Dairy alternatives: Milking it

With dairy-free more in demand than ever, here’s our round-up of the most popular non-dairy milks available

SOY MILK

⬆️ Best for: drinking on its own, poured over cereal, cooking

⬇️ Downside: can curdle when heated

Packed with protein, rich and creamy, soy milk has a well-rounded flavour that makes a great choice to drink chilled or gently heated.

ALMOND MILK

⬆️ Best for: baking and desserts, smoothies

⬇️ Downside: not environmentally friendly

Naturally sweet, low in calories with a traditional milk flavour, it has a neutral taste so doesn’t overpower other flavours.

COCONUT MILK

⬆️ Best for: drinking on its own, cooking and baking

⬇️ Downside: has a distinctive coconut taste

Rich and creamy, coconut milk contains a good amount of fat but very little protein.

OAT MILK

⬆️ Best for: frothing for lattes, adding to tea and coffee

⬇️ Downside: can be an expensive choice

With a creamy texture, and smooth taste and consistency, oat milk contains betaglucan, a fibre that allows it to foam well.

RICE MILK

⬇️ Best for: baking, smoothies, milkshakes

⬇️ Downside: too sweet for use in savoury dishes

Very thin and light, rice milk contains no fibre, so ideal for drinking, but when baking you may need other thickening agents.

Here’s our round-up of some of the latest dairy-free products

Innocent

Famous for its juices and smoothies, Innocent now has a dairy-free range. There’s Almond, which is perfect in hot drinks; Oat, great for baking; Hazelnut, ideal on cereal; and Coconut, which works wonderfully in a curry.

Arla

Arla’s Lactofree range of milks is just that, lactose-free but with all the nutritional benefits and taste of cow’s milk. There’s a chocolate-flavoured milk drink, long-life and standard milk drinks, plus an organic variant to use to make warming hot drinks, milkshakes and smoothies.

Alpro

Alpro offers a wide range of dairy alternatives, including a specific Barista collection of four variants: Almond, Soya, Oat and Coconut. Use any of them to create amazing coffees in the same way as you would with cow’s milk by heating gently, whisking until you have a light frothy foam and slowly pouring over an espresso.

DUG

DUG’s new potato-based drink is creamy, highly nutritious and has a stack of sustainability credentials to boot. It doesn’t taste of potato and works just like any other milk, whether you use it as an ingredient or to froth for coffees. It’s also naturally free from common allergens, such as lactose, soy, gluten and nuts. Available now in Original, Barista and Unsweetened.

Recipe suggestion: BLUEBERRY PORRIDGE

Mix 50g rolled oats with 250-300ml DUG Original, until desired consistency reached, and heat according to manufacturer’s instructions. Add ½ tsp vanilla extract, a large handful of fresh blueberries, ¼ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg and 1 tbsp of chopped pecans and mix well, then serve.