Many people are cutting dairy out of their diets. Whether they have an allergy, are lactose intolerant, are vegan, or simply feel it’s a move toward overall better health, the elimination of dairy means more and more people are looking for a dairy substitute for everyday use. Truth be told, I love dairy, can’t get enough of it. I’m one of those weird adults who still likes to drink milk and I’ve never met a cheese I didn’t like.
But, in the interest of entertaining you making sure I’ve explored as much of the organic and non-GMO food landscape as possible, I decided to try some dairy-alternatives where I would usually have milk and give you my unfiltered, honest experience. I tried three dairy-alternative drinks, and put them each through rigorous testing in four different comparison tests of the Three C’s, including granola cereal, coffee and eating a cookie with a glass of the dairy alternative.
Almond Milk (vanilla flavored)
First Impression: Let’s be honest here, this is not milk, it’s a water. It’s almond water. It tastes good, I like it, but it’s not milk.
Cereal Test: This works. I could do this instead of cow’s milk. It’s light and nutty tasting with a vanilla kick, but doesn’t overpower the granola.
Cookie Test: I could drink this with my cookies. The flavors work really well. On the whole, I like this stuff.
Coffee Test: Yes, this is delicious. A great dairy-alternative, I can even make a latte with this! By far my favorite use. It separates a bit but is still tasty and smooth.
Coconut Milk
First Impression: I like it! It’s a creamier consistency than the almond milk. I will admit it’s sweet, but it’s good. Dare I say, yummy!
Cereal Test: Too sweet for this pairing. Not a fan, nope.
Cookie Test: Yuck. Again, too sweet. I actually shudder at the thought of having to eat a cookie and wash it down with coconut milk ever again.
Coffee Test: This is much better. Creamy and sweet, a little goes a long way, though.
Oat Milk
First Impression: This is my least favorite. It’s almost grainy. Which, I mean, I guess you should expect from milk made from a grain, but you get what I mean. The flavor is fine, but I like the other two better.
Cereal Test: This works, too. It’s a little redundant, I suppose, oat milk with oat based granola, but maybe that’s why it works so well. I don’t notice the consistency here.
Cookie Test: You can’t see me, but I’m wrinkling my nose. It’s not that it’s bad, I just don’t like it. It’s not giving me that cookies-and-milk experience.
Coffee: Another miss. I just can’t get down with this stuff. It would be a decent option if allergies prevented me from being able to drink the other two but it’s last on my list out of the three.