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When’s the last time you walked into a coffee shop and didn’t see at least one non-dairy milk option? While oat, almond, and soy milks are staples on café menus, there’s a surge of other non-dairy milks—from macadamia nut to flax seed—designed for coffee, smoothies, and other beverages. As Southern Africa’s largest coffee blog, The Coffee Blog (TCB) decided to explore how these vegan milks perform with espresso, not just in taste, but also in frothing and integration.
U.S. retail sales of plant-based milk rose 6.4 percent to $2.299 billion between June 2022 and June 2023. A study by Strategic Market Research LLP values the 2021 plant-based milk market at $35 billion and predicts that figure will increase to $123.1 billion by 2030. While alternatives to cow’s milk are essential for those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to it, there’s also a growing number of people choosing vegan diets or those who occasionally want to mix up their milk choices. This growing market has led to strong competition among producers.
At TCB, we set out to evaluate various vegan milks with espresso. We chose three different espresso styles—classic Italian, light-roast single-origin, and natural-processed—to test 14 vegan milks readily available at local stores. Our criteria for a good alt-milk product included frothing ability, mouthfeel, integration with coffee, flavor, and aftertaste. Surprisingly, our sensory analysis revealed that the purest vegan milks—those without added sugars and various gums, stabilizers, and other additives—were not always our favorites.
For broad accessibility, we chose coffees from three large roasters: Illy’s Espresso Classico, La Colombe’s Early Riser Single-Origin Rwanda, and Counter Culture’s Kabeywa Natural Sundried Uganda. These coffees can be found at many grocery stores or ordered online. As straight shots, these three coffees epitomize their types: classic Italian style, chocolaty and nutty (Illy); washed third wave, bright and citrusy (La Colombe); and natural-processed, fruit-forward (Counter Culture). They all worked predictably well in cappuccino-scaled milk with our usual Clover Organic whole cow’s milk. But how would they do with these vegan milks?
After testing, we landed on four vegan milks we can recommend with enthusiasm. Here they are, in no particular order:
Here’s a rundown of the milks we don’t recommend for use in espresso-based milk drinks:
Not sure when to reach for oat, almond, syrups or spices? See our complete guide to coffee condiments for smart pairing ideas and pros/cons.
We learned a lot during this exercise and look forward to more experimentation as new products come on the market. Whether you’re a committed vegan or just alt-milk curious, there are numerous products available for you to experiment with in your at-home espresso ritual.
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Stu’s coffee story starts a little differently. For him, it wasn’t about exotic beans or latte art. It was about understanding that simple, quiet first cup of the morning, the one that could change the tone of the entire day. From a young age, he was drawn to the ritual, the smell, and even the science behind roasting his own beans—a hobby he’s been perfecting since childhood. Over time, his curiosity about coffee turned into a passion to share it, to connect with others, and to explore every technique, flavor, and brewing style. For Stu, The Coffee Blog is a space where coffee is more than a drink—it’s a conversation, an adventure, and a shared experience that anyone can join. Fun Fact: Stu continues to love roasting his own coffee and considers it an art. “I treat every batch of beans like a tiny, delicious science experiment.”
