The Best Milk Alternatives For Coffee: Totally Dairy
Milk and coffee are a match made in heaven. Sweet, creamy milk and strong espresso pair well with milk to make a delicious drink, whether its a latte or cappuccino.
With more and more people cutting out dairy, plant-based milks are on the rise. Gone are the days when you had just one choice in sightas markets now offer creamy and satisfying non-dairy alternatives for cows milk. Sales of dairy-free milk in the United States increased by 27% from 2018 to 2020. Americans arent the only ones experimenting with dairy-free milk. According to Innova Market Insights, the global market for plant-based milk may continue to grow by billions of dollars.Now there are a plethora of creamy alternatives that will satisfy any craving. In terms of non-dairy milks, almond is currently the norm, but soy is still kicking. When it comes to coffee, each milk alternative tastes different and some are able to successfully mimic dairy. With more plant-based, vegan milks available than at any other time in human history, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out just the right one for your coffeeespecially when it comes to steaming them for espresso-based drinks.
Whether you want to try something new, or you just made the decision to cut dairy out of your diet, here are some of the best alternative milk for coffee that we think you should be testing out.
What Are Todays Most Popular Milk Substitute For Matcha Latte Models
There are many milk substitute for matcha latte items accessible today for men and women seeking quality and reliability. Every milk substitute for matcha latte model follows the same essential premise. But they appeal to various users.Its no secret that certain products appeal to specific populations. What if you could see which products were the most popular across all consumers? You can, and weve got the list. Check out our collection of products that appear to appeal to all ages, genders, and locations.
Macadamia Nut Milk: Milkadamia Miracle
This day would have been really boring if Milkadamia hadnt saved it. We were all excited to try this one and saved it for last in hopes of a big success.
Well, it was pretty good!
The macadamia nut milk was comparable to cashew in terms of sweetness but was just a bit thicker, which helped it avoid instant separation. We actually couldnt see just how long it took to separate since we let a sparkling-eyed coworker swoop in for the first sip.
The flavor was sweet and had a light, nutty aroma that the tasting crew enjoyed. This one was the clear winner for the day, and though it struggled to froth and pour , the overwhelmingly loved taste helped pardon the thinness of the latte.
Final Verdict: 11/15
You May Like: How To Make Own Coffee Creamer
What Makes A Non
For each option in this blog, well tell you how the milk alternative affects the taste or texture of your coffee and whether it has a good “stretch”. In coffee terms, stretch is the ability to produce foam for different types of steamed coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. Protein molecules melt when they are heated, so incorporating air into heated milk or non-dairy milk causes these proteins to trap the air and stretch the milk into foam. With these factors in mind, you can decide which options are best for your establishments coffee service.
The More Fat The Better
If you still want to stay away from whole milk , we recommend doing the highest fat content milk that you can tolerate.
Therefore, the next best alternative to whole milk is 2% milk, and then 1% milk, and then skim milk.
As you go down in the fat content, you will notice a decline in the lattes creaminess, foaminess, and overall texture and flavor. Skim milk, which is nonfat milk, will barely foam at all. A skim milk latte may even taste a bit watery.
Instead of going down in the fat content of the dairy milk, another option is to experiment with using non-dairy types of milk. Lets look at those next.
Read Also: What Is The Best Coffee Maker In The World
The Best Non Dairy Milk For Coffee
It feels like the vegan wave has been rising almost exponentially over the past few years. And, lets face it when both Burger King and KFC start making vegan burgers its probably something thats here to stay. But whats this got to do with great coffee? Well if milk is off the menu then you need to know what the best milk alternatives are for your lovingly roasted beans! Weve tested all the main contenders for your cup and well give you our top tips for the perfect non-dairy cup, no jargon, no BS, just great coffee, made simple.
Can Almond Milk Make Foam For Coffee
You can create a silky foam with almond milk, but this non-dairy milk tends to separate when heated. Latte art made with almond milk may look nice on top of the beverage’s foamy layer, but it could leave a watery drink underneath.
If you want to accommodate lactose intolerant and vegan customers in your coffee shop, it is important to select a non-dairy milk option that can create delicious coffee drinks. You’ll find that when you compare soy milk vs almond milk or oat milk vs coconut milk, some options dissolve better than others, and some milks are better suited for making foam in lattes and cappuccinos. Choose an alternative that does not take away from the taste of your house blends and remember to use this blog as a reference as you weigh your options.
Recommended Reading: How Much Caffeine In 1 2 Caff Coffee
Which Milk Substitute Is The Best
It seems that every week someone figures out how to milk a new plant. To soy, almond, and coconut, we have added oat, cashew, pea, rice, hemp, banana, and numerous others as substitutes for milk from cows. And this week, the world celebrated Plant-Based Milk Day.
My daughter and I decided to figure out what the deal is with all of these products. We spent some bucks on five iced lattes from a local Starbucks, each one with a different milk or milk substitute. We rated them and, as in our chicken sandwich taste-off, did not agree.
In 2020, the Good Food Institute reported that plant-based products made up 15% of milk-like products sold in grocery stores. The plant-based share is lower for other dairy foods: 7% for butter, 3% for ice cream, and only 1% for cheese.
Fluid milk consumption in the US has declined by 45% in the last 45 years. The average American now consume 141 pounds per year, or about 3/4 of a cup per day.
The long-running decline in fluid milk consumption creates a misleading picture of dairy product consumption. Americans are consuming 20% more milk per person than they did 45 years ago. However, rather than drinking fluid milk, they are whipping it into butter, curdling it into cheese, or fermenting it into yogurt.
So, dairy consumption is growing, even as plant-based products grab an increasing share of the fluid milk market.
How Coconut Milk Tastes In Coffee
Many assume that coconut milk has a strong, sweet flavor that only belongs in a tropical fruit drink. Coconut milk actually has a more subtle coconut flavor than other coconut products like shredded coconut. In coffee drinks that contain syrups or other flavorings, the light coconut taste is masked. In a latte or cappuccino, some sweetness will come through. Look for a coconut milk product that is neutral-flavored or try a barista blend created specifically for coffee.
Also Check: What Beverage Has The Most Caffeine
Hemp Hazelnut Cashew & Others
Hemp, hazelnut, and cashew milks are non-dairy milks best avoided in specialty coffee. Hazelnut has a distinctive flavor that can mask or distort the nuances of the beans. And hemp is too watery to work with.
Ceiran tells me, Hemp doesnt maintain any texture at all and will just break down instantly. It also bubbles no matter how Ive textured it. He says that it has a fairly neutral flavor, meaning the taste of the coffee can peak through nicely but that it leaves a watery, runny mouthfeel that I find undesirable.
Cashew milk has a milder flavor than almond milk but is also naturally sweeter, which can be overwhelming in coffee. It also doesnt foam well. These types of milks are less commercially available and can be more expensive than soy, almond, and oat products.
Coconut milk is creamy and rich, which helps it mimic the mouthfeel of a dairy-based drink. But it has a lot of saturated fat, which masks coffee flavors, and it has a distinctive taste of its own. There are a number of products combining coconut with other plant milks to bring body and creaminess to otherwise watery milks.
Learn more in
An espresso-based drink with latte art. Credit: Coffee and I
What Is The Best Milk Substitute For Coffee
At the end of this article, youll be able to decide for yourself which is the best milk substitute for your favorite coffee specialty because the choice naturally depends on what you particularly value in your daily coffee enjoyment.
We will introduce you to the most popular milk alternatives and show you their advantages and disadvantages. Lets go!
You May Like: Can I Put Turmeric In My Coffee
Milk Origin: Its Science
Theres more to real milk than the red, green, and blue bottle tops, Joao explains.
Every farm produces milk with a different fat and protein content, in addition to a grade of sweetness. However, a milks exact qualities all depend on what the dairy cows eat, the conditions they are kept in, and how the milk is treated after its been collected.
Theres a science behind which types of milk are best for baristas, Joao tells me. For example, researcher Morten Münchow has discovered that Jersey cows produce the best milk for texturing. This is because their milk has high levels of protein, sugar, and butter fat.
As a result, Jersey milk has become prized among artisanal cheese and ice-cream makers. In spite of this, low-cost companies tend to avoid them, because they produce a lower volume of milk.
Its not just about the breed, either: on the whole, free range farming and unhomogenised milk are also associated with better quality.
What makes up your milk? Credit: alysouv
Using Sustainable Milk For Your Latte Art & Coffee Foam
All this means that, if we want good-quality milk, we need to ask about the farm . We should know which breed of cows the milk comes from, what those cows are being fed, if theyre free range, and more.
I started to think about coffee with a conscience, Joao tells me. Its about good milk that does good. Baristas get the best quality milk and farmers get a better price for their hard work.
He gives Rowley Farm as an example, one of the places he sources Barista Lab Milk from. Run by the Whitby family, John Stephen and Lilles, its one of the last dairy farms in south Buckinghamshire. It has 200 Jersey cows, which graze close to the farms arable crop fields of wheat and barley.
High-quality feed like this, Joao tells me, makes a world of difference to the end produce. Its the raw material the cow uses to produce the milk better feed makes better milk. Whats more, the freedom to roam the farm leads to better welfare, which also leads to better milk.
Rowley Farm is also a member of the charity LEAF , which assists farmers in making their practices as sustainable as possible.
Good-quality milk is just as important as good-quality coffee. Credit: Not Just Coffee
But while the bean has taken centre stage in the great origins debate, another has been waiting in the wings. This also means that its time to start talking about how different cows, and different dairy farms, affect the milk in your coffee.
You May Like: Is Decaf Coffee Good For Constipation
Milk By Animal Of Origin
Since there’s more than one beast that humans have managed to domesticate, it would be unfair not to inspect different kinds of milk regarding the animal of origin
Cow’s milk is the most widespread variety and is considered a standard in today’s coffee making world. Known for its sweetness and subtle flavor it has been used as an addition to coffee for centuries.
As far as baristas are concerned, they mainly look at the fat percentage of the milk since it is crucial for proper texture. If don’t wish to experiment or get wild then simply go for the cow.
Goat’s milk might not sound like the first choice for lattes, but before you make a strange face know that there are some coffee roasts that actually combine well with the tangy flavor of this milk. These are usually medium roasts as goat’s milk will add a complimentary note to their aroma.
Water buffalo milk we admit, it’s not for everyone, but those who like it can’t get enough of it. It is rare, hard to find, and what makes it special is the heavy fat content. Be careful when using it with coffee because its flavor will take over the cup if used in a large amount so use it sparingly.
Welcome To Craft Coffee Guru
I have owned and according to Buzzfeed operated the number 1 coffee spot in Florida. Craft Coffee Guru is the website where I share things about my 25 year adventure traveling around the world and what I learned about coffee along the way. My goal is to help people learn about coffee and all their is to know about this magnificent drink!
You May Like: How To Make Your Own Coffee Shop
Lactaid : A New Challenger Approaches
Some jovial joking around the office downplayed Lactaids potential, but wow, were of us wrong. It passed every test with flying colors, and the Lactaid latte tasted really good. Lactaid is just cows milk without the lactose, so it contains the exact same fat, sugar, and protein content as the whole milk we used. The main difference was Lactaids sweetness, which we compared to being almost syrup-like.
TLDR: Lactaid was a surprisingly good test, as it basically mimicked all of whole milks qualities and ended up being a touch sweeter. It didnt break down and separate rapidly like the 2% milk. Lactaid is our biggest dark horse challenger, so far.
Final Verdict:14/15
Milk Substitute For Latte Art
:by occoffeeman»August 18th, 2017, 5:31 am
:by Headala»August 19th, 2017, 5:47 pm
Sponsored by Prima Coffee – coffee & espresso equipment and accessories
- MB
:by MB»August 20th, 2017, 12:47 am
:by chipman»August 20th, 2017, 1:08 am
MB wrote:Newborn already having lattes? Hmmm, have you tried formula? Not sure it will do great latte art, but you never know.
:by pizzaman383»August 20th, 2017, 10:26 am
You May Like: How To Cold Press Coffee
How To Use Non
Instead of buying milk substitutes at the store, you can also make your own plant milk. It will contain far fewer ingredients than many store-bought varieties. And it will be free from additives, like oil and thickeners.
How do you make non-dairy milk?
The process involves soaking, draining, blending with water , and straining out the solids through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
Homemade milks will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Check out the following video for help making almond milk:
You can also get a useful machine to make the process even easier. The Almond Cow is a plant-based milk maker that allows you to create milk from any nut, seed, or grain in minutes with easier cleanup and no nut milk bags required. The machine uses a cold blending process to protect the nutrients, so no heat is applied. You can check it out here.
You can use milk substitutes in place of anything you would make or eat using dairy. That includes creamer for coffee, buttermilk in recipes, in cereal, and even to add creaminess to soups and sauces.
Though very versatile, milk substitutes should never replace breastmilk .
These products are not designed to sustain a developing baby, and they should only be introduced after one year along with other solid foods.
Can You Froth Non
Milk doesnt need to have dairy or lactose to be frothable. The proteins, sugars, and fats in each milk are going to be different, though. Some types of milk are super watery, and they wont froth much at all. Others are similar in texture and composition to cows milk, and theyll create beautiful layers of foam.
Well have to look at each type of milk individually. In some cases, it may even depend on the particular brand as non-dairy milk tends to have a large number of additives which can include proteins and fats that will impact our result.
Also Check: What Is The Best Way To Store Coffee
Which Is The Best Oat Milk For At
I love making a latte at home and I am really into using frothed oat milk. If the whole oat milk thing is a mystery to you, no worries. Oat milk is super creamy and a tasty dairy alternative. Its a plant-based, dairy-alternative made from whole oats and water. Currrently you can find it sweetened, unsweetened, chocolate, and vanilla. It has a hint of a nutty flavor. You can use it in baking, soups, and nearly anything youd normally use real mik for. I am a little obsessed with it and finding the perfect coffee + oat milk pairing because making oat milk lattes is my afternoon hobby.
Ive tried my share of different oat milk brands and Im here to tell you, not all oat milks are created equal. Not even close. There are quite a few that maybe would make a good milk substitute for everyday drinking, but they dont hold their froth in a latte. So this is a pretty important discussion for my fellow oat milk coffee lovers.
I reviewed 6 types of oat milk for taste, and froth-ability and how well they hold their foam. *NOTE: These are regular oat milks, not barista blend formulas of oat milk which can be more difficult to find in stores. Take a look and then tell me in the comments or text me which is YOUR favorite or if there are other oat milk brands I should try?