Vegan alternatives to dairy products are trendy. There is now also a large selection in supermarkets. How can you evaluate the quality of milk substitute products? What does it matter if the milk doesn't come from the cow but from the plant? How do you find your personal favorites?
There is more than one reason not to use milk, but rather a milk substitute . In addition to potential health aspects of a plant-based diet or intolerances, climate protection and the animal welfare of cows come into play.
If you want to follow a vegan diet, you may find yourself at a loss in front of the shelves and the selection on the Internet.
Milk substitutes such as oat milk, soy milk, coconut milk and others are on offer. You can also choose different forms of cheese substitutes, vegan spreads and yogurt substitutes .
Depending on the brand, plant milk generally consists of water and...
- Oats,
- Soy,
- Coconut,
- Wheat and Co.
Some products are additionally sweetened and/or enriched with vitamins/minerals. Not all products are free of additives such as emulsifiers and stabilizers. It's not always easy to choose your favorite among the many milk substitute products .
We give you tips and recommendations to help you identify differences between the many alternatives. We will also give you some tips on how you can make plant milk yourself .
Milk substitute products, their production and fundamental differences
Vegan substitute products now come in a variety that can make it difficult to keep track. The milk alternatives all contain a vegetable base and water. The composition can vary greatly in the details.
Some vegan protein sources are highly processed products. They do not always meet the requirements of a high-quality food and source of vegetable protein . This depends on the individual composition.
The milk alternatives also perform differently when it comes to energy balance. This applies even more to milk substitute products , which have to be produced in more complex processes like cheese alternatives.
The various plant milk alternatives can be further processed into other substitute products such as vegan cheese, yoghurt or vegan butter.
The connection between the plant milk and the further processed substitute product is not always compelling. Milk substitute products such as vegan cheese have their own production steps. Producers do not always use pure plant milk as a basis.
During production and processing, not only complex production steps are often used, but also other substances such as ferments.
Anyone who has been looking into alternatives to cow's milk for a long time often notices significant differences in the taste of plant-based milk. Coconut milk has a different basic taste than almond milk, and soy milk has a different taste than oat milk.
Some things naturally taste a little sweeter, a little nuttier or have a very neutral flavor.
That's why a crucial aspect when choosing a milk substitute product is your individual taste . The best way to find out what you like best is to try out different types of milk substitutes.
Vegetable protein can really impress in terms of taste. This also applies to products such as cheese substitutes and yogurt substitutes.
Vegan alternatives can also differ in other aspects. Some manufacturers offer special plant milk that can be frothed particularly well. As a lover of latte macchiato and the like, this could particularly excite you about a plant-based milk.
Milk substitute products at a glance
Now we will introduce you to the special features of the most common milk alternatives:
1. Oat milk
If you love coffee, this milk substitute is the right choice. Oat milk froths well and has a slightly sweet taste. As a milk substitute product, oats also have an excellent ecological balance because we grow oats.
The dehusked oat grain is crushed, cooked, gently filtered and processed into an emulsion with the addition of vegetable oil and water. High-quality products do not contain any additives such as artificial emulsifiers and stabilizers.
2. Soy milk
This milk alternative is considered to be particularly tasteless. Many of us love the nutty taste. Soybeans contain a lot of protein. During production, dried soybeans are soaked, cooked and pureed into an emulsion with the addition of water.
When it comes to the ecological balance, it depends on where the soybeans come from. They are now also grown in Europe.
3. Almond milk and nut milk
It's mainly the sweet, marzipan-like taste that excites some of us about almond milk. From an ecological point of view, this milk substitute product does not stand out.
The water consumption during production is very high. The basic form of production is simple. Roasted almonds are ground and mixed with water. The addition of emulsifiers may be necessary. In addition to vegetable oil, some producers rely on less natural emulsifiers.
Some companies make interesting milk alternatives from cashews, hazelnuts or macadamia nuts. The production process for these milk substitutes is similar to almond milk . The different nuts also lead to different taste experiences.
4. The exotics: rice milk, lupine milk, pea milk
While rice milk has been on the shelves for a long time, lupine milk is currently still considered an insider tip. Both milk substitute products have a neutral taste and can therefore also be used in cooking.
The lupine is a regional crop , which therefore leaves a low ecological footprint. Plant milk made from peas is still relatively unknown to us.
Peas have long been known as an excellent source of plant-based protein . The protein content is between 5 and 7 g.
5. Coconut milk
With this plant-based milk alternative , two different milk substitute products can be distinguished. Coconut milk is a thick, almost unprocessed liquid that, according to current food regulations, must contain at least 10% fat.
A coconut drink, on the other hand, contains around 20 percent fat and more water. Coconut works less well in hot drinks such as coffee because this milk alternative flocculates . It can also be less sustainable because coconuts are not locally grown.
6. Yogurt and other fermented products
Yogurt is made from cow's milk in a fermentation process. Here manufacturers add yogurt ferments to coconut milk. You can also find plant-based products that are similar to Skyr or Quark in the supermarket. The extent to which other substances are added depends on the manufacturer.
7. Vegan cheese and spreads
With this product, each producer finds their own recipe to create a plant-based substitute for cheese . That's why you'll often find a variety of ingredients on these products.
If you place high demands on the purity and quality of food, you should look at the list of ingredients for each product.
The same applies to vegan spreadable fats . They could be the oldest known milk substitute product because purely plant-based margarine has been around for a long time. Vegetable fats and margarine are intensively processed products. Here, too, it is particularly worth taking a look at the list of ingredients.
Make your own milk substitute
You don't need much to make a plant-based milk alternative from oats, for example. To make this plant milk yourself, you need dehusked oat grains.
You cook these and work the mass through a filter cloth. By adding water you can achieve a more or less thick consistency. Other milk substitute products may place higher demands on your equipment.
There are now special devices that you can use to make almond milk or soy milk at home without any problems.
<astyle="color: #da4b12;"="" href="https://www.greenforce.com#text" title="Vegan alternatives"> Many vegan substitute products are high-quality, vegan protein sources and also impress in terms of taste. Try a lot of things to determine your favorites.
