Plant-Based Milks
In the words of our wonderful Jack Whitehall: “for the love… of God. We have got… enough milks… now. Would everyone… stop… MILKING S***! One of my favourite comedians recently did a sketch joking about the world’s state of dietary intolerances, which has led to us pretty much milking anything that can’t be ‘milked’, and it’s a very fair observation that the abundance of plant-based milks on offer nowadays is immense. Just to name a few: pea, hemp, almond, soya, oat, walnut, hazelnut, the list goes on.
As of September 2021, about 1/3rd of the UK is said to be drinking plant-based milks regularly, a strong increase from the 25% recorded in 2019. Plant-based milks are a fashionable alternative to dairy milk for those primarily concerned with the environment and animal ethics, but we have to gain the full picture of what we’re consuming in order to make the best decisions for our health and lifestyle needs. Here’s what I’ve come to learn about plant-based milks over the years, and even more so since having started making my own oat milk recently.
Macro/micronutrient profiles
Protein: plant-based milks (PBMs) tend to have a lower protein content than dairy alternatives such as cow’s milk. This does not mean that plant-based milks are unsuitable as contributors of protein to the diet, however they are often lower and have incomplete protein profiles (as is the case with many animal vs plant-based products). Drinkers of PBMs, in particular veggies and vegans, need to drink larger amounts and combine proteins from multiple sources in order to ingest a complete amino acid profile. (Note: this is doable in a well planned out, balanced diet of any kind)!
Carbohydrates: some PBMs will have higher carb contents, e.g. oat and rice, whilst others like coconut and soya milk will have lower carbohydrate contents than cow’s milk.
Fats: most plant-based milks will have lower quantities of fat present compared to cow’s milk.
Advantages of shop-bought PBMs
The main one is clearly that you don’t have to do it yourself, however as you might have seen on my Instagram, making it isn’t too much hassle. Many people simply don’t have the patience or desire though, and that’s okay. So, that’s one advantage: it’s fuss-free.
Shop-bought PBMs are also often fortified with vitamins such as B12, which is something your home-made version will miss out on. Deficiencies of this vitamin are common in the general population, contrary to popular belief of it being strictly a veggie/vegan issue, however you’re obviously at higher risk of this deficiency by not eating meat and animal-based products, so drinking the shop-bought version is a bonus on that front.
It doesn’t go off anywhere near as fast. Simply put, when making oat-milk at home, it goes off a LOT quicker than shop-bought. This might be for a few reasons: at home you’ll add less salt (which acts as a natural preservative) and at home you won’t add any preservatives/things to extend the shelf-life. Like anything you’d cook from scratch at home, it will probably go off in a short few days.
Advantages of home-made
If you are one to avoid things like stabilisers/gelling agents/added oils for whatever personal reason, this is a win if you’re to make your own milk at home.
Speaking at least for oats (I’ve yet to crunch numbers on nuts), it’s SO much cheaper. See below for some figures! All brands selected below have been done so purely for point of comparison. A quick couple notes before the explanation of the figures:
I shop at Morrison’s on the whole, so prices for oat milks have been selected based on how much they cost at this supermarket.
I usually buy my oats at 75p/kg oats, sometimes at £1. I’ve included both, for comparison.
75p oats, using 145g each time to make 1L of milk, makes you almost 7 litres of oat milk at home.
I have compared 100g vs 145g oats because I make my oat-milk recipe to 100g oats, however to compare like for like, calculations are shown based using 145g oats because that’s how much will make 1L home-made milk (as most shop-bought milks come in 1L cartons).
Price comparison: shop-bought vs home-made oat milk
They’re more expensive because you have to pay a factory worker to do it for you, you have to pay for the transport and packaging to the supermarket. Some companies may also source organic oats, which cost more to produce, elevating costs further. In my personal opinion (as a student), I would struggle to justify spending £2 on some oat milk given how cheap the raw products are, as opposed to things like nut milks (where nuts are considerably more expensive that oats).
Top small table, explained: 100g oats + 750ml water = 700ml oat milk. I make this much because this is how much I drink in the time I have before it goes off (so I’ll drink this much every 3 days or so). 145g makes 1L, the same amount as a carton of shop-bought plant-milk.
Bottom small table, explained: how much 145g of oats cost, if 1000g is bought at £0.75 (75p) and £1.
Big table, explained: HMOM using oats at £0.75/kg, to make 1L of oat milk is that factor cheaper than the brand on the same line. For example, 1L home-made oat milk using oats bought at £0.75/kg is 18.4 times cheaper than the £2 Rude Health carton, 16.1 times cheaper than the £1.75 Alpro Chilled Oat milk and 10.6 times cheaper than £1.15 Morrison’s own-brand oat milk. HMOM using oats at £1, to make 1L of oat milk is that factor cheaper than the brand on the same line. For example, 1L home-made oat milk using oats bought at £1/kg is 13.8 times cheaper than the £2 Rude Health carton, 12.1 times cheaper than the £1.75 Alpro Chilled Oat milk and 7.9 times cheaper than £1.15 Morrison’s own-brand oat milk.
Why are there stabilisers in your plant milk?
This is relevant, I promise - stay with me! When you blend something like oats into milk and you squeeze the bulk of the pulp out, you still get tiny little leftovers of oat in the milk (which is what gives it its substance, colour etc). However, these are naturally prone to separation from the liquid portion of your drink e.g. water. If you ever make your own, you’ll notice the sediment will sink to the bottom and the water will float on top (nothing a quick shake can’t fix).
Stabilisers are added to stop this separation, but also for when e.g. you pour your milk into a hot drink like tea, to stop it from separating in your milk and making it all go a funny texture. I’ve done a quick experiment at home using my HMOM in my flatmate’s coffee, and there was minimal separation under the heat of the drink, but if you’re prone to slightly funny textures then this may affect you.
Note: many online recipes for home-made plant milks use oils e.g. sunflower/coconut as a stabiliser. I have no idea how this plays out or how it works from a scientific perspective so can’t give you my two cents on it… sorry!
Why have I started making my own?
To me, I like the hands-on process of making my own. In my life, the more time I spend in the kitchen the better. It only takes 10/15 minutes to make from start to finish, but I love it! I also find that it makes the perfect texture to make things like hot chocolates. I recently made one for me and my flatmate and he described it as ‘drinkable chocolate custard’ - it’s just utterly creamy, the perfect thickness and really decadent. I don’t drink tea or coffee, so I don’t have to worry about it messing with any of my drinks. So I make my own because I like to do so, it’s cheaper for me and I have the time and energy to spare. You might be different and that is absolutely fine! But you know, the more you know and all that.
Summary
What would I say as someone with a nutrition background and a kitchen lover? You might be missing out on things like B12/vitamin D fortified by making your own, so be aware and careful on that front, but then many plant-based milks have oils and gelling gums added, so pick whichever you prioritise and plan for your body accordingly. I personally much prefer the texture and taste of home-made milk, plus I have the energy for it so I do it.
What would I say as a lil social justice warrior? None of this factors in the price of the blender, the water, or the straining bag. I reckon you could make the price back of all of them if you can afford the upfront costs, but quite obviously making your own milk at home is a privilege on many fronts.
Top tip: I always keep 1 or 2 cartons of long-life milk in my cupboard for ‘emergencies’. If I go to eat my breakfast and realise I didn’t drink my HMOM fast enough and it’s gone off and I need to head out of the door to university, or I’ve run out of oats and can’t get any in the meantime, I just pop open a carton and get back to making my own when I can.
Personally, I will continue to make my own for now because it fits in with my lifestyle, my taste preference and dietary needs, but naturally this varies for everyone.
