I remember when I was a kid: milk was just milk. There was skim, 2%, or whole, and maybe 1% for those rebels who wanted something in between 2% and 0%. Fast forward 20 years later, and things have gotten so complicated! There are so many milk alternatives out there it’s hard to keep track: soy, almond, coconut, rice, hemp, oat – who can tell the difference? And how do you know which one is the best / healthiest milk for you? That’s where this post comes in. Think of this as your guide to all of the milk and milk alternatives out there – your guide to finding the healthiest milk for you!
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Let’s start with the basics: Regular Cow’s Milk
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Things to remember:
- Your options include: 0% (Skim/Fat Free), 1%, 2% or Whole Milk. There’s also organic vs. non-organic. Skim = 0% = Fat Free – they’re all the same thing
- Whole Milk has about 150 calories and 8g fat (mostly saturated fat – which is bad for your cholesterol/heart) vs. 80 calories & 0g fat for skim, or 100 calories and 2.5g fat for 1%. By switching from whole milk to 1% you can save 50 calories and 5.5g fat per day!
- All the sugar in milk is natural, so there’s no additional sugar added
- Stay away from chocolate, strawberry, and other flavored milks (including vanilla) – all of these have tons of sugar – sometimes as much as a can of Coke!
- Non-organic milk comes from cows that are fed hormones and un-natural substances which some say end up in the milk
What does regular cow’s milk offer you? About 8g protein, and tons of nutrients: 30% of your daily value (DV) of calcium, 25% DV vitamin D as well as potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and niacin.
The Picky Eater Recommendation: Drink milk if you aren’t lactose intolerant and can digest it. Choose organic, 1% milk (because a little bit of fat is good for you). If you’re trying to cut calories and lose weight, choose organic skim milk.
Soy Milk
Things to remember:
- There are too many versions and brands of soy milk to list. There’s light, sugar-free, organic, etc. This can get very confusing!
- A lot of soy milk brands have random sugar added to it. Some brands have up to 12g of sugar! This isn’t naturally occurring in the soybeans – it’s basically like a few teaspoons of sugar in every cup – so watch out for that.
- Many soy milks also have random ingredients & preservatives added to them, which isn’t the best for you.
- The best soy milks have two ingredients: whole organic soy beans and water.
What does soy milk offer you? A great alternative for cow’s milk that’s lower in saturated fat (0.5g for 1 cup). 1 cup of soy milk has 90 calories, up to 9g protein and 4g fiber. 30% DV calcium, and 30% DV vitamin D. Soy milk also offers vitamin A, iron, riboflavin, folate, vitamin B12, potassium, and magnesium.
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The Picky Eater Recommendation: If you like the taste of soy milk, this is about nutritionally on par with cow’s milk except that it’s plant based (so it’s great for vegans). Choose unsweetened soy milk that has 0-1g sugar, with two ingredients: whole organic soy beans and water. Westsoy (pictured above) is my favorite brand.
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Almond Milk
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Things to remember:
Things to remember:
- The things I said about soy milk apply to almond milk: too many brands, too many options (light, unsweetened, flavored, etc), and most brands have sugar added (up to 12g)
- Almond milk has virtually no protein (only about 1g). So if you’re looking for a protein packed alternative to milk, this isn’t it
- Almond milk can be a very low calorie alternative to regular milk as long as you’re getting your protein elsewhere.
What does almond milk offer you? A great alternative to milk for those that are allergic to lactose or soy, or vegan. One cup can have only 40 calories, making it a great substitute for milk for those trying to cut back on calories or lose weight. 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk has 40 calories, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 45% DV calcium, 25% DV vitamin D, and 50% DV vitamin E. Almond milk also offers riboflavin, vitamin B12, and zinc.
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The Picky Eater Recommendation: If you’re going to drink almond milk, pick the unsweetened version with only 40 calories for 1 cup. But this isn’t a great alternative for milk because of the lack of protein – so if you only drink almond milk, get your protein elsewhere!
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Rice Milk
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Things to remember:
- The things I said about soy milk apply to rice milk: too many brands, too many options (light, unsweetened, flavored, etc), and most brands have sugar added (up to 12g)
- Rice milk is considered the least allergenic of all the milks since it’s dairy and nut free
- Rice milk has virtually no protein (1g for 1 cup)
What does rice milk offer you? A good milk substitute for super allergy prone people. Other than that, it doesn’t offer much since it’s generally higher in calories and lower in protein than the milk alternatives above. It provides 30% DV calcium, 25% DV vitamin D, and 25% DV vitamin B12. Rice milk also provides phosphorus.
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The Picky Eater Recommendation: If you can tolerate regular milk, soy milk or almond milk – drink one of those. If you’re going to choose rice milk – choose the unsweetened kind (0g-1g sugar). And if you’re drinking rice milk only, get your protein elsewhere! Note – Rice Dream above has 12g sugar added and 120 calories because of it, so not the best choice.
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Coconut Milk
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Things to remember:
- The things I said about soy milk apply to coconut milk: too many brands, too many options (light, unsweetened, flavored, etc), and most brands have sugar added (up to 12g)
- Coconut milk is one of the highest in saturated fat per serving
- Coconut milk is dairy, soy, nut free
- This milk has virtually no protein – 1g per 1 cup serving
What does coconut milk offer you? A good alternative if you’re allergic to dairy, soy and nuts. Unsweetened coconut milk is a great alternative to use in creamy curry sauces – I use it in Thai curries all the time (the unsweetened version has 50 calories for 1 cup vs. up to 120 calories for 1 cup). Coconut milk has up to 30% DV Vitamin D and 50% DV Vitamin B12.
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The Picky Eater Recommendation: If you can tolerate regular milk, soy milk or almond milk – drink one of those. If you’re going to choose coconut milk – choose the unsweetened kind (0g-1g sugar) & 50 calories per serving. Definitely use unsweetened coconut milk in creamy curry sauces – it tastes great. And if you’re drinking only coconut milk, get your protein elsewhere!
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Hemp Milk
Things to remember:
- Hemp milk is lower in sugar but higher in fat than the other milk alternatives
- Hemp milk (depending on the brand) does have some protein: more than almond/coconut/rice but less than soy/regular milk
- Watch out for added sugars and preservatives
- Hemp milk offers a well-balanced ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, and if you’re trying to avoid soy, hemp milk is a good alternative
What does hemp milk offer you? A slightly higher protein alternative to soy or cow milk. 1 cup has 100-110 calories, 6-7 g fat, 1g saturated fat, 2-5 g protein, 30% DV calcium, 25% DV vitamin D, 25% DV riboflavin, and 25% DV vitamin B12. Hemp milk also provides iron, phosphorus and magnesium.
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The Picky Eater Recommendation: If you’re not trying to cut calories and like the taste of hemp milk, choose this over almond or rice milk. If you can tolerate cow or soy milk, drink that.
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Oat Milk
Things to remember:
- This is the highest calorie milk option – 1 cup has 130 calories
- The things I said about soy milk apply to oat milk: too many brands, too many options (light, unsweetened, flavored, etc), and most brands have TONS of sugar added (up to 19g for 1 cup!)
- Oat milk is lactose free
What does oat milk offer you? Yet another option! Oat milk does have 2g fiber and 4g protein, so if you’re ok with the higher calorie count, it’s a good option for those that are lactose intolerant. It has 35% DV Calcium, 25% DV Vitamin D, and 30% DV Riboflavin.
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The Picky Eater Recommendation: Drink oat milk if you are soy/lactose intolerant, if you like the taste and are ok with the higher calorie count. But you’ll have to supplement the protein since it only has 4g.
Phew! I think that’s it! Hopefully this post helps you navigate the crazy milk aisles out there. One thing to note – all of the non-dairy milks above can be bought shelf-stable, which is a benefit if you’re looking to store them for a while.
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Now for the final piece: What does The Picky Eater drink? I usually stick to organic, 1%-2% milk. I like soy/almond milk in my oatmeal and sometimes in cereal – so I’ll substitute those from time to time to change things up. But of course, I always choose the unsweetened version of both to avoid the added sugars.
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What type of milk do you like to drink regularly? Do you have any additional tips that I didn’t post above? I’d love to hear from you!
Hello! I'm Anjali. I'm a 20 something living in the SF Bay Area, with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty, and fun! Try some of 
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You should try goat’s milk… it’s the most delicious. (Try Whole Foods). It’s got some positive properties compared to cow’s milk and some people who can’t have cow’s milk can tolerate it (larger globules make it easier to digest).
Ah yes – I’ve heard goat’s milk is good but I’ve never tried it before. I have also heard it’s an acquired taste
I’ll have to check it out, thanks for the tip!
This is a very informative post, thank you very much! Choice is good, but at some point too many choices get overwhelming; you break it down very clearly here and this is a great reference.
Thanks – I’m so glad it’s helpful!
I just started drinking cow’s milk after years of soy, rice, and almond milk.
Oh wow! What inspired you to make the switch?
Thanks for the summary. There’s also lactose-free versions of cow milk.
That’s true! Great point
Another one to add to the list!
Thanks for a helpful post.
No problem!! Glad you found it helpful!
Thankyou so much! This is really helpful! I got quite confused by all those alternative milks that popped up in the supermarket. i usually drink cow milk or soy milk and I think I will stick with it.
I’d really need something like this for all the different kinds of coffee drinks, too =P do you have a recommandation as to what to order in a café?
No problem at all! So glad it’s helpful. As for your question about coffee – what I generally stick to is a small (or in Starbucks land – tall) cappuccino with nonfat or 1% milk and a bit of Stevia, or a small/tall latte with 1% milk and a bit of Stevia. The first one will run you about 60 calories, the second about 100. And both have no sugar added – just the natural sugars from the milk. All of the fancier drinks at cafes generally have tons of sugar added, and are sometimes made with random mixes, so I try to stay away from that. Tea is good too though – hot tea with steamed 1% milk is one of my favs!
Milk choices are so overwhelming! Know anything about the hormones from soy milk?
So the whole soy protein-estrogen debate is a bit up in the air. Soy protein contains estrogenic compounds, but it’s unclear whether this is hurtful to the body or beneficial to it (there are contradicting stories). I try to stay away from soy protein isolate – because that’s the most processed form of soy, but if my soy milk is made from whole soybeans I’m generally ok with that. Hope that helps!
My father has krones disease and I am prone to heartburn. Almond milk was suggested to me because it is supposedly easier to digest than dairy milk. There may be something to this as I have noticed less heartburn after breakfast. We have two small children, one of which loves the almond milk while the other will only put dairy milk on her cereal.
Sorry to hear about your father – one of my friends has Chron’s disease and I know it’s not easy to live with! Almond milk is definitely easier to digest – I’m glad that it’s been beneficial for you! Be sure to get Unsweetened Almond Milk – that way you get all of the nutrients without any of the added sugars
Hi, I know this is an old post but I’m just reading it now, and I have to just thank you because I’ve been looking everywhere for this kind of comparison, and you did a great comprehensive job. Thanks!
Hi Allison! I’m so happy you found this post helpful!! I’m glad the comparisons and information made sense to you – that’s exactly what I was hoping to achieve with this post. Thanks for letting me know!