Best Plant-Based Milk: Which One to Use for What

Hello lovelies,

hardly any ingredient turns up in as many recipes as milk: in oatmeal, pancake batter, a braided yeast loaf, mashed potatoes and creamy sauces. If you cook vegan, are trying a month without dairy for Veganuary or simply don't drink cow's milk, you end up in front of a shelf full of soy, oat, almond, rice and coconut drinks. Which one works for what?

In many of my recipes, plant milk has replaced dairy milk for years. In this post I show you which kind I use for which dish, how the drinks differ in protein and what to look for when you shop. If you are planning a whole plant-based month right now, the shopping list and tips are in my companion for a vegan January.

What can you use instead of milk?

In most recipes you can replace milk with a plant-based drink made from soy, oats, almonds or cashews, and with canned coconut milk where a dish should turn out really creamy. Which one fits best depends on whether you are baking, cooking oatmeal or stirring a sauce.

They taste and behave quite differently. In my recipes, soy milk goes into pancake batter and yeast dough, for example, and oat milk into pancakes, pretzel bagels and a cashew sauce. When something should turn out really creamy, I use homemade cashew milk or canned coconut milk.

The table shows which plant milk I use for what, what helps it work and which recipe lets you try it.

Which plant-based milk has the most protein?

Of the popular plant-based milks, soy milk is the closest to cow's milk in protein. According to University of Illinois Extension, unsweetened soymilk is much more comparable to cow's milk, while almond milk has just 1 gram of protein, 7 grams less than cow's milk.

In its article on what to look for in milk alternatives, Illinois Extension also points out that unsweetened soymilk is the only plant-based milk the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend as a substitute for a serving of dairy. The same article notes that almond milk has only about half the calories of non-fat cow's milk.

You can see what that means on the plate with my tiramisu porridge with espresso and cocoa. I calculated the nutrition with soy milk and soy yogurt and get 20 g of protein per serving. With oat milk the protein is a little lower. So if you want as much protein as possible in the morning, reach for soy milk.

For kids I leave the espresso out of the tiramisu porridge and use the same amount of milk instead. You can also cook the porridge the evening before, spoon it into a jar and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Soy milk: the all-rounder for pancakes and yeast dough

Soy milk goes into several of my batters and doughs. It brings the most protein of the popular plant milks and works in pancakes, yeast dough and cakes alike.

For my savory buckwheat pancakes with spinach, buckwheat flour goes into the batter with soy milk and sparkling water. Really let the batter rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the buckwheat flour can swell, which makes the pancakes nicely supple instead of crumbly. I like to blitz the batter briefly in a blender, which makes it extra smooth. You can mix it the night before and keep it covered in the fridge, and leftover pancakes keep for 2 to 3 days.

Soy milk works wonderfully in yeast dough too. In my yeasted plum cake with crumble topping, soy milk is the first ingredient on the list, together with dried yeast and spelt or wheat flour. The cake tastes best fresh and still warm, but keeps covered for 2 to 3 days.

Oat milk: mild for oatmeal, pancakes and sauces

Oat milk is mild, and it goes into several of my breakfast recipes. If you want the right amount of liquid for every bowl of oatmeal, my guide on cooking oatmeal with the perfect ratio has you covered. It also goes into my pancake batter.

For my fluffy pumpkin pancakes with apple cinnamon cream, oat milk and mineral water go into the batter along with cooked pumpkin. Puréed, the pumpkin disappears completely into the batter and makes the pancakes fluffy and moist at once.

I like oat milk in yeast baking as well. My freezer-friendly vegan pretzel bagels use oat milk, yeast, maple syrup and vegan butter. I freeze a batch, take them out the night before and toast them briefly in the morning.

In sauces, oat milk gives a mild, rounded base. For my creamy veggie pasta with cashew sauce, I blend cashews with oat milk, vegetable broth and nutritional yeast into a smooth sauce. For an extra creamy sauce, soak the cashews overnight and blend them completely smooth in a high-speed blender. The sauce keeps well for 2 to 3 days in the fridge, and when reheating, stir in a splash of plant milk or water.

Homemade almond and cashew milk

Almond and cashew milk are the two plant milks I have basic recipes for, and both start the same way: with nuts soaked overnight.

For my simple homemade almond milk, always soak the almonds overnight. It makes the milk much creamier and the skins slip off effortlessly afterwards. Plain, the almond milk keeps for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Give it a quick shake before drinking, as it naturally settles. With a jar of it in the fridge, I always have the right milk for coffee, cereal, smoothies or baking.

Cashew milk follows the same principle. In my cashew basics for milk, cream and sour cream, you soak the cashews overnight. If you forget, simply cover them with boiling water and let them sit for 15 to 30 minutes. A good blender is key so no little bits remain, and in a clean, sealed bottle or jar the cashew milk keeps for about 3 to 5 days in the fridge. Give it a good shake before using it again.

One place I use it is the breakfast bowl. Homemade cashew milk makes my banana porridge with cashew milk the creamiest, but any plant milk works, and I use 1 cup of water to 2 cups of milk.

Coconut milk: when you want it really creamy

Canned coconut milk is not a drinking milk but a thick cooking ingredient. It replaces milk wherever a dish should turn out especially creamy.

In my quinoa porridge with tropical fruit, quinoa, fine oats and coconut milk go into the pot. Use canned coconut milk, not the thin drinking kind from a carton, or the porridge loses its creaminess. If the can has set solid, stand it in warm water for a moment and stir.

Without the fruit the porridge keeps for 3 days in the fridge and firms up as it sits. To reheat, put it in a pot with a splash of plant milk or water and stir over low heat until creamy again.

The swap works in soups too. For an even silkier pumpkin soup with fresh ginger, use coconut milk instead of the plant drink, and leftovers taste almost even better the next day.

Replacing milk in baking and cooking

In my baking, plant milk replaces dairy milk without any detours, from yeast dough to cookie dough. A few things still help.

With yeast dough, temperature matters. For my chocolate hazelnut babka, the recipe says the milk really should only be lukewarm, otherwise the yeast suffers. My brioche with apple cinnamon filling has soy milk in the dough but no sugar, so they dry out a little faster. They taste best fresh from the oven.

In cookie dough, plant milk belongs alongside vegan butter, for example in my vegan poppy seed crescent cookies and the chocolate date caramel cookies. And if you cannot find ready-made chestnut puree for the chestnut cake, simply simmer cooked chestnuts with a little plant-based milk and blend them smooth.

These vegan cakes and cookies are baked without any dairy:

Vegan Poppy Seed Crescent Cookies

Vegan Chocolate Date Caramel Cookies

Vegan Chestnut Cake

Brioche with apple cinnamon filling

In cooking, plant milk shows up in batters too. For my baked sesame cauliflower wings, plant milk goes into the batter for the florets along with flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika and soy sauce. Cut the florets as evenly as possible so they are all cooked at the same time.

And if a recipe calls for butter as well as milk: how to swap it for oil or margarine in baking is in my guide to baking without any butter.

What is the best plant-based milk to buy?

Look for unsweetened plant milk that is fortified with calcium and vitamin D. University of Illinois Extension advises that if you choose plant-based milk, you compare labels and choose beverages that provide protein, calcium, vitamin D and no added sugars.

Fortification makes the difference. As Illinois Extension notes, many alternative milks will fortify nutrients to be more consistent with cow's milk, and the NIH calcium fact sheet for consumers says that calcium is added to some beverages, including many fruit juices and milk substitutes such as soy and almond beverages. According to the same fact sheet, milk, yogurt and cheese are the main food sources of calcium for most people in the United States. In the ODS table for health professionals, a cup of calcium-fortified soymilk lands right where dairy milk does:

That only applies to fortified drinks, so check the label. As Illinois Extension puts it, not all brands and types are created equal. More foods that bring calcium without dairy are in my overview of calcium from plants instead of milk.

Vitamin D is the other nutrient worth checking. According to the NIH vitamin D fact sheet for consumers, almost all of the U.S. milk supply is fortified with about 3 mcg (120 IU) of vitamin D per cup, and many plant-based alternatives such as soy milk, almond milk and oat milk are similarly fortified. Check the Nutrition Facts label for the amount in your carton.

Replacing milk is easier than that full shelf makes it look. Start with an unsweetened soy or oat milk with added calcium and vitamin D, and try it in a recipe you already cook often. And once it is cream you need to replace, my guide shows what to use instead of heavy cream. Now it's your turn: which plant milk is in your fridge, and what do you use it for most?

Yours, Verena

Recipes to try

Creamy Apple Cinnamon Porridge with Caramelised Apples

Waffles with strawberry mint sauce

Chai Latte Float with Vanilla Ice Cream

Beetroot Apple Smoothie with Almond Milk