So your crunchy vegan friend has been extolling the virtues of non-dairy milk and you don’t have the heart to tell her you’ve never tried almond milk in your life? Non-dairy milk choices can be overwhelming, so let’s clear up the three basics:
Almond milk
Photo by Zoe Zaiss
Almond milk comes in a wide variety of flavors from the slightly-salty plain, to the unsweetened variety, to a more decadent dark chocolate. It’s really versatile: it tastes great in coffee or on cereal, and gives a creamy, nutty texture to oatmeal. It can be found in the dairy refrigerator or by the soy milk.
Soy milk
Soy milk is the classic non-dairy milk. You can find it everywhere from Starbucks to the dining hall. When mixed with something acidic, like vinegar, its high protein count causes it to curdle slightly, making it great for baking. Some suggest there are risks to ingesting too much soy, though, so use this one a little more sparingly. It’s often found in the juice aisle, since it doesn’t need to be refrigerated until opened.
Rice milk
Photo by Benjamin Rosenstock
Rice milk is the least like dairy milk. It’s sweet and kind of watery, making it good for cereal but not much else. It’s too thin for baking, usually, and can be a little harder to find than almond or rice milk.