There are many milk alternatives available in the market, such as almond, soy, and oat milk. Wondering which plant-based milk is the best for baking? This blog is for you!
Types of Plant-Based Milk
- Oat Milk
One of the most well-known plant-based milk out there is oat milk. Known for its creamy taste, oat milk is a quite versatile baking ingredient. It can be easily used in recipes, such as pies, and also for dishes like mac and cheese.
- Soy Milk
As one of the most nutritious alternatives to dairy milk, soy milk is very popular in plant-based dishes. It has a similar texture, fat count, and protein level as that of dairy milk. It also holds very well when heated. Hence, it is the best option for baking.
- Almond Milk
If you are looking for sweet tasting milk, then almond milk is your best shot. Its inherently sweet flavour and heavy consistency make it an excellent choice for desserts, such as pies, pound cakes, muffins, pancakes, and biscuits. Opt for the unsweetened kind.
- Hemp Milk
Hemp Milk is known for its nutty flavour and nice texture. However, we usually don’t recommend baking with hemp milk because its nutty flavour can be quite overpowering in most dishes.
- Coconut Milk
There are two versions of coconut milk that you can find in the market, each with its own nutrient profile and consistency. The first is the beverage version of coconut milk, which can be a great choice for smoothies and coffee drinks. The other is the canned version, which is similar in texture to that of condensed milk.
The canned coconut milk can be used for recipes that require thick and rich texture, such as whipped creamor ice cream. However, you need to remember that coconut milk adds a coconut flavour to every dish it is cooked with. So if you don’t want that taste in your dish, then you should avoid coconut milk.
- Flax Milk
Although flax milk is usually not available in many shops, it can be still used as a good alternative to cow’s milk for recipes that don’t require thick textures. Flax milk can be used in recipes like chocolate ganache or Alfredo pasta.
- Rice Milk
Rice Milk is made with the help of rice bran. Although this is usually not the best choice available out there, you can still experiment with rice milk and use it in dishes like cake batters and muffins.
Final Verdict
So if you are looking for plant-based alternatives to dairy milk, we would recommend baking with soy, oat, or almond milk. However, if you want, you can experiment with other plant-based milk products as well and find the one that suits your recipes.
Check out the video below to see how I test baked the Raspberry Donuts featured in our May/ June box with different plant based milks. Can you guess which one was the best?
Check out how the plant-based milks stack up on nutrition.
View Video