We Tasted Popular Nondairy Milks And Here's What We Actually Liked

From soy milk, to oat milk, to pea milk, to... banana milk??

Hi! I'm Michelle, and I'm lactose intolerant.

Paramount Pictures

I love good Parmesan cheese, Greek yogurt, and pistachio gelato as much as the next person, but any more than a bite inflicts me with all kinds of physical ills. 😩

Thankfully, there are a ton of dairy-free options popping up in the US these days, especially in the milk aisle.

Warner Bros.

Besides the tried-and-true soy milk and almond milk, of course.

I rounded up four of the most popular alternatives — oat milk, banana milk, pea milk, and (for reference) soy milk — and put them to a taste test.

Michelle No / BuzzFeed

Here were the contenders for review:

• Silk Soy Milk
• Ripple Pea Milk
• Oatly Oat Milk
• Mooala Banana Milk

To help taste test the options, I also enlisted the help of both a die-hard dairy lover (Marie) and a vegan (Rachel).

Marie Telling / BuzzFeed, Rachel Gaewski / BuzzFeed, Michelle No / BuzzFeed

I wanted to see if the three of us — with our different dietary styles — could all agree on a ~universally tasty~ milk. We tasted all of the milks both on their own, and mixed into our drinks of choice (either tea or coffee.)

We started off with soy milk, which we had all forgotten was so creamy and delicious.

Marie Telling / BuzzFeed, Rachel Gaewski / BuzzFeed

Michelle (lactose intolerant): I love soy milk because it's creamy and smoothie-like. It's a real pity that it makes my stomach churn and bloat just like dairy milk does, so I can't have too much of it.

Rachel (vegan): This one is one of the creamiest of all plant-based milks, IMO. The reason I don’t drink soy milk is because I already have a lot of soy in my diet, and I don't know if I want too much more. But I LOVE it, especially in shakes.

Marie (dairy lover): It's creamy, thick, and sweet — and it reminds me of this French medication for stomach ache, but in the best way.

Team rating: 🥛🥛🥛

Calories per serving (1 cup): 110, Protein: 8g, Sugar: 6g, Fiber: 2g

We then moved on to banana milk, which sounds like a fun kids' beverage, but honestly wasn't sweet enough and tasted watered down. 💧

Marie Telling / BuzzFeed

Michelle: It’s bland and tastes like an off-brand health drink. I do think it might be interesting to use as a base in a protein shake though, since it's slightly thicker than water.

Rachel: The color is really unappetizing and it's kind of too watery. When I put it in my tea, it just tastes like I added water, and nothing more.

Marie: I was expecting some kind of banana milkshake flavor, but this tastes like a watered down unripe banana peel. It's also weird because it makes my tea smell but not taste like bananas, which is something I don't want.

Team rating: 🥛

Calories per serving (1 cup): 60, Protein: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Fiber: 1g

Pea milk had a nice, creamy consistency, but most of us weren't a fan of the flavor.

Marie Telling / BuzzFeed, Michelle No / BuzzFeed

Michelle: I don't hate this one! It's creamy and kind of tastes like almond milk, but with a different aftertaste. It's actually perfect in my coffee, since the bitter coffee masks the pea flavor, but highlights this milk's smooth texture.

Rachel: I’ve heard good things about pea milk. It’s kind of velvety but the flavor is really off. I would say if they could change the flavor, the consistency is great and likable.

Marie: It tastes like split pea soup, but without all the good parts of the soup. This one’s a no, I'm sorry.

Team rating: 🥛🥛

Calories per serving (1 cup): 70, Protein: 8g, Sugar: 0g, Fiber: 0g

Then we moved on to oat milk. Spoiler: It was our favorite!

Marie Telling / BuzzFeed

Michelle: So yeah, I am officially oat milk's #1 fan. This stuff is creamy, tasty AF (the 7 grams of sugar per cup probably help), and blends PERFECTLY with coffee. It makes me want to guzzle down my afternoon cup of bean water in an instant, which TBH is probably a little dangerous. Also, since this stuff is slightly sweet, I don't feel the need to add extra sugar to my cup.

Rachel: The texture is awesome and way creamier than what I thought it was going to be. The flavor is bold but personally, I'm not in love with the aftertaste — it's almost a little too sweet.

Marie: it tastes like what you have at the end of a cereal bowl when you’re done with cereal, but slightly less sweet. Honestly, this is kind of better than cow's milk? I have a hard time believing there’s no dairy in this.

Team rating: 🥛🥛🥛🥛

Calories per serving (1 cup): 120, Protein: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Fiber: 2g

TL;DR: Super creamy, objectively tasty, and paired well with coffee and tea, ~oat milk~ was the winner here. The other options had their own pros too, and are worth a try of your own!

Michelle No / BuzzFeed

What's your favorite alt milk? Let us know in the comments!