Non-Dairy Milks: Which to Make, Which to Buy

Looking at the wall of milk alternative tetra bricks brings confusion, doubt, and a certain level of uneasiness. Do I get the brand that's on sale this week? I wonder if this almond milk contains any actual almonds? And the essential question of, should I just make my own?

To find out once and for all which non-dairy milks are worth purchasing—and which are better made yourself—I went to my local market and bought one of every type of milk they had: soy, cashew, almond, oat, hemp, rice, and coconut—all in the original, unsweetened flavor. I also made my own versions of all these to pit store-bought against homemade in terms of taste, ease of making, cost, and how well they held up in a hot beverage. 

Will I ever buy a carton of milk again? Read on to find out.

Rice Milk

How to Make It: Cook and cool 1/2 cup raw brown rice. Purée cooked rice along with 2 cups water until smooth. Pass the mixture through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Medium

Taste

Homemade: At first glance the rice milk appeared light and watery, but upon tasting it, I realized that it was super creamy on the tongue with a nice, earthy taste. The flavor was distinctly rice—similar to the Japanese fermented rice drink amazake.

Store-Bought: While much thinner than the homemade version, it didn’t have any “rice” flavor that could muddy the flavor of your drink or dish. It did, however, have a slightly odd aftertaste that I didn't find appetizing.

Holding Up to Heat: Neither milk separated nor curdled when added to tea.

Cost: While the average price of rice milk is $3 to 4 a carton, a cup of rice is under $1, making homemade milk much more cost effective. And speaking of food waste, the leftover rice pulp from making the milk can be cooked as cream of rice or baked into muffins, pancakes, or breads. Win win.

Hemp Milk

How to Make It: Purée 1 cup raw hulled hemp seeds with 2 cups water until smooth. Pass the mixture through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag (not much pulp will come out). Season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Simple

Taste

Homemade: The hemp milk appeared speckled and gritty. The consistency was chalky and the flavor was strong and earthy, with a bitter aftertaste.

Purchased: With a smoother consistency and less chalky feeling, the purchased milk was also less earthy and bitter tasting.

Holding Up to Heat: Neither separated nor curdled when added to tea.

Cost: The hemp milk was $4, which, with the high cost of hemp seeds, was pretty much on par with making it yourself.

More: A vegan latte recipe (thanks cashews and hemp seeds!)

Almond Milk

How to Make It: Soak 1 cup raw almonds overnight, then drain. Purée almonds with 3 1/2 cups fresh water until smooth. Pass the mixture through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Simple

Taste

Homemade: The homemade almond milk had the appearance of skim milk. It was smooth and sweet with a subtle nuttiness.

Purchased: Unlike the homemade almond milk, the store-bought variety tasted very heavily of nutty almond flavor—and unfortunately a little like almond extract. It was smooth and creamy, but the flavor was definitely overpowering.

Holding Up to Heat: Neither milk separated when added to a hot beverage.

Cost: While almond milk runs from $3 to 5, it would be nearly double to make your own. However, there will be a much higher content of almonds in a homemade variety. Leftover almond pulp can be used immediately in baking, frozen for a later use, or toasted and used as almond flour.

Cashew Milk

How to Make it: Soak 3/4 cup cashews overnight, then drain. Purée cashews along with 2 cups fresh water until smooth. Do not strain through cheesecloth or a milk bag. Season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Simple

Taste

Homemade: Because the nuts are not removed after puréeing, the cashew milk remains nice and creamy, with a slight nutty flavor. It can be a little gritty at times, but this can be solved with extra puréeing.

Purchased: The consistency of the store-bought version was much smoother and thinner, but the flavor was that of over-roasted nuts.

Holding Up to Heat: Both worked well in hot beverages.

Cost: While the cashew milk was about $4 to 5, the cost of cashews needed for a batch would be far more.

Coconut Milk

How to Make It: Purée 1 cup dried unsweetened coconut with 4 cups water until smooth. Pass the mixture through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Simple

Taste

Homemade: While the blueish tinge of the coconut milk made it look watery, the natural sweetness of the coconut made for a sweet and delightful coconut flavor.

Bought: While this version was more creamy, it lacked any coconut flavor and was slightly chemical tasting.

Holding Up to Heat: The homemade coconut milk worked well in the tea, but the purchased one was the only variety of milk alternative that curdled.

Cost: Again, the coconut milk was $3 to 4. To make an equivalent amount with coconut would run you half of that, plus the remaining pulp can be saved for baking or toasting.

More: What's the difference between coconut milk and "coconut milk beverage"?

Oat Milk

How to Make It: Soak 1 cup steel-cut oats overnight, then drain them. Purée along with 3 cups fresh water until smooth. Pass the mixture through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. Season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Simple

Taste

Homemade: Out of all the homemade milks, the oat looked the most like dairy. It was earthy, nutty, and mild in flavor.

Purchased: The purchased version tasted nearly the same as the homemade one, with an ever-so-slightly less oat taste.

Holding Up to Heat: Both were great in hot drinks.

Cost: Again, the bought version costs about $3 to 4 while the homemade is much cheaper, and again the pulp can be saved and cooked.

More: If you like your oats whole.

Soy Milk

How to Make It: Soak 1 cup dried soy beans overnight. The next day, drain and rub the beans together to remove the casing (the beans will split into halves). Purée along with 4 cups water until smooth. Pass the mixture through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. The remaining pulp can be composted. Bring the milk to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring often. Let cool, then season milk with a pinch of sea salt and liquid sweetener to taste.

Ease of Making: Difficult

Taste

Homemade: I was initially turned off by the yellow color of the milk, then when I tasted it I realized just how awful it was. It tasted like beany tofu water—not an enjoyable experience.

Purchased: Much like my homemade version, the store-bought soy milk was yellow in color. However, it had less of a bean taste and more of a wheat cereal taste, which I didn't understand until I read the label to see that wheat was added!

Holding Up to Heat: Both were great.

Cost: The soy milk cost about $3.50, while the soy beans only cost $1. However, prepping the soy beans was time consuming and once they were used, the pulp couldn’t be reused.

More: Make vegan crepes using soy milk.

The Verdict

Many of these milk alternatives are just as easy to make as they are to buy—and at a far more economical price. While the homemade varieties will perish faster (4 to 5 days versus 7 to 10 days after opening store-bought cartons)—and some require 2 days to make—they are also free of many of the additives found in the store-bought brands, such as oil, sulphates, calcium chloride, and thickeners (guar gum, xantham, lecithin, and carrageenan). Overall, I will make my own rice, almond, cashew, coconut, and oat milks. Yet, based on the unfavorable flavor and texture of homemade hemp milk, I will continue to buy that one. As for soy, it was very labor-intensive and tasted awful. If you enjoy soy milk, buy it, hands down.

Photos by Sophie - Wholehearted Eats

Tell us: What's your favorite alternative milk? And do you make it or buy it? 

This article originally appeared on January 6, 2016. We're re-running it now because we bet we're not the only ones who still get a tad confused by all those alternative milks out there.