Best Non-Dairy Milks

Got (non-dairy) milk? At most grocery stores, the answer is now a resounding yes! Whether you keep kosher, have an intolerance to dairy, or like to shake up your morning routine, you’ll surely love some of the many non-dairy milks at grocers nationwide.

For Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine’s January/February 2012 issue, I tried 87 such products! Five, including So Delicious Chocolate Coconut Milk Beverage (Best Chocolate), Silk Original Soy Milk (Best Soy), Pacific Natural Foods All Natural Hazelnut Original Non-Dairy Beverage (Best Nut), Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Vanilla Almondmilk (Best Vanilla), and Rice Dream Organic Original Rice Drink (Best Rice), scored highly and made it into the magazine’s pages.

Here are some of the other products that impressed me during the process:

Soy Milk: Soy Dream Non-Dairy Original (Enriched Organic) and Eden Soy Original (Organic). Soy milk is my personal everyday go-to, and has made it into my cereal bowl, smoothies, and green tea lattes.

Nut Milk: Silk Pure Almond Original, Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original, and Pacific Almond Low-Fat Original. I love to use almond milk in farro porridge, and stir in toasted chopped nuts to gild the lily.

Rice and Other Milks: Pacific Organic Lowfat Oat Original and Good Karma Flax Milk. Rice milk is sweet and has a thin texture similar to skim milk.

Vanilla Milk: Pacific Hemp Vanilla (a super-sophisticated must try for foodies!) and Soy Slender Soy Milk Vanilla. These heavenly drinks are delicious plain, or paired with chocolate desserts. Try them instead of non-dairy creamer in your coffee and in desserts (when you can get by with a thinner texture).

Chocolate Milk: West Soy Chocolate Peppermint Stick Soy Beverage and Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate. Wow – prepare to swoon! Try offering these to your kids as a relatively healthy dessert–that is, if you’re willing to share!