Almond? Coconut? Oat? Pretty much any food you can think of can produce milk -- haha just kidding.
However, in recent times it does seem as though there has been an influx of milk alternatives. I was recently at a coffee shop in Saint Petersburg, when I found myself in a state of panic. The very kind barista that was serving me had asked me which type of milk I wanted in my coffee.
I heard her say all the "milk" options and then from there I just went into panic mode. I don't think rationally when put on the spot.
I know it is sad to admit, but I am not a true millennial. I did not know half of the trendy milk options she had named.
Ever since I started drinking coffee, I have put regular 2% milk in my coffee. It is what I have always been used to do and what I thought was the norm, but it seems as though I now have many more options to choose from!
I have learned that these new milk alternatives taste differently than normal dairy and can change the way my coffee tastes entirely. The barista told me that popular trending milk alternatives were almond, coconut and oat milk.
I figured that I wasn't alone in my confusion, so I decided to do a little taste test/research and inform you about these milk alternatives. You can thank me the next time you find yourself at a coffee shop and overwhelmed with options.
Almond Milk
Almond milk is made by blending almonds with water and then straining the mixture to remove the remnants of the almonds. Sounds pretty complicated right?
To be honest I am not the biggest fun of almonds, but this type of milk was actually really delicious. I put it in my coffee and was surprised at how light it was in comparison to real dairy milk. It does have a little bit of an "almond-y" flavor, which was expected, but if you are drinking strong coffee than you can barely taste it.
There are many almond milk options at your local supermarket, some come sweetened and some do not. You can almost always find almond milk at your local coffee shop - even Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks offers it.
Rumor has it, there are also several health benefits that can come from drinking this type of milk .
You can find more information about those health benefits here.
Coconut Milk
Believe it or not, coconut milk is actually made from the flesh of coconuts. When I first tried this milk in my coffee, I was not impressed. I found this milk alternative to be very watery and did not provide much flavor in my coffee.
However, I did try it again and decided to put it in a blueberry smoothie. When it was mixed in with the fruit, I didn't notice its watery consistency and it blended nicely.
Coconut milk is a big hit among some of my friends, so I would still give it a chance (in your coffee or smoothies.)
There are also health benefits from drinking this type of milk opposed to regular milk as well, which you can find here.
Oat Milk
Last, but certainly not least, we have oat milk. Oat milk is my favorite dairy free alternative milk because it has an undeniably creamy flavor and a mild sweetness. When I put oat milk in my coffee, I don't even need my packet of sugar.
Oat milk also has a thicker consistency than the other options I named previously.
I put it my iced coffee and my hot coffee, and both times it complemented my drink well. Since my discovery of this type of milk, I have tried to get it at various coffee shops around Saint Petersburg. However, it seems as though many of the bigger chains like Starbucks and Dunkin are not carrying this type of "milk" yet - but rumor has it that it might be offered this Spring/Summer. Oat milk is made with steel-cut oats or whole groats that are soaked in water, blended, and then strained.
For more information on the health benefits of oat milk you can click here.
Well, there you have it guys. I showed you all three dairy free milk alternatives that you can put in your coffee. Try something new the next time you are making yourself coffee or visiting your local coffee shop, I promise you won't regret it.