Here is a fun little story: once upon a time, I loved dairy products. I was sustained by yogurt, cheese, milk and ice cream. All of a sudden, I started to develop a lactose intolerance. Every time I ate anything dairy-based, I ended up with a massive stomach ache. I was devastated. I had to start cutting dairy out of my diet to reduce the irritation in my stomach. Unable to live without dairy milk, I started to look for dairy alternatives and found almond milk.
I am thankful that there are so many good dairy-free options for my favorite foods, but in this six month experiment, I have found that not all non-dairy food is created alike. Some are great, and almost taste like the real thing, and others just make me sad.
Almond milk has risen to the top as a viable dairy alternative.
There should be no mistaking, almond milk is not the same as cow’s milk. It has completely different ingredients. Pasteurized cow’s milk is the only ingredient in dairy milk. In Blue Diamond Almondmilk there are more than 10 ingredients, including cane sugar, sea salt and added vitamins. There is one gram of protein per serving. Horizon Organic LowFat Milk has eight grams of protein per serving.
Also, they taste different. Almond milk is pretty good, but when tested straight, it can taste like almond-flavored water. It is slightly sweeter than 1% milk. Given that it is a mixture of several ingredients, almond milk can appear slightly off-white, and almost brownish at times.
That being said, if you are looking for the same general taste of milk in cooking, almond milk is a viable option.
Breakfast
French Toast
Since yogurt drinks and milk are no longer edible breakfast items for me, I had to look for other options. French toast is an easy and healthy make-ahead breakfast. I kept my classic recipe (eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and bread) and substituted almond milk for regular milk (keeping the measurements the same). The cooking time was the same and there were no noticeable differences in taste. French toast has become a great way to get eggs into my morning routine.
Cereal
If there is no time for French toast during a busy morning, cereal is a strong backup. Since dairy milk is not an option for me, almond milk has been filling in nicely. With its more distinct taste, almond milk actually favors plain cereals nicely. Topped off with some fruit, cereal with almond milk is a solid way to start the day.
Drinks
Dunking Cookies
Milk and cookies are a quality dessert staple. Desperate to be able to have this delicious snack, I tried vegan cookies. I was not thrilled with the brands that I tried, but then I was reminded that Oreos are dairy-free. Dunking them in almond milk is a suitable alternative.
#SpoonTip: vegan cookie dough is dairy-free, and in addition to being eaten raw, it can be baked like normal cookies and tastes almost the same. Perfect for dunking in almond milk for a completely dairy-free dessert.
Coffee
Needless to say, adding milk to coffee was not going to work anymore. But on those days I need coffee, adding almond milk and sugar instead of milk and sugar seems to be doing the trick. It has a slightly different taste, but not enough to ruin the coffee. If the taste becomes too problematic, it can be masked by adding in your favorite flavor syrup.
For more recipes with almond milk, check out these smoothies.