I am 20 years old and recently encountered one of the worst things I thought could ever happen to me: I found out that am lactose-intolerant. For the past 20 years of my life, from literal birth, I have consumed milk by the gallons of every possible form: cereal, ice cream, cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, anything. At one point in college all I ate was cereal for all three meals. Now, however, the time has come for me to branch out and find other options and I have chosen the path of coconut milk.
My journey will go from yogurt and ice cream to creamer in coffee to see if you can actually tell the difference.
Yogurt
I've tried almost every yogurt available on the shelves of my local grocery store from Greek to Scandinavian; everything except for the dairy-free ones. Yogurt is one of my go-to's for breakfast and a healthy daytime snack that sometimes I pimp out with fruit and granola like this Spoonie did, so I was a little unsure about the switch to a coconut-based one. The brand I tried was "SO Delicious" and I got the peach, strawberry, and raspberry flavor. The first one I tried was peach and it was delicious. Definitely one of the best yogurts I've ever had and I didn't taste any coconut. 10/10 recommend.
Coffee Creamer
I was really curious about this one because what college student doesn't live off of coffee (or tea, not hating. Tea can have as much caffeine as coffee). There were a few brands I could have chosen but I went with "SO Delicious" again because I loved their yogurt so much, and I got their french vanilla flavor (and they did have an unsweetened kind).
When I took that first sip of my coffee, with just creamer no sugar, I was blown away. I couldn't taste any of the coconut but I did get the sweet vanilla flavor coming through. It was so good I decided not to add any sugar which is an absolute first for me. I tend to have coffee with my sugar instead of sugar with my coffee.
Ice Cream
I tried two different brands and flavors when I got ice cream. I got "SO Delicious" cookie dough flavor and "Halo Top" peanut butter cup. In the "SO Delicious" pint I could really taste the coconut and not so much the cookie dough. I preferred the "Halo Top" more because I couldn't taste any coconut and I preferred the flavor more.
Overall
Overall my experience with coconut milk was great. In almost everything I ate it with except the ice cream I really enjoyed it. Not to mention coconut milk has numerous health benefits like improving heart health, providing electrolytes, and helping digestion.
Coconut milk, though, is a delicious alternative if you're lactose intolerant or have a soy allergy. Just remember the next time you go on a grocery run and have a second to scan your options, don't kick coconut milk to the side.