Benefits Of Vegan Milk - Types And Brands

A decade ago vegan milk was virtually unheard of. You had your cream, your full-fat milk and if you were lucky, a couple of skimmed and semi-skimmed alternatives. 

Today, however, coffee-shop owners would be laughed out of business if they failed to include milk substitutes on their menus. 

We’ve put together a list outlining some of the key benefits of vegan milk, with some types, brands, and product recommendations you can take a look at for inspiration. 

Types of Dairy-Free Milk and Brands We Recommend 

There are many types of vegan milk. Some of the most popular include: Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Coconut Milk, Rice Milk, Cashew Milk, Macadamia Milk, Flax Milk, Peanut Milk, Oat Milk and Hazelnut Milk. We have included many of these within this blog, so you can read more about their benefits and where to buy them.

Some of our favorite vegan milk brands include: Califia Farms, NotCo, Pacific Foods, Elmhurst, Dream, Silk and Oatly. You can find all of these brands’ non-dairy milk products below.

We have a wide selection of Milk & Creamers available at PlantX and all of them are plant-based and completely vegan.

Dairy-Free Milk is Lower in Calories

If you check the back of almost any vegan milk carton, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to note that it is significantly lower in calories - especially when compared to its dairy milk alternatives. 

Whilst we are not here to labor the perks of calorie counting, there are benefits to consuming fewer calories that extend beyond the typical weight loss versus weight gain arguments. For example, fewer calories typically come with less sugar - this prevents the sugar spike (and subsequent crash) that accompanies drinking calorie-heavy milk. 

Additionally, studies are now revealing that reducing calorie intake can slow the effects of aging and defend us from diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. 

Vegan milk types that tend to be lower in calories include cashew milk and unsweetened almond milk. Two great examples of these include the Elmhurst Cashew Milk which is verified non-GMO and Kosher certified and free from artificial flavors and emulsifiers, and the Elmhurst Unsweetened Almond Milk which is made from only nuts and water and is the closest you can get to a completely pure, clean, nut-based vegan milk. 

Vegan Milk is Delicious and Perfect For Home Baking

Because vegan milk can be made from almost anything - as long as it’s dairy-free - there are no limits to the wonderful, delicious flavors it can bring to home cooking and baking recipes. 

For example, if you’re making a dairy-free mushroom pasta dish, why not add some Califia Farms Mushroom Oat Barista Blend which contains organic mushroom and top-rated oat milk and offers a buttery smooth, frothy, delicious addition to a creamy pasta sauce. 

If it’s something sweet you’re making - baking a cake, pie or making a smoothie, then we would recommend Califia Farms Plant-powered Coconut Milk and Coconut Water Blend. This is a light, sweet vegan milk, with a wonderful silky texture that easily enhances and blends into any recipe. Plus, it's naturally keto-friendly due to it being so low in carbohydrates.

Alternatively, try rice milk - it’s perfect for baking due to its lovely sweet flavor. Dream Rice Milk Original is 99 percent fat-free; delicious organic milk made with brown rice. 

Plant-Based Milk Contains More Calcium

There is a common misconception that vegan milk won’t provide us with the same calcium levels as cow milk. This is not the case. In fact, some factsheets and resources reveal that certain non-dairy milks have similar amounts of calcium per serving as dairy milk.

Calcium is an essential component of a healthy diet, it shapes our bone, hair, skin and teeth health as well as helping release anxiety and pressure on the nervous system. 

Because dairy milk is highly acidic, research shows that it can actually deplete calcium reserves in our bones over time, which may lead to osteoporosis. Some of the following vegan milks are rich in calcium and don’t carry the same risks that high acid levels do in dairy milk. 

Try Califia’s original, artisanally crafted Vanilla Almond Milk which has 0% sugar, or one of Silk’s Almond Milks - which have a mild, nutty taste and are a great source of vitamin E, an antioxidant, which is important for maintaining a healthy immune system. Not only that, Silk Milk claims that its almond milks have 50% more calcium than dairy milk.

Switching to Vegan Milk Has Potential Mental Health Benefits

We have long known that food has the capacity to drastically shape our physical health, but research is now evolving to uncover that our dietary regimes also have a huge impact on our mental health. 

Pivotal to this breakthrough is the revelation that dairy products such as animal milk can, when consumed to excess, create an imbalance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the gut, which can inflame the gastrointestinal tract and create imbalances in the brain. This can translate to a range of mental health issues. 

Scientists and health experts now recommend that in order to foster a healthy gut microbiome, we should consider milk alternatives that are rich in prebiotic fiber such as oat milk and other vegan milk which contain whole grain oats. 

Prebiotic fiber nurtures a positive gut microbiome, which is linked to mental stability, regulated energy levels, fewer mood oscillations, and generally - a more positive mental state.

Because whole grain oats are so beneficial for mental health, we would recommend the Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend, which is made from gluten-free oats harvested in North America and the Califia Farms Original Oat Milk, which is naturally fortified with nutrients, a great source of calcium, and naturally low in sugar. 

Dairy-Free Milk is Often Lower in Sugar

Another benefit of vegan milk is that it is usually lower in sugar than dairy milk. Unsweetened vegan milk is usually sugar-free, flavored with only some of the natural sugars found in nuts, seeds, and whole grains. 

Reducing your sugar intake can help make your skin look younger, reduce the risk of diabetes, result in lasting rather than “spiking and crashing” energy bursts, and, of course, help prevent weight gain. 

Cow’s milk contains between 13-16 grams of sugar in just one cup, whereas plant-based milk can contain as little as 1 gram per cup. 

If this sounds good to you then why not try Oatly’s Original Oat Milk Barista Edition or Elmhurst’s Unsweetened Hazelnut Milk; two low sugar alternatives to dairy milk. 

And That’s A Wrap

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the benefits of vegan milk and the types of vegan milk available if you’re looking to make the change and go plant-based. 

This is a non-exhaustive list of benefits. There are so many other reasons to go plant-based and give up dairy milk, including the immeasurable benefits to the environment, fewer CO2 emissions, less animal cruelty, and sustainable production methods. 

Fortunately for us, we now live in an era where the choices, flavors, and variety of vegan milk available make it tasty, easy and encouraging to transition away from more conventional types of animal milk!