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The If You Had to Live Without Milk Taste Test

Posted Mon, Aug 03, 2009, 11:52 am PDT

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Not drinking cow-milk is a spreading trend started by the lactose-intolerant but now adopted by dieters, some vegetarians, and those who just prefer their soy-milk lattes. But at Serious Eats we don't ask why, we ask which option tastes best. Does it work with cereal? PB&J? We tried a whole lot of milk alternatives that came from soy, almonds, rice, goats, oats, and even hemp (sorry, no camel milk). Here's what we found.

Soy-Milk Winner: Silk
Non-Soy Milk Winner: Meyenberg's Goats' Milk
Soy-Milk Loser: Organic Edensoy
Non-Soy Milk Loser: Hemp Dream

And why...

SOY MILKS

Silk
Score: 3
Does it taste like milk?
No, due to the pronounced soy aftertaste, but if you don't mind the liquid tofu taste of soy milk, this one is the best we tried.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
Only if real milk was absolutely not an option.
Would you drink it ever?
Sure.

Trader Joe's Generic Brand
Score: 2.5
Does it taste like milk?
Not really. It's much sweeter and that brownish shade is a little surprising.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
No; maybe.
Would you drink it ever?
Definitely over Eden and West Soy, but that's not saying much.

West Soy
Score: 2.25
Does it taste like milk?
Oh, definitely not. There's a strange chalky aftertaste.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
Only if the situation was desperate; no.
Would you drink it ever?
Only if my other option was Eden.

Organic EdenSoy
Score: 2
Does it taste like milk?
Nope, nor does it look like milk. Light brown may work for chocolate and wheat bread, but it has to be the most unappetizing shade for milk. You might have to be both colorblind and lactose-intolerant to drink this.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
No; yes.
Would you drink it ever?
No. Please don't make us.

NON-SOY MILKS

Meyenberg Goats' Milk
Score: 3
Does it taste like milk?
Tastes like goat. At least it's true to itself!
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
No; I'd have to think about that.
Would you drink it ever?
If I was on a goat farm, absolutely. If not, only when intense cravings for the liquid form of chevre hit.

Rice Dream
Score: 2.5
Does it taste like milk?
Nope, and since rice isn't the most powerful flavor, it mostly just tastes like sugarcane.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
Maybe; no.
Would you drink it ever?
Depends what day it is.

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze
Score: 2.25
Does it taste like milk?
Not at all.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
Ehh, no; nope.
Would you drink it ever?
If I really wanted drinkable almonds, this is the best version.

Pacific Natural Foods Oat
Score: 2
Does it taste like milk?
No, it tastes like cookie juice. Definitely the sweetest of them all.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
Maybe for dessert, but that's a really huge maybe.
Would you drink it ever?
Most likely no. If you want oats, go the hot goopy cereal route.

Pacific Natural Foods Almond
Score: 1.75
Does it taste like milk?
One of the least milk-like and least drinkable. Almonds, or any almond family member, has never tasted this bad.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
No; no.
Would you drink it ever?
No.

Hemp Dream
Score: 0 (But if there was such thing as -5, we'd go there)
Does it taste like milk?
It tastes like rope. Gray with unappetizing flecks, this is something you can avoid for the rest of your life.
Would you have it with cereal? PB&J?
Never.
Would you drink it ever?
Never-ever-ever.

If you're sticking with the cows, find out What Kind of Cow's Milk You Should Be Drinking.

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195 Comments

1. Posted by cookieroxx@ymail.com on Sat, Aug 08, 2009, 3:18 pm PDT

I cant stand the taste of milk and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Silk!Does it taste like milk? No, it tastes alot better! Would you have it with cereal? PB&J? Defiantly Would you drink it ever? Oh yeah!
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2. Posted by Kim B on Sat, Aug 08, 2009, 3:33 pm PDT

Many people with lactose intolerance, cannot eat Soy either. Soy is a bean, and beans can give you the same gassy results as milk.
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3. Posted by Joey on Sat, Aug 08, 2009, 4:06 pm PDT

I am lactose intolerant and I drink Rice Milk or Lactaid "cows" milk. The soy milks are ok, but sort of taste like Play-Doh smells.
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4. Posted by sjvantrease on Sat, Aug 08, 2009, 5:27 pm PDT

My husband is lactose intolerant and loves to eat his cereal with chocolate Silk soymilk.
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5. Posted by Zuku Ari-Ari Kika on Sat, Aug 08, 2009, 7:39 pm PDT

I don't drink PLAIN soymilk, I only use it for cooking. As a replacement for cow's milk (which I never really liked anyway) I drink vanilla soymilk. I prefer the Pearl brand over Silk for vanilla, but I buy Silk Plain & Chocolate.
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6. Posted by e.beebe on Sat, Aug 08, 2009, 9:35 pm PDT

soymilk tastes better and is healthier for you, not as much fat. and it's much nicer not to take away cow's milk from a baby cow
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7. Posted by sunshines293 on Sun, Aug 09, 2009, 7:39 am PDT

Yeah regular hemp milk is weird, but I really like Living Harvest's Chocolate Hemp Milk. Maybe their Vanilla if I'm really thirsty, but regular, plain hemp milk is soooo grassy!
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8. Posted by safarigurl93 on Sun, Aug 09, 2009, 8:20 pm PDT

Almond Milk tastes so much better than Soy milk in my opinion. I mean, I tried the soy route but almond had little to no after taste. Almond Breeze Vanilla flavor is something I drink all day! Now about hemp milk?! Wow, I should try those alternatives. But soymilk isn't an option for me, eh.
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9. Posted by dancer5310 on Mon, Aug 10, 2009, 7:37 pm PDT

I'm a vegan, and soy milk is ok, but i prefer almond breeze vanilla
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10. Posted by eajgg on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 8:30 am PDT

Funny. Never really got into the silk thing... my mom loves it though so I may whip some out from the fridge today and force it down ;)
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11. Posted by Stephanie D on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 9:17 am PDT

I use the unsweetened vanilla Hemp Dream and really like it. You just have to make sure you shake it really well before hand.
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12. Posted by winniethepoohangel on Tue, Aug 11, 2009, 1:43 pm PDT

I totally disagree with this article. I very much enjoy both Rice Dream and Almond Breeze in my cereal, and alone, I mainly buy Vanilla, to drink, but LOVE the chocolate almond breeze, If I'm using it for baking or cooking in place of milk, I use the original unsweetened. I prefer Almond breeze, but do think there is a slightly nutty taste, which I love. I find the Rice Dream has a bit of a texture at the end, but I do still enjoy it. Over all, I love Almond Breeze.
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13. Posted by beck on Wed, Aug 12, 2009, 8:49 am PDT

I thought Almond Breeze was great! It doesn't have that after taste that soy milk has, and texture-ly I would say it's very similar to 1% milk. Personally I think it is the best alternative out there
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14. Posted by waderx on Wed, Aug 12, 2009, 12:53 pm PDT

How about SoyJoy?? May not be so joyful after all...
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15. Posted by krousso on Wed, Aug 12, 2009, 5:50 pm PDT

Meyenberg Goats' Milk is a blasphemy on goat milk. If you get it fresh off the ranch, and it's been processed correctly and from a good milk breed (Saanen, Nubian, and above all others, Nigerian Dwarf), goat milk can not be told apart from cow milk. Nigerian Dwarves that have been fed a good diet have milk that is actually sweeter and creamier then cow milk. I wish Meyenberg would go away and stop giving goat milk a bad name!
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16. Posted by beardandrea@rocketmail.com on Wed, Aug 12, 2009, 6:18 pm PDT

I love Rice Dream and Almond Breeze, they both have good flavor and texture. However Silk's Very Vanilla is always in my fridge. Great for cereal,drinking,baking and in coffee its Great! p.s. aftertaste is over rated its smooth and creamy.
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17. Posted by jomom75 on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 3:23 pm PDT

ugh, all those options are nasty. I've been lactose intolerant my whole life and I will take the milk cramps before trying any alternative ever again. I've tried many of them and they literally make you gag they are so gross. I just avoid milk most of the time and try to remember to take my calcium pills. Or if I do have milk just make sure there's some Pepto or something on hand. My oldest who will eat or drink anything you give him even gagged when he tried the soy milk and almond milk....so thats when I knew it wasn't just me, the stuff really is nasty if he won't touch it.
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18. Posted by lolitatreesap on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 3:58 pm PDT

Why are you only trying american brands? You should do asian brands as well. -.- After all soymilk started there! I just know Asian brands are a lot better as far as soymilk goes. Silk tastes like puke.
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19. Posted by Misty Branch on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:00 pm PDT

The almond breeze chocolate milk is really good. It is very smooth and creamy.
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20. Posted by bobandbettybrown on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:01 pm PDT

Having a dairy allergy, as opposed to lactose intolerance, non-dairy milks are all I have to work with. I use rice and almond milks which don't taste like cow's milk but they do what I need them to do. Since they are all I ever use my tastebuds have adjusted and I think cow's milk would taste weird to me now. I can't get used to hemp milk though.
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21. Posted by triciacable on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:02 pm PDT

My son has a severe allergy to milk, and loves Silk Soy Milk, have recently tried the Almond & Hemp and neither are to bad, defiantly better than seeing my son violently sick from dairy. I guess those that have the option to just take Pepto & still drink milk well, that's great, the whole "lactose intolerant" label is fooey to me, I mean, broccoli and zucchini give me gas, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm broccoli and zucchini intolerant, it's confusing to those who have a true allergy that can be life threatening to get lumped in with all these "lactose intolerant s"
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22. Posted by lovin_bklyn on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:23 pm PDT

This is based on one person's taste buds? I must disagree with the reviews. Both of the 'losers' taste good to me...
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23. Posted by katylynn45 on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:26 pm PDT

I don't think the author has much food imagination. The Almond Dream is DELICIOUS on cereal. Especially corn or bran flakes.
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24. Posted by mommy_ashley24 on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:30 pm PDT

I agree with cookieroxx, SILK does taste alot better than regular cow's milk, in my opinion. I actually craved it when I was pregnant, but i also love the other Asian soybean milks....
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25. Posted by Bernadette B on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:30 pm PDT

I really like the Almond Breeze...the sweetened is better but the low cal is fine also. I agree with Misty the chocolate is yummmm
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26. Posted by darksetter on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:38 pm PDT

Whoever wrote this article has a screw lose, blue diamond almond breeze is by far the best and after tasting it , I like it much better then regular milk. The chocolate is off the charts, the sad part is I cant stop myself from drinking the entire 32 oz carton at one sitting. It won the dairy alrenative taste test 2 yrs in a row, so that basically speaks for itself. I really with they would make a frozen desert alternative to compete with the soy and rice alternatives.
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27. Posted by Christopher W on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:41 pm PDT

Switched to soy milk many years ago. Now I can't even take a whiff of cow's milk without gagging. Though I still love my French cheese. (Go figure.) Completely agree with the reviewer's ratings. Soy rules.
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28. Posted by Nicole R on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:43 pm PDT

I have been drinking silk soy for years and never was a complete fan. When the almond drink came around I was so exited, less calories for the taste! I drink it all the time, and I eat it with my cereal and with pb&j. Taste better than soy and is better for the waistline, if you like flavor.
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29. Posted by grandbabyd on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:59 pm PDT

The only way I can drink Soy Milk is the Extra Vanilla. That taste good even with a PB&J
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30. Posted by tamara_tamz on Thu, Aug 13, 2009, 4:59 pm PDT

OMG; this made me laugh soooo hard--"Tastes like rope". Too funny. I actually drink soy milk and almond milk and like them both. Especially the chocolate soy milk from Trader Joe's--Yummy. I haven't tasted the Hemp milk and definitely won't now. Thanks for the laugh, I needed that.
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