattes. Even super hip, trendy places will have cashew milk and hemp milk on their menu.

I have tried dozens and dozens of dairy free milks on the market — even ones with soy or ingredients that wouldn’t normally be something that I’d ever purchase or consume. Let’s just say we have come a long, long way when it comes to the dairy-free milk section at the grocery store. I have gathered a list of nine different dairy free milks that you can find at the store right now. A few of these products are brand spankin’ new, and some I have loved for quite some time.

IMPORTANT DAIRY FREE MILK TIPS

• You must shake it! Shake Shake Shake, and once you think you’re done, shake it some more. Most dairy free milks, especially ones that have minimal ingredients, separate while sitting on the shelf at the store or in your fridge. Make sure you shake it before using it every single time.

• Separation is totally normal! Don’t worry about that. Just refer to the above tip and shake it baby!

• Taste it before you use it! Please try it before you pour it into your coffee, soup, smoothie, etc. I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t do this and used some sour dairy free milk for a latte or smoothie, took a sip and BAM! Super gross! Make sure you are consuming your dairy free milk within 7-10 days after opening (or whatever the bottle says).

• You can freeze it! I have done this in a pinch (can’t finish it in time, traveling, etc.) and it’s totally fine. Just make sure you consume it soon after thawing it in the fridge. Also, you may need to make some room in the bottle before freezing to allow for expansion.

• Read ingredients! Make sure you are checking all the ingredients for allergens. Example: If you're allergic to almonds and you find a cashew milk, it might not list almonds on the front but it could be in the ingredient list on the back.

WAYS TO USE DAIRY FREE MILK

• Smoothies

• Coffee

• Lattes

• Soups

• Baking

• Cereal

• Cooking

… basically you can use dairy free milk for anything you want! Keep in mind that the sweetened vanilla almond milk might not be the best option for your mashed potatoes or something savory, but trust me when I say that I’ve done this a handful of times and lived to tell about it. It’s been fine, and no we didn’t taste the vanilla flavor in our savory dishes. You can choose to keep unflavored, original, unsweetened dairy free milk on hand for savory things.

These different brands have great dairy free products. I will say that some have way less ingredients and a few of them have a longer list of ingredients. Keep in mind that what will work for you and your family is going to be what’s best, and it may differ from someone else reading this — or even from what we personally use the most. Some are paleo and whole30 friendly while others aren't.

I use a few of these on a solid regular basis, but really love this long list of options. I would recommend any of these to anyone.

(In no particular order)

Everything listed here is Gluten Free, Vegan, Plant Based and without Cane Sugar. Some of these brands do make sweetened dairy free milks, too. Please always check labels and read the ingredients to make sure they are good to go and safe for your family!

Products in photo:

• MALK Organics Unsweetened Almond Milk

• So Delicious Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk

• nutpods French Vanilla Almond & Coconut Creamer

• Homemade Cashew Milk (see recipe)

• Mamma Chia Unsweetened Vanilla ChiaMilk

• MALK Organics Original Oat Milk

• Three Trees Organic Unsweetened Pistachio Milk

• Mamma Chia Unsweetened ChiaMilk

• Good Karma Foods Unsweetened Vanilla Flax Milk + Protein

• Three Trees Organic Unsweetened Black Sesame Milk

A little bit about each brand in the list above:

MALK Organics (almond milk & oat milk)

vegan, gluten free, organic, nonGMO, no cane sugar, soy free

MALK Organics makes a long list of plant based dairy free milks including Almond, Cashew, Pecan and Oat. You can also enjoy a Pecan Malk Nog during the holiday season (great for making french toast) and even launched a new line of Coffee Creamers, too. We love everything they make!

Their products are organic, free of dairy, soy and gluten. They are also nonGMO, lactose-free and vegan friendly. No carrageenan. No binders. No colors or sweeteners Mother Nature wouldn’t recognize. Made with six ingredients or less, and more than one cup of sprouted organic nuts in every bottle, they are cold-pressed with the latest technology to retain all the nutrients without losing any of the flavor.

MALK's unsweetened almond milk is paleo and whole30 friendly.

Three Trees (pistachio & black sesame seed milk)

vegan, gluten free, organic, nonGMO, no cane sugar, soy free

Three Trees makes a few dairy free milks which are all organic and totally unique, too. I found them a few years ago and really love their line of nut and seed milks. I love their Pistachio for a fun latte and their sesame seed milk is pretty unique and tasty, too. It does get really frothy in my milk frother, which I also love so much.

They make high quality milks using the best ingredients with no additives, gums, fillers or “flavors.” “Our nut milks taste great because they're closest to homemade. We jam-pack every bottle with fresh, organic ingredients. It’s creamy goodness in a glass!”

Three Trees pistachio and sesame seed milks are paleo and whole30 friendly.

Good Karma Foods (flax milk)

vegan, gluten free, nonGMO, no cane sugar in unsweetened, top 8 free, nut free

I think this is the closest thing to milk, taste wise. My hubby gave up milk in his coffee when he tried this product and used it in his coffee for a long time — until he switched to black coffee. They make a few different variations: sweetened and unsweetened, plain and vanilla, and chocolate, too. They also make a shelf stable product, as well, which is great to keep on hand in the pantry.

It’s in the name. Good Karma Foods inspires goodness, and it’s the inspiration for all that they do. Such a great product! Fun Fact: before I even started my blog I won a contest on Facebook for a recipe challenge and won a year’s supply of Good Karma! BEST DAY EVER!

nutpods (almond & coconut creamer)

vegan, gluten free, nonGMO, no cane sugar, soy free

Okay, so this isn’t really a milk alternative in the way that the others are because it’s technically coffee creamer, but I wanted to include it in this list because so many people use dairy free milks for coffee. Also, you can use this for baking and cooking too, just choose the original flavor for savory things. All of their creamers are unsweetened, and they have a wide variety of flavor to choose from. Everything is vegan, nonGMO and gluten free, too. They are also paleo and Whole30 compliant.

nutpods remains the #1 Dairy-Free creamer on Amazon, with over 5,000 reviews, and has expanded into more than 13,000 retail stores across the US. What is nutpods? It’s a delicious, dairy-free and froth-friendly creamer for coffee and tea. Made from their special, wholesome recipe of almonds, coconut cream and not much else.

nutpods products are all paleo and whole30 friendly.

Mamma Chia (chia seed milk)

vegan, gluten free, organic, nonGMO, no cane sugar, soy free

Chia seed milk is a thing! It’s new, and I am here for it. Mamma Chia recently launched chia milk in two flavors: unsweetened and unsweetened vanilla. Chiamilk is a nutritional powerhouse with essential Omega-3, MCT, more calcium than a glass of traditional milk and zero grams of sugar. Both are very creamy, too.

Tiny seeds with a BIG impact. Mamma Chia offers high quality, organic plant based products. They believe in doing good every step of the way and are dedicated to uplifting both the soul of humanity and the soul of the planet.

So Delicious (coconut milk)

vegan, gluten free, organic, nonGMO, no cane sugar, soy free

Made with organic coconut, this option is super smooth and creamy. It’s vegan, nonGMO and, of course, dairy free. They also make tons of other dairy free products like ice cream, cheese and yogurt, too.

So Delicious has been making dairy free alternatives to desserts, yogurts and more for over 30 years. They have a wide variety of dairy free products to choose from, and their coconut milk tastes really yummy.

Homemade (cashew milk)

Making your own dairy free milk is an option, too. The good thing about making it yourself is that you can control the ingredients, sweetness and flavors. You make it whenever you want and whenever you need it, too.

Here’s my recipe for homemade cashew milk made from raw cashews.

Here’s my video recipe for homemade almond milk using almond butter.

AND THE WINNER FOR BEST DAIRY FREE MILK IS….

All of them! They are all great for different dietary needs, food allergies, intolerances, availability and even just based on taste. We all have different taste buds and preferences, and that’s so cool, right? I can tell you that I have purchased every single dairy free milk option on this list over the years and totally recommend them all.

Make sure that you check the ingredients on every bottle, and if it’s safe for you and your family then JUMP RIGHT ON IN!

Finding the right milk for you and your family might be a challenge but I hope this list helps you! There are other types of milk, too. Look into hemp milk, rice milk, banana milk, avocado milk and probably others that I haven’t heard of yet. I personally haven’t tried banana or avocado milk, though.

Let me know if you try any of these or if there’s another dairy free, plant based milk that you prefer!

If you want to talk about which is best for frothing and lattes then look for a post next week! I will spill the tea (or the milk) and tell you the best for lattes! Subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss a thing!