You don’t have to be a vegan or sworn-off dairy to enjoy the wide variety of milk alternatives now available in most supermarkets and health food stores. From almond milk to Oatly the range is not inconsiderable, and with each type and brand providing its own unique flavour and nutritional profile you could be forgiven for being overwhelmed by the offering.

Having sampled my fair share of milk alternatives, both good and bad, I wanted to provide a quick rundown of my favourites so you too can be enjoying soya in your coffee, oat milk in your porridge and hazelnut milk in your hot chocolate, while avoiding some of the cardboardy, flavourless or over-sweet options on the market.

1. Oat milk

Best for breakfast

Oatly is my go-to breakfast milk. Rich and creamy it’s perfect in porridge but it’s also tasty in cereal, as well as in tea (although a word of warning , while still delicious, it does tend to separate in tea leaving you with a cloudy brew). Naturally sweet it requires no additional sugary nasties and Oatly have recently brought out a ‘barista’ version, which means you can now enjoy it in you flat white or frothed in your cappuccino.

Nutrition information per 100g:
Energy 45 kcal
Fat 1.5g
of which saturated 0.2g
Carbohydrates 6.5g, of which sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Fibre 0.8g
Salt 0.1g

Added extras:
Vitamin D 1.5 µg (30%*)
Riboflavin 0.21 mg (15%*)
Vitamin B12 0.38 µg (15%*)
Calcium 120 mg (15%*)

As an sneaky treat Oatly also do a chocolate oat milk and this is my absolute favourite chocolate milk alternative. Although there are added sugars in this version (carbohydrates 9.5g, of which sugars 7g), it’s not super-high calorie (55 kcals per 100ml) and still has added vitamin D, riboflavin, B12 and calcium, good for those wintery evenings when you need a hot chocolaty pick-me-up!

2. Coconut milk

Best for smoothies

If you’re looking for something to whizz up with your cucumber and kale, or to set off a pineapple and mango smoothie then look no further than Alpro Coconut Drink. Although quite sweet and ‘thin’ (i.e. it will take half a carton to change the colour of your tea), coconut milk is a delicious addition when whizzed up with a variety of ingredients and served over ice.

Nutrition information per 100ml:
Energy 20 kcal
Fat 0.9g, of which saturates 0.9g
Carbohydrate 2.7g, of which sugars 1.9g
Protein 0.1g
Fibre 0.0g
Salt 0.13g

Added extras:
Vitamin D 0.75µg (15%*)
Vitamin B12 0.38µg (15%*)

3. Soya milk

Best in coffee

You know a coffee shop takes itself seriously when you see Bonsoy behind the counter. It’s not cheap but it’s so creamy and delicious and it doesn’t curdle in coffee or separate like other options. I try to limit my soya intake and this is a bit of an indulgence to buy for home use, but I’d recommend it if you are going out for coffee or brunch or if you have a good coffee machine and want a lazy weekend treat.

Nutrition information per 100ml:
Energy 61 kcal
Fat  2.2g, of which saturates  0.3g
Carbohydrates 5.5g, of which sugars  2.2g
Protein  4.1g
Fibre  1.4g
Salt  0.13g

4. Rice milk

Rude Health have transformed rice milk for me. Their brown rice milk is totally tasty and doesn’t have the watery or oily taste of other rice milk alternatives. It is naturally sweet (but not as sickly sweet as other rice milk options) and makes a great addition to a rice pudding or porridge oats.

It is also great if you are on an elimination or low soya or dairy, or a gluten free diet.

Provamel also offer a tasty rice milk option with added calcium and it comes in slightly cheaper than the Rude Health version. It’s not quite as creamy, and you need to add quite a lot to tea and coffee, but it is yummy in porridge and does offer an additional calcium hit.

Nutrition information per 100ml:
Rude Health
Energy 59 kcal
Fat 1.3g, of which saturates 0.4g
Carbohydrates 11g, of which sugars 5g
Protein 0.3g
Fibre 0.7g
Salt 0.1g

Provamel
Energy 54 kcal
Fat 1.1g, of which saturates 0.2 g
Carbohydrates 11g, of which sugars 6.5 g
Protein 0.1g
Fibre 0g
Salt 0.1g

Added extras:
Calcium 120 mg

5. Almond milk

For Almond milk, for me it’s between Rude Health and The Pressery.

I like Rude Health’s Ultimate Almond consists of just natural spring water, organic Italian almonds and that’s it! It actually tastes like almonds and not like sugar, like many other almond alternatives.

Similarly, The Pressery are committed to simple ingredients and a delicate taste. What also wins me over is that for every carton sold they donate 5p to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

They also produce almond-based drinks, available in 250ml bottles and including cacao sweetened with maple syrup and vanilla, turmeric with cayenne and honey, strawberry, and matcha.

Nutrition per 100ml:

Rude Health
Energy 38 kcal
Fat 3.2g, of which saturates 0.3g
Carbohydrates 0.8g, of which sugars 0g
Protein 1.5g
Fibre 0.8g
Salt 0g

The Pressery
Energy 42 kcal
Fat 4 g, of which saturates 0g
Carbohydrates 0g, of which sugars 0g
Protein  0g
Fibre 0g
Salt 0mg

6. Hazelnut milk

Best for hot chocolate

Another nutty option, Alpro hazelnut milk, is almost chocolately in flavour. It can be enjoyed on its own, or, if you are feeling very indulgent, in hot chocolate. Think Nutella and you will have an ideas of how delicious this option is!

While it is quite sweet, Alpro do always throw in additional vitamins and minerals, making sure that you get you calcium and b vitamins in this – great for vegans!

Nutrition per 100ml:
Energy 29 kcal
Fat 1.6 g, of which saturates 0.2 g
Carbohydrate 3.1 g, of which sugars 3.1 g
Fibre 0.3 g
Protein 0.4 g
Salt 0.13 g

Added extras:
Vitamin D 0.75 µg 15%*
Vitamin B2 0.21 mg 15%*
Vitamin B12 0.38 µg 15%*
Vitamin E 1.80 mg 15%*
Calcium 120 mg 15%*

Do you have a favourite non-dairy milk that you would recommend? Or some great dairy-free recipes to try? 
*% of DRI