Putting non-dairy milk in your coffee is really a hit or miss. Sometimes it’s delicious, creamy, and makes your coffee taste just how it should. Other times, it’s clumpy, watery, or tastes like nothing.
There are so many brands of plant-based milk that the choices are overwhelming. It’s very important to remember, though, that non-dairy milk is not “all purpose” milk. What tastes good in your cereal may taste freaking nasty in your coffee.
Don’t spill anymore watery almond milk down the drain and take my advice on the best and worst of plant-based milk for your coffee, listed from worst to best.
Kirkland Organic Fortified Soy Beverage — Original Flavour
Don’t get me started on the nastiness of this soy milk. I was at a café and before I began to pour it, the barista said, “Oh, the soy milk doesn’t have any preservatives so it separates.” I’m thinking, okay, this won’t be so bad. I can just stir it every so often.
Wrong. It separates so badly that you have to re-stir for every single sip. It didn’t taste terrible once it was stirred, but looking at the soy milk particles in my coffee just reminded me of puke. “Here’s your overpriced, overly acidic coffee with just a drop of barf in it.” Yes, I’m salty about this.
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk
Unsweetened almond milk and coffee just don’t go well together. It has this weird tanginess/bitterness and doesn’t resemble dairy milk in any way. Zero out of 10, would not recommend—unless, perhaps, you add heaps of sugar or sweetener. I recommend using it for baking, cooking, or cereal, just not coffee.
Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk — Vanilla
This is one of my favourite plant-based milks because it’s light and pretty versatile. It can be used in coffee, but it isn’t the best option as it doesn’t give you the nice creamy appearance that I look for in a cup of joe.
It just isn’t creamy enough for my taste, but thankfully, it doesn’t have the weird taste that unsweetened almond milk does when you put it into coffee. I recommend cashew milk for cereal and smoothies.
Sumatra Coconut Milk
This is the coconut milk that they serve at Starbucks. I planned on getting soy milk to add to my coffee, which I will discuss later, but they didn’t have any in stock that day.
I would describe this coconut milk as “okay” for coffee because it’s drinkable, but it tastes very coconut-y and sweet. I like coconut, just not in my coffee. After adding a little bit of Splenda, I was more satisfied with my choice (or lack thereof).
Silk Original Soy Beverage For Coffee
If you’re one to drink cream in your coffee, this is for you. The rich flavour of this “cream” totally works with coffee, but you have to like it sweet.
Silk Unsweetened or Sweetened Soy Milk
Silk soy milk is by far my favorite grocery store plant-based milk. It has a mild soy flavor, but is still creamy, therefore making it perfect for coffee. If you like your coffee sweet, go for the sweetened version and you won’t have to add much sweetener. The unsweetened one is more similar to typical dairy milk.
Starbucks Coffee Company Vanilla Organic Soy Milk
This is the best option when it comes to plant-based milk for coffee. It has a creamy, smooth taste, and is slightly (but not obnoxiously) sweet. It doesn’t separate from the coffee and performs well poured cold from the carton or frothed.
Next time you get a brewed coffee or Americano, just ask for soy milk at the bar and it won’t cost any extra. If I could buy this for home, I undoubtedly would.
Armed with this list, there’s only one thing left to do: coffee time.