Plant-based milk: which is the best?

We take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of milk made from almonds, soy, oats, and rice.

In my WeWork building, nearly half of the people would choose oat or soy milk for their coffee, even though nowhere near as many people are vegan or vegetarian. It turned out that people would choose plant-based milk for a variety of reasons. I personally find that oat milk tastes better and feels lighter in coffee. However, there are a lot of questions out there about the actual benefits of adopting plant-based milk, for example:

Is plant-based milk “processed”?

Does plant-based milk lack calcium?

Is plant-based milk actually better for the environment?

Today, we will take a deep dive into some of the most popular choices, including drinks made from almonds, soy, oats, and rice.

What is plant-based or non-dairy milk?

Plant-based milk is an extract of nuts, legumes, and cereals, but diluted in water. Commercial production of plant-based milk involves combining the cereal or blending the nuts and legumes with water, milling the mixture, and filtering out the solids. Oils such as rapeseed oil are added for both texture and non-saturated fats like omega-3. The plant-based liquid is then heat-treated for sanitation and shelf-life. Often, plant-based milk is fortified with calcium, vitamin D, Riboflavin (B2), and B12. Most of the plant-based milk in supermarkets shares a similar amount of calcium (120mg per 100ml) as cow’s milk.

While sharing many of the culinary uses as cow’s milk, plant-based alternatives do not contain lactose (a sugar). This is especially important given that 65-75% of the world’s population are lactose intolerant, due to their inability to produce the required lactase enzyme as a result of natural weaning.

In 2017, the European Court of Justice banned the use of “milk”, “butter”, cheese”, or “yoghurt” for purely plant-based products. These terms are reserved by the EU law for animal products only, which is why European supermarkets label plant-based milk as a “plant-based drink”. Today, the global milk substitute market is bigger than meat alternatives.

Almond milk

While it seems a fairly recent trend, almond milk was actually already widely used as a dairy alternative in Europe and the Middle East since the 1200s. Fascinatingly, almond milk was recommended as a cough treatment in The Golden Treatise from 800 AD. Typically, only 1-2% of almond milk is almond. This low concentration means the calories in almond milk are also very low (15kcal per 100ml), compared with both cow’s milk and other plant-based choices. Almond milk has slightly less protein than cow’s milk but is also very low in saturated fat or natural sugar. Almond milk is typically fortified with a similar amount of calcium as cow’s milk, as well as plenty of Vitamin D, Riboflavin, and Vitamin B12.

The main criticisms towards almonds are regarding their intense water usage and the impact of almond farming on the bees. It is claimed that growing almonds intensifies the drought in California, creating a negative impact on the local biodiversity. However, a closer look reveals that animal feed by far requires the most water footprints in California. Comparatively, California produces about 80% of the global almond supply but only a fraction of the global meat and dairy. A single litre of almond milk requires 371 litres of water to produce. Meanwhile, a litre of cow’s milk requires 628 litres of water. Nonetheless, it is true that rice milk, oat milk, and soya milk are lower in terms of water usage in their production.

The other big issue related to almond farming is the impact on the bees. The Guardian reports that a huge number of bees die on almond farms each year while pollinating the almonds. This figure reached 50 billion in 2018-19 alone, representing over one-third of the commercial US bee colonies. The tragedy stems from the use of pesticides that are lethal to bees as well as the intensely demanding nature of the industrial agricultural methods of almonds.

When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, almond milk is the closest to being carbon neutral among both plant-based milk and cow’s milk. Almond orchards capture and store a significant amount of carbon. In contrast, cow’s milk produces 4 times the amount of CO2 equivalent compared to almonds, and beef is nearly 29 times worse.

Soy milk

Nutritionally, soy milk is fantastic because it contains nearly as much protein and calcium as cow’s milk, but only a fraction of the saturated fats and sugars. It is low in calories (33 kcal per 100ml) and a great source of iron. Soy milk is commonly regarded as a fantastic replacement for cow’s milk in cooking, baking, and coffee.

The most common health-related misconception about soy is that it “raises estrogen levels”. However, comprehensive studies have shown that there is no association between the consumption of soy foods and estrogen levels in the human body. Soy foods have powerful, beneficial effects on our health, reducing heart disease and many forms of cancer.

Environmentally, the main criticism towards soy is its link to deforestation, especially in Brazil. The area used to grow soy in Brazil since 1980 has tripled, while cropland (including commercial soy) accounts for 9% of the agro-industrial clearing in the Brazilian Amazon.

However, Our World In Data highlights that the increase in soy production in the past 30 years is predominantly driven by the increased demand for animal feed, biofuels, and vegetable oil. 77% of global soy is actually fed to livestock for meat and dairy. Poultry and pigs represent the highest demand for soy as animal feed. Only 7% of soy is used directly for human consumption such as tofu, soy milk, and edamame beans. Furthermore, agro-industrial clearing for pasture for beef production is by far the biggest driver of deforestation in the Amazon, accounting for 63% of the total loss area.

Among the plant-based choices in this article, the production of soy milk requires the least amount of water usage at 28 litres of water per litre of soy milk (only 4% of what cow’s milk requires). It emits 1 kg CO2eq, higher than almond, oat, and rice drinks, but still only one-third of the emissions from the production of cow’s milk.

Oat milk

As a cereal-based drink, oat milk is similar to cow’s milk in calories, but with very little saturated fats. Oat milk has a naturally sweet taste as it has a similar level of natural sugar as cow’s milk. Oat milk is free of soy, nuts, and lactose. Studies show that the consumption of oat milk can lower LDL cholesterol. As oat milk is fortified with vitamin D and calcium, it is also beneficial to our bone health.

Oat milk is very environmentally friendly in terms of both water usage and carbon emissions. The production of oat milk releases less greenhouse gas than soy and rice milk, and only slightly more than almond. The production of oat milk also requires far less water than both almond and rice milk, similar to soy.

Rice milk

Rice milk has a similar calorie profile as oat milk, but with less protein and saturated fats. It is richer in complex carbohydrates. Like oat milk, it is free of soy, nuts, and lactose.

Environmentally, the production of rice milk emits slightly more greenhouse than almond, soy, and oat milk, but that is still just one-third of the emissions from cow’s milk. Production of rice milk requires less water than cow’s milk and almond milk, but not quite as good as oat and soy milk.

My favourite

My personal pick is oat milk, and I use it both in my coffees and in cooking. For example, I blend oat milk with cashew nuts, soft tofu, and nutritional yeast to make a creamy plant-based carbonara sauce.

Want to track the nutrition AND emissions of the food on your plate?

Wouldn’t it be ideal to know how exactly the food we eat affects both our bodies and the environment? This is why we created Plantwise. Our plant-based app helps you enjoy a protein-rich diet while visualising the green impact of your meals. You can check out Plantwise on Apple App Store today!