The Best Vegan Milk for Cruelty-Free Diets

If you are new to the world of veganism, selecting a suitable non-dairy product when there are countless varieties on the market can be difficult. Each vegan milk is different from the others in terms of ingredients, nutrition, taste, usage, and packaging, offering unique benefits. Deciding on a particular brand highly depends upon your requirements and preferences. 

To help you make an informed purchasing decision, we have carefully curated a buying guide comprising all the key things you should consider while choosing your next vegan milk brand. Quickly give it a read to make a smart and healthy choice next time your household runs out of milk.

Why Should You Go For Vegan Milk?

There are plenty of reasons for choosing vegan milk instead of traditional dairy milk. These can be listed as follows.

1. Animals have to live under miserable conditions at factory farms and are treated cruelly for getting dairy milk. Vegan milk, on the other hand, is cruelty-free.
2. The production costs for vegan milk are significantly lesser than for dairy milk. This is because it cancels out the need to house and breed animals. Plus, the cost of their waste disposal is also saved.
3. Vegan milk tastes consistently better than dairy milk.
4. Dairy milk contains saturated fat, while most vegan alternatives are low in saturated fat but don't compromise on protein and calcium content.
5. The dairy industry produces the greenhouse gas methane, which is seven times more damaging than carbon dioxide. 
6. Many people felt relieved from digestive problems, acne, and congestion when they stopped drinking dairy milk and switched to vegan milk.
7. Since lactose-intolerant people cannot digest lactose-rich dairy milk, they can turn to vegan milk, which is free of lactose.
8. At so-called animal welfare dairy farms, cows are still sent to slaughterhouses when they stop giving milk. Vegan milk can put this cruelty to an end.

What Ingredients To Look For in Vegan Milk

Ingredients play a vital role in determining the nutritional value of vegan milk. Here are some that you should definitely look for in your next non-dairy product.

Wholesome ingredients

High-quality, wholesome ingredients maintain all the fiber and proteins in the vegan milk, making it a waste-free product. It also helps in creating a richer taste, along with maintaining better nutrition.

Sugar

The majority of vegan milk comes unsweetened, while some contain added sugar for taste. Your preference will usually depend upon your requirements and taste. You should always check this aspect before buying any such product, as you cannot add sweetened milk to recipes that are meant to taste salty. Plus, choosing unsweetened vegan milk can save you a lot of calories. 

Calcium

The majority of vegan milk brands offer at least as much calcium as you can find in pure cow's milk. You are advised to select a product that provides at least 300 milligrams of calcium per serving. For this, you can check the label of your vegan milk to see if it has 30% of your RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of calcium. Luckily, some brands offer 50% more calcium than dairy milk.

Protein

The majority of plant-based vegan milk options provide 8 grams of plant protein per serving, but some brands even offer a higher protein content. So, if you want to consume a protein-rich product, you should specifically check this factor.

Factors To Consider While Buying Vegan Milk

Allergen-free

If you are allergic to certain things, then you should check beforehand that the product you are going for is free from that allergen. Ideally, you should choose a completely non-dairy product because it’ll be gluten-free, lactose-free, soy-free, dairy-free, carrageenan-free, and free from any preservatives. And, if it doesn’t contain artificial sweeteners, that’d be the icing on the cake.

Taste

You won't like to invest in a product that tastes awful, so before finalizing the purchase, check its flavor carefully. Some vegan milk options are unflavored, while some come infused with vanilla or chocolate flavors.

Travel-friendly

If you are looking for a travel-friendly option, then you should choose one that comes as a single-serve carton. This way, you’ll be able to consume it fully in one go without feeling the need to refrigerate any remaining vegan milk. 

Shelf stable

You may want to invest in a product that is shelf stable and requires no refrigeration. Such products are convenient to handle and can easily be carried while traveling.

Coffee-friendly

If you are highly skilled at making amazing vegan lattes at home, then your choice of plant milk should be soy, oat, or specially designated "barista brand" almond milk. You may also look for sweetened options, as unsweetened varieties may taste bitter after steaming.

Calories

If you are a calorie-conscious person, you should obviously go for a low-calorie product. Typically, the calorie count for various plant-based milk range from 25 to 140 calories per 8-ounce serving.

Nutritional powerhouse

If you want to maximize your nutrition with every sip, you can opt for a fortified product. You can also select high-protein plant milk such as soy or pea. Several plant-based vegan milk options even come with added omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and vitamin B and D.