14 Best Plant-Based Milks Of 2023

There's no denying it — plant-based milk is the dairy replacement of the future. Over the past few years, traditional cow milk sales have declined with non-dairy alternatives like soy, almond, coconut, and oat milk taking center stage. Sentient Media reports that in 2020 forty percent of U.S. households purchased plant-based dairy. This prominence proves that milk alternatives are more than just a passing trend or reserved for a niche market. In fact, many of these households are opting for these alternatives simply because they prefer the taste.

With this explosive interest, food innovators have stepped into the space to create substitutes so similar to real milk, you have to try to taste the difference. This $3 billion industry — that's billion with a B — continues to grow alongside other animal-based food replacements (via Statista). Maybe you've switched to plant-based milk for environmental, health, or ethical reasons, or maybe it's just more pleasing to your palette. Either way, we've assembled a list of brands leading the non-dairy charge. The astonishing breadth of vegan-friendly options is certain to please herbivores and omnivores alike.

With some of the most colorful packaging of all non-dairy milk on supermarket shelves, Hope and Sesame stands out in more than just its marketing efforts. This company is led and managed by women that started as a group of friends with a common goal. The makers use upcycled ingredients — the remnants of sesame oil production — to create tasty, creamy plant-based alternatives to dairy. As the name indicates, sesame seeds are the star of the show. These naturally pest-resistant plants don't require petroleum-based pesticides or herbicides to thrive. They also don't need help from bees or birds to reproduce. Sesame seeds are also drought-tolerant, meaning that they don't need a great deal of water to thrive. Considering that the World Economic Forum says the western United States is experiencing the largest megadrought seen in over 1,200 years, the amount of water your plant-based milk uses can actually make a difference.

If it's nutrition you're after, Hope and Sesame has that covered, too. Rich in calcium and vitamin D, Hope and Sesame's milks contain all nine essential amino acids plus 8g of protein in each serving. Hope and Sesame also offers barista blends for premium frothing as well as delightful chocolate sesame and chocolate hazelnut milks. The company's recyclable Tetra Pak cartons are derived mostly from plant-based, renewable sources, and its plastic PET bottles feature recyclable sleeves. You don't have to sacrifice taste, quality, or ethics when you opt for this delicious and truly sustainable plant-based milk brand.

Could your choice of milk products actually improve your mental health? According to Live Science, maybe so. That's because of the phenomenon known as the gut-brain axis, which describes the relationship between your central nervous system and your gastrointestinal tract. Lifeway Oat Milk contains 10 live and active probiotics that interact with your gut microbiome and might even have an uplifting effect on your mental state. You'll often find these probiotics in dairy products like kefir and skyr, but Lifeway stands out as an organic oat drink that also features these helpful cultures.

With six lip-smacking flavors — blueberry maple, berries and cream, peaches and cream, strawberry vanilla, vanilla, and plain — you're sure to find a delicious and healthy option for every palate. The texture of Lifeway Oat is thicker and more viscous than other oat milk varieties, making it ideal for sipping on its own or as an alternative to flavored coffee creamer. Free from gums, stabilizers, oils, and artificial ingredients, and rich in heart-healthy fiber, Lifeway Oat Milk packs the plant-based probiotic punch you've been looking for.

Many people believe that technology will solve the climate crisis. Notmilk aims to make that belief a reality. The genius behind this Certified B Corp is Giuseppi. But Giuseppi isn't one of the human founders of Notmilk's parent company NotCo. Giuseppi is an artificial intelligence program with an encyclopedic knowledge of over 300,000 edible plants. It uses this knowledge base to efficiently recreate the flavor and texture that consumers expect from animal products. The proof is in the pudding... er, carton. Notmilk offers whole and 2% varieties that cook, froth, and pour like cow's milk. 

Because Giuseppi understands food on a molecular level, it can identify plant-based alternatives that trick your tongue (and therefore your brain) into thinking you're consuming dairy. That's why Notmilk is sweetened with pineapple and cabbage juice concentrates. "The combination of these ingredients together generates lactones that are similar to what milk has," NotCo's Founder and CEO Matias Muchnick tells Well + Good. But it's Notmilk, and that's a good thing.

Holy cow, vegans. Bored Cow makes completely animal-free milk using real milk protein. How is that even possible? The fermentation process has enabled food scientists to create a molecule identical to whey protein. This process eliminates the need for cow's milk and uses microflora to make the vegan alternative. (Fair warning to those with dairy allergies: Because Beyond Cow is molecularly identical to cow's milk, this plant-based alternative can cause allergic reactions.) The result is a cleaner, greener, kinder dairy with the same vitamins and minerals you'd find in traditional milk.

Bored Cow's delightful post-modern comics make drinking this non-dairy beverage not just yummy but fun, too. Get to know the cute cow mascots, each of whom has an associated flavor — vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. The founders of Bored Cow believe that cows should be able to do whatever they want, including stargazing, songwriting, and skateboarding. Okay, so maybe that's only true on Bored Cow's fanciful website, but this cruelty-free world is fun to envision, especially while sipping some antibiotic-free milk. Slurp!

Myracle Kitchen's Mylk is an organic, plant-based dairy alternative that contains no preservatives or artificial additives. Created in collaboration with international celebrity barista James Hoffmann, Mylk was designed with coffee lovers in mind. Professionals and amateurs alike rave about Mylk's silky smooth texture and its ability to form a tightly packed and lasting microfoam — two qualities necessary for creating amazing latte art. But Mylk is more than just a tool for coffee artists. It's also a mission-based Certified B Corp focused on the health of people and the planet. Among its other climate-friendly efforts, Mylk donates to regenerative farming efforts and offsets 100% of its carbon emissions by supporting wind farms.

The delicious and distinctive taste of Mylk comes from a combination of oats, coconut, fava bean protein, and nutritional yeast (also called nooch in vegan circles). Try Mylk's barista, semi-skimmed, and whole milk varieties. Or indulge in the company's dairy-free, organic, plant-based milkshakes. With drool-worthy flavors including chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, coffee, and banana, you won't need to ask "y" cows weren't involved.

Ripple's creamy and nutritious plant-based milk is made without dairy, soy, or nuts. So what's behind this allergy-friend, non-GMO milk alternative? Cholesterol-free yellow peas. Many plant-based milks have scant levels of protein, but the peas in Ripple provide 8g per serving. The unsweetened original Ripple milk has zero sugar, 50% more calcium than 2% cow's milk, plus vitamin D and 32mg of Omega-3s. Ripple also contains nearly nine times less saturated fat than either traditional dairy or coconut milk. But Ripple doesn't stop there. With six fabulous flavors of plant-based milk, Ripple provides plenty of opportunities to mix it up a bit. 

Ripple even has a plant-based milk specially formulated for children. Developed with pediatricians, Ripple Kids features an impressive 50mg of Omega-3s to promote healthy brain development, plus choline and prebiotic fiber to nourish growing bodies. The company believes that sustainable living can create a ripple effect to create a happier and healthier world — for kids, adults, and animals alike.

MALK Organics is a no-nonsense almond and oat milk company. No fillers, no preservatives — just clean, simple, certified organic ingredients that make a sweet and satisfying drink. Created by a mom searching for an allergen-free option for her son, MALK is dedicated to transparency and encourages consumers to #turnitaround. The bottle, that is. MALK makes its labels easy to read so consumers know exactly what they're consuming. In fact, when customers asked MALK to ditch the vaguely named "organic natural flavors," the Texas-based company did just that. In 2022, MALK relaunched its vanilla almond and oat varieties using organic vanilla extract made from real vanilla beans. This goes to prove that when you drink MALK, you can trust the company to provide what it promises.

Use MALK in your next smoothie, pudding, or even vegan egg nog. When you incorporate MALK into your kitchen, you can relax knowing you're drinking a high-quality, transparently-labeled, dairy alternative. Just what Mom would want.