Yummtastic

Dairy-free Milk Substitutes: Rice and Almonds!

One of the hardest changes for me when I had to drop dairy from my diet was the fact that I could no longer have any milk. I didn’t like milk straight, but a nice bowl of cereal in the morning was what got me going everyday. Luckily, it was not hard to find some substitutes.

The main issue when I initially went looking was there were so many choices. Generally, for milk substitutes you will find ones based on Soy, Rice, and Almond. I personally, did not enjoy the Soy and try not to ingest the stuff too much; So, I will go over two of the more popular brands today that you are most likely to find at your major grocer.

Almond Breeze by Blue Diamond and Rice Dream By Dream are two of the more popular brands of dairy-free milk substitutes. Each have their ups and downs, and for most it will be a win based on personal taste. Both are fairly cheap, and can mostly be found on regular price for $1.50 for a 32 oz container. My local grocer also has them on sale plenty of times at $3 for 2.

Quick rundown of Almond Breeze:

• Is “thicker” then the rice dream, feels less like water and more rich.
• I have used this very successfully in baking in substitute of milk. My girlfriend actually doesn’t use milk anymore as this has worked very well for any baking so far.
• The chocolate and vanilla flavours taste fake and too sweet. I personally cannot stand them!
• Yes, it’s made from almonds, which are very good for you. (But this product itself is not a good source of protein)
• Also available in unsweetened variety that has less calories and 0 grams of sugar. Tastes a bit bland by its lonesome but great for cereal and other mixes.

And a rundown of Rice Dream:

• Made from pure brown rice (not white).
• Has double the calories then the Almond Breeze brand (120 per serving versus 60). If you’re not on a strict diet, this is great as real milk has a lot of calories, so you won’t be throwing off your calorie intake too much.
• Unfortunately I found the Rice Dream milks to taste a bit watery. Not as rich as the Almond breeze
• It has a hint of rice taste obviously. This may be a total turn off for some

In the end, it all depends on personal preference but for me, Almond Breeze is the winner here. Great taste, cheap, healthy, and rich.

Check out the Almond Breeze website, and TasteTheDream.com for Rice Dream .