Move over almond milk, cashew milk and soy milk. The latest dairy alternative is taking over the market. Pea milk is a gluten-free, vegan, non-dairy drink that can fill in for dairy milk any day of the week.
Thankfully, it does not look or taste anything like the peas that it is made from. The most popular brand, Ripple Foods, makes several flavors, including vanilla and chocolate.
There are many easy ways to substitute pea milk for dairy milk in your daily routine.
1. Drink It
For those of us who cannot digest large quantities of dairy products but still want that refreshing, cool drink this summer, pea milk makes for a great substitute. The chocolate flavor tastes similar to traditional chocolate milk, but is a bit chalky.
Ripple makes individually packaged servings of original, vanilla milk that they label for kids, but will be sure to please everyone. One serving has eight grams of protein and claims to have twice as much calcium as traditional milk.
2. Blend It
Adding pea milk (or pea powder) is an easy way to boost the amount of protein in your smoothie or other drink. It doesn't have the same nutty taste as almond or cashew milk, and adding eight ounces of Ripple Milk adds eight grams of protein to your drink.
#SpoonTip: Chocolate pea milk mixes well with banana and peanut butter or banana breakfast smoothies.
Ripple also makes half-and-half to add to your morning coffee or tea.
3. Eat It
Pea milk works well in cereal since it doesn't have the same strong aftertaste as some nut-based dairy alternatives. The original version is unflavored so it won't overpower your breakfast.
Also, Ripple released a five flavor line of Greek yogurt alternatives which includes vanilla and strawberry. They are pretty high in sugar (14 grams per cup) but still have a slight bitter aftertaste. They (and I) recommend adding fruit or something else sweet to improve the taste.
For more Spoon perspectives on Pea Milk, check out some background info here.